AutoCAD 3D for Beginners
AutoCAD 3D for Beginners is a course that takes 2D users into 3D modelling with AutoCAD 2027, from the UCS, solids, surfaces and meshes to drawings generated from the model, materials, lighting and rendering. It suits AutoCAD 2D users, architects and product designers, and you leave able to produce realistic images and animations of your work.
- Duration12 hours · 2 days
- FormatOnsite / live online
- Next roundOn request
- CertificateIncluded
Course overview
AutoCAD is the standard drafting program in many organisations and factories. Plenty of people are fluent in 2D, but when they need a 3D part to check proportions, communicate with clients or production, or produce presentation images, they are unsure where to start, get confused by coordinates and UCS planes, and do not know when to use solids, surfaces or meshes.
This course builds a foundation in 3D with AutoCAD 2027 on top of your existing 2D skills. It covers setting up the workspace, navigating views and using the UCS, creating solids from primitives and from 2D profiles with Extrude, Revolve, Sweep and Loft, and editing with Fillet, Chamfer, Shell and Slice. It then introduces surfaces and meshes, creating 2D drawings from the model, and applying materials, lights and cameras, rendering and animation, finishing with a project on one real part. (2 days, 6 hours per day, 12 hours in total, Beginner level.)
What you’ll gain
- Understand 3D principles, the UCS and view control in AutoCAD 2027
- Create solids from primitives and from 2D profiles with Extrude, Revolve, Sweep and Loft
- Edit 3D objects with 3D Move, 3D Rotate, Fillet, Chamfer, Shell and Slice
- Choose solids, surfaces or meshes to suit the job
- Create 2D projected views and sections from a 3D model
- Apply materials, lights and cameras, render images and create motion path animations
Who this course is for
- AutoCAD 2D users who want to move on to 3D work
- Architects, interior designers and fit-out professionals
- Product designers and drafters in mechanical or industrial work
- Students and anyone who wants to create 3D views from drawings made in AutoCAD
Prerequisites
- Basic AutoCAD 2D skills such as Line, Polyline, Circle, Offset, Trim and layers
- Confident use of a Windows computer, including managing files and folders
- Able to read basic orthographic drawings or floor plans
- A Windows laptop that can run AutoCAD 2027, and a mouse with a scroll wheel
Curriculum
Course Details
This course is the 2026 edition of AutoCAD 3D for Beginners. It runs for 2 days, 6 hours per day (12 hours in total, 09:00-16:00), as lectures with labs. Beginner level. This edition moves from AutoCAD 2014-2016 to AutoCAD 2027. It keeps the original core of 3D drafting principles, the UCS, view navigation, visual styles, creating solids from primitives and 2D profiles, combining and cutting solids, editing
with 3D Move, 3D Rotate, Fillet, Chamfer, Shell and Slice, and materials, lights, cameras, rendering and animation. It adds an introduction to surfaces and meshes, creating 2D drawings from the model, and a final project. The course builds on 2D drafting skills. Learners use full AutoCAD 2027 on Windows, on a trial or their own or their organisation's licence, and take home a lab guide and practice files for every lab.
Day 1 Creating and Editing 3D Models
Section 1: Lab: Getting Started with 3D in AutoCAD 2027
- The 3D Modeling workspace, the acad3D template and the tools you use most
- How solids, surfaces and meshes differ, and when to use each
- Navigate with the ViewCube and Orbit, and switch visual styles
- Lab: set up your own 3D template
Section 2: Lab: Coordinates and the UCS
- X, Y and Z coordinates and the difference between World and UCS
- Move and rotate the UCS with three points, an object face and Dynamic UCS
- Named views and multiple viewports to see several sides at once
- Lab: draw on a sloping face of a part
Section 3: Lab: Primitive Solids and Combining Shapes
- Box, Cylinder, Cone, Sphere, Wedge, Torus and Pyramid
- Polysolid for walls and shapes with thickness
- Union, Subtract and Intersect to combine and cut shapes
- Lab: model a base plate with drilled holes
Section 4: Lab: Solids from 2D Profiles
- Prepare polylines and regions as closed profiles
- Extrude by height, along a path and with taper, plus Presspull
- Revolve, Sweep and Loft for turned shapes and changing cross-sections
- Lab: model a vase, a handrail and a transitioning part
Section 5: Lab: Moving and Arranging 3D Objects
- 3D Move and 3D Rotate with the gizmo
- 3D Align, 3D Mirror and 3D Array
- Fillet Edge and Chamfer Edge to round and bevel solid edges
- Lab: assemble a piece of furniture from several parts
Section 6: Workshop: Face Editing, Shell and Slice
- Solid editing: Extrude, Offset and Taper Faces
- Shell to hollow out a part with the wall thickness you need
- Slice and section planes to look inside
- Workshop: model an equipment enclosure with a lid and vents
Day 2 2D Drawings, Realistic Images and Animation
Section 7: Introduction to Surfaces and Meshes
- Surfaces for free-form curved shapes: Network, Blend and Patch
- Mesh primitives and smoothness levels
- Convert between meshes, surfaces and solids when needed
- Lab: model a curved product shell
Section 8: Lab: Creating 2D Drawings from the Model
- Base and projected views from a 3D model on a layout
- Section and detail views to show the details
- Automatic drawing updates when the model changes, and Flatshot
- Lab: produce projected views and a section of the part from day one
Section 9: Lab: Materials
- The Materials Browser and choosing materials from the library
- The Materials Editor for colour, glossiness and transparency
- Material mapping to set the scale and direction of patterns
- Lab: apply wood, metal and glass to a part
Section 10: Lab: Lights and Cameras
- Sun & Sky and setting a geographic location
- Point lights, spotlights and distant lights
- Create cameras and save them as named views
- Lab: light a room interior and set presentation camera angles
Section 11: Lab: Rendering and Animation
- Render presets, image size and saving the rendered image
- Walk through the model with 3D Walk and 3D Fly
- Motion path animation with a camera that follows a path
- Save the animation as a video file
Section 12: Workshop: 3D Part Project
- Choose a brief: a mechanical part, a piece of furniture or a room interior
- Model it, apply materials, light it and render presentation images
- Produce projected views with a section and a short walk-through animation
- Present the work, review it together and sum up ways to work faster in 3D
Schedule & training options
For individuals — public rounds
No public rounds are open right now. Join the waiting list and we will contact you first when the next round opens, or ask us on LINE. Or call 02-570-8449 or 088-807-9770
For organisations — in-house / private
- Tailor the content to your team’s tools and projects
- Your dates, at your office or live online
- Quotation with tax ID for procurement
Instructors
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between solids, surfaces and meshes in AutoCAD 3D?
A solid is a filled object with volume that you can combine, cut or intersect with Union, Subtract and Intersect, which suits parts that need exact dimensions. A surface is a thin skin with no thickness, which suits free-form curves. A mesh is made of many faceted faces whose smoothness you can adjust, which suits sculpted shapes. Most work starts with solids and turns to surfaces or meshes when a shape is hard to achieve with solids.
What is the UCS in AutoCAD, and why does 3D work need it?
The UCS (User Coordinate System) is a coordinate system you can move and rotate yourself, unlike the fixed World Coordinate System. 2D drawing commands such as Line, Circle or Polyline always draw on the XY plane of the current UCS, so moving the UCS onto a sloping or side face lets you draw on that face and extrude straight away. Dynamic UCS can also align the plane temporarily to whichever face you point at.
How do you turn 2D shapes into 3D objects in AutoCAD?
Draw a closed polyline or region, then choose the command for the shape you need: Extrude raises it to a height, Revolve spins it around an axis for round forms such as vases, Sweep drags it along a path such as a handrail, and Loft blends several cross-sections into one shape. Presspull raises any enclosed area directly. Finish with Fillet Edge, or combine and cut with Union and Subtract.
What do you need to do to create a realistic image from a 3D model in AutoCAD?
Switch to the Realistic visual style to preview as you work, then assign materials from the Materials Browser, such as wood, glass or metal. Add lighting with Sun & Sky or point lights placed where real lights would be, set the camera angle and save it as a named view, then Render with a render preset and image size and save the result as an image. For moving images, use a motion path animation saved as a video file.
Who is AutoCAD 3D for Beginners for, and what should I know beforehand?
It suits AutoCAD 2D users who want to move into 3D, architects, interior designers, fit-out staff, product designers and industrial drafters. You should already be comfortable with basic 2D commands such as Line, Polyline, Offset, Trim and layers, and be able to read simple orthographic drawings. If you have never used AutoCAD, take a 2D foundation course first. You need full AutoCAD, as AutoCAD LT does not include the 3D tools.
Can AutoCAD 3D for Beginners be run in-house for our team?
Yes. It can be run in-house for your team, with examples adapted to your own work, such as modelling the parts, machinery, furniture or buildings your company works on, and setting up a team 3D template. You can request a quotation from this page, or contact us on LINE @itgenius or by phone on 02-570-8449.