Technical drawing exercises to practise from
An archive of original dimensioned sheets for 2D drafting and 3D modelling practice. No account, no email: open a sheet, download the PDF, build the part in whichever CAD you use.
What this archive is
CAD Archivium is a free collection of original technical drawings made for practice. Every sheet is a proper engineering drawing: orthographic views, sections where they are needed, and complete dimensioning in millimetres following ISO conventions. Nothing has to be measured off the page — everything you need in order to build the part is written on the sheet.
The drawings are meant to be worked, not looked at. You read the views, work out the shape in your head, and only then start modelling. That is the step a video tutorial cannot do for you, and it is the only one that transfers to real work.
What you will find
2D drafting exercises
Sheets to reproduce in 2D: line types, orthographic projection, section views, dimensioning and drawing conventions.
3D parts to model
Dimensioned components to build as solids: sketch strategy, extrusions and revolutions, holes, fillets and chamfers.
Assemblies
Sets of parts that fit together: mates, clearances, and the discipline of keeping a parts list straight.
The four levels
Every sheet carries a level from 1 to 4. Level 1 is a single prismatic block with a few holes, drawn to get you comfortable with reading views. Level 4 asks for a real feature strategy: a part that still rebuilds correctly after you change a dimension. Working up the levels in order is the fastest way to stop guessing and start planning.
How to practise
Read before you draw
Work out the whole shape from the views first. If you start modelling while still guessing at the back face, you will build the feature tree in the wrong order and pay for it later.
Model to the dimensions given
Every sheet is fully dimensioned. If a dimension looks missing, it is almost always implied by a symmetry or a centre line — find it rather than inventing one.
Then change something
Double a thickness, move a hole, add 10 mm to an overall length. A model built on a sound sketch strategy updates cleanly. One built on clicks falls apart, and that is the lesson.
Which CAD software you need
None in particular. The sheets are PDF drawings, not model files, so they are completely software-neutral: SolidWorks, Fusion 360, FreeCAD, Onshape, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, Solid Edge, Creo, CATIA, Designcenter (formerly NX). Students and self-taught users often work with the free options — FreeCAD, the free Onshape plan, Fusion for personal use — and every sheet in the archive can be built in any of them. A printer and a pencil work too: the 2D sheets were drawn to be reproducible by hand.
Common questions
Do the drawings cost anything?
No. Downloading and printing the sheets for your own study and practice is free. There is no account to create and no email address to hand over.
Can I publish the models I build from them?
Yes. The model you make from a sheet is your work: post it in a portfolio, on LinkedIn, on GrabCAD, or hand it in for a course. What you may not do is re-upload the sheets themselves, mirror them on another site, bundle them into a download pack or sell them.
Are they suitable for a complete beginner?
Levels 1 and 2 assume only that you can open a sketch and extrude it. Levels 3 and 4 are for people who already model and want to be pushed on strategy rather than on commands.
Are the solutions included?
No, deliberately. A sheet with the answer printed next to it stops being an exercise. If your part matches every dimension on the drawing, it is right — that is the check.
Can I send in a drawing of my own?
Yes. There is an upload page: no account, no payment, and the drawing stays yours. Every submission is reviewed by hand before it goes online.