Autocad

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I hate to say it, but nope. The only thing I could really recommend is a technical school or community college for drafting, and electrical engineering courses for electrical. The other option is time consuming, but experience is usually a great teacher!

You might try google, just to see if there is anything out there.

Are you having trouble with the drafting part (symbols, how to place them, drawing lines, etc.) or the electrical part?
 
alfonso1900 said:
Does anyone know of a good learning aid for AUTOCAD that is more focused to electrical drafting?
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There are several CD's from major publishers that are available for purchase that will have basic symbols for electrical work.
Simple "block" items of switches, receptacles and the like.
Others have posted here as well stating free blocks that are available for downloading.

Most major Software program have an electrical package that they will sell you in addition to the orginal software. Sometimes it might be in a package called "facilities", or even dropped in with HVAC or a piping package.

As said there's several free Sketch programs that will let you import ACAD files, as well as other inexpensive drafting packages.

There?s tons of books on this subject matter of which you speak, all the major and some minor book store sites have the how to, quick references, and explain why it is, and they can even dumb it down for you. :wink:

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JMO

As far as "learning", well I frankly think you've hit the wall if you want to go with ACAD, or any of the high end packages for that matter.
I'm saying this from the infomation over-load aspect!

Remember your learning another vocation (possible), and your also trying to get a finished product out. Even with client supplied drawings, your time will not be affordable to the project. With you learning CAD and drafting on the job, your speed is less than what a board draftsman would take.

Your desired "workable drawing" as an output will not be what you put into it for 3 to 6 months and that?s being on it every two today?s, best guess.

It will not be for some time and I mean hard time in a production situations that the cost/time ratio will be affordable to a client and profitable to you, but it will diminish.

Not that you can't do, not that I'd stop anyone from reaching out, its just a tool like anything else and what tool you might buy and afford should be to your benefit. What you do with this tool is just like anything else, also!
JMO
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What is the purpose of your CAD efforts?

Are you an electrician wanting to diagram the projects You work on?
Are you trying to draw documentation for the Man's company?
Are you looking into becoming a CAD draftman?
 
alfonso1900 said:
Does anyone know of a good learning aid for AUTOCAD that is more focused to electrical drafting?
Click to expand...
AutoCad has some built in learning tools, a comprehensive help menu and, when I open it, I usually get offered a link to their help and support.
 
I could'nt find anything that taught Electrical drafting for AutoCAD.So
I took an Engineering Graphics class that taught AutoCAD. That will teach
you the commands and techniques to create and modify drawings.
IMHO the bulk of Electrical Drafting in AutoCAD is creating Layouts,not
drafting.I spend more time in"Paper Space" doing layouts than drawing in
"Model space".IMO Mechanical and Plumbing are far more advanced
in CAD than Electrical because when in comes to Electrical and CAD
there really is'nt much electrical specific training available.Well,
that I know of.
 
If you're considering Autocad electrical for one line diagrams save your money and just get regular Autocad. The electrical version is geared to controls so the included symbols don't work very well for one-lines.
 
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