Zero knowledge → degree → professional → expert

CAD & BIM: Digital Design & Construction

CAD and BIM from first drawing through ISO 19650, Revit/Navisworks/IFC, coordination, 4D/5D/6D, automation, digital twins and research-level interoperability

56 structured topics, each reinforced with plain-language teaching, memory hooks, hands-on practice, retrieval, teach-back, speed recall, professional transfer and spaced review.

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How mastery works

1. Five-year-old simple

Every new term is explained without assumed knowledge and linked to a familiar picture.

2. Do it

Guided labs, typing, diagrams, configurations, queries or professional artefacts turn words into usable skill.

3. Retrieve it

No-peeking recall, teach-back and 60-second checks force the brain to retrieve instead of recognise.

4. Use it professionally

Failure modes, security, evidence, capstones and spaced repetition build degree and workplace fluency.

Course topics

  1. Start Here: Drawing, Models & Buildings — A child-simple map of plans, 3D models, information and construction
  2. How to Master CAD/BIM — Look, name, draw, check, teach and repeat until automatic
  3. What Is CAD? — Computer-aided design from paper drawing to precise digital geometry
  4. Units, Scale & Accuracy — mm/metres, model space, paper scale and tolerance
  5. Coordinates & Axes — Absolute, relative, polar and 3D coordinate thinking
  6. Lines, Polylines & Curves — Core drawing geometry and edit behaviour
  7. Object Snaps & Tracking — Draw accurately by locking onto meaningful geometry
  8. Layers & Properties — Organise, control and standardise complex drawings
  9. Modify Tools — Move, copy, rotate, mirror, trim, extend, offset and array
  10. Blocks, Attributes & Libraries — Reusable intelligent symbols and data
  11. Text, Leaders & Dimensions — Communicate size, notes and intent clearly
  12. Hatches, Fills & Lineweights — Material conventions and readable drawings
  13. Layouts, Viewports & Plotting — Turn model geometry into issued sheets
  14. CAD Standards & BS/ISO Conventions — Naming, layers, symbols, line types and checking
  15. External References — Coordinate multiple drawings without destructive copying
  16. 2D Technical Drawing — Plans, elevations, sections and details
  17. 3D Solids & Surfaces — Extrude, revolve, boolean operations and surface thinking
  18. Parametric Constraints — Relationships, dimensions and design intent
  19. DWG, DXF, DGN & Exchange — Formats, compatibility, versions and clean handover
  20. CAD QA/QC — Audit, purge, standards checks, drawing comparison and issue control
  21. CAD Automation — Scripts, macros, AutoLISP/API concepts and batch standards
  22. CAD Capstone: Issue a Drawing Pack — Create, check, revise and issue a coordinated professional drawing set
  23. What Is BIM? — A shared digital process combining geometry, information and collaboration
  24. BIM Maturity & Information Management — Models, data exchanges and collaborative maturity
  25. ISO 19650 from Zero — Information management, roles, states, naming and containers
  26. Common Data Environment — Work-in-progress, shared, published and archived information states
  27. OIR/AIR/PIR/EIR Information Requirements — Define what information is needed, why and when
  28. BIM Execution Planning — Methods, responsibilities, exchanges and coordination rules
  29. Level of Information Need — Geometry and information appropriate to purpose
  30. Revit Interface & Model Logic — Categories, elements, views, constraints and model database thinking
  31. Revit Families — System, loadable and in-place families with parameters
  32. Parameters, Schedules & Data — Turn model objects into structured information
  33. Views, Templates & Sheets — Consistent documentation generated from the model
  34. Shared Coordinates & Georeferencing — Origins, survey/project points and federated alignment
  35. Linking & Federation — Coordinate architecture, structure and MEP models
  36. Clash Detection — Hard/soft clashes, rules, triage, ownership and resolution
  37. Navisworks Coordination — Federation, viewpoints, clash tests and review workflows
  38. IFC & openBIM — Open exchange, schema concepts, mapping and validation
  39. COBie & Asset Information — Structured handover data for operations
  40. Quantification & Take-off — Schedules, quantities, model reliability and assumptions
  41. 4D BIM — Link model elements to programme and construction sequence
  42. 5D BIM — Link quantities and cost while managing change
  43. 6D / Asset & Sustainability BIM — Performance, lifecycle and operational information
  44. MEP BIM — Systems, connectors, clearances, coordination and fabrication awareness
  45. Structural BIM — Analytical/physical models, grids, levels and coordination
  46. Laser Scan & Point Clouds — Reality capture, registration, tolerance and scan-to-BIM
  47. Digital Twins — Operational data, sensors, model context and lifecycle decisions
  48. Dynamo & Visual Automation — Nodes, lists, parameters and repeatable BIM automation
  49. BIM APIs & Computational Design — Automate model operations with code and data contracts
  50. Generative & Computational Design — Constraints, objectives, alternatives and human judgement
  51. BIM Collaboration & Issue Management — BCF-style issues, responsibilities, approvals and traceability
  52. Security-Minded BIM — Sensitive information, access, classification and secure sharing
  53. BIM QA/QC & Model Auditing — Rules, model health, naming, data validation and evidence
  54. Interoperability Engineering — Round-tripping, schema loss, mappings and validation tests
  55. Professor Lab: BIM Research — Critique standards/papers, design experiments and defend limitations
  56. BIM Capstone: Federated Project Delivery — Create an ISO-19650-aware coordinated model, clash workflow and information handover

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