Autocad

AutoCAD is one of the most important tools in all the Engineering fields. Whether it might be mechanical, automobile, aeronautical or civil, architecture, interior designing AutoCAD has proved its importance in every field.

Today there are a lot of engineers graduating in these fields looking for a job, kick starting their career in their respective fields in design.

Here I'm writing a post for you, how to crack the AutoCAD tool test.

In this post, I'll give you a checklist and list of commands for completing your AutoCAD tool test in a professional way. Yes, believe it in a professional way, not as a fresher.

Opening a New Drawing:

Initially, you will start by clicking Create New Drawing in AutoCAD. In some cases, the company would have set a default template where you can find the title block. In most cases, it will be the basic template file with empty drawing sheet and layout.

Note: If the new drawing template has title block and layers, USE IT. A word of caution, do not open a blank template in this case.

 Do not Draw, Set the Layers First:

The Most common mistake that people will do after opening the drawing is they'll start drawing. Never do that.

Set the layers first. Create new layers for each and every condition.

For example, if you are creating a drawing of a component, here are some of the layers that need to be set.

1. Solid Line
2. Center Line
3. Hidden Line
4. Dimension
5. Text

Make sure to set respective layer styles and thickness for every layer.

If you are creating a drawing of a building (such as floor plan, elevation or interiors), here are some of the lists of layers to set.

1. Exterior wall
2. Interior wall
3. Parapet wall
4. Furniture, space planning equipment
5. Doors
6. Windows
7. Columns, etc.

It is easy to identify the number of layers to create just by studying the drawing provided.

(Note: If the layers are already available in the opened drawing, then make sure you use it. Do not create a new layer in this case.)

 Start Drawing:

Once you set all your layers, start drawing. Make sure to use corresponding layers while using draw tools.

Here are some of the tips for creating drawing faster.

• Use modify tools such as copy, mirror, array to create features faster
• Start with the large sized feature, then move on to smaller one
• Fillet and Chamfer are most common tools that can be used while creating component drawing
• Offset command can be widely used while creating building drawings

 Annotating the Drawing:

While creating annotations in the drawings consider the following:

• Check for the dimension styles before proceeding with annotations. Probably every company will have created and set their own dimension styles. If so, USE IT.
• If the dimensions are in mm, use ISO standards
• If the dimensions are in inches, use ANSI standards

 Using Productivity tools:

There are certain productivity tools which will help you to showcase yourself that you are a professional in AutoCAD.

• Use Blocks: Yes, using blocks while in tool testing will gain you a credibility.

For example, you can create some annotations or components while creating a component drawing. Some of the examples are view annotations, hole features for fasteners, etc.

While creating civil or architectural drawings, there are many options for using blocks. Some of the examples are doors, windows, furniture, etc.

To conclude, if you use these five tricks/tips while attending the tool testing, there is a maximum chance of clearing the tool test. Moreover, working faster in AutoCAD needs a lot of practice. Learn all the shortcuts for the above-mentioned tools for working faster.

This post originally appeared on foblutechnologies.com and is re-published at UrbanPro by the author.