2doWORLD

Structural design is based on the concept that all structural members are designed for an appropriate level of strength and stiffness. Strength relates to safety and is essentially the capacity of a structure or member to carry a service or ultimate design load. Stiffness is typically associated with serviceability. Serviceability is concerned with various performance criteria of a structure or member during service loading and unloading.

If you have successfully worked your way through this level, you should be able to create some decent looking models in AutoCAD. The next step is learning to render them. This lesson will include a look at the new lighting and rendering options in AutoCAD 2007.

If you have completed the previous lessons in this level, you now have the tools to create a large variety of objects in 3D. This lesson is designed to show how to create simple building in 3D from start to finish. The same process can be used to build more complex buildings as well.

Below is an image of the final building that is explained in this lesson.

There is only one way to get better at AutoCAD and that is to practice. In 3D, you not only need to know the commands, but also how best to use them. As you start drawing in 3D, you may start looking at everyday objects and think about how they would be drawn. Look at the sample drawing page and think about how they were done - using only the commands shown in this level.

EXTRA PROJECT - A

Once you start working with AutoCAD's default materials, you'll soon realize that you don't really have a large selection. What if you need a white stucco material for a wall? Or grass for the lawn, or brushed aluminum, or... well, you get the picture. What you need to do is create your own materials.

Whenever you are attaching materials to an object in AutoCAD, you are effectively ‘stretching' the image of the material around the object. For many objects, this can be acceptable. For a lot of others, though, you may want to adjust how the material is displayed on the object. This process is called mapping. The commands in this lesson replace the SETUV commands used in previous versions of AutoCAD.

When working in 3D, it sometimes necessary to change the plane that you are drawing on. For example, if you need to add some detail to the side of a wall, you would want to draw on that plane. It's like taking a sheet of paper up off the floor (WCS) and taping it onto the wall (UCS).

First, to explain the funny name : "It was named after George Boole, who first defined an algebraic system of logic in the mid 19th century."

Working in 3D usually involves the use of solid objects. At times you may need to combine multiple parts into one, or remove sections from a solid. AutoCAD has some commands that make this easy for you. These are the boolean operations as well as some other helpful commands for solids editing.:

For the next few lessons, you should switch to the 3D modeling workspace. Look for the icon in the bottom right of the AutoCAD screen.

What is a Primitive Solid?