Day 1: The Precision Engine (2D Foundations)
Day one is about moving away from artistic sketching and into coordinate-based precision. You’ll learn the interface through the lens of a mechanical engineer.
Mechanical Workspace Setup: Configuring Units (Decimal vs. Fractional), Limits, and the "Drafting Settings" (Object Snaps and Polar Tracking).
Geometric Construction: Creating complex profiles using Offset, Trim, Fillet, and Chamfer.
Layers for Mechanical Standards: Organizing drawings by Object lines, Hidden lines, Center lines, and Construction lines according to ISO/ANSI standards.
The Power of Blocks: Creating reusable mechanical library parts (e.g., bolts, washers, and bearings) to speed up the workflow.
Day 2: Engineering Intelligence (Annotations & Assemblies)
Day two moves from drawing shapes to adding "data." This is where a drawing becomes a blueprint.
Dimensioning & Tolerancing: Setting up Dimstyles for mechanical accuracy. Learning how to apply Limits and Fits (e.g., $H7/g6$ clearances).
Hatching & Section Views: Using the Hatch command to show material cross-sections. Creating "Broken-out" and "Full Section" views to show internal mechanical details.
Parametric Constraints: Using "Geometric Constraints" (Parallel, Tangent, Concentric) so that when you move one part of a design, the rest of the geometry updates automatically.
Assembly Basics: Using XRefs (External References) to bring multiple part files into one master assembly drawing.
Day 3: From Flat to Form (Intro to 3D & Output)
The final day introduces the 3D environment and the critical "Paper Space" setup for the machine shop floor.
Intro to 3D Modeling: Using Extrude, Revolve, and Subtract to turn 2D profiles into 3D mechanical solids.
Boolean Operations: Joining or cutting 3D shapes to create complex features like keyways or counterbored holes.
Layouts & Plotting:
Paper Space vs. Model Space: Understanding the viewport system.
Title Blocks: Creating professional borders with "Attributes" for part names, dates, and material specs.
BOM (Bill of Materials): Using "Data Extraction" to automatically count your blocks (bolts/nuts) and generate a parts list table.
