If you want to start drawing on CAD and you feel you don’t have the proper know-how, then first avail yourself of the CADD Primer available with your software or on the Internet. The CADD Primer will explain to you the basics of drawing in CAD.
The CADD Primer will not delve into the functions or features of CAD, rather it will teach you how to manipulate your computer to draw the basics in ellipses, circles arcs, and other two-dimensional figures; that is the base knowledge of any design instrument—the ability to control shape and manipulate space. Another thing you must learn, aside from drawing figures, is how to superimpose text on your CAD drawings. The Primer may provide instructions for this, but getting a feel for the software should get you through it.
CAD drawings closely resemble those penciled in by hand. The smooth renditions of the images are facilitated by thousands of dots per grid. The resulting image is stored as a vector image that stores other information such as style, thickness, and color per dot of the image.
You might find it awkward to use CAD for the first time because it’s not like the usual pen and paper where you directly manipulate the shapes and colors. In CAD, you normally start with drawing a line across your canvas and then tweaking it later on. You start thinking in terms of vector capability and layering. Layers are like invisible sheets that constitute the look of your final drawing in CAD. You can edit one layer and then leave the rest untouched.
Your CAD drawing may be further enhanced when you have learned more shortcuts and tricks that will speed up your drawing. But like most good programs, CAD is very user friendly, and it will relate geometry to you in ways that you will very much appreciate.
