CADTutor: The best free help for AutoCAD on the web

All Tutorials

AutoCAD Tutorials - The Basics

AutoCAD 2010: The User Interface - Part 1

This video tutorial takes you on a guided tour of the AutoCAD 2010 user interface. This is the best place to start for beginners. Running time: 3min 56sec

Popularity: 61.53 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 326,137

AutoCAD 2010: The User Interface - Part 2

This video tutorial continues your guided tour of the AutoCAD 2010 user interface. Running time: 3min 20sec

Popularity: 24.74 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 131,083

AutoCAD 2010: The User Interface - Part 3

This video tutorial completes your guided tour of the AutoCAD 2010 user interface. Running time: 4min 04sec

Popularity: 20.86 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 110,520

AutoCAD 2010: Ribbon Basics

This video tutorial introduces you to the AutoCAD 2010 ribbon and demonstrates the various options you have when working with it. Running time: 5min 49sec

Popularity: 24.75 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 132,254

AutoCAD 2010: Starting a Command

This video tutorial demonstrates some of the methods for starting a command in AutoCAD. Running time: 2min 42sec

Popularity: 22.19 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 118,563

Drawing Objects

Getting to grips with AutoCAD's basic drawing tools. This is an ideal start for the AutoCAD beginner.

Popularity: 248.75 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 1,619,270

Object Selection

This tutorial shows you the many ways AutoCAD objects can be selected. Covers the building of selection sets with implied windowing, fences etc.

Popularity: 63.15 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 411,073

Modifying Objects

This tutorial runs through all of the modify tools, demonstrating practical examples in each case.

Popularity: 114.22 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 743,540

AutoCAD 2010: Joining Lines, Polylines and Arcs

This video tutorial demonstrates how to join lines, polylines and arcs using the Join command and the Edit Polyline command. Running time: 6min 49sec

Popularity: 30.74 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 164,185

Direct Distance Entry

The essential way of working with AutoCAD

Popularity: 51.86 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 337,613

Drawing Aids

All about drawing aids.

Popularity: 64.03 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 416,787

Units and Scales

If you're asking yourself "what scale do I draw in?" or "what units should I use?", you need this tutorial.

Popularity: 131.53 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 856,212

Using Co-ordinates

All about the use of co-ordinates in AutoCAD.

Popularity: 62.35 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 405,898

Object Snap

A tutorial giving an overview of all the AutoCAD object snaps (osnaps) with some worked examples. The tutorial also covers the use of temporary tracking points and object snap tracking.

Popularity: 97.74 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 636,250

Object Properties

This tutorial describes how to control the display of objects (colour, linetype etc.) using layers. It also explains what layers are and how they should be used.

Popularity: 64.44 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 419,487

Masterplan Exercise

This exercise can be used to practice your basic drafting skills.

Popularity: 34.79 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 226,464

North Point Exercise

An exercise sheet, covering a range of basic skills including object snaps.

Popularity: 20.69 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 134,685

Site Layout Exercise 1

This exercise is designed to help you test out your basic AutoCAD skills. You'll need an understanding of the Draw and Modify tools and how to use co-ordinates.

Popularity: 56.01 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 364,609

AutoCAD Tutorials - Beyond Basics

Advanced Selection

After you've mastered the basics of selection, this tutorial shows you some powerful methods for making complex selection sets.

Popularity: 32.77 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 213,347

User Co-ordinate Systems

This tutorial describes what UCSs are, why we need them and how to use them. The correct use of UCSs with AutoCAD is the key to producing good 3D models and they can also help with 2D work.

Popularity: 68.47 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 445,718

Dimensioning

This tutorial describes the options and commands available for dimensioning drawings and how to use them. The correct use of AutoCADs dimension tools is the key to producing clear and concise measured drawings.

Popularity: 113.56 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 739,239

The UCS Icon

All about the UCS icon.

Popularity: 35.88 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 233,552

Using Images

A simple exercise to help you understand how images work in AutoCAD.

Popularity: 23.21 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 151,111

Scaling Images

How to scale images in AutoCAD.

Popularity: 50.35 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 327,753

All About Images

This tutorial tells you all you need to know about working with images in AutoCAD.

Popularity: 55.51 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 361,370

ISO Paper Sizes

There has alwas been some confusion over the size of standard ISO drawing sheets with AutoCAD.The stated sizes in the plot dialogue box are not the true ISO sizes. This tutorial explains why and how to plot to scale from Model Space.

Popularity: 53.99 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 351,480

Paper Space Exercise

AutoCAD's paper space mode is a bit like having a page in a scrapbook onto which you can paste different views of your AutoCAD drawing. This whole page can then be plotted. This exercise demonstrates how.

Popularity: 62.84 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 409,078

AutoCAD Tutorials - Techniques

AutoCAD to Photoshop

This tutorial demonstrates a number of workflows from quick and simple to high quality.

Popularity: 65.62 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 427,136

AutoCAD 2010: Joining Lines, Polylines and Arcs

This video tutorial demonstrates how to join lines, polylines and arcs using the Join command and the Edit Polyline command. Running time: 6min 49sec

Popularity: 30.74 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 164,185

Setting up a PostScript Plotter

How to set up a PostScript Plotter.

Popularity: 29.89 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 194,546

Scaling Images

How to scale images in AutoCAD.

Popularity: 50.35 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 327,753

Adding Sunlight to your Drawings

This tutorial takes you through the steps required to add realistic sunlight effects to your 3D model.

Popularity: 26.15 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 170,254

Creating Custom Bitmap Materials

This tutorial demonstartes how to create your own bitmap based materials using Photoshop and AutoCAD.

Popularity: 16.92 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 110,118

Creating Seamless Tiles

This tutorial shows you how to create perfectly seamless image tiles in Photoshop. The image tiles are perfect for creating image based materials in AutoCAD, MAX or Bryce.

Popularity: 12.31 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 80,159

AutoCAD to Bryce

This tutorial takes a step-by-step approach to moving your AutoCAD 3D models into Bryce, applying materials and creating a setting.

Popularity: 11.88 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 77,315

Importing AutoCAD Meshes to Bryce

This tutorial describes how to create a triangular ground model using Key Terra-Firma and AutoCAD and how to import this ground model into Bryce.

Popularity: 6.92 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 45,067

Perspectives, Slides and Scripts

AutoCAD can be used to create a simple "walk through" of any 3D model. This tutorial shows you how.

Popularity: 25.54 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 166,277

Entering Survey Data using AutoCAD

These techniques apply to basic CAD programs such as AutoCAD, IntelliCAD, etc. If you have a civil/survey program or add-on, such as Land Desktop, SurvCADD, Eagle Point, etc., then there are built-in tools for entering lines and curves.

Popularity: 94.47 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 598,886

AutoCAD Tutorials - 3D Basics

AutoCAD 2010: Getting Ready for 3D

This video tutorial describes how to prepare the AutoCAD 2010 user interface (UI) ready for a 3D drawing project. Running time: 2min 23sec

Popularity: 32.4 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 171,248

AutoCAD 2010: The 3D Primitives

This tutorial follows on from the Getting ready for 3D tutorial and describes how each of the 3D primitives work. Running time: 15min 10sec

Popularity: 16.57 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 87,411

AutoCAD 2010: Basic 3D Editing with Grips & Gizmos

This tutorial follows on from the 3D Primitives tutorial and describes how 3D solid objects can be edited using grips and gizmos. Running time: 11min 53sec

Popularity: 13.77 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 72,422

AutoCAD 2010: The ViewCube

This tutorial introduces the ViewCube and describes how it can be used for effectively navigating your 3D drawings. Running time: 6min 13sec

Popularity: 9.37 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 49,280

AutoCAD 2010: Ground Shadows

This tutorial explains how to turn ground shadows on and how they help in defining the relationship between 3D objects and the ground plane. Running time: 1min 55sec

Popularity: 7.96 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 41,863

AutoCAD 2010: Subobject Editing with Filters

This tutorial introduces the subobjects (Face, Edge and Vertex), describes how best to select them and demonstrates how they can be edited. Running time: 15min 56sec

Popularity: 7.72 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 40,091

AutoCAD 2010: Extrude & Press/Pull

This tutorial introduces the AutoCAD extrusion tools, Extrude and Press/Pull. A good understanding of both tools is important for developing 3D modeling skills. Running time: 9min 53sec

Popularity: 13.23 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 68,385

AutoCAD 2010: 3D Move & 3D Rotate

This tutorial introduces two of the most useful Modify tools for 3D, 3D Move and 3D Rotate and demonstrates how powerful 3D Rotate can be when combined with Polar Tracking. Running time: 6min 35sec

Popularity: 9.07 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 46,834

AutoCAD 2010: 3D Scale & 3D Align

This tutorial introduces the 3D Scale and 3D Align tools. Although 3D Scale is a bit of a damp squib, 3D Align is very powerful and can get you out of all sorts of scrapes if you know how to use it correctly. Running time: 3min 42sec

Popularity: 8.81 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 45,502

AutoCAD 2010: 3D Mirror

This tutorial introduces the 3D Mirror tool. This is similar to the normal 2D Mirror tool but it enables you to define a mirror about and plane in 3D space and there are a number of command line options to help you define that plane. Running time: 3min 17sec

Popularity: 7.32 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 37,789

AutoCAD 2010: 3D Array

This tutorial introduces 3D Array tool and covers both Rectangular and Polar arrays. Despite the fact that it doesn't have a neat dialogue box, like its 2D cousin, 3D Array is pretty easy to use and can be used to create some impressive results. Running time: 3min 34sec

Popularity: 8.51 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 43,983

AutoCAD Tutorials - Modelling and Rendering

AutoCAD 2010: Getting Ready for 3D

This video tutorial describes how to prepare the AutoCAD 2010 user interface (UI) ready for a 3D drawing project. Running time: 2min 23sec

Popularity: 32.4 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 171,248

Basic 3D and Surface Modelling

Although AutoCAD has a number of commands for creating special 3D objects, a lot can be achieved by changing the properties of basic 2D objects like polylines. This tutorial provides a basic introduction to creating and viewing 3D objects.

Popularity: 103.38 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 672,971

3D Tree Exercise

The object behind this exercise is twofold. Firstly it is to give you practice with some of the 3D techniques which you have discovered in the tutorials or to introduce you to them if you haven't seen them before. Secondly it is to demonstrate a reasonably simple method for constructing a convincing 3D tree.

Popularity: 28.13 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 183,108

Adding Sunlight to your Drawings

This tutorial takes you through the steps required to add realistic sunlight effects to your 3D model.

Popularity: 26.15 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 170,254

All About Shadows

This tutorial considers the various options for creating shadows when rendering 3D models.

Popularity: 14.57 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 94,846

Creating Custom Bitmap Materials

This tutorial demonstartes how to create your own bitmap based materials using Photoshop and AutoCAD.

Popularity: 16.92 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 110,118

Creating Seamless Tiles

This tutorial shows you how to create perfectly seamless image tiles in Photoshop. The image tiles are perfect for creating image based materials in AutoCAD, MAX or Bryce.

Popularity: 12.31 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 80,159

AutoCAD to Bryce

This tutorial takes a step-by-step approach to moving your AutoCAD 3D models into Bryce, applying materials and creating a setting.

Popularity: 11.88 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 77,315

Perspectives, Slides and Scripts

AutoCAD can be used to create a simple "walk through" of any 3D model. This tutorial shows you how.

Popularity: 25.54 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 166,277

AutoCAD Tutorials - Exercises

Site Layout Exercise 1

This exercise is designed to help you test out your basic AutoCAD skills. You'll need an understanding of the Draw and Modify tools and how to use co-ordinates.

Popularity: 56.01 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 364,609

Site Layout Exercise 2

This exercise is designed to progress your skills in 2D drafting and to test your understanding of layouts and printing to scale from paper space.

Popularity: 17.48 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 85,797

North Point Exercise

An exercise sheet, covering a range of basic skills including object snaps.

Popularity: 20.69 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 134,685

Using Images

A simple exercise to help you understand how images work in AutoCAD.

Popularity: 23.21 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 151,111

Masterplan Exercise

This exercise can be used to practice your basic drafting skills.

Popularity: 34.79 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 226,464

3D Tree Exercise

The object behind this exercise is twofold. Firstly it is to give you practice with some of the 3D techniques which you have discovered in the tutorials or to introduce you to them if you haven't seen them before. Secondly it is to demonstrate a reasonably simple method for constructing a convincing 3D tree.

Popularity: 28.13 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 183,108

Paper Space Exercise

AutoCAD's paper space mode is a bit like having a page in a scrapbook onto which you can paste different views of your AutoCAD drawing. This whole page can then be plotted. This exercise demonstrates how.

Popularity: 62.84 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 409,078

AutoCAD Tutorials - AutoLISP

AutoLISP Quick Start

This tutorial is designed to help AutoCAD users get to grips with AutoLISP quickly. It demonstartes how to create AutoLISP routines from a standing start.

Popularity: 46.98 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 240,915

AutoCAD Tutorials - Key TERRA-FIRMA

Ground Modelling

This tutorial describes how to create a 3D surface model from contour information using AutoCAD and Key TERRA-FIRMA.

Popularity: 12.86 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 83,690

Volumetrics

This tutorial describes how to use Key TERRA-FIRMA to calculate volumes from ground models (.KGM files) and how to calculate cut and fill volumes between ground models.

Popularity: 6.61 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 43,028

Creating and Drawing Sections

This tutorial describes how to draw sections using Key TERRA-FIRMA. The tutorial assumes that you have previously completed the Ground Modelling tutorial or that you already have a good understanding of TERRA-FIRMA ground modelling.

Popularity: 14.09 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 91,707

AutoCAD Tutorials - Video Tutorials

AutoCAD 2010: The User Interface - Part 1

This video tutorial takes you on a guided tour of the AutoCAD 2010 user interface. This is the best place to start for beginners. Running time: 3min 56sec

Popularity: 61.53 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 326,137

AutoCAD 2010: The User Interface - Part 2

This video tutorial continues your guided tour of the AutoCAD 2010 user interface. Running time: 3min 20sec

Popularity: 24.74 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 131,083

AutoCAD 2010: The User Interface - Part 3

This video tutorial completes your guided tour of the AutoCAD 2010 user interface. Running time: 4min 04sec

Popularity: 20.86 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 110,520

AutoCAD 2010: Ribbon Basics

This video tutorial introduces you to the AutoCAD 2010 ribbon and demonstrates the various options you have when working with it. Running time: 5min 49sec

Popularity: 24.75 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 132,254

AutoCAD 2010: Starting a Command

This video tutorial demonstrates some of the methods for starting a command in AutoCAD. Running time: 2min 42sec

Popularity: 22.19 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 118,563

AutoCAD 2010: Joining Lines, Polylines and Arcs

This video tutorial demonstrates how to join lines, polylines and arcs using the Join command and the Edit Polyline command. Running time: 6min 49sec

Popularity: 30.74 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 164,185

AutoCAD 2010: Getting Ready for 3D

This video tutorial describes how to prepare the AutoCAD 2010 user interface (UI) ready for a 3D drawing project. Running time: 2min 23sec

Popularity: 32.4 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 171,248

AutoCAD 2010: The 3D Primitives

This tutorial follows on from the Getting ready for 3D tutorial and describes how each of the 3D primitives work. Running time: 15min 10sec

Popularity: 16.57 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 87,411

AutoCAD 2010: Basic 3D Editing with Grips & Gizmos

This tutorial follows on from the 3D Primitives tutorial and describes how 3D solid objects can be edited using grips and gizmos. Running time: 11min 53sec

Popularity: 13.77 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 72,422

AutoCAD 2010: The ViewCube

This tutorial introduces the ViewCube and describes how it can be used for effectively navigating your 3D drawings. Running time: 6min 13sec

Popularity: 9.37 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 49,280

AutoCAD 2010: Ground Shadows

This tutorial explains how to turn ground shadows on and how they help in defining the relationship between 3D objects and the ground plane. Running time: 1min 55sec

Popularity: 7.96 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 41,863

AutoCAD 2010: Subobject Editing with Filters

This tutorial introduces the subobjects (Face, Edge and Vertex), describes how best to select them and demonstrates how they can be edited. Running time: 15min 56sec

Popularity: 7.72 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 40,091

AutoCAD 2010: Extrude & Press/Pull

This tutorial introduces the AutoCAD extrusion tools, Extrude and Press/Pull. A good understanding of both tools is important for developing 3D modeling skills. Running time: 9min 53sec

Popularity: 13.23 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 68,385

AutoCAD 2010: 3D Move & 3D Rotate

This tutorial introduces two of the most useful Modify tools for 3D, 3D Move and 3D Rotate and demonstrates how powerful 3D Rotate can be when combined with Polar Tracking. Running time: 6min 35sec

Popularity: 9.07 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 46,834

AutoCAD 2010: 3D Scale & 3D Align

This tutorial introduces the 3D Scale and 3D Align tools. Although 3D Scale is a bit of a damp squib, 3D Align is very powerful and can get you out of all sorts of scrapes if you know how to use it correctly. Running time: 3min 42sec

Popularity: 8.81 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 45,502

AutoCAD 2010: 3D Mirror

This tutorial introduces the 3D Mirror tool. This is similar to the normal 2D Mirror tool but it enables you to define a mirror about and plane in 3D space and there are a number of command line options to help you define that plane. Running time: 3min 17sec

Popularity: 7.32 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 37,789

AutoCAD 2010: 3D Array

This tutorial introduces 3D Array tool and covers both Rectangular and Polar arrays. Despite the fact that it doesn't have a neat dialogue box, like its 2D cousin, 3D Array is pretty easy to use and can be used to create some impressive results. Running time: 3min 34sec

Popularity: 8.51 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 43,983

3ds Max Tutorials - The Basics

The Interface

This tutorial gives a brief explanation of the MAX interface items commonly used and introduces you to the important areas of the interface.

Popularity: 15.39 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 90,203

Scene Setup

Before attempting to create a scene it is important to understand global settings pertaining to any scene that will make modelling more efficient together with settings that pertain to individual scenes and stages in scene development. This tutorial explains Viewport Configuration options, Scene Settings and basic MAX / VIZ Configuration.

Popularity: 11.58 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 67,874

Navigation Techniques

Gaining the skill to navigate efficiently around a scene and around objects and parts of objects (sub-objects) efficiently and with ease is of paramount importance to good modelling. Most new users of MAX / VIZ need to get over this first hurdle before feeling comfortable in the 3D environment. Fear not, MAX / VIZ has a host of tools for the purpose. This tutorial descibes the most useful navigation techniques.

Popularity: 8.19 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 48,010

3ds Max Tutorials - Working with Objects

Options for Creating Objects

There are a number of ways of creating the three main elements of a landscape scene, surfaces, edges and objects, each one demending an understanding of the creation methods and tools at hand. This tutorial shows you how.

Popularity: 17.82 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 104,059

Selection Methods

Keeping track of and selecting objects in a scene is a crucial part of 3D modelling. Develop a good strategy for naming, selecting, grouping and displaying objects before embarking on a project. This tutorial shows you the way.

Popularity: 11.99 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 69,989

Transforming Objects

Transforming objects means changing the position, size or number of an object without altering the integrity of the geometry itself. MAX offers a host of transformation tools to do these tasks. This tutorial gets you started.

Popularity: 17.61 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 102,787

Modifying Objects

Modification of objects is at the heart of 3D modelling. Once geometry has been created using the most appropriate method then the modeller will start the modification process. This comprehensive tutorial shows you how.

Popularity: 21.09 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 123,139

Optimisation and Workflow

This tutorial discusses the various ways you can make your modelling work more efficient.

Popularity: 4.99 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 29,141

3ds Max Tutorials - Create a 3D Landscape

Preparing an AutoCAD drawing for 3D

This tutorial explains the main issues to consider when drawing in AutoCAD and preparing a drawing for use in 3D work.

Popularity: 35.07 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 204,675

Surfaces

The first and perhaps most crucial stage in creating a 3D landscape scene is the creation of accurate and seamless surfaces. This tutorial explores a number (not all) of techniques for creating quick and accurate surfaces from 2D lines and should give the user a feel for the range of tools available.

Popularity: 8.75 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 51,075

Edges

Edges exist where one surface meets another. Usually an edge is a surface edge detail such as pavers, a retaining wall or stepped features such as steps or terracing. This tutorial explores ways of working with them to create 3D elements.

Popularity: 5.5 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 32,090

Pavement Ramp and Car Park

A ramp surface created in a previous tutorial is rotated down to meet the bottom steps and the geometry edited to fit the steps. A car park is also formed using splines snapped to existing geometry.

Popularity: 5.12 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 29,891

Planting Beds

This tutorial completes the sequence by adding planting beds to the scene using a Subvivide modifier.

Popularity: 3.86 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 22,536

3ds Max Tutorials - Materials and Production

Cameras

Cameras are the main viewing tools in 3D visualisation. This tutorial demonstartes how to create and control cameras.

Popularity: 9.73 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 56,786

Exterior Lighting

This tutorial shows you how to set up a standard Sunlight System using a target direct light and including ambient light and standard shadow map settings.

Popularity: 9.38 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 54,761

Landscape Materials

Efficient landscape modelling demands the ability to create realistic looking surfaces, edges and objects quickly and precisely. This tutorial discusses the issues.

Popularity: 5.22 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 30,493

The Material Editor

The Material Editor provides functions to create and edit materials and maps. This tutorial is a basic introduction to the options available.

Popularity: 18.71 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 109,222

Map Modifying

Map modification takes place in one of two places: either on the Modify Panel with the use of one of two modifiers, or in the Material Editor as part of the material parameters. This tutorial guides you through the options.

Popularity: 9.25 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 53,957

Standard none mapped materials

Standard none mapped materials are suitable for paint, plastics, metal and basic glass type objects. By choosing the correct shader, the most suitable parameters can be used to create the most appropriate effects. This tutorial shows you how.

Popularity: 3.51 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 20,509

Standard mapped materials - Procedural Maps

Procedural maps use computer generated effects and are applied to materials for many different purposes. They have to be scaled and positioned on the object using a UVW Map modifier or a Map Scaler modifier. This tutorials uses a worked example to show you how.

Popularity: 6.25 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 36,469

Standard mapped materials - Image Maps

Image maps are applied to materials for many different purposes. They have to be scaled and positioned on the object using a UVW Map modifier or a Map Scaler modifier. This tutorial steps you through the process.

Popularity: 6.89 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 40,228

Multi/Sub-Object materials

A Multi/Sub-Object material is a container for a number of sub-materials. This type of material is used when you need to assign different materials to different parts of an object and is used in infrastructure and environment projects mainly for objects such as benches, tables, lamposts, buildings etc. This tutorial works through a number of examples.

Popularity: 17.02 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 99,314

Loft Mapping

This tutorial follows on from the simple Loft tutorial in Options for Creating Objects and demonstrates how to map a material along a lofted object.

Popularity: 10.32 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 60,252

Sky Backgrounds

Putting a scene into an "environment" is important, not least to generate a feeling of "outdoors", a "sense of place" or mood. This tutorial takes you through the process of applying a sky background.

Popularity: 17.69 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 103,229

Editing and Saving Materials

Once materials have been created and edited in the Material Editor to suit a particular scene they no longer need to be kept in the Materials Editor. Materials can be saved in material libraries and retreived for use in any other scene. This tutorial shows you how.

Popularity: 17.84 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 104,110

Animation

Design visualisation animation generally involves animation of cameras in walkthrough, panaround or flyover movies to give the client a much richer and more informative view of the design. This tutorial covers the basics.

Popularity: 11.74 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 68,521

Render Scene Dialog

The Render Scene dialog has many settings, only a number of which are commonly used. This tutorial uses the default Scanline Renderer as an introduction to the dialog and settings.

Popularity: 7.12 visits per day | Last visit: Yesterday | Total visits: 41,568

3ds Max Tutorials - Techniques

Creating a Walkthrough

This tutorial shows how to create an animated walkthrough of your AutoCAD 3D model using 3DS MAX 5. All you need to start is an AutoCAD drawing with some 3D content. The end result will be a .AVI file which can be viewed on any Windows PC.

Popularity: 19.44 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 126,573

Creating Terrain Objects

This tutorial describes a method for creating terrain objects in 3DS using contours from AutoCAD.

Popularity: 33.37 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 217,201

3ds Max Tutorials - Quickscape

Project Overview

This tutorial describes the process of creating a 3D infrastructure and landscape scene from an AutoCAD design drawing using MAX/VIZ and Quickscape application software.

Popularity: 5.65 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 32,937

Stage 1: AutoCAD Drawing

In stage 1 on this project, surfaces are created from an accurate landform mesh made from 2D and 3D polylines using Quickscape surfacing routines.

Popularity: 14.19 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 82,758

Stage 2: Create Landform Mesh

This tutorial takes AutoCAD groundmodel data and uses it to create a landform mesh in 3ds Max with Quickscape.

Popularity: 3.87 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 22,591

Stage 3: Create Surfaces

Production of seamless surfaces for roads, pavements, grassed areas and planting beds is probably the most important stage in the creation of a 3D landscape scene. This tutorial shows you how.

Popularity: 3.9 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 22,755

Stage 4: Create Kerbs

Edges are often created using the Loft compound object instead of a simple extrusion to take advantage of the loft mapping parameters. The Loft mapping parameters enable kerb or brick materials to follow the curves of an edge as they do in the real world. In this example a kerb is created using Quickscape Edge Path and Quickscape Edge Section.

Popularity: 3.16 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 18,439

Stage 5: Create Houses, Roadlines and Fences

Elements of a scene such as houses are classed as "Objects". Objects are items that sit on the landform terrain or conform to its surface. They are usually positioned in AutoCAD using blocks or lines. This stage describes the process for creating houses (including roofs), fences and road lines.

Popularity: 4.37 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 25,478

Stage 6: Lighting and Shadows

Lighting outdoor scenes involves the setup of a Sunlight or Daylight system, together with ambient light. This tutorial uses Quickscape Sunlight and Shadows to automatically setup a Sunlight System with some environment settings and including the use of a Quickscape Light Dome for added natural ambient light.

Popularity: 3.51 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 20,453

Stage 7: Setup Views

Quickscape uses ONE camera for still views. This is tied into Image Object functionality where images of people and trees and shrubs are mapped onto planes and "look at" the camera. This tutorial explains how to setup views using Quickscape View Manager.

Popularity: 2.84 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 16,577

Stage 8: Assign Materials and Sky background

When surface and edge modelling has been completed and the lighting has been setup correctly, materials can then be assigned to surfaces and edges. This tutorial guides you through the process.

Popularity: 3.48 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 20,264

Stage 9: Replace blocks for Lamp Posts and Trees

Simplified blocks for lamp posts and trees in the AutoCAD drawing can now be imported and replaced with 3D models and images using Quickscape Model Objects and Image Objects dialogs.

Popularity: 4.08 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 23,786

Stage 10: Add Play Equipment, Vehicles and People

Finally, Quickscape Model Objects dialog is used to add play equipment, cars and vans and Quickscape Image Objects dialog is used to add people. This brings the scene to life and further adds to the sense of scale for the design.

Popularity: 3.65 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 21,302

Stage 11: Rendering

In this final stage of the project, views created with the Quickscape View Manager are rendered using Supersampling for best quality.

Popularity: 3.71 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 21,642

Other Tutorials - Bryce

AutoCAD to Bryce

This tutorial takes a step-by-step approach to moving your AutoCAD 3D models into Bryce, applying materials and creating a setting.

Popularity: 11.88 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 77,315

Importing AutoCAD Meshes to Bryce

This tutorial describes how to create a triangular ground model using Key Terra-Firma and AutoCAD and how to import this ground model into Bryce.

Popularity: 6.92 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 45,067

Creating Bryce Picture Objects

The CADTutor Image Bank image pairs can be used to create Picture Objects in Bryce. This short tutorial tells you how this is done in 7 simple steps.

Popularity: 4.93 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 32,079

Keyframe Animation

This tutorial gives a basic but comprehensive introduction to keyframe animation in Bryce and introduces some key concepts in animation generally.

Popularity: 6.52 visits per day | Last visit: Yesterday | Total visits: 42,412

Animating Materials: Water

Just about everything in the Brycean world can be animated, including materials. This tutorial shows you how to simulate ripples on the surface of a standard Bryce water material by modifying the offset and rotation of the texture component of the material.

Popularity: 6.23 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 40,531

Other Tutorials - Photoshop

Creating Seamless Tiles

This tutorial shows you how to create perfectly seamless image tiles in Photoshop. The image tiles are perfect for creating image based materials in AutoCAD, MAX or Bryce.

Popularity: 12.31 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 80,159

Creating Selections from Image Masks

This simple 7-step tutorial describes the best method for using the images supplied in the CADTutor Image Bank.

Popularity: 10.72 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 69,815

AutoCAD to Photoshop

This tutorial demonstrates a number of workflows from quick and simple to high quality.

Popularity: 65.62 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 427,136

Other Tutorials - PowerPoint

Playing MP3 Files during a Slide Show

This tutorial explains how to play MP3 files during a PowerPoint slide show and how to control when and how sounds are played.

Popularity: 12.56 visits per day | Last visit: 18th Nov 2022 | Total visits: 81,777

Converting Audio CD tracks to MP3 Files

This tutorial explains how to rip CD tracks to MP3 files, ready for playing within a PowerPoint slide show.

Popularity: 4.69 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 30,498

Other Tutorials - Web Design

Creating an Image Rollover

This tutorial demonstrates the best way to create image rollovers in Microsoft FrontPage. It also shows some variations on the basic technique along with some examples of how it could be used.

Popularity: 8.31 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 54,095

Publishing your Website

This tutorial explains how publish your website from within Microsoft FrontPage.

Popularity: 3.23 visits per day | Last visit: Yesterday | Total visits: 21,007

Uploading Files with SmartFTP

This tutorial guides you through the process of uploading your website files to a web server using the SmartFTP client.

Popularity: 3.45 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 22,457

Uploading Files with WS_FTP

This tutorial guides you through the process of uploading your website files to a web server using the WS_FTP client.

Popularity: 3.54 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 23,046

Setting up your own free Web Space

Getting your website online could cost you nothing. This tutorial explores the various options for free web hosting.

Popularity: 4.64 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 30,211

Getting yourself a Domain Name

After you've built your website, you'll want an address where people can find it. This tutorial describes how to go about getting your own domain name.

Popularity: 3.32 visits per day | Last visit: Today | Total visits: 21,608

Local Navigation

Featured Tutorial

Using Images

Using Images | AutoCAD

A simple exercise to help you understand how images work in AutoCAD.

Sponsored Links

Accessibility statement

Valid XHTML 1.0!Valid CSS!Creative Commons Licence