AutoCAD was one of the first Computer Aided Design programs to be made available on personal computers. It is built to help people design buildings, products, or public spaces, without having to draw up plans by hand. It was released in 1982 by Autodesk, Inc., and offered a personal solution to software that was before then released only for larger workstations. While early CAD programs required massive amounts of computing power, this software streamlined its operating and optimized it for the IBM PC, allowing people to work from home or on their own work computers.
Through the 1980s, AutoCAD functioned mostly by using simple lines and circles, and text overlays, to set up custom objects. Beginning in the 1990s, the software began utilizing more robust custom object features, built with an Advanced Programming Interface using C++. Starting in 2007, it has had much more advanced 3D tools that allow for greater modeling and exploration, with high-quality, fast-moving rendering. The modern version allows for much more than simply C++ programming. It has set the standard for operability in terms of Advanced Programming Interfaces in CAD, and can use VBA, .NET, AutoLISP, and Visual LISP, as well as the C++ based ObjectARX. This robust programming set has allowed for great extensibility for the software, and there are a number of more specific programs, including AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and AutoCAD Architecture. Learning AutoCAD is not as hard as you may think. I always say if can draw a line and a circle you can digitally draw anything on a AutoCAD distributed by Autodesk .
I believe when teaching anything try to make the process of conveying learning the information and content as simple as possible in order build the basic foundation and confidence to learn a desired program. You need to first capture the interest of a student to make the task/program at hand achievable to master. Today with so many resources on the Internet to learning CADD (Computer Aided Design and Drafting) you are just clicks away to get a general knowledge for the basics to begin a career in CADD. Contact me if you have any questions. CLICK HERE |
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