Apply computer technology to design
- Planning applications across a range of industries, including landscaping, construction, engineering, and manufacturing.
Computer-aided design (CAD has largely replaced manual hand drafting. It is a software programme that makes it easier to develop and visualise ideas, as well as alter and improve them. Although learning CAD can be difficult and time-consuming, it minimises the amount of time and effort required to develop visual renderings of designs.
There are numerous CAD software applications available, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Some are expensive, while others are completely free. They all follow the same design concepts. Many CAD software applications are based on the ADAM core system.
Some CAD programmes are solely for design. In certain cases, the design function is included as part of a bigger software package.
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
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Scope & Nature of Computer Aided Design
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History of Technical Drawing
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History of CAD
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Why CAD?
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Overview of Applications of CAD
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Solid Modelling or Manufacturing
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Surface Modelling
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Assembly
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Drafting Detailing
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Reverse Engineering
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Scanners
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Types of CAD Software
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CAD System Components
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Popular CAD Software
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Create a CAD Project
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CAD Design Principles
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Basics of CAD
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Cartesian Coordinate System
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Spatial Reasoning
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Orthographic Projections
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CAD Design General Principles
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CAD Design Process
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CAD Design Effective Use Principles
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Landscape Mapping and Planning
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Plan Types
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Site Plan/Base Plan
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Topographic Plan
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Concept Plan
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The Final Plan
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Other Plans
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How Landscape Plans are Presented
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Steps In The Design Procedure
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Landscape Graphics
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Surveying and Measurement
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Levelling
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Area Measurement
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Measurement of Volume
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Earthworks
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Limitations of CAD in Landscape Design
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Construction and Engineering
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CAD in Construction
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Building Information Modelling
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Application to Construction
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Types of Drawings
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Architectural Drawings
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Building Services Drawings
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Miscellaneous Drawings
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Submission Drawings, Models, Environment Plans
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Architecture and Urban Planning
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CAD Modelling
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Urban Planning
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Architecture
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Architectural Views
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Using Templates
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CAD visualisation
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Virtual Tours
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Risk Management
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Risk Identification
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Risk Assessment
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Building Information Modelling
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Optimisation
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Manufacturing
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Computer Numerical Control
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Computer Aided Manufacturing
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Aerospace
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Automotive
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Technology
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Benefits
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Design
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Financial
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Tooling
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Outsourcing
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Quality and Inspection
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Logistics
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Green Strategy
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Rapid Prototyping
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Why Rapid Prototyping is Important
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The Prototyping Process
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Types of Rapid Prototyping
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Additive Manufacturing
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Binder Jetting
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Other Manufacturing Techniques
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High Speed Machining
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Laser Cutting
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Water Cutting
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Electrical Discharge Machining
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Extruding, Moulding, Casting
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Injection Moulding
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3D Printing
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History of 3D Printing
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Types of 3D Printing
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3D Scanners
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Types of Software
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Slicer Software
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Type of Printing Materials
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Advantages and Disadvantages of 3D Printing
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Applications of 3D Printing
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The Future of 3D Printing
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Further Applications
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Enhanced Reality
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Augmented Reality
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Virtual Reality
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Mixed Reality
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Artificial Intelligence
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Generative Design
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The Cloud
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Customisation and Other Applications
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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Discuss the scope and nature of computer-aided design.
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Compare characteristics of different types of CAD software.
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Outline broad underlying principles of computer aided design.
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Explain CAD applications for land mapping, planning and earthworks.
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Explain CAD applications in construction and engineering.
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Explain the importance of CAD in architecture and urban planning.
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Explain CAD applications in manufacturing.
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Explain CAD applications for rapid prototyping.
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Explain CAD applications for 3D printing
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Determine further applications for CAD.
What You Will Do
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Talk to someone who has got some knowledge in CAD about the advantages of using CAD over manual drafting and the best CAD software they recommend for a beginner.
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Install any open-source CAD software (example: FreeCAD) on your computer and try to learn about its characteristics of it and the different modelling types used in that software.
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Choose any design project of your choice and try to follow the CAD design process. Make notes on your approaches to conception, design, validation, and presentation steps of the design process.
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Design a garden/ lawn for your house and make a drawing. Make sure you present all the required information accurately and clearly.
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Install any open-source CAD software in your computer. Explore the architectural drawing options in that software. Try to create the drawing of any project of your choice using the tools available.
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Write down your understanding of urban planning. Try to draw a rough plan for a neighbourhood consisting of houses, a library, government offices, and a school.
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Using a CAD model design of your own or finding one that interests you online, make notes on the process to turn the design into a finished product using a 3D printer of your choice.
LEARN HOW CAD WORKS -
THEN HAVE A FOUNDATION FOR USING IT BETTER
Any design process will have underlying principles which inform and guide the activity being undertaken. In the case of CAD these principles have developed based on how the technology itself was created. These principles in turn have led to a sequential design process based on how a CAD system operates.
As you appreciate CAD design principles, you will recognise each discipline that makes use of the technology has its own set of principles which that discipline uses to inform its designs. For example, an architect will pay attention to symmetry, focus points and aesthetics as well as function, but a manufacturer will be more concerned about optimal production flow and reducing costs.
A basic concept that underpins CAD is the Cartesian Coordinate System.
The location of a point in the plane or three-dimensional space can be specified using Cartesian coordinates. A point's Cartesian coordinates (also known as rectangular coordinates) are a two-dimensional pair of numbers or a three-dimensional triplet of integers that provide signed distances from the coordinate axis.
The x-coordinate axis and the y-coordinate axis are used to specify Cartesian coordinates in the plane. The intersection of the x and y axes is the origin. A point in the plane's Cartesian coordinates is expressed as (x, y). In three-dimensional space, the Cartesian coordinate system is based on three mutually perpendicular coordinate axes: the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis. If it is in three dimensions, there will be one more axis called z-axis and the point will be expressed as (x, y, z).
Spatial Reasoning then comes into play. Spatial reasoning is the ability to see a 2- or 3-dimensional object and manipulate it in a useful way. This often means taking an object, visualizing a pattern, making a judgement based on the pattern, and then solving a problem. It may involve rotating designs to view them from alternative angles, assembling (or disassembling) designs from component parts, or identifying objects in a design by their unique surface features. As designs are made up of lines and shapes, the ability to make spatial connections between them is an important skill in many technical disciplines and a core requirement in CAD. The ability to see how different parts of a plan or design connect and/or interact makes all the difference between an effective functional design and one not fit for purpose.
WHO CAN FIND APPLICATIONS FOR KNOWING CAD?
- Draftsmen, designers, product developers, IT professionals, even film makers
- Landscape designers, architects, interior designers
- Engineers, planners, scientists, property developers
- Manufacturers, builders, innovators and inventors
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