Topic: Teaching Autocad

[SDETERS]

I am looking for some good material to teach Autocad 101.

What is a good book?  I am not doing standards and such at this time. 

The training that we will be doing is going to be, this is autocad, this is how you dimension, draw lines and get info from the drawing.

Thanks

[kindra]

The 'AutoCAD for Dummies' series is a very user-friendly book to follow if you're coming from zero knowledge.

[SDETERS]

I am looking to teach the class

Thanks I will check this book out.

[jonesy]

I wrote my own

[CB_Cal_UK]

I wrote my own

I too wrote my own, basically a series of exercises of increasing difficulty focusing on core commands or techniques.

For example, I had one on co-ordinate entry that started by getting people used to the line command,
then progressed to arrays, then onto polar arrays getting people used to circles etc.

Then I had 'advanced' versions that took the same principles but made it a practical applications So for the coordinate entry/array exercise it was "Here's how to set out a regular building grid. Good, now add some circles to the gridlines. Good, now add the grid text. Excellent! Now copy the grid text across. Right, now lets put some dimensions on the grid. Right, on to the walls . . . ."

Pretty soon you've built up a fairly simple drawing with a real world example that has only used a few commands (line, circle, array, mtext, copy, rotate etc.) You can tailor it to suit the level of people you're working with "Right the 'architect' has changed his mind, we need to adjust the grid (stretch, trim, extend, erase, rotate) Hit all the basic commands and get people used to the selection processes, and they'll be drawing the basics in no time.

[SDETERS]

I will probably look at the Autocad for Dummies book and then put some stuff down from our own real world examples.

Thanks for the input.

[deegeecees]

Teach Geometry, Drafting disciplines, and Philosophy before diving into the intricacies of lines and circles. This will build a better foundation for any who take to it. Maybe just a day or two to touch on them. Just a suggestion.

[CaddmannQ]

Teach Geometry, Drafting disciplines, and Philosophy before diving into the intricacies of lines and circles. This will build a better foundation for any who take to it. Maybe just a day or two to touch on them. Just a suggestion.

And a dang good one too!

I don't know how many drawings I've got over the years from people who could draw the lines and circles, but to whom geometry and trig were evidently foreign languages.

Now it's true that not everyone could never master a trig table, nor manage to work their way through a Smoley's, nor even work it out on a scientific calculator; but if you can't correctly solve the unknowns of a triangle with AutoCAD, IMO there simply is no hope for you.

[Josh Nieman]

Teach Geometry, Drafting disciplines, and Philosophy before diving into the intricacies of lines and circles. This will build a better foundation for any who take to it. Maybe just a day or two to touch on them. Just a suggestion.

And a dang good one too!

I don't know how many drawings I've got over the years from people who could draw the lines and circles, but to whom geometry and trig were evidently foreign languages.

Now it's true that not everyone could never master a trig table, nor manage to work their way through a Smoley's, nor even work it out on a scientific calculator; but if you can't correctly solve the unknowns of a triangle with AutoCAD, IMO there simply is no hope for you.

Dude, If you're given enough information to narrow your shape down to one triangle and not an infinite amount of possible triangles... and you can't solve for the unknowns... you have much more severe problems than trig!  Problems like being able to dimension and read!

[CB_Cal_UK]

Just reminiscing about some of my earlier training methods . . . Anybody else take a sheet of paper, physically cut a rectangular hole in the middle and then try and explain this 'new thing called paperspace'?

"Look, here's your sheet of paper right? And this is called a viewport right? And this is how you adjust the viewport scale <moves paper closer to object> right? And you can even rotate objects in viewports right! <turns object round and round leaving paper the same way> What? No! Of course it won't let you draw viewports in Model space!?!?! Right!! Here's your sheet of paper right?!?! That's why it's called Paperspace right!! What? No, you don't put your border in Model Sp.... you know what, forget it. Yes, put your border in model space and scale it up . . . that's right. You want a larger scale extract of that drawing element? That's right. Copy it in Model space and scale it up. That's right.

Grrrr! :pissed:

[Josh Nieman]

Just reminiscing about some of my earlier training methods . . . Anybody else take a sheet of paper, physically cut a rectangular hole in the middle and then try and explain this 'new thing called paperspace'?

"Look, here's your sheet of paper right? And this is called a viewport right? And this is how you adjust the viewport scale <moves paper closer to object> right? And you can even rotate objects in viewports right! <turns object round and round leaving paper the same way> What? No! Of course it won't let you draw viewports in Model space!?!?! Right!! Here's your sheet of paper right?!?! That's why it's called Paperspace right!! What? No, you don't put your border in Model Sp.... you know what, forget it. Yes, put your border in model space and scale it up . . . that's right. You want a larger scale extract of that drawing element? That's right. Copy it in Model space and scale it up. That's right.

Grrrr! :pissed:

 

I've been there, despite my youth.  Paperspace is still something "new" to some people out there, and to explain the benefits, I used the envelope my check came in though, because it had that little "window" where the addressee shows up from the check enclosed.

[mjfarrell]

Years ago in an Autocad far, far away from the product we know today (r10) had an insert called Appendix G. Appendix G was subtitled Standard Menu Users Guide (SMUG) and IF one knew SMUG one could be productive, and it was a great tool to educate new users with. I think r10 was the last know documentation set to contain SMUG.

Since you can't give them a copy of smug with tools that you want them to use hi-lighted might I suggest the following:

Start by showing them how to use the F1 key during commands. So that they can see how help is linked to the active command.

Then show them how to control the view, panning, zooming, mouse wheel, etc

Then teach them layers, lines, polylines, arcs, and circles. All of these excersises should include a mix of coordinate entry, dist, angle and direct key in. Snaps should be heavily covered as well in all their modes.

Text and Dimensioning

Views and sheets

[CADaver]

Just reminiscing about some of my earlier training methods . . . Anybody else take a sheet of paper, physically cut a rectangular hole in the middle and then try and explain this 'new thing called paperspace'?

I always used the "director's booth" analogy; ten cameras, one wall full of monitors.

[pmvliet]

Where I used to work, I would use the Ascent training manuals.
They were based on a 5 day course(depending) and I would pick and choose different chapters/sections that I thought were important. Some would say it is expensive, but considering your time it does become affordable.
Examples are already drawn as well as the final drawing if the student gets stuck.

There is a teacher manual and then a student manual. Depending on your class size or size of organization
you order the number of manuals that you think you need. The manual also works at a "self pace" so
you don't need to teach 100% of the time. It's written well enough that it can be followed by newbies
with some guidance.

It's also a good thing for veterans to browse through during slow times just to brush up on skills.

Creating your own manual would be the most ideal, but also the most expensive avenue. Again it might
benefit if you are training for a specific industry/company. It all depends on the situation.

Pieter

[Bethrine]

I am by no means qualified to teach, but from a new student standpoint, and I am teaching myself at this point, this book is really great (amazon.com link)...

http://www.amazon.com/AutoCAD-2005-LT-Experience-Required/dp/0782143415/ref=sr_1_7/105-3262730-5413228?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188595481&sr=1-7

It covered all the AutoCAD stuff everyone talked about in this thread and I have a good understanding of paper space and model space, I can use coordinates and layers and xrefs. I can create templates and my own toolbars and use  the Design Center and file system. It does not, however, cover geometry or actual drafting skills (it does have suggested fonts and lineweights to use). You draft a basic cabin throughout the book. It is a basic book for the actual use of the AutoCAD software. I called Autodesk in Phoenix and they suggested it to me. It started with what was on my screen and the different buttons, very basic and I believe it builds well. But, like I said, I am a newb to AutoCAD. Mine is the 2005 LT version but there is a 2007 version I am sure. There is probably one for the full version of AutoCAD as well.

Just my opinion..
Bethrine

[Kate M]

Just reminiscing about some of my earlier training methods . . . Anybody else take a sheet of paper, physically cut a rectangular hole in the middle and then try and explain this 'new thing called paperspace'?

I always used the "director's booth" analogy; ten cameras, one wall full of monitors.

Ooh, good one.

[CADaver]

Just reminiscing about some of my earlier training methods . . . Anybody else take a sheet of paper, physically cut a rectangular hole in the middle and then try and explain this 'new thing called paperspace'?

I always used the "director's booth" analogy; ten cameras, one wall full of monitors.

Ooh, good one.

I've always liked it.  Use a football game as the "show" (model) an dthe blimp camera is a "plan view", "end-zone" camera is a "front view"  some camera is "zoomed" into just the quarterback, etc.

[Bethrine]

Just reminiscing about some of my earlier training methods . . . Anybody else take a sheet of paper, physically cut a rectangular hole in the middle and then try and explain this 'new thing called paperspace'?

I always used the "director's booth" analogy; ten cameras, one wall full of monitors.

Ooh, good one.

I've always liked it.  Use a football game as the "show" (model) an dthe blimp camera is a "plan view", "end-zone" camera is a "front view"  some camera is "zoomed" into just the quarterback, etc.

I learned it with a small, empty picture frame and a large drawing.