While certain industries rely more heavily on AutoCAD than others, the skills that you develop along your learning journey are by no means confined to fields such as architecture or engineering and extend to a variety of technical and design areas.
If you have spent any time using the software or jumped the gun and dove straight into watching tutorials, you are likely already aware of the extensive tools offered in the software.
While at first glance, the extensive amount of options available and the learning curve associated with using each one can feel daunting, It is definitely worth your time familiarizing yourself with the software.
As a beginner, it's important that you stack the odds in your favor by implementing a number of AutoCAD best practices from the very beginning. This will help ensure that you create your projects accurately, making your work more efficient. Above all, it will help you shave plenty of time off your work.
With this guide, you will leave with a list of actionable tips and tricks that will help elevate your proficiency using the software.
Use More Than One Monitor
Let’s kick things off with a pro tip that you won’t find in any AutoCAD textbook or online course. If you have a discussion with anyone who has dedicated any real time to learning the software, they will likely advise as to the amount of time that you can save by adding a second screen to your work setup.
Think about how you work as a beginner learning how to navigate and use the platform; you likely find yourself having a YouTube or online course tutorial open more often than the program itself.
By making an investment and having a two-screen setup, you can easily switch between the project that you are working on and your learning resources without having to constantly minimize or overlap windows.
Just imagine the amount of time you can save having AutoCAD running on your primary screen while being able to peek at a second monitor at useful PDFs, spreadsheets, or your web browser whenever you need to.
While tutorials and learning resources are a great example of driving home an effective use case for beginners, intermediate to advanced users also tend to incorporate a multi-monitor set-up to enhance their efficiency. Many use this tip so that they can have several drawings open simultaneously for easy comparison and cross-referencing.
It may take some time to get used to having a second monitor, but once you get the hang of how to make use of the extra screen space, you will become far more effective in AutoCAD.
A word of caution: after you implement this tip, you may find it hard to imagine how you ever managed with one monitor before, making it nearly impossible to transition back.
If you are looking to free up your time for more strategic design activities, consider learning AutoCAD commands.
Make Sure to Utilize the Pull-Down Menus
The next tip that we offer to budding AutoCAD masters is to make sure to utilize the software’s pull-down menus from the outset.
As with learning any new skill, it’s important to develop good habits from the very beginning. By familiarizing yourself with these menus when you first start your learning journey, you’ll be able to navigate AutoCAD features with ease.
The importance of this at the beginner level can't be stressed enough.
Just imagine working through a project that should, in theory, only take you three hours to complete, but you end up spending two hours trying to find a particular tool or trying to locate why your project has suddenly vanished. It's not such a pleasant situation to find yourself in, right?
These menus offer access to a variety of commands and tools, helping to streamline your work process and save time.
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On the side of the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) there is a dropdown control button. If you go ahead and click on it, you can personalize the bar to have all of the tools that you use most frequently so that they are right where you need them to be!
Think of the pull-down menus as a toolkit for a construction worker. Knowing how to find the AutoCAD tools you need to complete a project will save you time and a world of frustration.
By taking the time to master the most essential AutoCAD shortcuts, you can skyrocket your efficiency.
Make Use of Layers for Organization
This next tip will help you to make projects that are organized efficiently and much less of a headache to navigate. It is great practice for beginners to make use of layers in their projects, as they serve as the foundation for all elements within a design.
In order to achieve effective layer organization in AutoCAD, commands are going to play a big role. You can effectively manage the layers in your project by filtering, assigning colors and regulating the visibility of the different components of your work.
Try to incorporate some of the tips featured in the video above in the next project that you set yourself, and begin navigating your projects with ease!
It's important that you develop the habit of effective layer organization from the beginning. As you progress with the software and your drawings become more complex, Identifying and arranging layers can present challenges.
A pro tip is to make use of AutoCAD’s layer search function to navigate your work by entering characters or partial layer names users can quickly locate matching layers with ease.
If you really want to impress your employer or take your organization up a notch, you can look at creating layer group filters to group-related layers. This takes a matter of seconds and is as easy as dragging and dropping but goes a long way in managing your work!
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Create and Make Use of Blocks
Another tip that will really help you level up your efficiency using AutoCAD is creating and implementing blocks in your work. The concept of blocks will make a lot more sense to you once you spend a bit of time playing around with the platform, but they are essentially objects that function as one 2D or 3D entity.
Creating blocks is a great option when you need to replicate content like symbols, standard components, and details.
This tip goes a long way in helping you work efficiently and keeping your files compact by reusing content.
Keep in mind that the larger the file, the more demanding it is going to be on your computer, so implementing this tip will avoid putting any unnecessary strain on your processor or graphics card!
There are also dynamic blocks that allow you to adjust attributes, like shape, size, or layout, based on your preferences. These blocks operate by setting up guidelines and limitations that can be customized each time you insert a design block.
If your newfound productivity has you wanting to explore further, then you should take a look at smart blocks, which go a step further in automating portions of the process.
While it may be intimidating to even think about implementing machine learning technology. In your projects, it is much more straightforward than you might think and can save you plenty of time in the long run!
Just like you would have studied for any subject at school, make sure to consult a range of learning resources when improving with the software.
Collaborate with Others on Drawings
This next tip will change how you approach your learning and will even add to your enjoyment of the design process.
Collaborating with others on projects plays a role in ensuring project success and also helps you develop crucial skills that are required in many of the roles that incorporate CAD in their processes.
We all have our own strengths, weaknesses, and areas of expertise, so seeing firsthand how another person performs tasks in AutoCAD can leave you with plenty of points to take away and implement in your own design process going forward.
You can see from the video above how AutoCAD has made it much easier in previous updates to communicate and collaborate with others on projects.
If you are going to collaborate with others using AutoCAD, then you will first want to look at linking your computer to a server or cloud storage.
Think of it like any project that you might have completed in college or in previous roles and begin with a discussion that delegates roles within your team, utilizing each member's strengths to complete tasks.
When working with others, it is even more important to implement the tips that we have discussed thus far in this article, as consistent folder structures and file naming conventions are key to collaboration.
By collaborating with others on CAD projects, you will develop invaluable skills that will help you collaborate with others in the workplace while giving you some impressive talking points to bring up in future interviews!
Learn AutoCAD with Superprof
Without a doubt, the most effective way to improve your familiarity with the different tools and features offered in AutoCAD and accelerate the learning journey is to learn from an experienced tutor.
Superprof has emerged as a favorite option among learners of all levels when trying to improve their CAD competencies. The platform is a one-stop shop for experienced tutors, where students can go to end their search for the perfect mentor.
The personalized teaching approach offered by Superprof tutors is tailored to your individual learning pace and preferences, ensuring that you understand the fundamentals of AutoCAD before continuing your learning journey.
Unlike the various online courses that you may have enrolled in, a seasoned instructor can provide instant feedback helping you steer clear of common mistakes and optimize your learning journey.
You will also see from just a short browse of the platform that many Superprofs tutors have plenty of industry expertise and can share insights and practical applications that are often not covered in AutoCAD courses.
By getting started with an experienced tutor from Superprof from the very beginning, you can avoid the needless trial and error of figuring things out by yourself and get your learning off on the right path. Just have a browse of the tutors that are available in your area and start your learning as soon as today!
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