Post: #1

I don't know where to post this, I hope this is the right place.

My new responsibility may require me to use Illustrator and Autocad or at least understand how they work. I've tried google but the guides are all over the place, anyone know what is the best way learn AutoCad?

Post: #2

If you're a video guy, you may want to subscribe to Lynda.com. They have video tutorials for practically EVERYTHING and they're quite professionally-done. You can probably find video tutorials for Illustrator and Autocad there.

Autodesk (the makers of Autocad) have some tutorials here: http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad

Illustrator works with vector graphics; these are quite different than the raster graphics you would use through something like Photoshop. Vector graphics deal with the relationships between points on a 2D plane and how they all connect together; if you've ever opened up an SVG file (common vector graphics file type) in a text editor all you'd see is a large XML file instead of a more binary output if you opened something like a JPG. In this XML file you can see how all the points (as tags) are laid out and how Illustrator generates something like an SVG when it outputs your work.

Post: #3

I use Illustrator and Photoshop on a daily basis.
This may should like an odd point, but how old are you?
I taught myself both apps on my own soon after college, well before internet. Still green, working crap day jobs, i'd go to uni comp labs at night and learn new software, purely out of curiosity.

If you already have an established gig, it'll be that much tougher to muster the energy, let alone the time to learn new apps. If that's the case either way you just have to dive in and dick around with it.

Post: #4

How did you learn it out of the blue with no previous experience?

Post: #5

Churning along through trial and error on my own. Checking out mammoth amount of books from library on history and fundamentals of the field, in the early days. Watching peers. Seeking mentors (though I found almost none -- old school dudes were computer-shy). As with any field, trade or craft, 10 years of experience/toil brings about a certain amount of proficiency. 20 years, and one approaches mastery.
Stay curious.

Post: #6

I never see Autocad anymore. Everything is Solidworks, Inventor, etc.

I see Sketchup more than autocad.

That said I enrolled in a tech institute for 5 days of Autocad back in 2004. By the end I was decent. Then after a couple months of work I took another 5 days.

Solidworks same thing. Continuing ed at the local college, online videos and lots of spare time.

Illustrator is everywhere, and is probably among the easiest to find tutorials for.

I use Solidworks 80% and Rhino 20% for modelling.

Adobe Creative suite is almost always running in the background as well.

Post: #7

I'm 26, I believe won't use them much and they will provide appropriate training if I need but I just want to make sure.

Post: #8

(08-13-2014 08:50 PM)Sombro Wrote:  I use Illustrator and Photoshop on a daily basis.
This may should like an odd point, but how old are you?
I taught myself both apps on my own soon after college, well before internet. Still green, working crap day jobs, i'd go to uni comp labs at night and learn new software, purely out of curiosity.

If you already have an established gig, it'll be that much tougher to muster the energy, let alone the time to learn new apps. If that's the case either way you just have to dive in and dick around with it.

I learned it myself too, but purely out of necessity. I'm a geek in that computers come fairly natural to me.

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

In this day and age though if you have dough you can get freelancers to do things for you off sites like 99designs and other crowd sourced design sites, but if you need to continually use these programs for minor things you have to teach yourself.

There are TONS of tutorials on the web - just google "Illustrator tutorial [shading in circles]" for example. Also, youtube it too.

You'll find that after a couple weeks of frustration - and if you have the aptitude for it - you'll have the basics covered.

Post: #9

(08-13-2014 10:29 PM)Felix88 Wrote:  I'm 26, I believe won't use them much and they will provide appropriate training if I need but I just want to make sure.

I wouldn't bother learning unless you know you're going to need to use them. Honestly, I've been working with illustrator for 5 years fairly regularly, but if I take 8 weeks off I forget almost everything and have to relearn it.