Technical specialties are now becoming increasingly popular. But Russian higher education is designed so that most of the so-called future techies are required to take a course in descriptive geometry and engineering graphics. Specialists of technical profiles should be able to build drawings of parts, draw up diagrams and draw blocks correctly, according to GOSTs. But technology does not stand still: earlier - several decades ago - engineers drew ink, then with ordinary pencils, and now it is possible to carry out all the construction on a computer using special software.
In Russian universities, most often use two programs: Compass and AutoCAD. In this article you will learn what it is - the AutoCAD program. Thus, you do not have to look for information on other resources.
Moreover, you will receive an answer to a question that interests many students from dozens of Russian universities: how to work in the AutoCAD program?
Of course, this material will not give a complete picture of what this program can do. But as far as possible we will try to get acquainted with it and understand how to work in the AutoCAD program. For a more professional application, this is a topic for a whole individual training course, which can be found on the Internet, where this material is sold and laid out for free.
AutoCAD program - what is it?
Simply put, AutoCAD is an indispensable software for any structural engineer, designer or person involved in 3D modeling of anything: from simple rectangular structures to complex medical devices, for example.
The user can build drawings in 2D space or, if necessary, simulate mechanisms in 3D. By the way, 3D modeling is one of the most sought-after skills of technical specialists in the near future.
Developers regularly update versions of the AutoCAD program, adding new functions to it, with the help of which it becomes more convenient to work with this application. At first glance, it might seem that mastering the basic skills in this program alone is very difficult - almost impossible, but it is not so: the AutoCAD interface is intuitive, and if you try, it should not take a lot of time to master it.
Now you know what it is - the AutoCAD program. You can proceed to consider other aspects related to the work in this application.
How to download and install AutoCAD?
To start using this software, you need to know that AutoCAD is a program that involves some nuances in downloading and installing.
To download the AutoCAD program, you need to go to the official website of the Autodesk developer and register an account on it, then you need to find the AutoCAD product, download it in the correct version and install it.
If you are a student, be sure to indicate this fact when registering, pre-filling out a questionnaire with a place of study, specialty and other things to get a free three-year version of the program. This will be an excellent educational aid: you won’t have to regularly download pirated versions, risking the security of your own system, everything will be updated automatically and, most importantly, for free.
Interface
If you open the latest version of the program for the computer "AutoCAD", a window with inscriptions in the center and a tab in the upper left corner will appear on the screen.
In the center are the main controls that allow you to open old files in formats that the program supports (if any) or create new projects for work.
In the upper left corner is a button that opens the main tab "AutoCAD". From it you can configure the format for future work, start a new project, open an old one, get detailed help about the program and activate other fundamental functions that will help you more conveniently work with AutoCAD.
Project work
If you create a new project in the program, a window will open with it, in the middle of which a large working area will be located, and a toolbar will appear on top. There are several tabs on this panel, each of which is responsible for different functions: appearance, design of a part, lines, construction of geometric shapes, editing them, and so on.
At the bottom there is a line for entering commands: for the adherents of the old versions - the people who worked with AutoCAD several years ago, it may be more convenient to use it. Using this input line, you can display any commands that facilitate navigation in AutoCAD.
It is worth noting that the program itself will help to build some objects for the user. For example, AutoCAD itself will connect the lines in convenient nodes so that there are no gaps between one part of the drawing and the other.
For the convenience of working with the drawing, the developers introduced the multi-layer option. The user can perform temporary construction for convenience on one layer of the drawing, and already draw the main lines on another layer. So the picture will not be cluttered with unnecessary lines, and the user himself will not get confused in his own drawings.
And there are a lot of functions that make life easier for those who work in AutoCAD. They, by the way, can be activated using hot keys. You just need to find their combination and remember. It is not that difficult.
Save project
You can save the finished project in AutoCAD in several formats: PDF, DWF, JPG, PNG. All of them can be convenient in certain cases. For example, the PDF format is easy to send to the customer or teacher for review. In the DWF format it is convenient to print ready-made drawings or objects. JPG and PNG allow you to share finished work in draft form with anyone.
Total
As a result, you can safely assure that AutoCAD is an excellent program for building figures and drawings, which makes life easier for anyone, whether a university student or a qualified design engineer.
True, to learn all the intricacies of working with the program and ideally master it is not so simple, and it is better to do it under the guidance of a teacher or with the help of many training courses on the Internet.
Undoubtedly, that specialist who knows how to work well in the AutoCAD drawing program will always be in demand, and that student who has studied all the features of the program well will always get good marks for drawing in this software and, of course, will be able to help his fellow students in the construction of drawings.