AutoCAD: 3D Modeling for Mechanical Designs

Course details

AutoCAD is the most popular computer-aided design (CAD) tool, and allows you to not only visualize your mechanical designs, but communicate and share them. Using 3D modeling in AutoCAD may seem daunting at first, but in this course, instructor Shaun Bryant explains the new AutoCAD interface and provides a step-by-step guide to creating your mechanical design in 3D. Learn how to convert a design from 2D to 3D and how to add materials to it to give it a more real-world look and feel. Discover how to create drawing views of your model as well as edit, update, and annotate them. Shaun gives you the tools you need to plot and publish your design and distribute your designs to your team using a third-party viewer.

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - AutoCAD 3D modeling in mechanical design
02 - What you should know
03 - Using the exercise files
04 - The New AutoCAD Interface

1. The AutoCAD 3D Interface

05 - Working in the AutoCAD 3D environment - Using the 3D Modeling workspace
06 - Applying perspective to 3D views
07 - Working with tiled viewports and visual styles in the Model tab
08 - Creating named views

2. Creating Your Design In 3D

09 - Using the ELEVATION command to alter the drawing plane
10 - Working with absolute and relative 3D coordinates
11 - Altering the UCS manually and dynamically in 3D AutoCAD
12 - Using the AutoCAD 3D gizmos and 3D object snaps (3DOSNAP)
13 - Working with object selection in 3D AutoCAD
14 - Using Boolean functions in 3D AutoCAD

3. A Simple 3D Project - Metal Plate

15 - Creating the plate outline in 2D AutoCAD using circles and polylines
16 - Converting the 2D AutoCAD objects to AutoCAD regions, with Boolean functions
17 - Using EXTRUDE and PRESSPULL to convert the region to a 3D solid, with extra elements and holes
18 - Using AutoCAD's editing tools to enhance your 3D design
19 - Adding materials to the 3D solid to give it a real-world look

4. Setting up Drawing Views from 3D Models

20 - Using drafting standards in AutoCAD
21 - Setting up your drawing with your projection style
22 - Adding section views
23 - Adding detail views

5. Developing Your 3D Design

24 - Generating your views in a layout from 3D models in AutoCAD and Inventor
25 - Setting the scale for each view
26 - Configuring your views
27 - Creating new drawing views
28 - Updating drawing views

6. Communicating Your Design Intent

29 - Adding drawing views to a simple title block
30 - Working with text styles in the title block
31 - Adding fields for drawing views scales in the layout tab

7. Annotating Your Drawing Views

32 - Setting up a suitable dimension style and layer naming philosophy
33 - Working with dimension annotation and annotative scaling
34 - Alternative dimensioning methods
35 - Updating viewport scales and annotative dimensions

8. Plotting and Publishing Your Designs

36 - Setting up and applying a suitable Page Setup for your drawings
37 - Plotting and previewing your design
38 - Batch plotting more than one drawing with the PUBLISH command
39 - Exporting to other file formats

9. Working with Third-Party Viewers

40 - Working with third-party viewers to distribute and collaborate on your 3D designs
41 - Using the Shared Views palette
42 - Opening the design in the Autodesk Viewer
43 - Using Autodesk Viewer tools to collaborate

10. Using Actify SpinFire Ultimate

44 - Importing the AutoCAD 3D model
45 - Measuring in Actify SpinFire
46 - Marking up in Actify SpinFire

Conclusion

47 - The final design