Technical drawing is essential to design. This card contains a 2 to 4 hour assignment and step-by-step instructions for creating a technical drawing using AutoCAD, a powerful a digital design software. AutoCAD is currently free to download if students establish an account with their school email. Providing students with a foundation in digital design skills will prepare them to use other software, including MicroStation, Fusion 360, Solidworks, and others.
Students are generally motivated to learn AutoCAD as they appreciate its relevance to real world applications. To clarify the link to entrepreneurial mindset skills, the tutorial provides some background information that can inspire curiosity among students and help them connect this exercise with design activities that create value. In addition, instructors may embed this exercise in broader set of activities that more explicitly engage with entrepreneurial mindset concepts. The authors have used this card to teach the technical drawing skills needed for design project on using heat pumps to sustainable heat a building (the design project is described in Card 3273, https://engineeringunleashed.com/card/3273). Several cards with examples of integration of technical drawing with entrepreneurially minded design activities are linked to at the end of this card