How to CAD Almost Anything
MIT's student-run workshop teaches computer-aided design through reverse engineering rather than following drawings. Sessions cover modeling everyday objects such as a mug, a Diet Coke bottle, and a Saturn V rocket, and extend to harder problems like jet engine blades, a crash test dummy, a LEGO house that appears to assemble itself, and a photorealistic bowl of fruit. The emphasis throughout is on planning a modeling strategy and using software tools deliberately, not on rote command sequences. Materials include companion session recordings on YouTube and linked class resources for five major CAD platforms: SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Inventor, Onshape, and Siemens NX, so students can follow along in whichever program they use. Offered through MIT OpenCourseWare, the course is free to access with no certificate attached.