Computer Aided Design and Drafting: Media

Blueprints are made up of highly-specialized notations that tell builders, machinists, electricians, engineers, and others exactly how items are assembled and what materials to use. Because they are needed to coordinate work across a wide spectrum of trades, learning to interpret these specifications is crucial. From a blueprint’s basic elements to the distinct features of construction, electrical, manufacturing, and machining blueprints, this program gives viewers a detailed primer on types of blueprints and how they are read. Students will see graphics that illustrate what is meant by basic, auxiliary, and sectional views; discover how CAD is used to create blueprints; and learn which career fields benefit most from blueprint training programs.

What is it like to be a Computer-Aided Design Drafter? In this Career Q&A video interview, Ambrose Kharkongor talks about his career path, what he does on the job, and the keys to success in computer-aided design. He also offers candid advice on breaking into the profession as well as insight into the industry’s biggest challenges and how the field may change in the next ten years.

Whether your students are just beginning to learn basic drawing skills or are already involved in CAD programs, this two-part video series will ignite an interest in the "drafting world-of-work." This series covers: technical/mechanical drawing, including the tools and equipment needed; computer-aided design and drafting concepts; and drafting specialties, such as architectural drafting. Viewers are encouraged to explore various drafting occupations—requiring different levels of education and experience. What a great way to introduce your students to a wide world of opportunities for a useful career! A Meridian Production. 2-part series, 13–16 minutes each.

This film tells the stories of ten influential works of architecture, the people who imagined them, and the way these landmarks ushered in innovative cultural shifts throughout our society. From American architectural stalwarts like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, to modern revolutionaries Frank Gehry and Robert Venturi, the program examines the most prominent buildings designed by the most noteworthy architects of our time.

This series highlights the most remarkable achievements in modern architecture, from the works that heralded the birth of the modern style at the end of the 19th century to the latest designs by today's top architects. Each program examines the structure of the building, the architectural techniques as well as its cultural and historical influences. By examining a key building in detail the series brings light to its role in the evolution of architecture.

Host Marty Dunham examines historic American homes, buildings, and other structures and follows restoration efforts to preserve these icons for future generations. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. 4-part series, 21 minutes each.

Buildings old and new create the physical environment in which we live, work and play. This video looks at the cutting edge techniques involved in restoration and eco-friendly housing, discussing how technology is helping to achieve some remarkable feats in the industry, from aiding the completion of the Sagrada Familia to building relocations. It examines technological advances that have enabled the design of rotating buildings and subways constructed under heritage cities.

No matter how carefully buildings are constructed, history has taught us that they can be obliterated in a matter of minutes due to natural catastrophe or deliberate attack. In this program, Dan explores Dresden, Germany, a great Baroque city destroyed in World War II but now being reconstructed; the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan, an ancient monument to peace and tolerance in the midst of a war zone; San Francisco, California, a city preparing for an imminent, cataclysmic earthquake; and Palmyra, a magnificent Syrian metropolis on the Silk Road that was laid waste by the Roman Empire. A BBC Production.

Building green: that was the goal of Schluter, a company specializing in tile installation systems. It wanted its new Canadian headquarters to be low impact, energy efficient, comfortable to work in, and a showcase for tiles. This documentary narrated by energy conservation specialist Jon Eakes explores the science that went into the design and construction of the award-winning, LEED Gold-certified building while explaining why the integration of green systems is essential to making an office that is ecologically responsible. “A common misconception about sustainable design,” says Sustainable Architecture & Building Magazine, “is that it may be complicated, or that it is not worth the investment. However this project clearly proves that intelligent, environmentally aware decisions can produce systems that are simpler to operate, and a building that is much more economical in the long run.”