Design Drafting Technology

15.1301

(Associate of Applied Science Degree)

Linn State Technical College’s Design Drafting Technology (DDT) program has been awarded program certification by the American Design Drafting Association (ADDA), a nationally recognized professional drafting association, which assures a quality program that benefits both education and industry. The DDT program is also accredited by the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE). Graduates of this program are qualified to take positions as industrial and architectural designers, engineering technicians, cost estimators, and quality assurance technicians. Drafting and design technicians often assist engineers and architects with design and development work.

Drawings are produced by using standard drafting equipment or by using computer aided drafting (CAD).  Using engineering data, specifications and various equipment, drafting technicians assist in determining design changes and production costs.  They may also be required to apply their knowledge to solve particular design problems such as those involving tolerance, stress, strain, bending and compression. 

Most drafting technicians work from rough sketches, specifications and technical data furnished by engineers. Their job is to transform these ideas into precise drawings. Drafting technicians use handbooks and tables for computations concerning strength, reliability and cost of materials.

The Design Drafting Technology program of Linn State Technical College is thorough and comprehensive, with a balanced mix of mechanical, architectural, civil, and structural drafting. The department has two state-of-the-art CAD labs with AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, SoftPlan, Autodesk Revit, and MicroStation software. Students work on traditional drawing boards and networked PC’s. Students are scheduled in small classes to ensure individual attention and quality instruction. The Associate Degree program is rounded out with supporting math and communications courses. A drafting internship is available for students after the completion of specific course work. An internship is not a program requirement for graduation.

The Design Drafting Technology program has three one semester advanced certificates available that are designed for Design Drafting Technology program graduates and industry professionals who have gained similar knowledge and skills through work experience. The Advanced Light Commercial Design certificate will strengthen the students’ knowledge and skills in the light commercial architectural and structural design field. This certificate will help the students research building codes, understand specifications needed and how to create them for light commercial buildings. In the Advanced Civil Design certificate, students will learn to use 3D civil drafting software and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) software and systems. These software programs and systems will advance the students’ knowledge and skills in the civil drafting area. The CAD Programming and 3D Animation certificate will give the students’ knowledge and skills in CAD programming and creating 3D animation projects. Students will use technical writing skills to produce 3D animation projects.

Due to the green revolution, there has been a fundamental change in the way building projects are approached. Today’s skilled drafting technician needs to understand the fundamental concepts associated with improving environmental performance on every project. The Design Drafting Technology program contributes to the green economy by emphasizing the fundamental concepts of sustainable design, green building practices, and why sustainability is important. The program also expands the discussion of green building strategies and technologies by studying the methods being used worldwide.

Enrollment in the Design Drafting Technology program is limited and students are selected for this program on a competitive basis. Contact the Office of Admissions for the specific application requirements and deadline.

It is a graduation requirement of the Design Drafting Technology (DDT) program for students to earn a grade of “C” or better in all “Core Curriculum” courses.

Program Mission
The Design Drafting Technology program is a technical program constructed to provide to the students the opportunity to develop technical knowledge, drafting skills, math skills, and effective communications skills which enable them to take positions in industry as industrial and architectural designers, engineering technicians, cost estimators and quality assurance technicians in the fields of mechanical, architectural, civil, and structural drafting.

Program Goals
The goals of the program are to:

• Assure that the student is given the opportunity to attain the technical knowledge to transform ideas to precise drawings using problem-solving skills.
• Assure that the student is given the opportunity to attain the drafting skills, by manual and computer methods, using state-of-the-art equipment and software.
• Assure that the student has the opportunity to attain math skills to solve design problems and compute strengths, reliability, and cost.
• Assure that the student has the opportunity to attain effective communications skills.

Program Assessments

• American Design Drafting Association (ADDA)
•  Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP)

DESIGN DRAFTING TECHNOLOGY
15.1301
(One Semester Certificate in Advanced Light Commercial Design)

DESIGN DRAFTING TECHNOLOGY
15.1301
(One Semester Certificate in Advanced Civil Design)

DESIGN DRAFTING TECHNOLOGY
15.1301
(One Semester Certificate in CAD Programming and 3D Animation)

DDT 111 Civil Drafting. A basic course in engineering drafting and sketching with emphasis on lettering techniques, map reading, earthwork cross-sections, survey platting and plan detailing. Drawings are developed using manual and computer-aided drafting techniques. Prerequisite: DDT 183. 3 credit hours.

DDT 130 Practical Drafting for the HVAC Trades. This course provides an introduction into basic drafting principles and modern shop practices related to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. 3 credit hours.

DDT 135 Introductory Drafting Fundamentals. This course is designed to develop the basic skills required for visualizing and interpreting industrial drawings. 3 credit hours.

 DDT 150 Fundamentals of Drafting. Beginning course stressing care and use of drafting instruments, lettering techniques, drafting terms, ANSI specification, manual drawing, shape descriptions, geometric construction and multiview projection. 3 credit hours.

DDT 151 Mechanical Drafting with Dimensioning and Tolerancing. Applying dimensions and tolerances to drawings of machine parts using the proper technique of dimensioning following ANSI specifications. Prerequisites: DDT 153 and DDT 183. 3 credit hours.

DDT 153 Industrial Graphics. Pictorial representations using standard types of projection, emphasizing sketching, proper technical illustration and dimensioning. Prerequisite: DDT 150. 3 credit hours.

DDT 154 Industrial Design. Applying the study of threads, fasteners, sections and descriptive geometry to machine working drawings; including CAD applications in detailing. Prerequisite: DDT 151. 3 credit hours.

DDT 163 Design Drafting Internship. The drafting internship is a planned work experience comprised of 420 hours of paid on-the-job training in a drafting or drafting related field requiring the student to perform a variety of tasks. A training agreement between the employer, the student and the college is required. The student will submit a weekly summary of activities (tasks performed). While the internship is not a program requirement for the Associate of Applied Science Degree, the student gains valuable practical experience in the workplace. Prerequisites: DDT 150, DDT 151, DDT 153, DDT 154, DDT 183, and DDT 184 with a grade of “C” or better and Department Chair approval. 6 credit hours.

DDT 183 Fundamentals of Computer Aided Drafting (CAD). An introduction to CAD graphic commands and applying the basic applications in producing drawings. Fundamentals in using the drawing, editing, and dimensioning commands for two-dimensional drawings. 3 credit hours.

DDT 184 Advanced Applications of Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD). Advanced applications in using CAD in the mechanical field in dimensioning and tolerancing including GDT, and also use of blocks and attributes. Three dimensional modeling with layout in paper space and extracting of orthographic views. Prerequisites: DDT 153 and DDT 183. 3 credit hours.

DDT 250 Residential Architectural Drafting. Fundamentals of architectural terms as applied in construction. Techniques in designing residential buildings. Prerequisites: DDT 154 and DDT 184. 3 credit hours.

DDT 252 Structural Steel Drafting. Structural steel terms and steel members used in different types of steel buildings. The study of American Institute of Steel Construction Steel Detailing Manual. Prerequisite: DDT 253. 3 credit hours.

DDT 253 Residential Architectural Detailing and Design. Planning and designing floor plans, elevations, foundations, details and sections of buildings. Dimensioning techniques will be emphasized for accuracy. Prerequisite: DDT 250. 3 credit hours.

DDT 254 Structural Detailing and Design. The application in detailing of concrete construction. The use of Portland Cement Association detailing manuals to create plans and detail drawings of pour-in-place and precast concrete. Prerequisite: DDT 252. 3 credit hours.

DDT 270 Residential and Light Commercial Building Codes and Specifications. This course teaches students how to locate information in building codes and create specifications for residential and light commercial construction. Prerequisites: DDT 250 and DDT 253 with a grade of “C” or better or industry experience approved by the department chair. 3 credit hours.

DDT 272 Light Commercial Architectural Design. This course teaches light commercial architectural plans and problem solving. Students will produce a complete set of plans using 3D computer-aided drafting techniques. Prerequisite: DDT 270 with a grade of “C” or better. 4 credit hours.

DDT 274 Advanced Structural Detailing and Design. This course teaches 3D structural modeling design and detail applications for light commercial designs. Prerequisite: DDT 272 with a grade of “C” or better. 3 credit hours.

DDT 280 Global Positioning Systems (GPS). This course provides students with an understanding of the principles of remote sensing and image processing and their applications. It concentrates on complex civil applications that require 3D visualization. Prerequisites: DDT 111, DDT 183, and DDT 253 or CCT 225 with a grade of “C” or better or industry experience approved by the department chair. 4 credit hours.

DDT 282 Advanced Civil Design I. This course teaches 3D modeling applications for designing site plans. Applicable standards and land drainage problems are addressed. Prerequisite: DDT 280 with a grade of “C” or better. 3 credit hours.

DDT 284 Advanced Civil Design II. This course teaches 3D modeling applications for basic road designs. Road alignment standards are addressed. Prerequisite: DDT 282 with a grade of “C” or better. 3 credit hours.

DDT 290 CAD Drafting Systems. This course provides students with an understanding of Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) operating systems, programming languages, macros, and networks. Customization of CAD software is also covered. Prerequisites: DDT 151, DDT 184, DDT 253 or DDT 254, and COM 211 with a grade of “C” or better or industry experience approved by the department chair. 3 credit hours.

DDT 292 Fundamentals of 3D Animation. This course provides students with an understanding of the selection, organization, and rendering of different materials. The student will create introductory animations using a 3D modeling software. Prerequisite: DDT 290 with a grade of “C” or better. 3 credit hours.

DDT 294 3D Animation Applications. This course provides students with an understanding of animation theories and practices. Students will create animation applications using a 3D modeling software. Prerequisite: DDT 292 with a grade of “C” or better. 3 credit hours.

DDT 299 Special Topics in Design Drafting Technology. Special Topics in Design Drafting Technology (DDT) may include instruction on topics not covered in other DDT courses. Topics covered in other DDT courses may also be covered in more depth in this special topics course. Projects may be undertaken in any area related to the major program with credit hours determined by the level and amount of involvement. The minimum involvement required for one credit is 30 contact hours. The specific topic(s), objectives, plan of instruction, and evaluation criteria must be documented in the syllabus; approved by the Department/Division Chair; and filed in the Academic Records Office. Students may complete more than one Special Topics course, provided that the credits earned in this manner do not exceed a total of four (4) credits. 1-4 credit hours.