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Transformation – Part 5

May 22, 2017

In Transformation – Part 4, the writer shared with you her perspective about the CAD Department Development Story, and asked you to move with us to Transformation – Part 5 to get introduced to the software, so we can share a nice understanding of our CAD work.  

Explore the Software

Welcome to the CAD world! 

Computer Aided Design & Drafting (CADD) provides the most amazing ways available for drafting.

To make it clear, we probably need to explain the meaning of the word “Drafting” when it comes to AutoCAD.  It may sound like a simple word, but the reality is…, this word carries a deep meaning and covers a tremendous number of disciplines, each with great variety of applications.

From simple 2-dimensional drafting to 3-dimensional modeling, Autodesk provides Mechanical, Architectural, Civil, Electrical, CAD/CAM for Dental work, building Material (BIM) drafting, and other drafting software, to help implement speed and efficiency in the world of innovation and creativity.    

Using CAD, we can create 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional drawings.  We can create limitless plans and models of any type of machine, building, vehicle, furniture, medical equipment, and a lot more.  Not only can we make drawings of those items, but we can also take advantage of the 3-D modeling options to physically turn our drawings into useful objects.  Isn’t that awesome?

Seriously, when it comes to conversing about CAD, I am not sure we can ever end the conversation. Therefore, we are going to limit our discussion to our area of concern.  The idea is that Autodesk software is made to suit every discipline where drafting is needed.  The only thing is that we, drafters, need to select the type of software that works best for our need.

Now that you know what CAD is and where it is used, we would like to familiarize you with some of the basic CAD features and their benefits to help you understand other reasons behind sharing the story of the CAD Department Development. Perhaps, it will also make you appreciate the work that has been done throughout the years a little more.

Like in every software, there is a great number of features that can be used to enhance our work.  As a CAD instructor, I am usually more concerned about the method in which my students approach their work than them getting the work done.  A drafter who is aware of the correct features to use for a certain drafting task, and one who spends excessive amount of time to unprofessionally accomplish the same task, are incomparable.  At the end, both drafters may produce the same piece, but the difference in the velocity and ease between the two, usually creates a huge concern.

In my opinion, it is more important to learn about the available commands, features, and methods of drafting before we start drafting.  Interested to learn about it?  Let’s take a look:

To start a CAD drawing, you need a CAD Command.  In the AutoCAD work space (Screen), CAD Commands are words that start actions as they are typed and entered on a provided command line. 

Those commands help us draw shapes, modify shapes, apply certain features to accomplish a particular task, save our drawings, or print them out for review and assembly purposes.

Our next post, will only discuss basic 2-dimensional drafting.  From there, we will move to CAD Electrical and how it has been used in our CAD Department.  We will be going over some of the items that apply to our work at Quad Plus, hoping that reading our story will make more sense to you and will be more fun to follow.  Stay with us.  Transformation – Part 6 is coming soon.