5. 2D CAD

There are two main types of CAD software:

• 2 dimensional CAD or 2D CAD
• 3 dimensional CAD or 3D CAD

2D Computer Aided Design

2D CAD software lets you create drawings in 2D similar to the ones shown in the picture on the right.

It lets you create views from above, below or from the side.

This kind of CAD is used a lot in designing room layouts, such as an architect or a kitchen designer may want to do.

A landscape gardener could use a 2D CAD package to design the layout of a garden.

To help the designer, a good CAD package will include a library of common objects.

For example if it is a room layout package, expect it to include a library of sofas, tables, lamps, televisions, cupboards and so on. The designer then drags the library object into the drawing.

This not only saves a great deal of time, it also allows you to move things around to try out some ideas.

The designer can also change the size of each item.