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Computer Aided Drawing

Automotive Engineering Technology · Level 6  ·  6 Chapters

Compiled by: Ann Chebet

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What Computer Aided Drawing covers

In this unit, you will be able to confidently create precise and professional drawings using CAD software, mastering everything from setting up your workspace to applying industry standards and symbols. You’ll develop the skills to construct accurate geometrical shapes, angles, and orthographic projections, bringing your technical ideas to life with clarity and accuracy. By the end, you’ll be ready to produce detailed, high-quality drawings that meet real-world trade requirements and help you excel in your career.

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Careers after Computer Aided Drawing

When you master computer-aided drawing for automotive engineering, you open doors to many practical jobs across Kenya’s bustling vehicle-related sectors. Your CAD expertise becomes the language that turns ideas into real parts, bodies, and machines - whether you’re working in a large plant, a small workshop, or running your own freelance studio.

  • Vehicle assembly plants in Kiambu and Machakos - you set up and modify detailed orthographic and sectional drawings for chassis, engine mounts, and body panels, helping the production line stay on schedule and earning a regular wage as a CAD technician.
  • Spare-parts fabrication workshops in Mombasa’s industrial zone - you create precise first-angle and third-angle drawings of castings, sheet-metal components, and brackets, enabling the shop to quote accurate prices and get paid per drawing package or as a salaried drafter.
  • Custom motorcycle and tricycle modification shops in Nakuru and Eldoret - you produce pictorial and exploded views that show customers exactly how a new frame or suspension will look, charging a design fee or a percentage of the build cost.
  • Automotive engineering consultancy firms serving county transport departments - you develop standardized symbols, codes, and sectional views for road-vehicle safety assessments, earning project-based contracts for each set of approved drawings.
  • Technical training institutes in Nairobi’s industrial area - you teach new apprentices how to select the right CAD templates and apply drawing conventions, receiving a stipend or salary while sharpening your own skills through real-world practice.
  • Freelance CAD service hubs in Thika’s tech parks - you import client CAD files, edit them to meet local standards, and deliver finished orthographic and pictorial drawings for remote workshops, earning income per file through online platforms or direct client agreements.
  • Design-and-prototype studios that use 3-D printing for automotive components - you construct accurate geometrical forms, calculate angles using trigonometry, and generate files ready for printing, getting paid for each prototype or as a full-time CAD modeler.
  • Government transport and road-safety offices in Kisumu and Garissa - you produce clear sectional and exploded views for vehicle inspection manuals and policy documents, receiving a civil-service salary while contributing to national safety standards.
  • Automotive parts import-export agencies in Nairobi’s cargo terminals - you prepare detailed drawings that accompany customs paperwork, ensuring smooth clearance and earning commissions for each successful shipment.

Your ability to move from a digital sketch to a production-ready drawing means you can work wherever vehicles are built, repaired, or improved - and you can also turn that skill into your own business. Keep practicing, and the road ahead will be full of opportunities.

Chapters

1
Navigate CAD software
40 topics
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2
Produce geometric drawings
11 topics
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3
Produce pictorial drawings
6 topics
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4
Produce orthographic drawings
26 topics
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5
Produce assembly drawings
16 topics
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6
Design mechanical components
11 topics
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What Computer Aided Drawing covers: 41 main topics in 6 chapters

1. Navigate CAD software

  1. 1.1 Overview of CAD
  2. 1.2 Computing Equipment and Software
  3. 1.3 Drawing CAD Software
  4. 1.4 CAD Software Templates
  5. 1.5 Importing CAD Files
  6. 1.6 User Interface Navigation
  7. 1.7 Setting Up the Drawing Environment
  8. 1.8 Symbols, Codes, and Standards
  9. 1.9 Understand and utilize drawing Elements
  10. 1.10 Use Editing Commands

2. Produce geometric drawings

  1. 2.1 Setting Drawing Lines
  2. 2.2 Using drawing lines
  3. 2.3 Constructing Types of Angles
  4. 2.4 Constructing Geometrical Forms
  5. 2.5 Developing Geometric Drawings

3. Produce pictorial drawings

  1. 3.1 Drawing Symbols and Abbreviations
  2. 3.2 Producing Pictorial Drawings
  3. 3.3 Saving Pictorial Drawings

4. Produce orthographic drawings

  1. 4.1 Fundamentals of Orthographic Projection
  2. 4.2 Types of Orthographic Projections
  3. 4.3 Understanding Views
  4. 4.4 First Angle Orthographic Drawings
  5. 4.5 Third Angle Orthographic Drawings
  6. 4.6 Saving Orthographic Drawings
  7. 4.7 Dimensioning Orthographic Views
  8. 4.8 Printing orthographic views
  9. 4.9 Creating isometric drawing
  10. 4.10 Creating 3D model

5. Produce assembly drawings

  1. 5.1 Overview of Assembly Drawings
  2. 5.2 Types of Assembly Drawings
  3. 5.3 Exploding Orthographic Views
  4. 5.4 Exploding Pictorial Views
  5. 5.5 Assembling Views
  6. 5.6 Producing Sectional Views
  7. 5.7 Developing Parts List

6. Design mechanical components

  1. 6.1 Designing Mechanical Components
  2. 6.2 Applying CAE in Simulation
  3. 6.3 Determining Improvements
  4. 6.4 Creating a Manufacturing Database
  5. 6.5 Improving Design Documents
  6. 6.6 Practical Activity

Practise this unit

The practical 77 The assessment itself: tools, materials and the marks Step-by-step guide 77 PPE, each step, what good looks like, common mistakes

Revise this unit

Exam-style questions 84 Written to CDACC standard, with answers Test yourself 237 Multiple-choice, one at a time Practise questions 188 Quick recall — check you know the facts
3 more for this unit
Oral exam preparation 56 What the assessor asks, and how to answer out loud Worked calculations 43 Step-by-step maths with the common mistakes Quick cards 1,179 Myth busters, skill tips and scenarios

Beyond the syllabus

Decision simulator 6 On site, what would you do? Workplace scenarios 121 Real site situations — what would you do? Turn this into income 72 Where this skill earns — what to charge, how to find clients

Other units in Module V