AutoCAD

Total time: 6-8 weeks at 3 hours/day.

Core philosophy: AutoCAD is about workflow speed and drawing intelligence. Master the few commands that do most of the work.

Phase 1: Foundation & Interface (Weeks 1-2)

Day	20% Feature	Why It Matters	Hands-On Task
Day 1	Interface & Workspace	Know where everything lives.	Explore Ribbon, Command Line, Model/Layout tabs.
Day 2	Zoom (Z) & Pan	Navigate without losing your place.	Practice Zoom Extents, Window, and Pan.
Day 3	Units & Limits	Prevent scale disasters.	Set units and limits for a new drawing.
Day 4	Line (L) & Coordinates	Foundation of drafting.	Draw a 10x10 square using coordinate methods.
Day 5	Circle/Arc/Rectangle	Basic geometry for elements.	Draw columns, beams, and curved walls.
Day 6	Polyline (PL)	Single connected object.	Draw a floor outline as one polyline.
Day 7	Project: Simple Floor Plan	Combine basics into a layout.	Draw walls, doors, and windows. Save as DWG.

Phase 2: Precision & Editing (Weeks 3-4)

Day	20% Feature	Why It Matters	Hands-On Task
Day 8	Object Snaps (OSNAP)	Professional precision.	Set running snaps and practice.
Day 9	Ortho (F8) & Polar (F10)	Controlled angles.	Draw with Ortho, then Polar at 30 degrees.
Day 10	Selection Methods	Window vs Crossing.	Practice selection differences.
Day 11	Trim (TR) & Extend (EX)	Clean intersections.	Trim and extend intersecting lines.
Day 12	Offset (O)	Parallel lines fast.	Offset centerlines to create walls.
Day 13	Move/Copy/Rotate	Adjust without redrawing.	Copy a column grid, move and rotate elements.
Day 14	Mirror & Array	Symmetry and repetition.	Mirror half a plan and array columns.

Phase 3: Organization & Intelligence (Weeks 5-6)

Day	20% Feature	Why It Matters	Hands-On Task
Day 15	Layers (LA)	Keep drawings readable.	Create layers and assign objects.
Day 16	Layer States	Control visibility/printing.	Freeze and lock layers.
Day 17	Properties & Matchprop	Edit and copy properties.	Change lineweights and match properties.
Day 18	Blocks & Insert	Reusable symbols.	Create and insert a door block.
Day 19	WBlock	Reusable files across projects.	Export a block and reinsert it.
Day 20	Hatch (H)	Material indication.	Hatch concrete and steel patterns.
Day 21	Project: Structural Grid	Grid with blocks and hatch.	Create grid, insert columns, hatch.

Phase 4: Annotation & Communication (Weeks 7-8)

Day	20% Feature	Why It Matters	Hands-On Task
Day 22	Text & MText	Labels and notes.	Add room labels and notes.
Day 23	Text Styles	Consistency.	Create Title and Notes styles.
Day 24	Dimensioning	Convey size.	Dimension the floor plan.
Day 25	Dimension Styles	Control arrows and text.	Create two dimension styles.
Day 26	Leader & Multileader	Connect notes.	Add leader to column note.
Day 27	Annotative Scaling	Text resizes by viewport.	Set annotative scales 1:50 and 1:100.
Day 28	Project: Annotated Drawing	Complete floor plan.	Add dimensions, notes, title block.

Phase 5: Paper Space & Output (Weeks 9-10)

Day	20% Feature	Why It Matters	Hands-On Task
Day 29	Model Space vs Paper Space	Professional plotting.	Explain the difference in your notes.
Day 30	Layouts & Viewports	Multiple views on one sheet.	Create layout and viewport.
Day 31	Viewport Scaling	Correct print scales.	Set 1:50 scale and lock viewport.
Day 32	Viewport Layers	Control visibility per view.	Freeze layers per viewport.
Day 33	Title Blocks	Professional presentation.	Create title block with attributes.
Day 34	Page Setup	Plot settings.	Create page setup for A1/ARCH D.
Day 35	Plot to PDF	Deliverable output.	Plot and check lineweights.
Day 36	Project: Drawing Set	Multi-view deliverable.	Create plan, detail, section views.

Phase 6: Advanced Efficiency (Weeks 11-12)

Day	20% Feature	Why It Matters	Hands-On Task
Day 37	Fillet & Chamfer	Quick corner control.	Fillet radius 0 and radius 2.
Day 38	Stretch	Resize without redrawing.	Stretch a room longer.
Day 39	Break & Join	Split or combine objects.	Break a line and join it.
Day 40	Explode	Edit block components.	Explode a block and edit lines.
Day 41	Purge	Clean file size.	Purge unused items.
Day 42	XREF	Collaborate with references.	XREF an architectural base file.
Day 43	Design Center	Reuse content across files.	Import blocks from another drawing.
Day 44	Tool Palettes	One-click inserts.	Create palette with column block.
Day 45	Quick Select	Bulk edits by property.	Select all A-ANNO text and recolor.
Day 46	Field	Dynamic text updates.	Add date and sheet number fields.
Day 47	DWG Convert & eTransmit	Package for sharing.	Create an eTransmit package.
Day 48	Final Project	Complete structural set.	3-sheet set with plots to PDF.

Category	Commands	Shortcuts
Draw	Line, Polyline, Circle, Rectangle	L, PL, C, REC
Modify	Trim, Extend, Offset, Copy, Move	TR, EX, O, CO, M
Precision	Object Snap, Ortho, Polar	F3, F8, F10
Organize	Layer, Properties, Matchprop	LA, Ctrl+1, MA
Annotate	Text, Dimension, Leader	T, DIM, LEADER
Blocks	Block, Insert	B, I
View	Zoom, Pan	Z, P

Skill Category	Specific Skill	Mastered?	Notes
Setup	Units & Limits	☐
	Layers (create, assign, manage)	☐
Drawing	Line with coordinates	☐
	Polyline (single object)	☐
	Circle, Arc, Rectangle	☐
Editing	Trim / Extend	☐
	Offset	☐
	Copy / Move / Rotate	☐
	Mirror / Array	☐
	Fillet / Chamfer	☐
	Stretch	☐
Precision	OSNAP settings	☐
	Ortho / Polar	☐
Organization	Blocks (create, insert, edit)	☐
	Hatch	☐
	Properties & Match Properties	☐
	Purge	☐
Annotation	Text / MText	☐
	Text Styles	☐
	Dimensioning	☐
	Dimension Styles	☐
	Leader / Multileader	☐
Output	Layouts / Viewports	☐
	Viewport Scaling	☐
	Title Blocks	☐
	Page Setup	☐
	Plot to PDF	☐
Advanced	XREF	☐
	Tool Palettes	☐
	Design Center	☐
	Quick Select	☐
	eTransmit	☐

Month	Focus
Month 1	Word, PowerPoint, Canva
Month 2	Excel
Month 3	AutoCAD (Phases 1-3)
Month 4	AutoCAD (Phases 4-6) + Intro to ROBOT
Month 5	ROBOT + SAP2000 intro
Month 6	SAP2000 advanced
Month 7	Capstone: Same structure in all tools

Remember: Master the core 15 commands until they are muscle memory.

Benjamin Franklin said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."

Robert Greene noted, "The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways."