Definition – draftsman or drafter:
- a technically trained person who creates technical drawings for specific professionals, i.e.; one who creates drawings from the notes, calculations, and sketches for architects, engineers, surveyors, etc.
- a person whose job is to create drawings that will be used to build machines, buildings, etc.
Drafting is a universal language. It’s the natural tongue of mechanical minds in every country. The person who’s mastered this language can communicate freely with professional craftsmen of every race and nationality from the American with the French, the Italian, the Swedish, the German. It’s the common language of woodworkers, builders, metal workers, designers, and architects all over the world.
| DRAFTING COURSE TECH SUPPORT |
COMPLETE DRAFTING COURSES:
- House Plan Drafting -This is a course in drawing single and two story house plans. Once completed, you are given the knowledge to draw a complete set of house plans that can be used for construction. CAD instruction is given and has a support board if you have questions.
- Mechanical Drafting – This is a course in drawing shop drawings for manufactured items. It teaches you how to make parts and assembly drawings. CAD instruction is given and has a support board if you have questions.
- Site Plan Drafting – This is a specialized course in completing Survey type drawings of property boundary, landscape, and building location. CAD instruction is given and has a support board if you have questions.
- Learning to draw Plumbing Isometric Drawings – This is a course in drawing specialized Isometric plumbing drawings for house plans. CAD instruction is given and has a support board if you have questions.
- Drawing a Residential Floor Plan In a CAD Program – This course is for those who want to learn basic architectural drafting using a CAD program.
- Drawing a Residential Electrical Plan – This is one of several courses that teaches the student a specialty field of drafting electrical plans and the use of electrical symbols so that you can sub-contract out to other drafting professionals.
- Online Drafting School – This site contains all the courses mentioned above plus a few others.
- Understanding Mechanical Drawings – Free tutorial for those wanting to understand machine drawings. Includes several mechanical drawing images that can be printed out while taking the tutorial.
- Becoming a General Drafter on the Drafting Board – This site will teach you several different disciplines of drafting using the drafting board. The primer course is free.
CAD TUTORIALS:
- AutoCAD Tutorials – This site provides tutorials for the student of AutoCAD. They are designed to be as compatible with as many versions of AutoCAD as possible. They are based on AutoCAD 2010, but can be easily adapted to other versions like the new AutoCAD 2014.
- DraftSight Tutorial – The tutorial is designed to be used by the learner alone, without the aid of an instructor. This is a basic training guide for new DraftSight users. It is designed for users with little or no CAD experience. This guide will cover the fundamental skills necessary for efficient use of DraftSight and will provide a strong foundation for advancement according to it’s description.
- Free AutoCAD Tutorial Series – From 2D basics to advanced 3D tutorials and completely free. Includes: 62 Video lessons with nearly 4.5 hours of content, Lessons taught with AutoCAD 2016 version, AutoCAD basics to Advanced topics like Rendering, Surfacing and X-ref included, Free downloadable lesson files for each section, Self-assessment Quiz at the end of each section.
GENERAL COURSES RELATED TO DRAFTING:
- Architectural Blueprint Reading Course – This course was created for those who are wanting to learn to read and understand a set of House Plans. Excellent for those entering the home construction field, real estate appraisers, and those doing construction material take off. The course contains: Reading the Floor Plan and Understanding Dimensions, Electrical Symbols and Meanings, What’s on the Foundation or Basement Plan and Why it’s Important, The Exterior (views) Elevations and their Importance, Understanding Sectional Drawings, Understanding Special Details. (Instant Access).
Speaking the Graphic Language
Have you had training and experience in drafting or related subjects? The amount that you have had, great or small, will furnish a basis for additional training, or possibly for specialization in some particular kind of drafting work.
Actually, no occupation offers such an opportunity for individual development than drafting. There are so many disciplines of work that the drafter is called on to perform. The engineer, architect, shipbuilder, surveyor, and patent attorney make constant use of his or her originality and knowledge; to these professionals, they’re priceless.
A machine or apparatus is going to be manufactured, a building is going to be built, a ship is to be constructed, a map has to be made, an application for letters of patent is needed to be filed; the draftsman, or drafter as they are called today, is first to be called on to draw the details for construction and to make illustrations of these things as they are needed.
