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CAD for Kids

Kids Can CAD Academy

4.4

Based on 16 ratings

Kids Can CAD Academy

You do not have to wait to be in college to begin exploring the amazing world of Engineering or Architecture design. Students can now begin exploring these fields at an early age by enrolling in courses like this one.

This course is an introduction to computer design using SketchUp software. This course is recommended for middle and high school students with interest in the fields of Engineering, Architecture, and Computer Design.

Inside this course, students will find lectures, exercises and assignments. The lectures are design to introduce concepts and commands in videos that are easy to follow. Each lecture is followed by an exercise in which the students practice using the concepts and commands that were introduced in the lectures. The projects, or assignments, are designed to challenge the students to create designs on their own using just an image for guidance.

Course Content:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Interface & basic commands

Exercise 1: Simple House

Lesson 2: Measurement Panel & tools

Exercise 2: Bridge (1)

Lesson 3: Circles and Arcs

Exercise 3: Bridge (2)

Lesson 4: Grouping & Components

Exercise 4: Interior Design

Lesson 5: Materials

Exercise 5: Applying Materials

Assignment 1: Dream House Design

Assignment 2: Bedroom Design

Assignment 3: Suspension Bridge Design

What you'll need:

A fast Internet connection
A PC or laptop (no ipads)
A computer mouse

SketchUp Free is the simplest free 3D modeling software on the web. It is a web-based software, so there is nothing to download.

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What's inside

Learning objective

Students will learn how to get started designing with sketchup.

Syllabus

In Section 1, students learn how to get started with SketchUp.

This lesson is an introduction to SketchUp. After completing this Sections, students will be able to:

Create a FREE account
Open the software
Explore the software interface
Explore the Toolbox
Explore the Dashboard
Use the line command
Create a Face
Use the Eraser tool
Create a Cube
Orbit, Pan, and Zoom
Use the Push/Pull tool

In this lesson, students will learn the following tools:

The Measurement Panel
The Move tool
The Duplicate command
The Offset tool
The Select tool
How to create Holes

In this lesson, students learn how to use the following tools:

Arcs
Circles
Cylinders

In this lesson, students will learn the following tools:

Grouping
Components
Exploding
Hide/Unhide

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Career center

Learners who complete CAD for Kids will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Architectural Designer

An Architectural Designer conceptualizes and develops designs for buildings, from initial sketches to detailed plans, ensuring aesthetic appeal, functionality, and structural integrity. This course provides a practical introduction to 3D modeling with SketchUp, a widely used tool for architectural visualization and conceptual design. By completing assignments like "Dream House Design" and "Simple House," learners directly engage with core tasks of an Architectural Designer. The skills gained in exploring the interface, using commands like Push/Pull, creating accurate measurements, and working with grouping and components, help build a foundation crucial for translating design ideas into tangible 3D models. This specific course empowers learners to effectively communicate spatial concepts and design intent, a vital skill for anyone aspiring to enter this field, which often requires a master's degree in Architecture.

See salaries and explore the career path for Architectural Designer

Interior designer

An Interior Designer creates functional and aesthetically pleasing interior spaces for homes, offices, and commercial environments. This role involves space planning, material selection, and furniture arrangement, all of which are significantly enhanced by 3D visualization. The course, focusing on SketchUp, directly supports the work of an Interior Designer. Learners gain hands-on experience through exercises like "Interior Design" and "Bedroom Design," along with applying "Materials," which are core to visualizing real-world spaces. Learning to use tools for creating rooms, manipulating objects, and understanding dimensions helps build essential skills for designing compelling and practical interiors. Taking this course provides a strong practical introduction to digital design tools pertinent to this career path.

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Kitchen and Bath Designer

A Kitchen and Bath Designer specializes in planning and designing highly functional and aesthetically pleasing kitchen and bathroom spaces. This role relies heavily on precise spatial planning and visualization, making the skills taught in this course exceptionally relevant. With SketchUp, learners gain direct experience in creating room layouts, positioning fixtures, applying materials, and managing components, as seen in "Interior Design" and "Bedroom Design" assignments. The ability to accurately model spaces, use measurement tools, and quickly iterate design options helps build a foundation crucial for a Kitchen and Bath Designer to create detailed plans and compelling visual presentations for clients.

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Civil Engineering Technician

A Civil Engineering Technician assists civil engineers in the design, construction, and maintenance of infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and buildings. This course offers a highly relevant introduction to computer aided design through SketchUp, directly addressing practical aspects of the role. The assignments, particularly "Bridge (1 & 2)" and "Suspension Bridge Design," align closely with the kind of structural visualization and modeling a Civil Engineering Technician might undertake. Learners exploring the interface, using measurement tools, and creating complex forms in 3D helps build a foundational understanding of engineering geometry and spatial analysis. This course provides practical experience with digital design tools essential for preparing technical drawings and models.

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Exhibition Stand Designer

An Exhibition Stand Designer specializes in creating custom booths and displays for trade shows and events, requiring both creative flair and practical spatial design. This course provides a hands-on introduction to 3D modeling with SketchUp, a highly valuable tool for an Exhibition Stand Designer. Learners gain practical experience in quickly sketching out booth layouts, visualizing structures, placing components, and even conceptualizing material finishes. This direct application of 3D design principles helps build a strong foundation in spatial reasoning and design visualization, enabling effective communication of stand concepts and ensuring innovative and functional designs for clients.

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Exhibit Designer

An Exhibit Designer creates engaging and informative displays for trade shows, museums, and events, bringing concepts to life through spatial arrangements and visual storytelling. This course offers a valuable introduction to the foundational 3D modeling skills crucial for an Exhibit Designer. By learning to create and manipulate objects, group components, and apply materials using SketchUp, learners gain practical experience in conceptualizing and visualizing temporary structures and immersive environments. The ability to translate ideas into a three-dimensional model, as practiced in this course, helps build a foundation in spatial reasoning and design communication, which are vital for presenting compelling exhibition concepts to clients and stakeholders.

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Set Designer

A Set Designer creates the visual environment for theatrical, film, and television productions, translating scripts into tangible, immersive spaces. The ability to rapidly conceptualize and visualize these environments in three dimensions is paramount for a Set Designer. This course provides a practical introduction to 3D modeling with SketchUp, directly building skills applicable to this creative field. Learners gain experience in creating and manipulating objects, grouping components, and applying materials, all of which are essential for developing detailed set concepts. This course helps build a foundation in digital design tools, enabling effective communication of spatial arrangements and artistic vision to directors and production teams.

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Furniture Designer

A Furniture Designer conceptualizes and develops new furniture pieces, blending aesthetics, ergonomics, and manufacturing considerations. This course, by teaching 3D modeling with SketchUp, helps build a foundational skill set highly beneficial for a Furniture Designer. Learners practice creating objects, understanding accurate measurements, and applying materials, which are all crucial steps in the design process. The experience of translating a design idea into a virtual three-dimensional model, as covered in this course, helps in visualizing form, proportion, and details before physical prototyping. This practical introduction prepares learners to use digital tools for creative exploration and design iteration in furniture creation.

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Landscape Designer

A Landscape Designer plans and designs outdoor spaces, including gardens, parks, and recreational areas, integrating natural elements with built structures. This course provides an excellent introduction to 3D modeling, which is increasingly important for a Landscape Designer to visualize and communicate design concepts. By learning to create shapes, manipulate forms, and understand spatial relationships with SketchUp through projects like the "Bridge Design," learners develop fundamental skills in translating two-dimensional ideas into comprehensive three-dimensional representations. This practical experience helps build a foundation in visual communication and spatial arrangement, enabling learners to better conceptualize and present their outdoor designs effectively in a digital environment.

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Urban Planner Assistant

An Urban Planner Assistant supports the development and implementation of plans for the growth and revitalization of cities and regions. This role often involves visualizing proposed developments and understanding spatial relationships. This course, with its focus on creating 3D models of structures and environments using SketchUp, helps build a foundation in spatial representation and design thinking which an Urban Planner Assistant may find useful. Learning to create houses, bridges, and manage components provides practical experience in conceptualizing how elements fit within a larger spatial context, aiding in the visualization and communication of urban design concepts to stakeholders.

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Technical Illustrator

A Technical Illustrator creates precise and informative visual representations of complex objects, systems, or procedures, often for manuals or assembly guides. This course, by teaching detailed 3D modeling using SketchUp, helps build a strong foundation in spatial understanding and digital visualization for a Technical Illustrator. Learners practice creating accurate forms, using measurement tools, and manipulating views, which are critical skills for translating technical information into understandable graphics. The ability to build and control three-dimensional models, as taught in this course, directly supports the creation of clear and accurate technical drawings and illustrations, aiding in effective technical communication.

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Drafter Assistant

A Drafter Assistant creates technical drawings and plans that are essential for manufacturing, construction, and engineering projects. While advanced specialized CAD software is typically used in professional settings, this course provides an excellent introduction to the core principles of computer aided design that a Drafter Assistant may find useful. Learners develop fundamental skills in precision drawing, working with dimensions, creating forms, and understanding digital workflows using SketchUp. This foundational experience helps build a comprehensive understanding of spatial concepts and the process of translating two-dimensional ideas into three-dimensional models, which is crucial for any drafting career.

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Product Designer Assistant

A Product Designer Assistant supports the design process for new products, from initial concepts to final prototypes. This course, through its introduction to 3D modeling with SketchUp, helps build a foundation in digital visualization that may be useful for a Product Designer Assistant. Learners practice creating three-dimensional objects, managing components, and applying materials, which are all relevant for conceptualizing and communicating product forms. This practical experience in translating design ideas into a virtual model can aid in understanding spatial relationships and visual attributes of a product, providing a hands-on introduction to essential tools for industrial design conception.

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Lighting Designer Assistant

A Lighting Designer Assistant supports the design and specification of lighting schemes for various environments, considering aesthetics, functionality, and energy efficiency. The course's emphasis on creating detailed 3D models and understanding spatial relationships using SketchUp may be useful for a Lighting Designer Assistant. Learning to build virtual environments, apply materials, and manage components helps build a practical understanding of how light interacts with surfaces and forms within a designed space. This foundational knowledge in digital spatial representation can aid in visualizing lighting concepts and understanding their impact on architectural or set designs.

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Facilities Planning Assistant

A Facilities Planning Assistant helps manage and optimize the use of space within buildings, contributing to layouts for offices, manufacturing plants, or other institutional settings. The course's focus on creating 3D models of rooms and houses, understanding measurement, and manipulating components within a virtual space, may be useful for a Facilities Planning Assistant. This foundational knowledge in computer design helps build a practical understanding of spatial organization and visualization, which can be applied to layout planning, space utilization studies, and communicating proposed changes to building occupants and management.

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Reading list

We've selected 50 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in CAD for Kids.

The Interior Design Reference & Specification Book

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Comprehensive reference tool covering all aspects of interior design, from fundamentals and space planning to materials and lighting. It's highly practical and useful for both students and professionals as a quick guide and to solidify understanding of various technical details. It is commonly used as a reference by industry professionals.

CAD for Kids

What's inside

Learning objective

Syllabus

Save this course

Career center

Reading list

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