HD·PD·06 Basic → Advanced
3D Modelling for Product Design (CAD)
Turning a sketch into a buildable, testable file.
CAD modelling converts a product concept into a precise, manufacturable digital form. This course covers parametric modelling workflows for product design specifically, surfacing, tolerancing, and preparing a model for both rendering and manufacturing handoff.
In Development
This course's full module content is being written. The outline below is final, subscribe for updates when it publishes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- 01 Build a parametric CAD model with a clear, editable feature history
- 02 Apply surfacing techniques for complex, organic product forms
- 03 Specify tolerances directly within a CAD model appropriately
- 04 Prepare a CAD model for both rendering and manufacturing handoff
- 05 Structure an assembly so individual parts can be revised independently
- 06 Troubleshoot common parametric modelling failures
- 07 Export files in the correct format for downstream manufacturing processes
- Feature history should encode design intent, not just final geometry
- A clean feature tree makes later revision dramatically easier
- Surfacing handles curvature that solid features cannot
- Surface continuity (tangent, curvature) affects both aesthetics and manufacturability
- In-model tolerancing reduces ambiguity for manufacturing
- Under-specified tolerances shift risk downstream to production
- Good assembly structure isolates the impact of a single part change
- Poorly structured assemblies cascade failures across the whole model
- Rendering and manufacturing preparation have different priorities
- The same base model can be exported differently for each downstream use
- Export requirements differ by manufacturing process
- Wrong units or format assumptions are a common, costly handoff error
- Most CAD errors trace to a small set of recurring root causes
- Recognising these patterns is faster than debugging from scratch every time