CAD 路 Free
AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals
The drawing tool every engineering office expects: interface, files and navigation, drawing commands, drawing aids, modify commands, blocks, layers and properties, text, dimensions, tables and plotting, a complete beginner course, floor plan, elevation, mechanical and title block exercises, 3D basics, and the intermediate techniques that stop you staying a beginner.
Inside the course
From the lessons
Interface, Files, Units, Selection and Navigation
CADREGION Tutorials
Drawing Commands
CADREGION Tutorials
Drawing Aids: Snaps, Ortho, Reference Lines and Dynamic Input
CADREGION Tutorials
Modify Commands
CADREGION Tutorials
Blocks, Layers and Properties
CADREGION Tutorials
Text, Dimensions, Leaders, Tables and Plotting
CADREGION Tutorials
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Navigate AutoCAD, draw with lines, arcs, polylines, circles and hatches, use snaps and drawing aids, modify with trim, extend, offset, fillet and arrays, build blocks, layers and properties, add text, dimensions, leaders and tables, plot from layouts, complete floor plans, elevations and mechanical drawings, model basic 3D and apply intermediate workflow techniques.
- 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
- Use blocks, attributes, xrefs, layers and properties
- Add text, dimensions, tables and plot from layouts
- Draw floor plans, elevations, mechanical parts and basic 3D
For you
Taking AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals from the United States
- Free in the United States, as everywhere, and self-paced: lessons, notes and the final assessment are open at any hour, so your time zone and shift pattern do not matter.
- The optional certificate for learners in the United States is a one-off US$23.99. What you get for it
- Plants across the Americas most often run Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Inductive Automation; each has its own free course to take next.
- See automation and engineering jobs in the United States, and what the industry looks like in Houston, Detroit and Chicago.
- EDWartens also has a regional site for the United States, for classroom training and local support: edwartens.com/us.
The course project 路 about 18 hours
Belt conveyor CV-1 in AutoCAD: from general arrangement to a revision-controlled drawing package
Draw the complete fabrication package for an 18 m inclined belt conveyor for a quarry: general arrangement, sub-assemblies, machined details with tolerances and GD&T, a 3D isometric for erection, a ballooned parts list, and the revision system that keeps them in step. You deliver the DWG set, your own drawing list and parts list, a design review of your own set and one change notice. The sample pack shows what a design office issues to a fabrication shop.
Sample document pack, 7 documents, filled in for the scenario
- 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
- DatasheetEquipment Datasheet: CV-1 Drive Gearmotor, Backstop and Coupling
Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Course content
11 modules 路 95 lessons 路 16h 7m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01Interface, Files, Units, Selection and Navigation6 lessons37m
- 02Drawing Commands12 lessons59m
- 03Drawing Aids: Snaps, Ortho, Reference Lines and Dynamic Input5 lessons41m
- 04Modify Commands15 lessons1h 8m
- 05Blocks, Layers and Properties9 lessons1h 15m
- 06Text, Dimensions, Leaders, Tables and Plotting12 lessons1h 43m
- 07The Complete Beginner Course8 lessons2h 11m
- 08Exercises: Floor Plan, Elevation, Mechanical and Title Block11 lessons3h 11m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner. No CAD experience needed.
- Software
- AutoCAD (free education licence for students and educators, or a 15-day trial) What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None required.
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.
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, 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.
AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals at a glance
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 16h 7m of video lessons by CADREGION Tutorials, CAD in black, CAD CAM Tutorials, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- Free, for good. No trial, no card. The only paid item is the optional certificate, a small one-off fee.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students and design engineers
- Format
- 11 self-paced modules, 16h 7m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner. No CAD experience needed.
- Brand
- Autodesk
- Software
- AutoCAD (free education licence for students and educators, or a 15-day trial)
- Hardware
- None required.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- CADREGION Tutorials, CAD in black, CAD CAM Tutorials (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
Pairs well with
Electrical CAD 路 FreeAutoCAD Electrical for Control DesignControl drawings with the industry default tool: AutoCAD Electrical versus AutoCAD, install and interface, AutoCAD essentials, projects and drawings, templates and title blocks, wires and wire numbers, components, symbols and catalogs, three-phase and starter circuits, PLC modules and I/O addressing, terminals, reports and data exchange, and practice drawings.
CAD 路 FreeAutodesk Fusion 360: 3D Design, Modelling and Manufacturing PrepCloud CAD for makers and product designers: the workspace and its key terms, sketching with constraints, extrude and revolve, fillets, shells, threads and holes, loft and sweep transitions, patterns and text, thin walls, user parameters, joints and assemblies, surfaces and T-spline forms, mesh and STL repair, moulds, sheet metal, rendering, 2D drawings and animations, practice exercises and a first CAM toolpath.
CAD 路 FreeRevit MEP: Electrical BIM, HVAC, Plumbing and DocumentationBuilding services in BIM the way consultants deliver it: starting an MEP project and template, linking the architectural model with levels, grids and scope boxes, building envelope, spaces and zones, HVAC air terminals and systems, electrical families for sockets, panels and isolators, panels, switchboards and circuiting, panel schedules and load calculations, lighting plans, data, CCTV and access control, cable trays, power drawings and one-line diagrams, plumbing, piping and fire protection, views, annotations, sheets and printing, and worksharing.
CAD 路 FreeSOLIDWORKS 3D Modelling, Assemblies and DrawingsMechanical CAD the way machine builders use it: interface, settings, units and planes, sketching with relations, extrude and revolve, sweep, loft and boundary, fillets, shells, ribs and drafts, patterns, hole wizard and threads, timed practice parts, assemblies and mates, drawings with BOM and exploded views, sheet metal, advanced surfacing, configurations and equations, materials, mass, import and export, and complete beginner courses.More free courses: Free CAD courses
Learning paths with this course
- Mechanical and product CAD 路 3 coursesAutoCAD for 2D drafting, SOLIDWORKS for machine building and Fusion 360 for products and 3D printing: three modellers, one set of habits.
Learner reviews
No reviews yet
Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
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 the trial lasts 15 days, so 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 you walk away with
Your certificate for AutoCAD 2D and 3D Fundamentals
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
Learning is free. The certificate is optional.
Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$23.99, with a receipt.
Issued by EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.
Credits
Who made the video lessons
The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
- CADREGION Tutorialsthe step-by-step AutoCAD tutorials for beginners
- CAD in blackthe full AutoCAD beginners course and exercises
- CAD CAM Tutorialsthe AutoCAD tutorials and training exercises
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.