CAD
AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals
Learn AutoCAD from the first command: draw, edit, dimension and plot 2D drawings, then model simple 3D parts.
AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students and design engineers. It has 11 modules and takes about 21.8 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 21.8 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- 1.0 from 1 learner review
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students and design engineers
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: design engineer, CAD technician, draughtsperson and product designer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- AutoCAD (free education licence for students and educators, or Autodesk's free trial). Hardware: none required.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Draw and edit 2D shapes with snaps, trim, offset and arrays
- Organise a drawing with layers, blocks and properties
- Add text, dimensions, leaders and tables, then plot from a layout
- Complete a floor plan, an elevation and a mechanical drawing
- Model a simple 3D part with extrude, revolve, sweep and loft
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students and design engineers.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. No CAD experience needed.
What you need
Software: AutoCAD (free education licence for students and educators, or Autodesk's free trial).
Hardware: None required.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
11 modules in order, at your own pace. 21.8 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Interface, Files, Units, Selection and Navigation37m
- 2Drawing Commands59m
- 3Drawing Aids: Snaps, Ortho, Reference Lines and Dynamic Input41m
- 4Modify Commands1h 8m
- 5Blocks, Layers and Properties1h 15m
- 6Text, Dimensions, Leaders, Tables and Plotting1h 43m
- 7The Complete Beginner Course2h 11m
- 8Exercises: Floor Plan, Elevation, Mechanical and Title Block3h 11m
Show the other 3 modules
- 93D Basics2h 36m
- 10Intermediate Techniques: Not Staying a Beginner1h 46m
- 11Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (1 tool)
Required
- 01Free trial: 15 days
AutoCAD
Autodesk
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11 64-bit; AutoCAD for Mac on recent macOS versions
- Account
- A free Autodesk account
- Size
- about 10 GB of disk space for AutoCAD on Windows
The AutoCAD trial lasts 15 days in most regions (30 in a few), expires on its own and cannot be extended. Students and educators can get free one-year educational access through an Autodesk Education plan, renewable while they stay eligible; education licences are for learning only.
Steps
- 1.Open the AutoCAD free trial page on autodesk.com and select Download free trial.
- 2.Sign in to your Autodesk account, or create one.
- 3.Answer the short questions about how you will use AutoCAD.
- 4.Download the installer from your Autodesk account and run it.
- 5.Start AutoCAD and sign in with the same Autodesk account.
- If you are a student or teacher, use the Autodesk Education route instead: it lasts a year, not 15 days.
- Plan your practice before starting the trial, since it cannot be extended.
Official download pageautodesk.comAlternatives
- Autodesk Education plan: Free one-year access for verified students and educators, renewable while eligible.
- LibreCAD: Free open-source 2D CAD if you only need basic drafting practice.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
What you practise
Course project, about 18 hours
Belt conveyor CV-1 in AutoCAD: from general arrangement to a revision-controlled drawing package
Draw the fabrication package for an 18 m inclined belt conveyor. It has a general arrangement, three sub-assemblies, a shaft detail with fits, a 3D isometric and a revision-controlled PDF set. You deliver the DWG set, your own drawing list and parts list, a review of your own drawings and one change notice.
- 7documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- 5things to hand in
- 18 hof work, at your pace
- Drawing listDrawing and Document List: Belt Conveyor CV-1
- Parts listParts List: Belt Conveyor CV-1
- RegisterRevision Register: Belt Conveyor CV-1 Drawing Package
- ProcedureDrawing Standard: Layers, Styles, Title Block, Dimensioning and Revisions
- ReportDesign Review Report: Belt Conveyor CV-1 Drawing Set, Rev A
- Change noticeDesign Change Notice: Gearmotor Changed to SEW K87 DRN132M4 with RS Backstop
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Project work you can show
Weekly briefs and a work record, online. Pick the internship that fits you. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
Find an internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Design engineer
- CAD technician
- Draughtsperson
- Product designer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: CADREGION Tutorials, CAD in black, CAD CAM Tutorials. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
CADREGION Tutorials · CAD in black · CAD CAM Tutorials. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
What jobs use AutoCAD?
Drafters, designers and engineers use AutoCAD to produce technical drawings for buildings, machines and electrical systems. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says drafters use CAD systems to create and store technical drawings digitally. This course practises the drawing types those roles produce: floor plans, elevations, mechanical drawings and title blocks.
Do I need a degree or a certification to work as a CAD drafter?
Not always, but most employers look for formal drafting training, and certification is optional. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, drafters typically need an associate degree in drafting or a related field. Certification is not mandatory, but it shows competence in nationally recognised practices. Drafting programmes also include CAD software instruction, which is the skill this course builds from the first command to plotting.
AutoCAD or AutoCAD Electrical?
This is plain AutoCAD, the foundation; the AutoCAD Electrical course builds control schematics on top of it.
Is AutoCAD free?
For students and educators, yes: Autodesk's education licence is free. Otherwise Autodesk offers a free trial; its length is stated on Autodesk's page for your country and can change, so check it and plan the drawing modules into that window.
Is 3D covered?
One module of basics: extrude, revolve, sweep and loft. Enough to model simple parts.
Is the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How long does the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course take?
Plan on about 22 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the eleven modules at your own speed.
What topics does the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course cover, module by module?
The AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course has 11 modules. It opens with "Interface, Files, Units, Selection and Navigation", goes through "Drawing Commands", "Blocks, Layers and Properties", "The Complete Beginner Course" and "Intermediate Techniques: Not Staying a Beginner" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course?
After the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course: Navigate the interface, files, units and selection; Draw with lines, arcs, polylines, circles and hatch using snaps; Modify with trim, extend, offset, fillet and arrays. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course, and does it cost anything?
For the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course, software: AutoCAD (free education licence for students and educators, or Autodesk's free trial). Hardware: none required. The course itself is free.
Is the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course suitable for me, and what level is it?
AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals is rated beginner. Beginner. No CAD experience needed. It is written for engineering students and design engineers, and takes about 21.8 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course?
Skills from the AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals course (for example: navigate the interface, files, units and selection) are used in roles such as design engineer, CAD technician, draughtsperson and product designer, and in CAD designer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.