Electrical CAD
AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design
Draw control schematics, PLC I/O, panel layouts and reports in AutoCAD Electrical, starting with no CAD experience.
AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers. It has 12 modules and takes about 7.5 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
- 7.5 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- AutoCAD Electrical (free education licence for students and educators, or a 15-day trial). Hardware: none required.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Set up a project with templates and title blocks
- Draw control schematics with intelligent wires and tagged components
- Insert PLC modules with addressed I/O
- Produce reports and exchange data with Excel
- Lay out a panel from the schematic and hand over the finished project
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. No CAD experience needed.
What you need
Software: AutoCAD Electrical (free education licence for students and educators, or a 15-day 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.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
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
12 modules in order, at your own pace. 7.5 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1AutoCAD Electrical versus AutoCAD, Install and Interface50m
- 2AutoCAD Essentials for Electrical Drawings15m
- 3Drafting Aids, Layers and Templates56m
- 4Projects and Drawings1h 2m
- 5Templates and Title Blocks15m
- 6Ladders, Wires, Wire Numbers and Signal Arrows46m
- 7Components, Symbols and the Catalog1h 13m
- 8Circuits: Three-Phase, DOL Starter and Saved Circuits, with lab practice: 1h 14m
Show the other 4 modules
- 9PLC Modules and I/O Addressing, with lab practice: 38m
- 10Terminals, Audits, Reports and Data Exchange34m
- 11Panel Layout and a Complete Practice Project1h 58m
- 12Final 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 Electrical toolset
Autodesk
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11 64-bit (the specialised toolsets are Windows only)
- Account
- A free Autodesk account
The Electrical toolset is included with every AutoCAD subscription, and you try it through the AutoCAD trial, which lasts 15 days in most regions (30 in a few). Students and educators can get AutoCAD Electrical free for a year through an Autodesk Education plan.
Steps
- 1.Open the Electrical toolset page on autodesk.com and select Download free trial.
- 2.Sign in to your Autodesk account, or create one.
- 3.Choose the Electrical toolset when the trial asks which AutoCAD toolset you want.
- 4.Download and run the installer on a Windows PC.
- 5.Start AutoCAD Electrical and open one of the sample projects.
- The toolset needs a Windows PC; AutoCAD for Mac does not include it.
- Students and teachers should pick AutoCAD Electrical from the Autodesk Education catalogue instead of the trial.
Official download pageautodesk.comAlternatives
- Autodesk Education plan: AutoCAD Electrical is listed in the free education catalogue for eligible students and educators.
- QElectroTech: Free open-source electrical schematic editor for practice without a time limit.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Wire up the starter and PLC input circuits you draw in AutoCAD Electrical, and see how a drawing turns into a panel that works.
- Commission the transfer-pump starterElectrical labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Commission the transfer-pump starter
- Commission the sorting station sensorsElectrical labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Commission the sorting station sensors
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 18 hours
Compressor-house PLC and starter panel for a bottling plant: an AutoCAD Electrical project with generated reports
Build the AutoCAD Electrical project for the compressor-house panel of a bottling plant in Doha. It runs from template and title block to starters, ladders, PLC sheets, terminals, cables, panel layout and reports. You deliver the zipped project, your own I/O list, drawing list and cable schedule, the panel layout, the report set and an audit record.
- 7documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 6things to hand in
- 18 hof work, at your pace
- Drawing listDrawing and Document List: Compressor House Panel CP-CH1
- Wiring drawingsSchematic Set: Ladder Sheet Index, Wire-Numbering Rules and Cross-References, Panel CP-CH1
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-CH1, CompactLogix 5069-L306ER
- Panel GAPanel CP-CH1: Layout Sheets 26 and 27, Door and Mounting Plate
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-CH1 and Field Devices (Bill of Material report, grouped in build order)
- Cable scheduleCable Schedule: Panel CP-CH1 to Compressor House
Do it in the lab: 4 steps.
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.
Electrical Design
Eight short weeks of single-line diagrams, load schedules, cable sizing and protection: notes, diagrams, a few videos and self-checking design exercises. 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.
See the 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
- Electrical design engineer
- Panel designer
- Electrical technician
- Maintenance engineer
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: PLC Tutorial, ElectroCAD, CAD CAM Tutorials, SunTech Engineering Solutions, KETIV Technologies. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
PLC Tutorial · ElectroCAD · CAD CAM Tutorials · SunTech Engineering Solutions · KETIV Technologies. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Is AutoCAD Electrical still used, or is it part of AutoCAD now?
AutoCAD Electrical is still current, and Autodesk now ships it as the Electrical toolset included with AutoCAD. Autodesk says the toolset gives you a library of more than 65,000 intelligent electrical symbols and automates wire numbering and component tag generation. Those are the features this course teaches: intelligent wires, wire numbers, tagged components and automatic reports.
What does an electrical drafter earn?
In the US, electrical and electronics drafters earned a median of $76,870 a year in May 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is above the $68,090 median for all drafters, and BLS notes that drafters use CAD systems to create and store technical drawings. BLS projects drafter employment to grow 1 percent from 2025 to 2035. Pay varies by country, so treat the US figure as a reference point only.
Is AutoCAD Electrical 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.
Do I need to know AutoCAD first?
No. Modules 2 and 3 teach the AutoCAD essentials the rest depends on.
Will this help with panel drawings for clients?
Yes: starters, PLC I/O, terminals and reports are the drawings every panel builder issues.
Is the AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design 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 Electrical for Control Design 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 Electrical for Control Design course take?
Plan on about 16 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.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design course cover, module by module?
The AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design course has 12 modules. It opens with "AutoCAD Electrical versus AutoCAD, Install and Interface", goes through "AutoCAD Essentials for Electrical Drawings", "Templates and Title Blocks", "Circuits: Three-Phase, DOL Starter and Saved Circuits" and "Panel Layout and a Complete Practice Project" 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 Electrical for Control Design course?
After the AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design course: Install AutoCAD Electrical and master the interface and drawing aids; Manage projects, drawings, templates and title blocks; Draw wires with numbers, arrows and splices. 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 Electrical for Control Design course, and does it cost anything?
For the AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design course, software: AutoCAD Electrical (free education licence for students and educators, or a 15-day trial). Hardware: none required. The course itself is free.
Is the AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design course suitable for me, and what level is it?
AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design is rated beginner. Beginner. No CAD experience needed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers, and takes about 7.5 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design course?
Skills from the AutoCAD Electrical for Control Design course (for example: install AutoCAD Electrical and master the interface and drawing aids) are used in roles such as electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer, and in electrical design engineer 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 Electrical for Control Design, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.