Class Components
No Lecture Sessions
For this online class, there will not be any regularly scheduled lecture sessions to present new materials. All of the learning materials are available as modules in Canvas, so you can view the class materials online and work at your convenience.
Typical Learning Module Format
Each class module is broken into a series of submodules that focus on a specific topic. In each of these submodules, you’ll find:
- Workflow -- a slide presentation showing the overall workflow for this topic.
- Demo -- a screen recording demonstrating the skills outlined in the workflow.
- Practice -- an optional exercise (typically 5 minutes) to give you an opportunity to practice what you’ve just learned.
- Check-In -- a few discussion questions to reinforce the key points in the module.
Design Projects
Each class module has a design project that gives you an opportunity to use your building modeling skills to develop and share a proposed design to meet the requirements of a realistic project.
Weekly Check-In Sessions
We’ll have an online check-in session every week. These sessions will be recorded and available to view later if you cannot attend the live session.
Setting Up Your Computer
Sign Up for an Autodesk ID
- If you already have a student Autodesk ID from another class, you’re all set.
- If you haven’t created a student Autodesk ID (or if you’re currently using one that created for your workplace), sign up for a new student Autodesk ID by following these steps:
- Go to the Autodesk Education Community Website
- Scroll down to the Confirm your eligibility to access the Autodesk Education plan section of the page.
- Click the Create an Autodesk Account link.
- Complete and submit the registration form.
- Be sure to check your email for a message from Autodesk and click the confirmation link to finish activating your new Autodesk ID by providing information about the school you attend.
- Notes about Autodesk IDs
- Most students use their school email address as their Autodesk ID.
- If you already have a student Autodesk ID from another school, you can continue to use it or sign up for a new one.
- You can create as many Autodesk IDs as you like -- but if you use an email address that is not recognized as being from an educational institution, Autodesk may ask you to provide additional documentation of your student students (for example, an image of your student ID) to confirm that you are eligible for their free education offerings.
- If you need to create a second Autodesk ID, you can create an alias to your Stanford email address and then use this alias to create another Autodesk ID.
Recommended: Install the Class Software on Your Computer
Please install the class software on your own personal computer, so you can work anywhere and anytime that is convenient for you:
Alternative: Use the Class Software by Connecting to a Cloud-Based Virtual Machine
Stanford has begun offering access to the Stanford University Virtual Computing Cluster (also known as Apporto). You can use the virtual machines in this virtual computing cluster to access Windows (or Mac) software from your Mac computer, Windows computer, or iPad/Android tablet — most any computing device that offers a supported web browser.
To access these virtual machines:
- Go to https://Stanford.apporto.com .
- Launch the Windows GPU Desktop virtual machine.
- Wait a few moments as the Windows virtual machine is set up and appears in your browser window.
Storing Your Files
- Store your files on your personal computer or a cloud drive (for example, our Autodesk Construction Cloud Documents site, Google Drive, Box, or OneDrive), so you can access your files from anywhere.
- To be extra careful, it’s also wise to carry a copy of your files on a USB drive, so you always have a copy – even when internet connectivity isn’t available.