Jump to content

Absolute total beginner newbie virgin...


jumpin

Recommended Posts

Afternoon team!

 

I have a been promised AutoCAD 2007 software and i have myself Autocad 2007 for dummies from the library as i intend to start knocking together some electrical drawings for the firm i work for to make my life a little easier... i have no experience whatsoever in CAD and am having difficulties in finding courses to attend.... in short, there arent any!

 

It is feasably possible for me to learn how to use this software using just books and time...

 

if so, does anybody have any pointers, hints and tips for me?

 

Thanks in advance

 

j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are forgetting another important learning method, these forums, but probably the most important one, and I think you have that as well, is the willingness to learn. Welcome to CADTUTOR I know nothing about electrical but there are plenty of good people here who can help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi jumpin. Welcome to the forum.

 

I can only iterate what steven has said. On the Forum here there is a "Tutorials" section, which you can access from the top of this or any other page, in the main menu bar and there you will find lots of very useful tutorials aimed at the beginner. You can also go to YouTube and look at hundreds of videos showing you how to almost everything you will ever need. You have already found the beginner's forum and here you can ask any question you want. I can guarantee you will always get a quick response from one of the members.

 

Tell us a bit about yourself, where you are, exactly what kind of electrical you do, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a great shortcut if you can find someone who will show you the ropes. I recommend your local technical college, or contact your autodesk re-seller.

 

You can look for tutorials on youtube or buy some very good ones from Infiniteskills.com

 

You can teach yourself - if you are a good teacher!

 

We-are-here is a very good site.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is feasably possible for me to learn how to use this software using just books and time...

 

That is exactly how I learned how to use AutoCad.

 

I remember trying to find tutorials online and they were all over my head at the time. These days I imagine YouTube would have some good tutorials.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for your speedy replys, team!

 

I will now go and have a look at those links and bury my head in my 'for dummies' book on this drab rainy sunday!

 

A bit about myself (for tyke)... I work as an industrial electrician and have always told myself that i will be throwing my tools in the river when i hit 40, which is a couple of years away... I don't want to be crawling through rat **** dragging an armoured cable between my teeth when my hair is greying! So i would like my career to follow a different route. i'm not saying that CAD will give me my 'out' but who knows what the future holds...

 

I would definately benefit from structured learning in a classroom environment but there are no courses available right now in my local technical colleges but thats ok... i will keep my eyes peeled, learn from books, youtube, and the links posted here and when a course does become available, which i'm sure it will, at least i wont be wading in clueless!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick question though..... Have been promised autocad 2007. Is this a wildly outdated piece of software? it would be a shame to learn this and then find out that i have been wasting my time and will have to re-learn an updated version.... i see that the most recent versions cost about 800 smackers?!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well it isn't exactly hopelessly outdated but there are some differences between 2007 and the most recent release 2013. That said I see no reason why you couldn't continue to learn the bulk of AutoCAD given the version you are using.

 

Re: cost. Full AutoCAD cost over $4,000 U.S. while AutoCAD LT can run as high as $1,000 (shop around for better pricing).

 

There are alternatives however. One option would be an AutoCAD-clone. Although these programs both read and write to the DWG file format they can be as much as 25% of the cost of full AutoCAD or less. Another option would be the free CAD programs such as nanoCAD and Draftsight. These tend to be strictly 2D and for many people they are more than sufficient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick question though..... Have been promised autocad 2007. Is this a wildly outdated piece of software? it would be a shame to learn this and then find out that i have been wasting my time and will have to re-learn an updated version.... i see that the most recent versions cost about 800 smackers?!!!

 

2007 is fine to learn on and use. 95% of it is the same as the 2014 version which has 5% new features etc that you can do without and which most people don't use anyway.

 

By default, the toolbar layout is different in the newer versions (maybe 2012 on, I can't recall exactly when) with a ribbon toolbar system used although you can still use the classic toolbar system (what the 2007 version uses). Personally I use AutoCad 2014 although still use the classic toolbar system as I don't like the more modern ribbon toolbar system.

 

While I would rather not use the 2007 version given I've gotten used to small features introduced since then, I certainly could as most of the program is still the same. Similarly anyone who knows how to use the 2007 version could use the 2014 version (or any other version) with ease and no down time or relearning required.

 

$800 seems cheap for AutoCad. Is that AutoCad Lt?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2007 is pre-ribbon.

i use 2008 and am totally lost with 2014. i'm sure it's loads better tho. looks very easy to use in the yt vids i see. 3D tools look vastly improved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you don't mind paying for instruction, check out Lynda.com. There you will find many ACad and LT video tutorials, very thorough and professional. I did this; money well spent. My courses were by Jeff Bartels.

I have no commercial motivation here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome

 

I'm sure you'll find all the help you need here.

My tip would be to ask on here for typical drawings and standard symbols. Easier to change something existing than re-invent wheels....

 

Good Luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...