Parts of autocadd windowLABELS 1. Quick Access Toolbar: 11. View Cube: 2. Ribbon Tabs: 12. WCS. 3. Search: 13. Navigation Bar: 4. External Links: 14. Drawing Area/ Graphics Area: 5. Help: 15. Command Line: 6. Title Bar: 16. Model and Layout Tabs: 7. Application Menu Button (AutoCAD Logo) : 17. Drawing Settings: 8. Ribbons: 18. Additional Settings: 9. File Tabs: 19. Drawing Coordinates: 10. Viewport Controls: 20. Co-ordinates: 21. Ribbon view: Cadd comands . . . . UPPER FLOOR PLANS . SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN . LOWER FLOOR PLANS FRONT ELEVATION . RIGHT SIDE ELEVATION LEFT SIDE ELEVATION . . with each user working at a separate graphics terminal. making it the first CAD system developed for PCs. AutoCAD’s success is largely due to its mass adoption by a wide range of design professionals. and helped to save building materials. Construction The main industry in which AutoCAD is used is construction. produce designs and drawings to the required levels of technical accuracy. animators and engineers. They launched AutoCAD at the COMDEX trade show in Las Vegas as the first CAD program in the world to run on a PC. BIM provides an excellent tool for the design. which enabled the creation of vertical products such as AutoCAD Architecture. tools and other design software were incapable of carrying out the project successfully. “From a property owner’s perspective. AutoCAD software allows users to conceptualize ideas. The software is used to produce 2D and 3D drawings. Autodesk added new features and programs to appeal to different professions. AutoCAD had become the most widely used design application worldwide. Fusion 360. By March 1986. management and investment control of the entire project. visual effects artists and modelers to push the boundaries of their creative abilities. a position it still holds today. The Origins of AutoCAD The company behind AutoCAD. which allowed the design team to visualize the tower in 3D and to perfectly capture the twisting structure of the tower. If the designer didn’t have access to these. AutoCAD’s Applications AutoCAD was initially created for mechanical engineers.A. The software supports APIs for customization and automation. visualize. Imagine how much effort it would take to compute technical calculations with calculators and mathematical tables! What’s worse. With an array of specialized creative toolsets integrated to form a modern. AutoCAD Electrical and AutoCAD Civil 3D. hoping that one of the applications would take off. the developers turned to the advanced tools offered by BIM. One example of how AutoCAD has successfully helped a project is the construction of the Shanghai Tower. an indispensable feature of modern CAD. it was a prototype of graphical user interface. simulate and build more efficiently. The First CAD Software for PCs AutoCAD has been available on the market since 1982. The tower’s owner and developer credits BIM and AutoCAD for the building’s successful construction. Effectively. and even perform rapid design calculations and simulations. commercial CAD programs in the 70s ran on mainframe computers or minicomputers. including AutoCAD 360. to monitor the building energy analysis in order to create a more environmentally friendly skyscraper. The distinctive feature of SKETCHPAD was that it allowed the designer to interact with his computer graphically: the design can be fed into the computer by drawing on a CRT monitor with a light pen. even weeks. but very quickly extended to encompass a range of fields. construction.” Animation It is not just in the construction sector where AutoCAD has seen regular use: the Entertainment Creation suites can produce high quality entertainment content by using 3D animation software. including architects. So. He and the other 15 co-founders intended to develop five different desktop automation applications.D. In the last five years. Overview It is argued that the beginning of C. In fact. Autodesk Building Design Suite provides a 3D building design software portfolio that combines Building Information Modeling (BIM) and CAD tools to help construction engineers design. the suites allows animators. project managers. Autodesk was founded in 1982 by John Walker. In its 35 years. only four years after it was introduced. increase their productivity and meet tight deadlines. Creating new versions of drawings and performing calculations took days. and A360 Viewer. AutoCAD has grown substantially. across a wide range of industries. was the development of the SKETCHPAD system at MIT in 1963 by Ivan Sutherland (who later created a graphics technology company).AutoCAD is a software application developed by Autodesk that enables computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting. Using BIM also allowed the team to analyze the design for improved decision-making. The tower is a vastly complicated structure and the developers soon realized that traditional building methods. . there has been 31 versions since the first release in December 1982! Over the years. they’d go about drawing using an old-school drafting desk and a t-square. the process was fraught with opportunities for error. These programs couple design and documentation tools together with the ability to share and collaborate via the Internet. In fact. flexible graphic pipeline. This means that AutoCAD has been around longer than Adobe Photoshop or even Microsoft Windows! Before AutoCAD. Their flagship product turned out to be AutoCAD. Autodesk has also created mobile and cloud-based apps. as well as in electronics. The development of CAD software for personal desktop computers was the impetus for almost universal application in all areas of construction.000. but it is also used throughout the engineering process from conceptual design and layout of products. The days of hand drawing for final drawings are all but over. Sun Microsystems. instead there are several classes that focus on the use of CAD software. Beginning in the 1980s computer-aided design programs reduced the need of draftsmen significantly. allowing viewing of a designed object from any desired angle. 3D CAD software had previously taken years and millions of dollars to develop but in principle could now be developed and released on start-up budgets in less than a year. saving time on their drawings. Only large corporations could afford the computers capable of performing the calculations. HP.The first commercial applications of CAD were in large companies in the automotive and aerospace industries. Current computer-aided design software packages range from 2D vector-based drafting systems to 3D solid and surface modelers. print it out and save it for future editing. a PC implementation of Intergraph’s CAD software and the following year Micro-Control Systems was founded and released the first 3D wire-frame CAD software for PCs “CADKEY”. Patrick J. Modern CAD packages can also frequently allow rotations in three dimensions. Although PCs and Macs steadily increased in power throughout the 1980s and AutoCAD continued to gain substantial market share in the 2D CAD software market. Pro/Engineer. feature-based solid modeling. first-generation RISC processors and high-performance real-time 3D full-color rendering were setting the benchmark in the hardware market. including 3D solid modeling functions based on the ACIS 3D kernel. CAD has become an especially important technology within the scope of computer-aided technologies. in 1993 a small CAD software company called SolidWorks started to do exactly that. Autodesk announced that it had sold the 1. and IBM reached boiling point in 1987 when Apollo Computer achieved the #3 position after IBM and DEC. SGI. Lockheed projects. CAD is mainly used for detailed engineering of 3D models and/or 2D drawings of physical components.000th license of its AutoCAD 2D CAD software and that it was releasing AutoCAD Release 13. from small residential types (houses) to the largest commercial and industrial structures (hospitals and factories). Autodesk had originally licensed the ACIS kernel from Spatial in 1990 and in 1994. the “workstation wars” fought between Apollo Computer. Autodesk had steadily ridden the PC wave to become the #1 2D CAD software company with 1992 revenues of $285million (by comparison EDS-Unigraphics CAD software revenues in 1992 were less than half at ~$130million). despite being ridiculed by the leading CAD software vendors for a lack of processor power and especially the poor graphics. Universities no longer require the use of protractors and compasses to create drawings. Some CAD software is capable of dynamic mathematical modeling. Notable company projects were at GM (Dr. by 1994 the 3D CAD software programs offered by each of the leading vendors were becoming very similar: each had sketching. with benefits such as lower product development costs and a greatly shortened design cycle. It can also be used to design objects. CAD enables designers to layout and develop work on screen. eliminating the need for entire departments. in 1987. through strength and dynamic analysis of assemblies to definition of manufacturing methods of components. In 1989 HP acquired Apollo Computer to take the #2 position from DEC and by the end of the 1980s. In the computer hardware market. many students in universities do not learn manual drafting techniques because they are not required to do so. Parametric Technology Corp. in which case it may be marketed as CADD. By 1992 UNIX workstations had redefined CAD and no new CAD software was being sold for use on mainframe or minicomputer terminals. Hanratty) with DAC-1 (Design Augmented by Computer) 1964. especially in small to mid-sized companies. NURBS surfaces and X-Windows user interfaces etc. The mid-range CAD market had been born and SolidWorks’ perceived success was such that after just 2 years they were acquired by Dassault Systemes in 1997 for $320million! . In today’s world. CAD is used in the design of tools and machinery and in the drafting and design of all types of buildings. launched the first UNIX workstation 3D CAD software. the application areas have gradually expanded. As computers became more affordable. In 1984 Bentley Systems was founded and released MicroStation. Furthermore many CAD applications now offer advanced rendering and animation capabilities so engineers can better visualize their product designs. Bell GRAPHIC 1 and at Renault (Bézier) – UNISURF 1971 car body design and tooling. history trees. Their affordability and ability to run on personal computers also allowed engineers to do their own drafting work. even from the inside looking out. constraints management. ellipse. Paperless Environment 6. rotate. Area. Adding Text – Lettering – is a big facility 32. data storage and data sorting become very easy in soft form as compared to the conventional Printing and filing. 5. Boeing had succeeded in reducing product development times in the aerospace industry and now Ford had done the same in the automotive industry. Fulfills most of the professional needs of a mechanical engineer 4. A mid range Software 2. g. . Plotter. Fixed line thickness throughout the drawing. 19. Images can be imported and traced out for digitization of conventional diagrams and drawings. 11. Data handling. 25. Geometrical relationship can make quick mathematical operations easy. Using “virtual product development” with a digital master 3D assembly of 3D component models replacing clay prototypes. There is no limitation of a Drawing size. can be damaged drastically. like Computer. Expensive equipment is required. 20. means if one part is edited all other linked parts are auto edited 14. Volume. CADKEY and numerous others. Mass. Ease of Accuracy — e. Geometrical Relationships are possible. accurate and rapidly done within no time. the line thickness of auto Cad is zero” 30. 2D and 3D production of drawings is very easy. BOM or BOQ can be produced with accuracy 21. Some disaster data recovery systems can also be implied to recover the lost data. data loss is a big threat for all soft form data banks. Hatch. you can make an inscribed circle using dimensions of the triangle or polygon etc.g. 3. Fill. 4. experts suggest “Mirroring of Data” that is storage of data on multi hard drives on multiple locations which involves a big capital allocation. 28. Meanwhile Autodesk had become increasingly concerned at the prospect of their much vaunted million-plus 2D CAD software users being wooed by SolidWorks. Zoom Command Facility allows us to see the minute details on larger scale view. Advantages of Using AutoCAD 1. Continuous Updating of the equipment and software is needed. Auto scale option is available. Disadvantages of Using AutoCAD 1. To overcome this potential disaster. 29. 18. Layers option allows us to hide or show some specific details of a complex assembly drawing for clear understanding. Direct and Quick Drawing of Symmetrical objects. big screen monitor etc. Pattern commands make the task simple and easy 26. Stretch. Ortho etc. polygon rectangles and triangles etc. 16. joining of lines head to head is not possible manually with desired accuracy 7. A facility of Modeling and making Parts library is available. User Friendly 3. Ease of Repetition / Addition 9. perpendicular lines etc. 27. You can draw a 2 light years long line through proper scale stetting. SolidEdge and other full-function 3D CAD software programs on Windows from Bentley Systems. e. Registered software is expensive and it requires a heavy re-occurring annual fee. Reproduction of Drawing is easy. Easy to edit 8. Full scale drawings can be formed. Chamfer and fillet commands make the software a blessing as these operations are very difficult in manual drafting. 23. 12. 15. Electricity is mandatory for running the equipment which is a big issue for third world countries like Pakistan which is facing a severe power crises these days. Dimension Standards are strictly followed 24. Equipment is fragile. Data storage is also fragile — high probability of data corruption. 6. Move. 17. Autodesk released AutoCAD 2000i in mid 2000 which was their first Web enabled CAD software and provided the ability to output drawings that could be viewed with a Web browser and also enabled some online simple collaboration using Microsoft Net Meeting. —– remember that. e. ”by default. Data transmission to distant and remote areas is very easy and economical via emailing and link sharing. In 1996 Autodesk released Mechanical Desktop which was their first full-function 3D solid modeling CAD software product and which rapidly became the #1 selling 3D CAD software product in the world. Section lines. Tangent lines. 13. Bullion operation is possible. Copy. 31.g circle. Draw Guiding through Osnap. scale. rapid and reliable in terms of dimensional accuracy and precision. Parent – Child relationship allows multiple editing in single command. Center of Gravity can be calculated 22. Auto Dimensioning – easy. 2. 10. Like two parallel lines. Lots of Time saving (but not always) 5. AutoCad software consumes large amounts of the computer processing power . AutoCad software reduced the manufacturing time . AutoCad software offers the professional look . It comes with in-built industry . It has reduced design times cape . It presents ease of the document reproduction and cloning . It needs time & cost of training the people to use it . AutoCad software is helpful . And it requires a PC . It is a simple enough software with the real user friendly interface .It can be very expensive . AutoCad software reduced the design timescales . It presents easy data swapping . saving time is equal to earn more income by more output . It has flexibility in design changes . It presents the clarity of the documentation .7. The drawing errors can be corrected easily . you can generate the dimensions to control and expand only the important variables for manufacturing easily . 8. Compliance with the industry standards improves the internal communication and the results in reliable production outputs . It enables you to produce very accurate designs . It is very expensive in training . Piracy and hacking threats are always there when you use internet for data transfer or even storage of data on a computer which is connected to internet. And AutoCAD firm can increase their productivity manifold . The drawings can be sent/received via email in seconds . AutoCad software helps the designer to automatically check if the design is within the specification . It reduces the human error . the surface texture symbols . The documentation can be printed in various forms for multiple users .scan2cad. the mechanical symbols and the weld symbols . Advantages of using AutoCAD AutoCAD software is the most comprehensive mechanical product design & drafting software that cater to the various needs of the mechanical engineering companies . It has large set of parts and features that you can choose for your designs . It is easier to apply the new ideas . AutoCad software offers the quality of the designs . AutoCad software comes with the specific drafting tools for generating the standards Industry based geometric dimensions . It can be more accurate than hand-drawn designs . the initial costs are high . And the products can be created more quickly. It offers easy reuse of the designs . AndAutoCad software offers rapid prototyping . It reduces the time for the new designs . It enables the clients to view the designs at an earlier stage in the design process . And it helps the clients to check the progress of functional and semi- functional prototypes . http://designbuildacademy. AutoCad software automatically redraw the geometry to illustrate the dashes and the hidden lines of parts which are blocked by the other parts in the mechanical design .com/computer/autocad-software-features-advantages-and-disadvantages/ https://msindesign2011. There are free software packages though . It is not easy for first-time users to learn the software . It comes with a complete set of powerful drafting and detailing tools for drafting the professionals . It can not be used in the complex designs . And it offers the visualization of the complex technical elements . so . The costly mistakes in the design or the production can be avoided . In addition to the cost of training personnel . You can save and edit the ideas . It requires the advanced manufacturing devices which are very expensive . The people need to be trained how to use the software that also adds to the costs .com/2012/02/11/computer-aided-design-lec-2/ https://www. It offers the powerful and quick dimensions . AutoCad software has expansive start up costs ( the hardware . It has auto specification check feature . It requires high-quality computer hardware that can be costly . Proper Maintenance.com/tips/autocad-brief-history/ http://www. If you are into the heavy assembly work don’t rely on this software . AutoCad software needs the time & the cost of implementing the system .com/history-of-autocad/ https://www.online-sciences. so . Training and equipments are very costly . It is easy to grasp and it can provide you the basic exposure . It needs the time & the cost of migrating legacy drawings into AutoCAD format . supervision and administration is required for computer networking. And you can modify the existing ideas that saves the time .cadoasis. The large amount of memory and speed is required . It is very beneficial in designing 3D . You can use the simplified tools . Special computer Skills are required. Disadvantages of using AutoCAD AutoCad software is not so much suited for 3D as it has fewer options . AutoCad software is incorporation for International Drafting Standards . It can not be used in Complex Programming .com/introduction-autocad-user-interface/ . standard STEP and IGES formats for the exchanging data between different CAD systems . Reuse of the designs . the software .wordpress. AutoCAD software saves a huge time . And it makes it easier and cheaper to modify your design . 9. and training ) . And drawings can be created in 2D or 3D and rotated .