Are You self Taught

[grasshopper]

Gang,

 

I'd like to give you a brief introduction of myself before I ask the question, so you folks can judge my skill level and would know what level of advice to provide me.

 

I have been in the traffic and road work industry for 13 years, I have been designing and drafting scaled traffic control and striping plans for 7 years and am currently using auto CAD 2009, I learned how to use auto CAD fromI am seeking to improve my current skills and knowledge and learn new skills and really interested in how to create topo's and use azimuth distances and global coordinates.

 

I would like to know, aside from this one some website suggestions that can teach me how ti use them in autoCAD or at least help me to understand them.

 

I am completely self taught aside from engineer friends and you folks.

 

Thank You,

[whitehaint]

Welcome to the forums here! I am new myself so I can't help with what you're needing in autocad but the folks here are very helpful. Oh, are you running civil autocad or just plain ole autocad?

[grasshopper]

Thanks for the Welcome, I am using just plain ole AutoCAD

[Tankman]

Try this site for a very nice tutorial.

 

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/48-568/2DVideosWEB_files/frame.htm

 

I've been to a short course at a local Vo Tech. Helped some.

 

I only do plan and elevation views, 2D. At 61+ don't need more work.

[SuperCAD]

99.99% self taught (picked up a few tips from others along the way, but not a second of formal CAD education).

[Bill Tillman]

Put me down for self taught as well. The Internet is full of all kinds of tutorials. I spent many nights and weekends doing google and yahoo searches for tutorials. I can't say I found lots of stuff on topogs or civil stuff but if you search long enough you'll find what you're looking for.

 

I say that self-taught talent is usually as good if not better than any formal course. So go for it and good luck.

[nukecad]

Self taught is the best way.

 

You may need a bit help to get started, but Acad like most programmes is fairly intuative these days.

 

Just fire up the programme and start playing about with it.

Your manuals, F1 (help) button, and on line forums like this one can help if you get stuck.

[Tankman]

99.99% self taught (picked up a few tips from others along the way, but not a second of formal CAD education).

 

Pretty much taught however, many years on the boards.

Easy to "display" what needs detail.

 

I sometimes wonder, "Does this engineer (or detailer) know how to draft at all?"

 

Don't user an eraser, use AutoCad!

[SuperCAD]

The funny thing about my drafting history is that when I took drafting in high school, we had a very early version of AutoCAD (green screen) and I swore that I would never use a CAD program. I thought I would do all of my drafting by hand. Boy was I wrong.

 

I think the best way to learn CAD is to teach yourself how to use it. In my opinion, if you have someone showing you how to use it, you pick up their bad habits. By learning it yourself, you're able to develop your own bad habits.

 

Another draw back is that most people who are "taught" how to use CAD don't really develop the skills that are required to search for a solution to a problem. They sometimes think that what they were taught is all they will ever need to know. Learning it on your own teaches you that you can approach problems from many different angles and come up with some very unique solutions.

 

There is ALWAYS a better, faster way of using CAD. It is our job to find those ways and use them to the best of our abilities.

[martyy]

Self taught is great not sure I can teach myself 3d yet though!

[Tankman]

99.99% self taught (picked up a few tips from others along the way, but not a second of formal CAD education).

 

99.99% self taught however, many years on the boards.

I did resist moving to AutoCAD on a PC however, once I got the hang of it, gotta like it! Gave up pens 'n erasers forever!

[tzframpton]

I did the college thing, so I got about 4 good classes in before I called it quits and jumped right into the real world. In my classes, I learned the basic of basics to begin with, with the last class being an "Advanced 3D Course" but looking back, it was pretty basic. That's just with plain AutoCAD. AutoCAD MEP and Revit, however, 100% self taught besides tutorials and the guys over at TheSwamp.org.

[SuperCAD]

Self taught is great not sure I can teach myself 3d yet though!

 

Don't think that way. I taught myself 3D just fine. Once you understand the commands, it's really quite easy to do.

[Doove]

It'd be interesting to have a poll on this. I did college 2D basic, 3D and 2D advanced. I've also been an a Architecture training course. Trouble always is that college courses are really basic, private training courses are incredibly expensive and neither really tailor to what your current job wants from you, so you HAVE to learn how to teach yourself; plus you HAVE to learn how to use the forums!!!