AutoCAD
256 hours/12 Month Access/ Instructor supported
Course Overview:
If you are a student or professional involved in the design or production of technical drawings, 3D models, or photorealistic renderings and visualizations, you owe it to yourself to learn AutoCAD. Quickly increase your productivity and enhance your employability with the AutoCAD skills employers have come to expect. Architects, Mechanical and Civil Engineers, Interior Designers, Furniture Designers, Set Designers, Game Designers and all others involved in or interested in any the design industry's many facets should read on and learn how online AutoCAD training courses can quickly speed you to the forefront of your industry and teach you the necessary skills to communicate and deliver your designs.
Outline:
- AutoCAD 1 - Introductory 2D – 64 hours
- AutoCAD 2 - Advanced 2D – 64 hours
- AutoCAD 3 - 3D Modeling – 64 hours
- AutoCAD 4 - Rendering and Customization – 64 hours
AutoCAD 1– Introductory 2D:
In this introductory, online CAD training course, students will learn the basic features of AutoCAD. New concepts include setting up a drawing, navigating a drawing, basic construction and editing commands, layering techniques, dimensioning and annotation techniques, tiled and floating viewports and an introduction to layouts and basic plotting procedures. Students will use these concepts and procedures in the creation of a variety of two-dimensional technical drawings.
Detailed Online Course Description:
The course content begins with a series of simple mechanical style drawings designed to familiarize the student with the most common construction and editing commands. After becoming proficient with the basic techniques for creating and navigating a technical drawing, students will move on to the creation of a series of architectural style drawings including cornice brackets, an ornate iron roof cresting, and a classic pediment portico.
Time saving techniques for reusing content will be explored as the student learns how to convert the portico entrance to a matching pediment double hung window in less than 10 minutes. While creating these part files an emphasis will be placed on proper organizational layering techniques and the application of line weights to ensure readability in the final plotted set of drawings. Furniture design will be explored while learning dimensioning and annotation techniques which will be applied to all existing drawings.
Students will learn how to follow industry standards for annotation and layering and will become familiar with both Mechanical and Architectural styles of dimensioning. Finally, students will learn how to reuse content between drawings and will bring the architectural parts that they have created earlier in the course into their final project, a detailed front elevation of a classic, Second Empire style house.
AutoCAD 2 - Advanced 2D:
In this online CAD training course, students will learn the advanced two dimensional capabilities of AutoCAD. New concepts include: advanced dimensioning techniques such as lateral tolerances and alternate units, advanced viewport creation and paperspace detailing, annotation scaling techniques, multi-layout paperspace plotting, hatching and presentation techniques, tables and fields, layer and selection filters, blocks and symbol libraries, attributes, Dynamic Blocks, externally referenced drawings, raster images, sheet sets, and publishing.
Detailed Online Course Description:
The course content for level two begins with a series of classic Shaker style furniture drawings from which students will learn techniques for extracting detail drawings through the manipulation of viewports and viewport specific layer controls. Next the students will create a set of Architectural plan details containing numerous material hatching patterns and will also learn how to work with tables and table styles as they create a custom wall schedule table.
The next project begins with a multi-layout floor plan where the student will learn how to use layer states and viewport controls to display a single drawing in both a construction document and a black line, presentation style. Students will create an architectural symbol library containing blocks of doors and windows which will be used in the floor plan drawing. Door schedules and window schedules will be added and then students will learn how to add data to their blocks in the form of attributes. These attributes will be contained within door, window and room tags which will in turn be used to populate the associated schedules.
After completing the first architectural project, students will learn how to work with AutoCAD's powerful new Dynamic Block Editor which allows the user to assign parameters such as dimensions and visibility states to a block.
The final project spans classes 11 to 16 and revolves around an initial design for a recording studio to be sited on a derelict property on the Toronto waterfront. The student will play the part of several members of a team and will develop the project using external references to divide it into a number of separate files including a site drawing, a shell drawing and 3 separate files for east, west and north wings. The student will learn how to work with and update references and also learn how to work with raster images as they cite the building footprint on a scaled satellite photograph and satellite maps.
In the last two classes, students will learn how to create sheet sets to easily plot a cohesive set of drawings from separate files and will also learn how to Publish the drawings in both PDF and DWF formats for sharing information with those that do not have access to AutoCAD.
AutoCAD 3 - 3D Modeling:
In this online CAD training course you will master the powerful 3D modeling capabilities of the latest versions of AutoCAD. New concepts include 3D workspaces, 3D user coordinate systems, creating and modifying 3D primitives, working with visual styles, 3D navigation tools, Booleans and composite solid modeling, Extrude and Revolve operations, Region modeling, Helix, Sweep and Loft modeling techniques, editing and manipulating models at both the object and sub object levels, 2D drawing extraction procedures, meshes and surface modeling, sections and live sections, assembly modeling, and an introduction to Rendering..
Detailed Online Course Description:
Students will create over 50 detailed 3D practice models in this course along with 6 assignment models. The content for the level three course begins with an exploration of the 3D workspace environment.
Students will learn how to create a series of simple models by combining solid primitives such as boxes, wedges, and cylinders with the Union command. Students will learn to control the User coordinate system and use the Subtract and Intersect command to create increasingly complex primitive models before progressing with Extrusions, Revolves, Sweeps, and Loft objects.
For the duration of the course, emphasis is placed not only on modeling but also on drawing extraction methods and students will learn techniques to create base, orthographic, section, and auxiliary drawing views that can be easily updated as their model changes. Advanced modeling techniques will be examined in depth as students create complex freeform models and learn to display their work in live sectioned views.
During the second half of the course students will have the opportunity to pursue their own designs as they work on optional assignments such as light fixtures, furniture pieces, architectural parts and assemblies, and for the final assignment either an entire store to be set in a supplied retail environment, or a classically detailed exterior model of a two storey house.
AutoCAD 4 - Rendering and Customization:
In this online CAD training course you will master the powerful Rendering capabilities of the latest versions of AutoCAD. New concepts include: Render Settings and Procedures with Mental Ray, Camera views and Custom Backgrounds, Materials, Textures and Finishes, Sunlight Systems and Shadows, User Lights and Attenuation, Faking Indirect Illumination, Advanced Mapping techniques, Landscape and Entourage, Global Illumination and Photon Mapping, Final Gathering, Reflections and Raytracing with Metals, Glass and Liquid Materials, Motion Path Animations, Customizing the User Interface, Custom Toolbars, Custom Commands and Macros. Includes 2 DVD set.
Detailed Online Course Description:
Students will create photo-realistic rendered images of Exterior and Interior, Architectural Environments, utilizing cameras, custom materials, ‘and sunlight systems as well as custom, daytime and nighttime lighting solutions for both projects.
The course begins with an exploration of the rendering environment and a discussion on model preparation. Students will begin their Exterior project, assembling the part files and assigning their first materials. After placing cameras to obtain architectural style perspectives, students will specify custom background images and discuss layout procedures and view controls. Students will continue to create and assign materials to their exterior project learning to control texture map placement and orientation with UVW mappers.
The next phase of the project is to design daytime and nighttime lighting conditions using a mix of Sunlight systems and User lighting. Students will continue to refine their materials with advanced mapping techniques and learn how to create custom landscape objects with opacity mapping techniques. The final project is a set of Interior renderings for a Kiosk in a larger retail environment. Students will create several camera views, create and assign custom materials including landscape objects, advanced metals, glasses, water and neon lights. Students will design custom lighting solutions for their project and learn to use Global Illumination and Final Gather to create realistic lighting.
The final phase of the Interior project will involve the creation of a 10 second, architectural walkthrough rendered with realistic texture mapped materials, and full lighting with shadows. To end the course, students will learn a series of basic to intermediate level customization techniques. Interface options, Workspaces, Profiles and Startup routines will be explored in depth. Finally, students will learn how to use the Customize Interface Editor and work with CUI files. Students will create a custom dimensioning toolbar including a new, custom, macro command with a user defined button image.
Technical Requirements:
- Windows-based personal computer with DVD drive and internet access. Any computer built within the last three years should meet the minimum hardware requirements.
- Access to the most recent version of the appropriate software is also included.