Thread Content
As a drawing tool, CAD software isn’t actually that difficult to learn. It’s like the pen you use to write or the chopsticks you use for eating; using a pen or chopsticks isn’t particularly difficult. By the time you decide to start learning CAD, you’ve already succeeded by half – what’s truly challenging is maintaining that determination. To borrow a line from the poet Lu You: \"If you truly wish to learn poetry, the effort lies beyond poetry itself.\" 」As more and more friends around me decide to improve themselves by learning a useful skill, many of them start to choose to learn *CAD drawing. However, beginners struggle because they know nothing about CAD and have no idea where to begin. So today, I’ll share with you some tips for getting started with CAD! I. What is CAD? First of all, you need to know what CAD is CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design, and it has a wide range of applications, including architecture, manufacturing, medicine, chemistry, aviation, navigation, and more. In the construction, building materials, and decoration industries, it is primarily used for drawing and calculation; in simple terms, it can be considered a drawing software. Before the advent of CAD, people relied on tools such as rulers, paper, pencils, and erasers to draw design diagrams by hand. This method involved a large amount of work, took a long time, resulted in low precision, and allowed for data transmission only through paper-based mediums. Thus, the advent of CAD technology completely changed this situation; drawings that used to take 1 to 2 days to prepare can now be completed in half an hour. Once done, they can be saved, transmitted, shared in electronic format, and edited or modified indefinitely. Therefore, it is used very frequently by everyone in the industry. file:///C:/Users/11430/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg II. How to choose a CAD software suitable for oneself? Before starting formal learning, we need to carry out a preparatory step, which is to find a CAD software suitable for our needs. For architectural drawing, options include Haochen CAD Architecture or Haochen Cloud Architecture; for mechanical drawing, Haochen CAD Mechanical can be used, and for viewing CAD drawings, Haochen CAD Viewer King is a good choice. Although there are many pirated versions of CAD available on the market today, it is recommended to use legitimate CAD software. Firstly, designers should have an awareness of the importance of using legitimate products; secondly, legitimate software eliminates many concerns and offers greater security. Next, it’s necessary to figure out the actual direction in which you will apply what you learn*. Sometimes, all that’s needed is to look at diagrams, while in other cases it’s necessary to actually create drawings. Although there is a connection between the two, for the former case, it’s possible to use simple and easy-to-use software. As for which one to choose specifically, you can try various options; there are many trial versions available on the market, and it’s possible to find a CAD software that suits you through some simple steps. III. What are some tips for getting started with CAD? 1. Being familiar with common CAD commands: For many beginners who are just starting to use CAD, it is said that the biggest challenge they face at first is mastering all the various shortcut commands in CAD, as there are simply too many of them and it’s difficult to remember them all. So today I’ve compiled a list of practical CAD shortcut commands for beginners. So today I’ve compiled a list of the most useful CAD shortcut keys and commands for beginners (following the rule of keeping the left hand on the keyboard and the right hand on the mouse). file:///C:/Users/11430/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.gif2. To become proficient in CAD drawing and design, one must first learn how to read CAD drawings – understanding the annotations, dimensions, and other elements contained in a set of drawing files. It’s impossible to create drawings if one cannot read them. After receiving a set of construction drawings, there should be a priority order – knowing which drawings to look at first and which later. For example: (1) Carefully read the design specifications to understand the general overview of the building, its location, elevations, material requirements, quality standards, construction considerations, as well as any special technical requirements, in order to form a preliminary impression in one’s mind ； (2) Next, examine the floor plan to understand the building’s planar shape, bay widths, depth, column layout, the arrangement of various rooms and the flow of traffic, as well as the locations of doors and windows. This helps to form a conceptual understanding of the building’s layout, which serves as a foundation for examining the elevation and sectional views ； (3) Examine the elevation view to understand the building’s orientation, number of floors and variations in floor height, as well as the requirements for doors, windows, and exterior decorations ； (4) Examine the cross-sectional view to gain a general understanding of the elevation changes in various parts of the cross-section as well as the conditions inside ； (5) Finally, examine the structural diagram to understand the relationship between architectural drawings such as floor plans, elevations, and sections, and the structural diagram, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of the entire project ； (6) In addition, it is also necessary to carefully read the detailed drawings or detail diagrams indicated by the reference symbols in the floor plans, elevations, sections, etc., ensuring a combination of fine and coarse elements as well as the proper alignment of different scales. 3. When copying others’ CAD drawings, beginners can start by using simple commands such as drawing lines and copying, and practice by creating drawings based on some CAD practice files. Then gradually move on to patterns with slightly more complex designs such as flowers. Then, trace some CAD drawings. Proceed from simple to difficult, in order. 4. Understand CAD drawing standards: Different industries have various CAD drawing standards; for example, design firms have different requirements regarding fonts and formatting. Therefore, when learning CAD drawing, it is necessary to first determine what you want to draw. Once that is clear, you can find the relevant drawing standards based on the industry in question. IV. A free guide to learning CAD quickly is included. In my opinion, the best and fastest way to learn CAD is by practicing while watching tutorials. Some people prefer watching videos or reading articles, while others like to read books; all of these methods are valid, and none is superior to the others. Actually, there’s no need to go through all those so-called videos, articles, and other materials in their entirety; it’s sufficient to focus on learning only the aspects that you need. There’s no reason to force yourself to use methods that you don’t like. It’s 2020 now; learning * is no longer something forced at all. During study time, it’s appropriate to take some notes, such as references to shortcut keys, to reinforce memory. Next is to think more and draw conclusions – this is a principle that applies to learning anything. Since everyone has different ways of learning, those who want to master CAD drawing must constantly draw conclusions and think based on their own circumstances. One last thing to say: when you first start learning CAD, there is one habit that you must remember to develop at all times, and that is to learn to save files whenever possible. This is not only to preserve the results of your work but also to ensure that your work efficiency isn’t affected.