AutoCAD: Not a Software but Technology

"This is a drafting software used to create drawings for engineering structures. This can not do the complex calculations and computations needed for design of  engineering structures. I am going to be an engineer not a draftsman. So why waste my time and computer resources on it. Better to uninstall immediately."

Without any reconsider or review on my decision, I clicked on "Uninstall" button to start removing AutoCAD 2000 application from my Pentium II PC. The progress bar was showing the uninstall process and I was planning to utilize the free space in C drive by installing any other useful engineering design software.

Engineering design software!!?? .... Are you nuts !! ??

I know very well that the readers who are familiar with AutoCAD, are thinking like that.

Before unfolding the story, let me confess that 

"AutoCAD is not a Software but Technology which has no substitute till 25 years". 

I am using these words since 2004 and still after 15 years, I am committed to my words.

I was good at computer programming since High School days and I used to write programs in GW Basic programming language. Later, I started to learn C/C++, Visual Basic & Java programming languages. Simultaneously, I was studying civil engineering. All the programming skills were developed by self learning. The major source of learning was library books. My classmates used to taunt me often and pass funny comments when they found me to borrow computer and programming books from library. Honestly speaking, I wanted to change the field and even tried but due to some circumstances I could not. Instead, I started to write programs for every civil engineering subject which was numerical and logical in nature. For instance, I developed C/C++ programs to generate shear force and bending moment diagrams for beams and other structures. 

It was third year of engineering (1999-2000) studies when I come to know that there is a software named as AutoCAD used for engineering design. Internet was not common in those days and was accessible using dial up networks which was not only expensive (around Rs. 30 per hour) as well as slower (128 Kbps). It was not possible to download a trial / student version from Autodesk website.

Somehow I succeeded to get a pirated version of AutoCAD 2000 and installed the software to explore it further.

By using help files (F1 Help ), I got some familiarity with basic commands like line, polyline, circle and other basic geometric objects. I found it so boring to draw lines, circles and other geometric objects. Within one hour, I concluded as mentioned in the starting paragraph of this blog.

I still remember the day (March 2003), I completed a closed traverse of an area. It was observed by a manual theodolite under the supervision of my teacher. It was neither an academic assignment nor a thesis related job. Rather, it was first insight to the field of Surveying & Mapping which happened incidentally (or may be accidentally).

At the end of the survey observations (Horizontal angles, Vertical Angles and Distances), the teacher instructed to compute the traverse coordinates and to plot those coordinates on graph paper.

He asked me : "Imran, are you aware about AutoCAD? It will be better to plot using AutoCAD software. I have heard about your computing skills."

I responded confidently that "That's not a big deal. I know about this drafting software and its easy to plot lines and points using AutoCAD".   

This time, I was eager to install and use the AutoCAD ... The software which was uninstalled and ignored couple of years ago was mandatory to be installed, explored and used. This time, blue progress bar was not only showing the installation process but it was progressing to let me discover a technology ... Certainly, a technology being used for decades.  I was not assessing its usability rather I was going to use it for cartography. Those days, Google was not born yet. The only popular search engine was Yahoo search. In order to get familiarity with the basic commands of AutoCAD, I started to search the basic tutorials on internet. This was the turning point of my career when I found an interesting web site named as AfraLISP at top of the search results.

The AfraLISP website introduced me the real power and productivity of AutoCAD software.

I realized that it was a major misunderstanding/mistake to ignore the AutoCAD software which resulted in the unawareness of the power, scalability and productivity of AutoCAD for couple of years. However, I learnt AutoCAD by self learning and within couple of months I was capable to work in CAD environment and program the basic automation tasks. Like these days, it was so difficult to get a job as Junior Engineer in private sector. The recruiters were looking for couple of years experience at least. I succeeded anyhow to get interview call from two different engineering firms. I appeared in the interview with a blank CV. Obviously, I was fresh graduate. But I cleared both interview and got the job offer. The interviewers selected me because of AutoCAD skills. I will write the details about those interviews in an other blog.

All my programming skills enriched and flourished with writing AutoLISP routines, VBA Macros, Diesel expressions, script (*.SCR) files and standalone applications (using COM and .NET). For the Geo-spatial and Geodetic data processing, Autodesk introduced AutoCAD MAP 3D. That was a revolutionary release which made it possible to integrate GIS data with CAD environment. For the years, I used AutoCAD MAP 3D to transform and project the AutoCAD drawings from different datum, coordinates systems and projections. Now a days, there are many innovative products released from Autodesk for electrical, mechanical, architecture, construction and civil engineering industry. One of the best product which is ruling the civil engineering and construction industry is AutoCAD Civil 3D.

I never imagined ever that:

• I will be experiencing to make Lines, 2D/3D Polylines, Ellipses, Circles, Arcs, Curves, Splines using all the geometric and mathematics concepts I learnt in my high school mathematics.
• I will be processing survey data using COGO ( Coordinate Geomtery) functions in CAD environment and prepare topographic plans.
• I will be Lost In Stupid Parenthesis of LISP expressions to create custom commands. On lighter note, it is stupidity for a programmer to count opening and closing parenthesis in notepad. 
• I will be creating VBA macros to automate the Geometric Operations, playing with Layers, Linetypes, Text Styles, Blocks & Attributes,  Importing/exporting geometric data to Excel/Text files etc etc 
• I will be enjoying the rendering of  primitive 3D Objects like Cylinders, Cubes, Cones, Torus etc etc
• I will be creating composite solids using meshes and surfaces to print those with PLA material with 3D Printers.

Readers!

It was different era. The terms like Career Counseling or Career Advice were not invented.  Information was not easily accessible. The computers were not common. But, now a days, internet is accessible to every one. Almost all the Engineering Universities and Academic Institutions are furnished with computer labs, high speed computers, multimedia projectors, free software subscriptions with fully functional academic licenses. Despite of all these resources, AutoCAD is not the vital part of course curriculum.  The graduate civil engineers are not fully aware about AutoCAD. Even the GIS/Geomatics & other spatial science graduates are not skilled with AutoCAD or Autodesk products.

Let me conclude this article by suggesting academia and faculty to make AutoCAD as a mandatory subject so that the graduates get the job in civil engineering and GIS/Geomatics industry easily. I still believe "AutoCAD is not a Software but Technology which has no substitute till 25 years".

I hope, this article will be helpful and useful for civil engineering and GIS/Geomatics students.