Key details

Alias training for beginners, teaching key techniques for concept surfacing, technical surfacing, product design and visualisation.

Autodesk Alias is a powerful surfacing and designing software used widely in industries with a requirement to design and style. It offers a comprehensive toolset that enables designers to transfer their ideas into reality.

Alias training teaches new users key techniques in the software. Sessions include:

• Overview of the Alias interface.
• The principles of basic curve and surface creation and geometry manipulation.
• Modelling and editing tools.
• Concept surfacing and technical surfacing practices and procedures.
• Rendering
• Surface Evaluation

We host scheduled Alias courses at our centres in Bromsgrove (close to Birmingham) and Reading. On-request Alias courses (one-to-one Alias training or an Alias ‘closed course’ for your group) is available at all of our centres, or your venue anywhere in the UK.

In-class or online

This course is available in-class at eight centres or live online.

Upcoming course dates

What Alias products are covered?

This course is based primarily on the Alias Design software, and this is the version you’ll practice on whilst attending training.

Many of the techniques taught in this course are relevant to the Alias AutoStudio, Alias Surface and Alias Concept products.

Who should attend?

This course is ideal for anyone who wants to begin using the Alias software for product design.

Whilst many delegates are working (or are going to be working) in the automotive industry, this course is relevant to anyone in a design and styling role, including those working in the marine, aerospace, sports equipment and consumer product industries.

Accredited Alias training

Armada is an Autodesk authorised Training Centre (ATC), and our Alias training courses are accredited by Autodesk.

Alias courses are hosted by Carl Portman, an Autodesk Certified Instructor from an engineering background who has worked extensively in the automotive industry.

How will I learn?

Alias training is hands-on and practical.

Our trainers teach the necessary theory then demonstrate techniques step-by-step. You then practice the techniques taught by designing a range of different products yourself, assisted by our trainer as required.

There is plenty of time to ask questions, and you can take away all the files you create.

Training guide and certificate

Course delegates receive:

• A comprehensive training guide for Alias, to refer to throughout the course, and to use as a refresher afterwards.
• An e-certificate confirming successful completion of an accredited Alias training course. Click here to see an example of the certificate you receive.

After course support

Following Alias training, delegates are entitled to 30 days’ email support from their Alias trainer to help with any post-course issues. For further details, see Support.

Prerequisites

No prior Alias or CAD experience is necessary.

Alias version

Training can be based on any recent version of Alias to suit you.

General information

Course times

Standard course times are 9.30am–4.30pm.

As we’d be hosting this as a ‘closed course’ for you/your group, there’s usually flexibility to change these times to suit you, e.g. start or end 30 minutes earlier or later.

Payment

Payment for Alias training can be made by:

• Bank transfer. Please call 01527 834783 for our bank details.
• Card. All major credit and debit cards accepted. Payment can be made securely online or over the phone. Card payments are processed by Stripe. Armada doesn’t record or store your card details.

Purchase orders

We accept purchase orders from UK-registered companies and public sector organisations.

Accommodation

See Accommodation local to our training centres.

Cancellations and postponements

If an on-request Alias course booking is cancelled giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a cancellation fee is payable. View cancellation terms.

If an on-request Alias course booking is postponed giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a postponement fee is payable. View postponement terms.

Terms and conditions

Expert trainer

Carl Portman

Carl Portman has been an Autodesk-accredited instructor for 25 years, a College Lecturer (City and Guilds 3D modelling) for 15 years and a CAD consultant for 35 years.

Carl’s background is in engineering. He has vast design experience in a wide range of industries, including automotive, aerospace and medical, and he continues to carry out project work for a range of clients. Projects that Carl has completed include designing complete car plants for Jaguar Land Rover.

Carl has expert knowledge of:

• A wide range of 3D design applications used in engineering, including AutoCAD, Alias, Fusion 360, Inventor and SolidWorks.
• Machining, CAM and CNC.

Away from work, Carl’s passion is motorsport, and until recently he raced motorbikes. He knows Silverstone and Brands Hatch like the back of his hand, and he has the scars to prove it.

Course content

Getting Started with Autodesk Alias

• Introduction to Alias
• Basic Terms used in Alias
• Representation of Curves
• Representation of Surfaces
• The Alias Interface
• History View
• Windows Layouts
• Marking Menus
• Viewing Panels
• ViewCube
• Workflows in Alias
• Understanding Symbols in Menu, Palette, and Shelves Window
• Hot Keys
• Creating Customized Schemes
• Object Lister Window
• Different States of Node

Working with Basic Tools

• Introduction to Basic Tools
• Selecting Tools
• Methods of Creating Objects
• Creating Keypoint Curves
• Features of a Curve
• Creating Curves
• Creating Primitives
• Pick Tools
• Transform Tools
• Shading Objects in View Windows

Working with Surfaces

• Creating Surfaces
• Editing Features
• Editing Keypoint Curves
• Construction Objects
• Working with Layers
• Controlling the Display of Objects
• Controlling the Visibility of Objects
• Secondary Surfaces
• Creating a Fillet Surface
• Creating Freeform Blend Surface
• Creating a Profile Blend Surface
• Modifying the Objects Proportionally
• Moving the CVs Normally

Editing Surfaces

• Generating Curves-on-Surface
• Duplicating Objects

Advanced Surface Modelling Tools

• Creating a Rail Surface
• Creating a Square Surface
• Creating N-Sided Surfaces
• Creating Multi-Surface Drafts
• Transforming the CVs and Hulls
• Advanced Modelling
• Refining the Edges of Surfaces

Editing Tools

• Editing Curves
• Modifying a Curve
• Breaking Curves
• Sectioning a Group of Curves
• Editing Objects
• Attaching Objects
• Detaching an Object
• Inserting Edit Points into an Object
• Extending an Object
• Offsetting Objects
• Setting the Surface Orientation
• Unifying the Normals of Surfaces

Basics of Rendering

• Introduction to Rendering
• Key Rendering Techniques in Alias
• Lighting
• Shadows

Surface Elevation

• Introduction to Surface Elevation
• Canvas layers
• Colour Schemes

Live online training

Online training lets you participate in a live Alias course from your place of work or home.

We do everything possible to make your online training experience as close as possible to actually being in the classroom. You can:

• See and hear our trainer, and the other delegates participating in the course…
  
• Watch our trainer demonstrate techniques in Alias.
• Interact by speaking, or using chat.
• Share your screen with our trainer, and allow them to take control to explain something.

Like our in-class courses, online Alias courses…

• Are presented by Autodesk Certified Instructors.
• Give you plenty of opportunity to carry out assisted, practical exercises using Alias.
• Offer 30 days’ email support from your trainer.

All you need is an Internet-connected computer with…

• Alias installed. If you don’t have a current subscription to Alias, you’re entitled to a 30-day trial that’s ideal for participating in training. We’ll send you a link to this. If you’ve already used your trial, we can lend you a license for the duration of your course.
• A webcam and audio capability. If your computer running Alias doesn’t have these, you can use a second device, such as another computer or tablet. See Hardware recommendations for live online training for further details.

If there’s anything you’re not sure about we’ll do our best to help you. We won’t be able to assist with your Alias installation, but we can provide details for Autodesk support who’ll be able to help you with this.

We provide everything else…

• Links to download the files, resources, etc. you’ll use in your course.
• A training guide. For most courses, you can choose from a printed copy that we post to you, or a PDF.

In the week before your course, we’ll send you an email containing everything you need to prepare for and participate in the training. Then, a couple of days before your course, we’ll give you a courtesy call to make sure you have everything in place and answer any questions you may have.

Please note that we are not able to record scheduled online courses for privacy reasons.

When you attend live online training, you’re participating in a real course, hosted by a real trainer, in real time