AutoCAD is an industry standard that is easy to learn and use
January 03, 2019
AutoCAD is an industry standard that is easy to learn and use
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with AutoCAD
AutoCAD is a drafting software that has both 2D and 3D applications. Currently, I am using both the 2D and the 3D applications and teaching students how to draft. The students draft many small projects that culminate in them designing their dream house. The program is the same that is used in the industry. This means that the plans that students make can be applied in the real world as they use building code specifications that are currently being used in the industry. On the 3D side we recently have been drafting simple projects to be printed on our 3D printer.
- The tools are easy to use and the learning curve is fairly minimal to be able to create blueprints.
- The 3D application is very fun to use and it is nice to be able to see your product instead of having to imagine what it will look like.
- The speed and accuracy in which students can create plans is a huge bonus. Students can plan their industrial art projects out and use their own set of plans to build them.
- Sometimes creating complex shapes can be difficult as you can only manipulate one spine or point at a time. Although this can be slow it also cuts down on errors, so overall maybe it's not that bad.
- It can take some people longer than others to learn the basics although, again, I think overall it is pretty user-friendly.
- Rendering 3D images sometimes isn't as smooth as it could be and there are render points that become an issue and tricky to fix.
- As an educational institute there are no overall business objectives.
- As a negative, the licensing is expensive and we have to limit the number of computers we put it on.
- As a positive, many of our students will have a leg up when entering into programs or companies that use this software.
I have always used AutoCAD. Other than 3D draw and programs like a Publisher Blueprint, I have not used any other products. AutoCAD is far superior to either of those and is one of the most powerful programs out there. The things that my students learn are not very different from what a draftsman or an architect would do. We use AutoCAD as it is an industry standard when it comes to drafting.