AutoCAD for Students and Teachers
Table of contents
Tool Architectural Design Tool
Introduction
The AutoCAD version for students is an edition of this software designed for students’ specific needs for a software for the architecture, engineering, design and other areas. In addition, this version of AutoCAD offers additional teaching resources for students.
Free License
AutoCAD offers a license that is free for students, teachers and educational centers as well as universities and technical centers. This is because AutoCAD is widely used by architects, designers, engineers of various types, surveyors, urban planners, etc.
In this way, Autodesk contributes significantly to digital literacy. Managing CAD programs is a basic requirement nowadays.
How to use AutoCAD for students?
Once a student has downloaded the free version of AutoCAD, the first step is to start designing in 2D. Once this is done, you can proceed to 3D design. This process allows students to know how to use the different tools, toolbars, functions, commands, etc.
The basic steps to start using AutoCAD the following:
- The first thing is to understand and know your workspace, as well as the tools and menus.
- Start with simple drawing projects. Try, in this way, to know different basic tools such as pan, zoom, snap, polar, plot, etc.
- Become familiar with the design in different ways using basic 2D tools. For example Polygons, Polylines, Lines, Circles, Rectangles, arcs, chamfers, splices, unions, clippings, texts, etc. In addition to the free license, Autodesk has plenty of resources at your disposal to better understand AutoCAD.
- Moreover, knowing the most important commands and applying them frequently will help you work faster, as well as more efficiently.
- Other useful tools include dimensions, font styles, tables, shading, mirror, blocks, line types, etc.
Having mentioned all of the above, we also want to mention some of the many applications that AutoCAD has, which students can benefit from.
Engineering Drawing Tool
AutoCAD offers unique design tools that can be used in drawings for engineering components. These can be both design and infrastructure. In this way it minimizes human errors and helps “bringing an idea to life.” In the same way, within AutoCAD you can find functions to design other types of components, as well as solve design problems that could not have been detected if the design was manually done.
Graphic Design Tool
When using AutoCAD, you can also integrate files in DWG and DXG format. These can be exported from the interface to other CAD applications. Even if you want to work on more advanced animation projects.
Another great advantage for designers is that AutoCAD can also work simultaneously with 3D Max and other similar programs.
Architectural Design Tool
AutoCAD is known to be used primarily by architects, since the availability of integrated designs generates numerous templates specially created for architectural design and building planning. In this way, users can work on projects that focus on the details and a preview of a future work.
3D Printing
One of the great advantages of AutoCAD is that it is compatible with other file formats. This includes 3D printers. Once a design is created, it can be exported in the most convenient format. Consequently, AutoCAD is a very powerful tool when paired with a 3D printer. Not only can drawings be printed, but users can create 3D models, which facilitates the creation of models as a whole.
Industrial Planning
AutoCAD gets along very well with other CAD tools. Therefore, industrial engineers can combine several softwares such as SolidWorks or Revit to create functional prototypes, as well as test their practical functions during the design process. This saves time and money, because you can know the viability of any prototype before it is built on a larger scale.
Fashion
Although this is not well known, AutoCAD even combines the design of difficult shapes such as octagons, tetrahedra and many more. This is an extremely useful tool for fashion designers, clothing manufacturers, textile engineers, etc.
Recommendations
Some additional recommendations are to take into account that AutoCAD is not only available for computers, but can even be used on mobile phones. It is convenient to download the AutoCAD 360 application. In its free version, you can view plans on the screen of your phone. If you want to make changes and / or small corrections, the paid version is very accessible and easy to use.
On the other hand, it is worth investing time and energy to learn how to combine AutoCAD with other CAD software. AutoCAD belongs to a wide range of design programs. Each of these has unique features and functions. Therefore, you can complement your knowledge of each one. For example, when handling AutoCAD you can both take care of the architectural design of a macroscale building, and test the viability of the objects inside it with SolidWorks. Likewise, the combination of 3D Max handling and 3D printing can allow you to not only keep the 2D representation in the drawings, but also allows you to create models that represent them.
With everything mentioned above, there are very few reasons not to start using this program. The management of AutoCAD is an indispensable skill for architecture students. At the same time, this program is a great plus for the resumes of future engineers.
Conclusion
The version of AutoCAD for students is a software that can be used for different tasks. It is important to emphasize that this program is not exclusive to architectural design, because in combination with other tools you can make dynamic drawings oriented to the application.
References
Autodesk, 2020 [Online] Link: https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/autocad
Autodesk, 2020 [Online] Link: https://www.autodesk.com/education/home
