The CAD process

A review of some drawings from garden design, landscape design and architecture. Opening a drawing showing some quite 'dressy' plant symbols. Some theory - drafting on paper vs. using CAD software? Some advice for learning. Real world units; handling scale. Speeding up CAD by using the AutoLISP programming language. The importance of understanding that AutoCAD/IntelliCAD are command driven programs. What are the advantages of a 'command driven' CAD program? Setting up the drawing environment and adjusting preferences. Creating an intelligent desktop shortcut, setting drawing preferences. A simple garden design - a small copse of planting. Learning the underlying command sequence in IntelliCAD/AutoCAD, selecting commands. A detailed look at the CAD interface, including title bar, standard and formatting toolbars, the command area, the status line etc. Learning to float and dock toolbars. Controlling your view of drawings - the ZOOM command. Controlling layers in CAD drawings. Drawing LINES of given length and angle.

The value of making enquiries of drawing entities and the text screen window. Saving files. Creating your own logo. Experimenting with different CAD file formats. Exploring 3D visualization techniques.

The CAD interface

A detailed look at the CAD interface, including title bar, standard and formatting toolbars, the command area, the status line etc. Learning to float and dock toolbars. The ZOOM command. Layer control. The text screen window. Saving files. File formats. Learning the underlying command sequence in IntelliCAD/AutoCAD, selecting commands. Creating your own logo. 3D visualization techniques.

Viewing Drawings

A comprehensive look at the different methods of controlling your view of a CAD drawing. The use of ZOOM, PAN, HIDE, VPOINT, REGEN and REDRAW commands in drawings of domestic houses and courtyards. Getting help in IntelliCAD and AutoCAD. The importance of recognizing the underlying sequence in all AutoCAD/IntelliCAD commands. The value of a proper printed manual. Examining drawings which have 3D information. 'Spinning designs in 3D space using SketchUp software. 'Moving between the presentation space - paper space and model space. The importance of the UCSICON. Using the TILEMODE command and layout tabs. Preparing a design for a courtyard. Attaching raster images (photos from your digital camera) to a design. Adding to our list of shortcuts for individual commands.

Precise Geometry

Experimenting with some of the more esoteric drawing commands in AutoCAD and IntelliCAD. Compound lines with the POLYLINE command, the SPLINE command, the RAY command, the ELLIPSE command, the POLYGON command, the POINT command. The ERASE command. Setting up a 400mm GRID. Building a design for a courtyard by snapping to grid points to demonstrated that drawing with precision can be a simple process. The COPY command - using the multiple option. Some simple editing commands - ERASE, TRIM, EXTEND.

Using CAD to create a very simple design - we will take a design for a rose garden as a simple example. The CIRCLE and OFFSET commands. Using the entity snap functions - calling the Endpoint, Centre, PERpendicular, Quadrant options from the command line. The value of setting up and using a template drawing. Using the DISTANCE command. The RECTANGLE command. The ROTATE command. The DTEXT command with a hand lettered font.

Building a base plan - creating site plans ready for laying out garden design. Setting out boundaries for a rectangular shaped site, a polygonal shapes site and a block using surveyor's coordinates (from deposit plans). Creating site plans by triangulation.

Locating Buildings

Locating buildings on a site. Creating the footprint for a building - 'running  around' a building, drawing walls locating windows and doors etc. Adding symbols representing existing tress and shrubs on the site. Adding symbols for new plantings. Previewing a plot of the drawing on a suitable size sheet. Adding text to a drawing - the importance of selecting fonts to give a 'hand lettered' feel. Adding a planting schedule generated in Microsoft Excel to a design. Printing the design.