Just get a job with major projects and tight deadlines. After a few months of 70 hr weeks you should have a solid, if rudimentary, understanding of AutoCAD…
I guess what I’m trying to say is that the best way to learn is to do.
Hmmm…I already have a job, so if I am doing design work for the other 70 hours a week that I’m not at work, that still leaves me about 58 hours a week to sleep, divide that by 7 and that’s more than 8 a night…
I actually looked into a class at the local tech school, and decided it was too expensive but that is exactly how the instructor said he teaches it. I think I will start that way too.
I ordered a book, the one they were using for the course at the local tech school, and I am going to try to do some of the bookwork on my own. I work around a lot of engineers who can answer questions if I get stuck.
Wish me luck, and thanks for all your advice!! If anyone thinks of other good tips keep ’em coming, I will check back.
I taught myself by drafting old projects I had drafted by hand. you can then take those cad drawings and bring them into sketchup. great way to build/update your portfolio, and you will learn cad as you do so.
This is a great suggestion! My office recently forced a company-wide upgrade to Autocad 2011. Some people were still using 2008. I can’t believe the number of times I’ve had to go show someone how to get their toolbars back so they can click on a button to draw a polyline or fillet an edge. The first time someone asked me to help them find a toolbar I had to Google it because I use keyboard shortcuts for almost everything. Too many toolbars cluttering the screen can make the whole cad experience overwhelming.
Do any landscape architects use Microstation? I work in an engineering office and we use it for transportation projects because our DOT requires it, but none of the LA projects use it.
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