AutoCAD Hive

What to say about Autodesk's AutoCAD that is already not known?

One of the oldest and most famous CAD software for engineering in broadest sense of meaning.

Everyone in engineering meets AutoCAD almost everywhere, in all possible branches.

And everyone is still using it. Don't believe them if they tell you otherwise.

It's an almost mandatory tool for a professional engineer to know how to use it.

At least its basics.

It's like a matter of good engineering breeding to learn AutoCAD 2D.

If you know the alphabet of CAD, which AutoCAD 2D definetely is, you can gradually advance to more sophisticated and advanced 3D packages. You should first finish your elementary school, after that you can go to high school and uni.

But you should first have good foundations in CAD, and AutoCAD will provide you that.

Yes, its logic is quite different than logic of parametric, feature-based 3D CAD packages, someone will tell you that AutoCAD is outdated, merely a better type of (electronic) drawing board, that it's nowadays a tool of dinosaur and that AutoCAD's logic will distract you when you

try to learn logic of 3D CAD software.

Maybe that's true. But I've seen Catia mechanical design engineers that have no idea how to draw and dimension a vertical line in AutoCAD, which is sad.

You should know that there is no better tool yet to present your 2D drawings to anyone who needs to read it and not even one of well-known advanced 3D packages has more superior presentation and appearance of pure 2D drawing than AutoCAD. Period.

So you should learn AutoCAD for your own sake. If you think you're going to draw processing facility layout in drawing module of 3D CAD package, think again. If you think you will draw quick tender drawing in 3D package, think again too.

That's just a few reasons why you should know how to use AutoCAD if you want to become complete, full-scale CAD design engineer.

Chances are that even in these days of 3D design you will in 90% of cases in your engineering practice find AutoCAD's DWG format as a standard file format for 2D drawings exchange among engineering companies. Those drawings may be created originally in AutoCAD or converted to AutoCAD's drawings from drawing module of some 3D CAD package.

I've learned AutoCAD 2D on a version 2000. And had an opportunity to work in AutoCAD 2009. And few versions in between.

Autodesk made a significant changes in a field of user interface in recent versions, but it's still good old AutoCAD. With few more advanced commands, tools and accent in improving AutoCAD's own 3D.

But I wouldn't recommend anyone to go too deep with AutoCAD's 3D for serious things. There are far more superior tools for 3D design.

Even Autodesk has its Inventor package that is meant for 3D design.

Learn AutoCAD 2D and it will be sufficient. It shouldn't take too long to conquer basic things.

You will learn 3D design with other CAD package.

If you like, you could take a look at some of my DWGs (AutoCAD's native file format) and view few drawings on this page.