Getting Started with CAD

[toc wrapping=right]Are you interested in Computer Aided Design (CAD)? Learning CAD can land you that dream job at a design firm, allow you to design your product, 3D print your designs, and much more. However, CAD has a learning curve due to the numerous softwares available. At 12CAD, we have put together resources for beginners and experts alike to learn, practice, and design with CAD.

We have compiled an ultimate guide to CAD. Use the table of contents to the right to find the specific topic you need information on. Good luck!


AutoCAD Resources

AutoCAD is by far the most used CAD tool made by AutoDesk. Most high school, university, and first-timers learn AutoCAD because it is the industry standard. The software has a learning curve and requires practice to perfect. Check out our resources below:

20 Days of AutoCAD20 days of cad exercises

Our most famous and highly-visited tutorials are the series of 20 Days of AutoCAD tutorials.

You will be taken step-by-step from day 1 to day 20 with tutorials, tips and tricks, and much more. You will learn how to draw a line, fillet, and much more. Check out these exercises here.

100 CAD Exercises

landing-100-cad Our 100 CAD exercises book is a best-selling book on Amazon.com. The exercises are used by universities, schools, and professionals around the world. The book includes 50 2D and 50 3D exercises for you practice on.

As a bonus, you will receive the original D2G files that can be used to do as you please. Check out this book here.

AutoCAD Courses

Having a guide/mentor can really make learning AutoCAD simpler. Nowadays, online courses can be taken which are taught by true professionals in the industry. We have compiled the following courses below.

Make sure you use the coupon code DAYDREAM001 to get the courses for $10 or lower! This coupon is exclusively brought by 12CAD to you!


SolidWorks Resources

If you are into 3D design, then SolidWorks is your best bet. SolidWorks is one of the most used design tools in the world. The software also has a steep learning curve and thus, we have created a set of tutorials and other articles to guide you. Check them out:


Sketchup Resources

Sketchup is another highly-used 3D CAD tool. It is used by the industry for rendering, designing, and much more. Check out the following tutorials:


Draftsight Resources

Draftsight is a free software that packs many features that one may need. Check out the getting started guide to Draftsight and other detailed tutorials here. We also did a detailed head-to-head comparison between AutoCAD vs Draftsight.


CAD Software Head-to-Head Comparisons

Deciding on the specific software to use for your project or even career can be a daunting task. To solve this, we have put softwares head-to-head in the topics of price, features, usability, and more. Check out the comparisons below and see which software is right for you.


CAD Alternatives

There are many other CAD softwares out there in the market. Some are open source and some require licenses. We have done thorough comparisons of these softwares to help you make a decision. Make sure to check out the following articles


CAD Hardware

Best SolidWorks graphics card
AMD Fire Pro

CAD requires top-notch hardware to be fully effective. However, we all have budgets and we cannot just go buy the most expensive hardware. We have done thorough reviews of laptops, monitors, computers, mouse, among others for different budgets. Check them out below:

Peripheral hardware:

Internal hardware:

Ready-to-go: