Applied professional course

AutoCAD for Planning Layouts and Technical Drawings

Produce planning layouts in AutoCAD with disciplined layers, scales, annotation and sheet setup that survive revision.

Catalogue status: PlannedProfessional review: Not yet reviewed

Written teaching content: available for review

Video lessons have not yet been recorded. Written teaching content may be available for review below.

Written teaching content only. This course is not yet available: it has not been professionally reviewed, no lesson is recorded, and enrolment, payment, certificates, downloads and protected access are all disabled.

Review Written Course Content

Reading only. This is not enrolment, booking, purchase, account access, a download or protected learning access.

Written content: Available for review
Video lessons: Not recorded
Professional review: Not yet completed
Enrolment: Not available
Payment: Disabled
Certificates: Disabled
Downloads: Disabled
Protected access: Disabled

Written course content

Return to course overview Return to planned curriculum

Client-style brief

A planning consultancy issues drawings that are redrawn by every new team member because there is no shared standard: layers are inconsistent, scales are wrong on printed sheets, areas do not match the report and revisions are untracked. The brief is to produce a complete, correctly structured planning drawing set for a residential site and the standards to repeat it.

Professional scenario

Synthetic 5.2-hectare residential site with a supplied survey in a projected coordinate system, an approved layout sketch, a schedule of required application drawings and an Ideeplan-owned drawing standard to be completed.

Planning problem

Planning drawings are legal documents that get measured, conditioned and referenced for years. Drawings produced without layer, scale, annotation and revision discipline cause validation failures, conflicting figures and conditions attached to superseded plans. The professional problem is production discipline, not drafting speed.

Learning objectives

Set up a drawing correctly in real-world coordinates with a documented layer standard.
Produce location, site, layout and detail drawings at correct, verifiable scales.
Annotate, dimension and schedule so figures match the written report exactly.
Manage sheets, plotting, line weights and PDF output for submission and print.
Operate a revision, issue and archive discipline that can be audited.

Modules and lessons

0 of 9 lessons open

Module 1
Module 1 — Setup, standards and survey control
Get the file right before drawing anything that will be measured.
Example data: Synthetic survey drawing in a projected coordinate system, an Ideeplan-owned template with layer, text and dimension styles, and a title block set.
Module output: Configured template, cleaned survey base and a written layer and naming standard.
Module 2
Module 2 — Producing the planning drawing set
Draw the documents a planning authority actually validates.
Example data: Approved layout sketch, required drawing schedule, teaching block library and a synthetic accommodation schedule.
Module output: Location plan, site plan, layout plan, and levels and boundary treatment drawings.
Module 3
Module 3 — Sheets, output and issue control
Make the set printable, checkable and traceable.
Example data: Draft drawings from Module 2, plot style tables, an Ideeplan-owned title block and drawing register template.
Module output: Issued PDF drawing set, drawing register and a checked revision record.

Project brief

A synthetic 5.2-hectare residential site with a supplied survey and an approved layout sketch.

Your role: Technical production lead issuing a planning drawing set.

Information available

Synthetic survey in a projected coordinate system.
Approved layout sketch and accommodation schedule.
Required drawing schedule and validation checklist.
Ideeplan-owned template, title block, plot styles and register.

Required analysis

Verification of survey units, coordinates and known distances.
Area reconciliation between drawing and accommodation schedule.
Level reconciliation between section and survey.
Printed scale verification on every sheet.

Required outputs

Documented layer and naming standard.
Location, site, layout, levels and boundary drawings.
One long site section.
Issued PDF set at correct scales.
Drawing register with revisions A and B recorded.

Presentation standard: Consistent title blocks, north points, scale bars and line weight hierarchy; one drawing per sheet; and no annotation that conflicts with another drawing in the set.

Marking criteria

File discipline: Layers, styles and references follow the documented standard throughout.
Scale integrity: Every printed drawing measures correctly at its stated scale.
Numerical consistency: Areas, levels and dimensions agree across drawings and schedules.
Validation readiness: Location and site plans meet the supplied validation checklist.
Traceability: The register identifies each issued drawing, revision and date.

Quality-assurance checklist

The drawing sits on true survey coordinates and has not been moved to the origin.
All entities are on standard layers with ByLayer properties.
Every viewport is scale-locked and every sheet carries a scale bar.
Areas in the drawing match the report and schedule figures.
Local validation requirements, drawing scale conventions, plan standards and submission formats are confirmed with the relevant authority before the method is applied to a real submission.

Common mistakes and correction tasks

A viewport scaled by eye so the scale bar is wrong. Correction: Set the exact viewport scale, lock it, reprint and verify by measurement.
Site area on the drawing differing from the area in the planning statement. Correction: Recalculate from the closed boundary polyline and correct whichever document is wrong.
Everything drawn on layer 0 with overridden colours. Correction: Rebuild onto the layer standard and reset properties to ByLayer.
Issuing a revised drawing under the same number and revision. Correction: Reissue with the next revision, cloud the change and update the register.

Final deliverable

Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record

Audience and role

Planners, planning technicians, urban designers, graduate consultants and anyone producing or checking planning drawings.

You act as the technical production lead issuing a planning drawing set for submission.

Prerequisites

Basic AutoCAD navigation: drawing, editing and viewing commands.
Ability to read a scaled plan.

Software access and licensing

Ideeplan Consult provides professional instruction, exercises, synthetic practice data and learning resources. It does not provide, purchase or pay for software licences on behalf of learners.

Required software

AutoCAD
Suggested version: A current AutoCAD release supported by the learner's system. Learners or their employers must obtain lawful access.
Autodesk AutoCAD (official website)
Alternative: LibreCAD — A free 2D CAD alternative for practising basic drafting concepts. It is not identical to AutoCAD and the course is not taught in it.
PDF reader
Learners or their employers must obtain lawful access from the official software provider.
Spreadsheet software
Suggested version: Any modern spreadsheet application. Learners or their employers must obtain lawful access.
LibreOffice Calc (official website)
Alternative: Google Sheets — A browser-based alternative suitable for the calculation exercises. It is not identical to desktop spreadsheet software.

Learners or their employers must obtain lawful access to any required software before starting the practical exercises.
Only official software-provider websites are linked from this site. Ideeplan Consult does not host installers.
No shared accounts, passwords, activation keys or cracked software are provided, and software credentials are never collected or stored.
Ideeplan Consult claims no endorsement, partnership or sponsorship by any software provider.
Software licence costs are not included in any Ideeplan course fee, and no trial, student, educational or free licence is promised to be available.
Where a legitimate alternative is suitable, it is identified separately and is not claimed to be identical to the required software.
If a learner lacks the required software, a view-only demonstration or browser-based exercise may be offered where possible; this is never described as full hands-on software training.

Where to obtain project data

Every exercise in this course uses synthetic or Ideeplan-owned training data. This section explains how to replace that training data with lawful local project data in your own jurisdiction when you apply the method to a real site.

Free access and free reuse are different things. A dataset you can view or download is not automatically a dataset you may republish, adapt or use in a paid commercial deliverable.
Confirm the current licence on the source website before you reuse anything. Terms, prices and availability change without notice.
Ideeplan Consult does not host, redistribute or resell any third-party dataset, and links only to official or openly licensed public sources.
Never use private, confidential, pirated, scraped or otherwise unauthorised data. If a source requires a licence or a fee, obtain it properly or use an alternative.
Record the version, extraction date and coverage of every dataset you use, and cite it in the report and in the map credit block.
Ideeplan training coordinates are supplied on a named local grid (IDP-LOCAL-GRID) in metres. Local synthetic training grid in metres: not georeferenced to the Earth and not suitable for overlaying with real-world basemaps without a separately supplied transformation. Never attach an EPSG code, projection file or real-world CRS to training data that has none.
When you move to a real site, obtain the coordinate reference system from the survey or the mapping agency and record it in the drawing and the report. Do not infer or guess a CRS from the numbers.
If a public source becomes unavailable, changes its terms or starts charging, use the alternative listed here — the synthetic training dataset remains available for practice either way.

Data used in this course

Base mapping and street networks
Access: Varies by jurisdiction
What you need: A base map of roads, footways, buildings, water features and place names covering the study area.
Why it is required: Every site plan, constraints plan and analysis drawing needs a locational base so the reader can orient the proposal against real streets, blocks and landmarks.
Preferred source: The national mapping agency of the country in which the site sits — National mapping agency. National mapping agencies publish the most positionally reliable base mapping. Access and licensing differ by country: some publish open products, others license mapping commercially or to registered professionals only. Confirm the terms with the agency before reuse.
Alternative: OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap Foundation and its contributors. Global, openly licensed and editable. Completeness varies sharply between areas.
Alternative: Geofabrik OpenStreetMap extracts — Geofabrik GmbH. Country and region extracts of OpenStreetMap data in GIS-ready formats.
Licence: OpenStreetMap data is published under the Open Database Licence (ODbL) 1.0. National mapping agency products carry their own licence, which is often not open.
Permitted reuse: ODbL permits copying, adaptation and commercial use provided the source is attributed and any distributed derivative database is shared under the same licence. This share-alike condition is a real obligation on consultancy deliverables that distribute data, so read it before use. Agency mapping may prohibit reuse entirely without a licence.
Required attribution: For OpenStreetMap: "© OpenStreetMap contributors", with a reference to the ODbL. Agency mapping must carry the credit wording that agency specifies.
Date, version and coverage: OpenStreetMap is continuously edited, so record the extraction date. Coverage is global. Agency mapping has a stated revision cycle and covers that country only.
Scale, accuracy and limitations: OpenStreetMap has no guaranteed positional accuracy, no consistent capture scale and uneven attribute completeness; building footprints and address data are missing in many areas. It is suitable for context and analysis, not for boundary determination or measured survey.
How to access lawfully: View directly in the browser, or download a regional extract and open it in GIS software. Do not scrape the live map tiles in bulk.
How to cite: OpenStreetMap contributors (year) OpenStreetMap [dataset]. Extracted [date]. Licensed under ODbL 1.0. Available at openstreetmap.org.
Administrative boundaries
Access: Varies by jurisdiction
What you need: Boundaries of the country, state or region, local government area and ward or district containing the site.
Why it is required: Boundaries define which authority determines the application, which policies apply and how statistics are aggregated for the study area.
Preferred source: The national statistical office or national mapping agency of the country concerned — National statistical office. Official boundaries are the only defensible source for reporting, because they match the units used in published statistics.
Alternative: Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) common operational datasets — UN OCHA. Country administrative boundary sets, usually endorsed by the national authority. Licences differ per dataset.
Alternative: Natural Earth — Natural Earth. Small-scale global boundaries in the public domain. Suitable for context maps only.
Licence: Natural Earth is public domain. HDX datasets carry per-dataset licences, commonly Creative Commons. National datasets carry the publishing authority's terms.
Permitted reuse: Public-domain boundaries may be reused freely, including commercially. Creative Commons datasets require attribution and may add conditions. An authority's boundary file may be viewable online yet still not licensed for redistribution — check before including it in a deliverable.
Required attribution: Name the publishing authority and the dataset title in the map credit block, with the licence where one is stated.
Date, version and coverage: Boundaries change through reorganisation, so record the release year and confirm it is the version in force at the assessment date. Coverage is national.
Scale, accuracy and limitations: Generalised boundary files are drawn for cartography, not for legal boundary determination. Coastal and river boundaries are frequently simplified. Never use them to determine ownership or a legal limit.
How to access lawfully: Download from the publishing authority's open-data portal, or from HDX where the authority has released it there.
How to cite: [Publishing authority] (year) [Dataset title], version [x] [dataset]. Accessed [date]. Available at [official URL].
Elevation and terrain
Access: Open access
What you need: A digital elevation model for slope, aspect, drainage direction and levels context.
Why it is required: Slope and drainage govern developable area, road gradients, earthworks cost and surface-water risk, so terrain shapes the layout before anything is drawn.
Preferred source: Copernicus DEM via the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem — European Union / European Space Agency.
Alternative: NASA SRTM via USGS EarthExplorer — NASA / USGS. Approximately 30 m global elevation, widely used for screening.
Alternative: OpenTopography — OpenTopography Facility. High-resolution lidar where a survey has been flown and released; coverage is limited and per-dataset licences apply.
Licence: SRTM products from USGS are public domain. Copernicus DEM instances are released under the Copernicus licence, which permits reuse with attribution. OpenTopography datasets carry the licence set by each data owner.
Permitted reuse: Reuse, adaptation and commercial use are permitted for the public-domain and Copernicus products with the required credit. Confirm the per-dataset terms on OpenTopography before including a lidar derivative in a paid deliverable.
Required attribution: Credit the mission and steward, for example "Contains modified Copernicus DEM data" or "SRTM data courtesy of NASA/USGS".
Date, version and coverage: SRTM was captured in 2000 and does not reflect later earthworks. Copernicus DEM is compiled from more recent acquisitions. Both are near-global; note the tile version.
Scale, accuracy and limitations: Global DEMs are roughly 30 m horizontal resolution with vertical error typically measured in metres, and they represent surface height including tree canopy and buildings, not bare ground. They are screening tools only and never a substitute for a topographic survey for design levels.
How to access lawfully: Register with the portal, select tiles covering the study area, download, then reproject into the local projected coordinate system before deriving slope.
How to cite: [Mission] (year) [Product name], tile [ID] [dataset]. Accessed [date]. Available at [official URL].
Planning policy, allocations and application history
Access: Public, view-only
What you need: The adopted development plan and its policies map, supplementary guidance, site allocations and the planning history of the site and its neighbours.
Why it is required: Policy compliance is the test the proposal will be judged against, and nearby decisions show how the authority has actually applied that policy.
Preferred source: The local planning authority with jurisdiction over the site — Local planning authority. Most authorities publish the plan, the policies map and a searchable application register on their own website.
Alternative: The national or regional government planning portal for the country concerned — National or regional planning body. Where a local plan is unpublished, regional policy and national guidance still apply.
Licence: Policy documents are usually published for public inspection under the authority's copyright, with reuse terms that vary and are often limited to non-commercial reproduction with acknowledgement.
Permitted reuse: Quoting a policy with a citation is normal professional practice. Republishing whole documents, policies-map data layers or bulk application records generally requires the authority's permission, and scraping a register is not an acceptable substitute for asking.
Required attribution: Cite the authority, plan title, adoption date and the policy reference for every policy relied on.
Date, version and coverage: Plans are replaced and policies are superseded, so record the adoption date and confirm the plan is the one currently in force. Coverage is that authority's administrative area only.
Scale, accuracy and limitations: A published policies map may be indicative rather than definitive at parcel level, emerging plans carry limited weight, and the register may lag current decisions. Confirm anything decisive with the authority in writing.
How to access lawfully: Download the plan from the authority's website and search the application register by address or reference. Request the policies-map data layer from the authority if you need it in GIS.
How to cite: [Authority] (year) [Plan title], adopted [date], Policy [reference]. Available at [official URL] [accessed date].

Where no suitable public source exists in your jurisdiction, complete the exercise with the synthetic training dataset and record the data gap as a limitation in your report. Stating a limitation honestly is professional practice; inventing data is not.

Method and limitations

Set up correctly, draw at real-world scale, reconcile every number against every other document, and control issue and revision so any drawing can be reproduced exactly.

The method taught here is jurisdiction-neutral professional practice. Statutory tests, validation lists, density and parking standards, open-space and drainage requirements, accessibility standards, consultation procedures and appeal routes differ by country and by authority. Local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed with the relevant authority before any of this method is applied to a real site. Nothing here is legal advice and no course confers a licence or a right to practise.

All example material is synthetic teaching data, publicly available information or Ideeplan-owned method. No client name, commissioned document, confidential project file or copyrighted third-party course material is used or distributed.

Register Interest is an expression of interest only. It creates no account, enrolment, reservation, payment or course access.

Enrolment status

Enrolment is not currently available. This course is still undergoing content, media and professional review.

Register Interest is an expression of interest only. It works without an account, creates no enrolment, no reserved place and no payment order.

Protected lessons, approved videos and approved resource files are not accessible. No protected file URL, signed link or download entitlement is created.

Payments are disabled. No price, checkout, payment provider, payment order or paid-course claim exists in the Academy.

Outstanding before enrolment could open

Outstanding — Professional content review is complete
Outstanding — Required videos recorded, reviewed and approved, or the course approved as written-only
Outstanding — Required practical resources approved and available
Outstanding — Learner terms approved
Outstanding — Privacy and data-handling requirements approved
Outstanding — Course availability explicitly enabled by an authorised administrator
Outstanding — Payment and refund terms approved (paid courses)
Outstanding — Payment provider configuration complete (where payment is required)
Outstanding — Authentication email delivery configured and tested
Outstanding — Protected content access tested
Outstanding — Approved delivery and support process in place

Review Written Course Content Register Interest Return to Academy Return to Planned Curriculum

Progress, assessment and certificates

Submission access is not currently available

Lesson and course progress tracking is not active. No progress record, completion percentage or completed lesson exists for any account, and no course can record progress until enrolment opens.

Practical assessments cannot be submitted. Submission access is not currently available: there is no active enrolment, no upload configuration and no authorised reviewer workflow in operation.

No assessment has been marked, reviewed, corrected or passed. Reviewer feedback, correction tasks and pass decisions are made by an authorised human reviewer and none exists.

No certificate is issued, approved or pending. A future Academy certificate would be a course-completion certificate only — not a professional licence, statutory qualification, accreditation or government-recognised award.

Certificate verification is disabled until a certificate is genuinely issued. No verification result is produced for any reference.

Assessment formats planned for the Academy

Written briefs, required deliverables and marking criteria are published inside the course content above for open review. None of them can be submitted or marked at present.

Practical planning task
GIS mapping exercise
Site-appraisal task
Feasibility assessment
CAD or drawing task
Revit coordination task
Planning-report task
Policy-assessment task
Transport or access analysis
Environmental or green-infrastructure exercise
Final course project

Outstanding before completion or a certificate could exist

Outstanding — Learner identity verified by an authorised member of staff
Outstanding — Learner holds a valid active or completed enrolment
Outstanding — All required lessons completed
Outstanding — All required practical assessments passed
Outstanding — A recorded assessment decision exists for every required task
Outstanding — All requested corrections completed
Outstanding — Course content professionally reviewed and signed off
Outstanding — Authorised reviewer has approved completion
Outstanding — Course certificate policy approved
Outstanding — Certificate wording approved by Ideeplan Consult
Outstanding — Course is officially available
Outstanding — Unique certificate numbering and a secure verification route configured

Practical resources

Resources for this course

13 resource records · 13 with a written preview · 0 with a file under preparation · Download access not yet enabled.

All demonstration material is synthetic, publicly licensed or owned by Ideeplan Consult and is labelled as demonstration material. No confidential client file, personal information, private agency document or unreleased project drawing is used.

Practical project brief
Sets the professional situation, the role the learner takes and what must be produced.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Brief
Format
Written brief shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported
9 — One brief governs the whole course: every lesson exercise contributes to the same final deliverable.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- A synthetic 5.2-hectare residential site with a supplied survey and an approved layout sketch.
- Your role: Technical production lead issuing a planning drawing set.
- Available information: Synthetic survey in a projected coordinate system.
- Available information: Approved layout sketch and accommodation schedule.
- Available information: Required drawing schedule and validation checklist.
- Available information: Ideeplan-owned template, title block, plot styles and register.
- Required analysis: Verification of survey units, coordinates and known distances.
- Required analysis: Area reconciliation between drawing and accommodation schedule.
- Required analysis: Level reconciliation between section and survey.
- Required analysis: Printed scale verification on every sheet.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
Client-style instruction and problem statement
Gives the learner the instruction as a practitioner would receive it, and names the problem to be solved.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Brief
Format
Written statement shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported
9 — Scenario framing applies to every lesson in the course.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
Module 1 learner worksheet — Module 1 — Setup, standards and survey control
Lists the practical steps the learner carries out in this module, in order.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Worksheet
Format
Written worksheet shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Configured template, cleaned survey base and a written layer and naming standard.
Lessons supported
3 — Supports the 3 lessons in module 1, which build one shared output.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- Units, coordinates and working at real-world scale — Insert the survey, verify units and coordinates by measuring three known distances, and record the checks.
- Layers, styles and the template — Complete the template with a documented layer standard and rebuild the supplied messy drawing onto it.
- Cleaning and referencing external data — Reference the survey externally, set relative paths, and complete a base data provenance note.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
Module 2 learner worksheet — Module 2 — Producing the planning drawing set
Lists the practical steps the learner carries out in this module, in order.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Worksheet
Format
Written worksheet shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Location plan, site plan, layout plan, and levels and boundary treatment drawings.
Lessons supported
3 — Supports the 3 lessons in module 2, which build one shared output.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- Location and site plans that pass validation — Produce the location and site plans at standard scales with correct red and blue line extents.
- Layout drawings, dimensions and areas — Draw the layout, generate the area schedule from the drawing and reconcile it against the supplied accommodation figures.
- Levels, sections and boundary detail — Produce one long site section from survey levels and a boundary treatment plan with typical details.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
Module 3 learner worksheet — Module 3 — Sheets, output and issue control
Lists the practical steps the learner carries out in this module, in order.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Worksheet
Format
Written worksheet shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued PDF drawing set, drawing register and a checked revision record.
Lessons supported
3 — Supports the 3 lessons in module 3, which build one shared output.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- Layouts, viewports and annotation scale — Build all sheets with locked viewports and annotative text, then verify each printed scale by measurement.
- Plotting, line weights and PDF quality — Publish the full set to PDF and complete a print check at full size and at reduced size.
- Revisions, registers and archiving — Issue revision A, apply a change, issue revision B with clouds, and complete the register and archive.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
Task checklist
Confirms every required piece of work has been produced before submission.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Checklist
Format
Written checklist shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported
9 — A single task checklist tracks progress across all modules.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- Documented layer and naming standard.
- Location, site, layout, levels and boundary drawings.
- One long site section.
- Issued PDF set at correct scales.
- Drawing register with revisions A and B recorded.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.

Example data and drawing base

Synthetic survey drawing in a projected coordinate system, an Ideeplan-owned template with layer, text and dimension styles, and a title block set. Drawing exercises state their scale, units, north direction and drawing purpose in the written brief. No DWG file is offered and no DWG link exists.

Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available

Resource type: CAD drawing base
Format: PDF and DXF (planned) — no DWG file and no DWG link
Status: Planned
Data classification: Synthetic demonstration data
Licence or ownership: Synthetic demonstration material prepared by Ideeplan Consult. No client file, personal information, private agency document or unreleased project drawing is used.
Related deliverable: Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported: 9 — One demonstration data base is used by every lesson so results stay comparable.
Access: No account required — written preview is public

Demonstration data item	What it contains and how it is used
Data ownership and licence	Synthetic training data prepared and owned by Ideeplan Consult. It is fictional: it is not a real client project, a real site or a real location, and it must not be presented as one. Free to study on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Module 1 input — Module 1 — Setup, standards and survey control	Synthetic survey drawing in a projected coordinate system, an Ideeplan-owned template with layer, text and dimension styles, and a title block set.
Module 2 input — Module 2 — Producing the planning drawing set	Approved layout sketch, required drawing schedule, teaching block library and a synthetic accommodation schedule.
Module 3 input — Module 3 — Sheets, output and issue control	Draft drawings from Module 2, plot style tables, an Ideeplan-owned title block and drawing register template.
Lawful sourcing where real data is substituted	Where a learner substitutes real data, use only openly licensed or lawfully obtained sources, record the publisher, dataset title, version and access date, and cite them in the final deliverable. Do not use restricted, confidential or personal data.

Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.

Analysis and calculation template
Structures the analysis so assumptions are visible and checkable. Any figures used in a template are teaching assumptions, not market evidence. Local costs, policies, standards and valuation assumptions must be independently confirmed before any of this is applied to a real project.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Capacity-study spreadsheet
Format
CSV workbook with labelled assumptions (planned)
Status
Planned
Data classification
Synthetic demonstration data
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported
9 — The same analysis structure is completed progressively through the course.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- Record every assumption on its own labelled row, with the source or reason beside it.
- Module 1 working section — Configured template, cleaned survey base and a written layer and naming standard.
- Module 2 working section — Location plan, site plan, layout plan, and levels and boundary treatment drawings.
- Module 3 working section — Issued PDF drawing set, drawing register and a checked revision record.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Documented layer and naming standard.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Location, site, layout, levels and boundary drawings.
- Required output carried into the analysis — One long site section.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Issued PDF set at correct scales.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Drawing register with revisions A and B recorded.
- Check row: totals, units and areas reconcile before the result is carried into the deliverable.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
Final deliverable template
Sets the expected structure and presentation standard for Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Site plan base
Format
PDF and DXF (planned)
Status
Planned
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported
9 — The final deliverable draws on every module output.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- Final named deliverable — Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
- Section 1 — Configured template, cleaned survey base and a written layer and naming standard.
- Section 2 — Location plan, site plan, layout plan, and levels and boundary treatment drawings.
- Section 3 — Issued PDF drawing set, drawing register and a checked revision record.
- Must be present — Documented layer and naming standard.
- Must be present — Location, site, layout, levels and boundary drawings.
- Must be present — One long site section.
- Must be present — Issued PDF set at correct scales.
- Must be present — Drawing register with revisions A and B recorded.
- Presentation and submission standard — Consistent title blocks, north points, scale bars and line weight hierarchy; one drawing per sheet; and no annotation that conflicts with another drawing in the set.
- Sources and citations: list every dataset, publisher, version and access date used, and state clearly where synthetic Ideeplan training data was used.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
Quality-control checklist
Professional checks to run before the work is treated as finished.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Checklist
Format
Written checklist shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported
9 — Quality control is applied to the whole submission, not to a single lesson.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- The drawing sits on true survey coordinates and has not been moved to the origin.
- All entities are on standard layers with ByLayer properties.
- Every viewport is scale-locked and every sheet carries a scale bar.
- Areas in the drawing match the report and schedule figures.
- Local validation requirements, drawing scale conventions, plan standards and submission formats are confirmed with the relevant authority before the method is applied to a real submission.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.

Marking and review rubric

States what a satisfactory professional standard looks like for each criterion.

Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available

Resource type: Marking rubric
Format: Written rubric shown on this page
Status: Draft
Data classification: Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership: Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable: Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported: 9 — One rubric reviews the final deliverable produced across all modules.
Access: No account required — written preview is public

Criterion	Satisfactory standard
File discipline	Layers, styles and references follow the documented standard throughout.
Scale integrity	Every printed drawing measures correctly at its stated scale.
Numerical consistency	Areas, levels and dimensions agree across drawings and schedules.
Validation readiness	Location and site plans meet the supplied validation checklist.
Traceability	The register identifies each issued drawing, revision and date.

Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.

Correction-task sheet
Common professional mistakes and the correction the learner practises.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Correction-task sheet
Format
Written task sheet shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported
9 — Correction tasks address mistakes that can appear anywhere in the course.
Access
No account required — written preview is public
- A viewport scaled by eye so the scale bar is wrong. — Set the exact viewport scale, lock it, reprint and verify by measurement.
- Site area on the drawing differing from the area in the planning statement. — Recalculate from the closed boundary polyline and correct whichever document is wrong.
- Everything drawn on layer 0 with overridden colours. — Rebuild onto the layer standard and reset properties to ByLayer.
- Issuing a revised drawing under the same number and revision. — Reissue with the next revision, cloud the change and update the register.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
Submission guidance
How the finished work should be assembled and presented for professional review.
Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Resource type
Checklist
Format
Written guidance shown on this page
Status
Draft
Data classification
Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
Licence or ownership
Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
Related deliverable
Issued planning drawing set with drawing register and revision record
Lessons supported
9 — Submission guidance covers the single final deliverable.
Access
No account required — written preview is public

Media status

Video lessons for this course

Video lessons: Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Narration: Professional narration — planned, not produced
Captions: Not yet produced
Transcript: Not yet produced
Software demonstration: Genuine screen capture from the real application only — no mockup, simulated interface or AI-generated screen.
Software version and operating system: No software version is published until it has been read from the actual recorded session. Until then the version reads “To be stated from the recorded session”.
Production plan: Prepared for professional review
Enrolment, payment and downloads: Disabled

Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required. The written lesson on this page is complete and can be read in full without a video, an account, enrolment or payment.

Authentic software screen capture only — non-negotiable standard

Applies to every software demonstrated in the Academy, including AutoCAD, QGIS, Revit, ArcGIS, SketchUp, Lumion, Civil 3D, Rhino and any other software used. The final video must accurately represent what a learner sees when using the stated software version.

Every demonstration is a genuine screen recording or screenshot captured from the actual installed software being taught.
The exact software name, version, operating system and relevant workspace are stated on screen and in the lesson notes, as read from the recorded session.
The real interface is shown: menus, panels, toolbars, properties, layer controls, settings and the command line or log.
The real cursor, tool selection, commands, settings and the resulting output are visible.
Capture is 16:9 and readable at 720p, with clear, unhurried cursor movement; the screen stays clear enough for learners to follow.
The view zooms in whenever text, settings, coordinates or field values would otherwise be hard to read.
The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software.
Useful keyboard shortcuts are shown alongside the menu path, never instead of it.
Differences between software versions or operating systems are stated wherever the interface may display differently.
Steps are numbered on screen, with callouts pointing at the actual control being used.
Any annotation is added only after recording and must never alter or misrepresent the software interface.
Captions and a complete transcript are produced before professional review.
Any presenter window stays small, is positioned clear of technical content, and is hidden on mobile widths and on dense technical screens.

Interface visibility on every recording

The full application interface is shown at the beginning of every demonstration, with the application identity and exact version clearly visible.
The relevant menu bar, ribbon, toolbar or toolbox stays visible while each step is explained; the interface context is never cropped away.
Layers, properties, project browser or data panels are shown wherever applicable.
The command line, status bar or coordinate/CRS information is shown wherever relevant.
Real cursor movement and visible clicks are captured, with visible cursor highlighting or click indicators.
The selected tool and its effect are visible, and complete dialog boxes and settings are shown whenever one is opened.
The resulting drawing, map, model or output is shown in the recording.
Zoom is used only when necessary for small text or settings, always retaining enough context to identify the application and tool in use.
The standard applies to every software course and is verified before any video is marked recorded or approved; if the required authentic interface is not visible, the lesson remains “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”

Never used

Generic website mockups standing in for a software workspace.
Simulated, redrawn, reconstructed or redesigned replica interfaces for any software.
AI-generated software screens, panels, dialogs or map canvases.
Generic illustrations replacing the real interface.
Unverified screenshots taken from any source other than the recorded session.
Fake video players, placeholder thumbnails or invented durations.
Invented menus, tool names, command names, dialog options or keyboard shortcuts.
Hiding important controls or covering them with a presenter window.
Annotations that alter or misrepresent the recorded software interface.
Claiming or implying that a simulated screen is an authentic software demonstration.

AutoCAD — what the recording must show

Exact AutoCAD release to be stated from the recorded session. Operating system to be stated from the recorded session; ribbon layout and shortcuts differ between Windows and Mac.

1.Drawing setup: new drawing, template choice and workspace.
2.Units: the UNITS dialog, unit type, precision and insertion scale.
3.Layers: the Layer Properties Manager, layer creation, colour, linetype and lineweight.
4.Object properties: the Properties palette and how an object's layer and overrides are read.
5.Commands: the command line with the exact command typed, including options and prompts.
6.Dimensions: dimension style settings and a dimension placed on real geometry.
7.Layouts: layout tabs, sheet size and page setup.
8.Viewports: viewport creation, scale setting and viewport locking.
9.Title blocks: title block insertion and completion of the sheet fields.
10.Plot settings: the PLOT dialog, plot style, paper size, scale and preview.
11.Final drawing checks: audit, purge, layer check and a measured check against the plotted scale.

No authentic software recording or screenshot exists yet. Every software lesson remains “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”

Real professional classroom experience — every lesson

Applies to every future Academy lesson, software-based or not. The finished lesson presents as authentic professional training, professionally narrated and screen-led: video + written guide + supporting data + practical task + quality checklist + final named deliverable.

Lesson structure

1.Professional introduction.
2.Realistic project situation.
3.Learner role within that situation.
4.Problem statement.
5.Learning objectives.
6.Required software and data.
7.Step-by-step demonstration.
8.Explanation of the professional reasoning behind each action.
9.Practical learner task.
10.Checkpoint or pause activity.
11.Common mistake and its correction.
12.Quality-control review.
13.Final recap.
14.Named learner deliverable.

Video requirements

Professional narration that is clear, natural and paced for instruction, synchronised with the screen action.
Authentic screen recording from the actual software, with visible menus, tools, panels, commands, settings and outputs.
Natural cursor movement and deliberate pacing, with a clear explanation of why each action is taken.
Realistic corrections and troubleshooting shown, not edited away.
Clear 16:9 screen capture.
Captions and a complete transcript.
Chapter titles and lesson sections.
A small presenter window only where useful; it never covers technical content and is hidden on mobile or dense technical screens.

Never produced as a lesson

Automated slideshows.
Generic screen tours.
Silent software demonstrations.
Marketing videos presented as lessons.
AI-avatar presentations.
Simulated software tutorials.
Fast montages without explanation.
An invented tutor, instructor identity, voice, recording, thumbnail or completion status.

Lessons use only synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned examples. No confidential client information is used.

No genuine professional recording exists yet. Until one does, every lesson remains “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.” Enrolment, payments, certificates and protected learner access stay disabled during this production stage.

Professional narration and screen-first production

Every Academy lesson is planned as a professionally narrated, screen-led practical lesson with captions and a complete transcript.
No AI avatar, virtual presenter or artificial talking head is used, and no named person is imitated. No lesson is described as human-narrated, instructor-led by a named person or personally presented unless that is factually true.
No instructor identity is published until a real, named professional has recorded and approved the lesson.
Recordings are screen-first: the GIS view, planning drawing, AutoCAD or Revit workspace or document remains the main subject of the frame.
Any presenter picture-in-picture normally occupies about 8–10% of the frame, never covers technical content, and is reduced or hidden on small screens.
The Principal Consultant portrait is reserved for approved introductions and conclusions. It is never used as a repeated course thumbnail, and the Academy remains company-first.

No lesson has been recorded and no narration has been produced. Scripts exist as production plans only, and every lesson video status remains “Not recorded”.

Demonstration material is synthetic, publicly licensed or owned by Ideeplan Consult. No confidential client file, unauthorised agency dataset or private project information is used.

Methods are jurisdiction-neutral. Learners must confirm local laws, policies and technical standards before applying them to a real project.

A production plan describes how a lesson would be recorded. It is not a recording, and it does not create an enrolment, account, payment or reserved place.

9 lesson production plans · suggested recording time about 90 minutes in total (a planning estimate, not a recorded duration) · every lesson video status: Not recorded.

Lesson 1 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Units, coordinates and working at real-world scale
Learning objective
Drawing in real units at 1:1 in model space, aligning to survey coordinates, why moving a survey to the origin destroys georeferencing, insertion units, and checking a supplied drawing before trusting it.
Narration focus
Get the file right before drawing anything that will be measured.
Screen action
Insert the survey, verify units and coordinates by measuring three known distances, and record the checks.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Synthetic survey drawing in a projected coordinate system, an Ideeplan-owned template with layer, text and dimension styles, and a title block set.
Expected learner output
Measured distances match the survey schedule and the drawing sits on its true coordinates.
Suggested length
About 8 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.Drawing in real units at 1:1 in model space, aligning to survey coordinates, why moving a survey to the origin destroys georeferencing, insertion units, and checking a supplied drawing before trusting it.
2. 2.Insert the survey, verify units and coordinates by measuring three known distances, and record the checks.
3. 3.Measured distances match the survey schedule and the drawing sits on its true coordinates.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 2 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Layers, styles and the template
Learning objective
A layer standard that survives multiple authors, layer naming and colour-to-line-weight logic, text and dimension styles tied to plot scale, blocks and attributes for repeated elements, and purging imported chaos.
Narration focus
Get the file right before drawing anything that will be measured.
Screen action
Complete the template with a documented layer standard and rebuild the supplied messy drawing onto it.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Synthetic survey drawing in a projected coordinate system, an Ideeplan-owned template with layer, text and dimension styles, and a title block set.
Expected learner output
Every entity sits on a named standard layer with ByLayer properties.
Suggested length
About 10 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.A layer standard that survives multiple authors, layer naming and colour-to-line-weight logic, text and dimension styles tied to plot scale, blocks and attributes for repeated elements, and purging imported chaos.
2. 2.Complete the template with a documented layer standard and rebuild the supplied messy drawing onto it.
3. 3.Every entity sits on a named standard layer with ByLayer properties.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 3 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Cleaning and referencing external data
Learning objective
External references versus binding, keeping the survey read-only, managing reference paths for sharing, importing GIS or PDF underlays honestly, and recording the provenance of every base element.
Narration focus
Get the file right before drawing anything that will be measured.
Screen action
Reference the survey externally, set relative paths, and complete a base data provenance note.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Synthetic survey drawing in a projected coordinate system, an Ideeplan-owned template with layer, text and dimension styles, and a title block set.
Expected learner output
The drawing opens correctly from a different folder and every base source is recorded.
Suggested length
About 12 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.External references versus binding, keeping the survey read-only, managing reference paths for sharing, importing GIS or PDF underlays honestly, and recording the provenance of every base element.
2. 2.Reference the survey externally, set relative paths, and complete a base data provenance note.
3. 3.The drawing opens correctly from a different folder and every base source is recorded.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 4 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Location and site plans that pass validation
Learning objective
What each plan must show and at what scale, red line and blue line conventions, north point and scale bar discipline, ownership extents, and the common reasons these two drawings are rejected.
Narration focus
Draw the documents a planning authority actually validates.
Screen action
Produce the location and site plans at standard scales with correct red and blue line extents.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Approved layout sketch, required drawing schedule, teaching block library and a synthetic accommodation schedule.
Expected learner output
Both drawings would satisfy a validation checklist without a query.
Suggested length
About 8 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.What each plan must show and at what scale, red line and blue line conventions, north point and scale bar discipline, ownership extents, and the common reasons these two drawings are rejected.
2. 2.Produce the location and site plans at standard scales with correct red and blue line extents.
3. 3.Both drawings would satisfy a validation checklist without a query.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 5 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Layout drawings, dimensions and areas
Learning objective
Setting out plots and roads from control, dimensioning what matters, deriving areas from closed polylines rather than estimates, cross-checking areas against the accommodation schedule, and labelling units and levels consistently.
Narration focus
Draw the documents a planning authority actually validates.
Screen action
Draw the layout, generate the area schedule from the drawing and reconcile it against the supplied accommodation figures.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Approved layout sketch, required drawing schedule, teaching block library and a synthetic accommodation schedule.
Expected learner output
Drawing areas and schedule areas agree to the stated tolerance.
Suggested length
About 10 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.Setting out plots and roads from control, dimensioning what matters, deriving areas from closed polylines rather than estimates, cross-checking areas against the accommodation schedule, and labelling units and levels consistently.
2. 2.Draw the layout, generate the area schedule from the drawing and reconcile it against the supplied accommodation figures.
3. 3.Drawing areas and schedule areas agree to the stated tolerance.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 6 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Levels, sections and boundary detail
Learning objective
Spot levels and contours on a layout, cut and fill implications, drawing a site section from survey levels, boundary treatment and retaining conditions, and detail drawings that support a condition discharge later.
Narration focus
Draw the documents a planning authority actually validates.
Screen action
Produce one long site section from survey levels and a boundary treatment plan with typical details.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Approved layout sketch, required drawing schedule, teaching block library and a synthetic accommodation schedule.
Expected learner output
Section levels reconcile with the survey at every marked point.
Suggested length
About 12 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.Spot levels and contours on a layout, cut and fill implications, drawing a site section from survey levels, boundary treatment and retaining conditions, and detail drawings that support a condition discharge later.
2. 2.Produce one long site section from survey levels and a boundary treatment plan with typical details.
3. 3.Section levels reconcile with the survey at every marked point.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 7 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Layouts, viewports and annotation scale
Learning objective
Model space versus paper space discipline, viewport scale locking, annotative text and dimensions, keeping one drawing per sheet, and why scaling a viewport by eye invalidates a scale bar.
Narration focus
Make the set printable, checkable and traceable.
Screen action
Build all sheets with locked viewports and annotative text, then verify each printed scale by measurement.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Draft drawings from Module 2, plot style tables, an Ideeplan-owned title block and drawing register template.
Expected learner output
A ruler on the printed sheet confirms the stated scale on every drawing.
Suggested length
About 8 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.Model space versus paper space discipline, viewport scale locking, annotative text and dimensions, keeping one drawing per sheet, and why scaling a viewport by eye invalidates a scale bar.
2. 2.Build all sheets with locked viewports and annotative text, then verify each printed scale by measurement.
3. 3.A ruler on the printed sheet confirms the stated scale on every drawing.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 8 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Plotting, line weights and PDF quality
Learning objective
Plot style tables and line weight hierarchy, monochrome versus colour output, embedding fonts, file size and page size discipline, and checking a PDF as issued rather than as intended.
Narration focus
Make the set printable, checkable and traceable.
Screen action
Publish the full set to PDF and complete a print check at full size and at reduced size.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Draft drawings from Module 2, plot style tables, an Ideeplan-owned title block and drawing register template.
Expected learner output
The set reads correctly in greyscale and at reduced size.
Suggested length
About 10 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.Plot style tables and line weight hierarchy, monochrome versus colour output, embedding fonts, file size and page size discipline, and checking a PDF as issued rather than as intended.
2. 2.Publish the full set to PDF and complete a print check at full size and at reduced size.
3. 3.The set reads correctly in greyscale and at reduced size.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 9 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Revisions, registers and archiving
Learning objective
Drawing numbering that scales, revision letters and clouds, superseded drawing control, the drawing register as the single source of truth, and archiving an issued set so it can be reproduced years later.
Narration focus
Make the set printable, checkable and traceable.
Screen action
Issue revision A, apply a change, issue revision B with clouds, and complete the register and archive.
Required software
AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software
Example data
Draft drawings from Module 2, plot style tables, an Ideeplan-owned title block and drawing register template.
Expected learner output
The register identifies exactly which files were issued on which date.
Suggested length
About 12 minutes (planning estimate)
Captions and transcript
Required before professional review
Narration
Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
1. 1.Drawing numbering that scales, revision letters and clouds, superseded drawing control, the drawing register as the single source of truth, and archiving an issued set so it can be reproduced years later.
2. 2.Issue revision A, apply a change, issue revision B with clouds, and complete the register and archive.
3. 3.The register identifies exactly which files were issued on which date.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to AutoCAD, PDF reader, Spreadsheet software, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.

Course production standard

Recordings are screen-first: the planning drawing, GIS view, AutoCAD or Revit workspace stays the main subject of the frame.
Any presenter picture-in-picture normally occupies no more than about 8–10% of the frame and never covers maps, legends, drawings, dimensions or annotations.
On mobile and on dense technical screens the presenter window is reduced further or hidden entirely.
The Principal Consultant portrait is reserved for approved introductions, explanations and conclusions. It is not used as a generic thumbnail for every course.
Narration is planned for professional human delivery. No AI narration, AI presenter or recorded lesson exists today.

No lesson has been recorded. Every lesson media status is “Not recorded”.

Any example data used in teaching is synthetic, publicly licensed or owned by Ideeplan Consult, and is clearly labelled as demonstration data. No client file, confidential document or unauthorised project material is used.

Want this course finished first?

Registering interest is not an enrolment. It tells Ideeplan Consult which subjects to complete and review first.

Discuss a Project

AutoCAD for Planning Layouts and Technical Drawings

Written teaching content: available for review

Written course content

Client-style brief

Professional scenario

Planning problem

Learning objectives

Modules and lessons

Module 1 — Setup, standards and survey control

Units, coordinates and working at real-world scale

Layers, styles and the template

Cleaning and referencing external data

Module 2 — Producing the planning drawing set

Location and site plans that pass validation

Layout drawings, dimensions and areas

Levels, sections and boundary detail

Module 3 — Sheets, output and issue control

Layouts, viewports and annotation scale

Plotting, line weights and PDF quality

Revisions, registers and archiving