CAD DRAFTING PROCESS: EVERY STAGE FROM BRIEF TO DELIVERY

CAD drafting provides easy and effective solutions for any kind of design and architectural projects. Outsource 2D drawing services help not only to save time but also cut the budget without losing high quality.

Contents:

• Before any drawing starts
• #1. Creating a brief
• #2. Sending references
• #3. Monitoring the process
• #4. Making corrections
• #5. Format and resolution
• Approval and what happens after
• If the project is 3D or BIM
• CAD drafting process FAQ

Before Any Drawing Starts

The first contact is usually an email with three photos and a question about price. Fine. From there the sequence is short.

A client manager answers, asks what the drawings are for, and gives an hour estimate. Free, and it should be a number, not a range with a shrug in it.

Then the paperwork. NDA first, before any file changes hands. Then the agreement covering scope, rate and how many revision rounds are included. Ours includes two, and skipping this conversation is how projects end in an argument about what counts as a correction. If you are still comparing studios, our guide on how to choose a drafting company covers what to check first.

Only after that does anyone open a CAD file.

A design company got a new order that requires not only interior drawings but also furniture and millwork shop drafts. Even though the Designers have two in-house draftsmen, both of them specialize only in interior drawings and can’t do any other type. Now the company needs to find specialists in manufacturing CAD drafting very quickly due to coming deadlines. The problem is that Designers have never worked with an outsource studio before and do not know how the process of cooperation goes. Moreover, they don’t trust freelancers at all. How can they make sure that they will get the desired result while collaborating at a distance?

The design company should not worry at all if they will choose an experienced outsource CAD drafting studio. It provides the guarantees of quality and on-time results as well as regular updates on the progress. Learn how outsourcing speeds up drafting and how to ensure the best outcome of such collaboration.

#1. Creating a Brief

Making a brief is a mandatory step for each CAD drafting task as it determines how accurate the execution of an Architect or Designer’s ideas will be. A well-done brief includes the description of the tasks in detail, the creator’s goals, clear deadlines, required types of drafts and format for the final files, etc. All in all, the main purpose of setting a brief is to accurately explain what an Architect or Designer wants from the draftsmen and what result they hope to achieve.

#2. Sending References

Not a single CAD drafting project’s brief is complete without references on the basis of which specialists create accurate drawings. They usually include the scope of work, architectural or design sketches of the whole project as well as individual parts of it, manual drawings and blueprints. Architects and Designers can also send real estate photographs if CAD draftings are needed for an existing building or room. For more detailed drawings, one can send examples of materials that will be included in a project as well as BIM objects if a Designer or Architect works on their task in 3D software.

Want to know more about CAD services our studio provides? Check out this archive with projects examples and learn more.

See Projects Examples

 

#3. Monitoring The Process

After setting the task, the only thing an Architect or Designer has to do is follow a project’s progress. This includes evaluating intermediate results, checking parameters and other technical characteristics as well as estimating the overall quality of work. For this purpose, many big CAD what different drafting studios specialise in have online platforms that give their clients notifications about all updates of a project. For instance, ArchiCGI offers a CRM platform called Archivizer which is available on all gadgets and helps to keep in contact with the drafting team 24/7.

#4. Making Corrections

Upon receiving the first results, an Architect or Designer should check the drafts on their compliance with the brief. In case of any changes in a project or some noticed inaccuracies, it’s wise to make corrections immediately while the task is still in progress. For example, ArchiCGI studio makes the first two rounds of revisions free of charge as part of the same process. All the following adjustments, especially those that are made after the task is completed, considered as a new project with separate payment.

#5. Deciding On Format and Resolution

CAD drafts are incredibly convenient in terms of the variety of types and formats they can be delivered in. According to the standard, the final result can be sent in such formats as PDF, DWG, DWF / DWFx but more rare options are also possible. In addition, depending on how an Architect or Designer wants to present a project, he can choose the resolution and size of the final files – for A3 or A2 sheets, the bigger printed format, different digital devices, etc. Moreover, CAD drafting services often provide digitizing manual drafts in 2D, 2D in 3D, 3D in realistic live floor plans and so on.

CAD drafting is an effective service for any architectural or design project that must be completed with maximum precision and speed. The extensive possibilities of CAD services allow not only creating the highest quality drawings of any type but also digitizing manual drawings in 2D as well as 2D in 3D. All these options of CAD drafting significantly speed up and simplify the whole process without any efforts on an Architect or Designer’s part.

Approval, and What Happens After

When the set is ready you check it against the brief, not against your memory of the phone call. Everything that was written gets delivered, everything that was not written is a new order.

Approval is worth doing formally. Say the set is accepted, in writing, and note the version. Six months later, when somebody asks why the shelf is 900 and not 850, the approved sheet answers instead of the argument.

Then tell the team what went well and what did not. Studios that hear nothing keep guessing, and guessing costs you hours on the next project.

If the Project Is 3D or BIM

The stages change once modeling enters the picture.

It still starts with a task, but now the brief has to name a level of detail, because a concept mass and a fabrication-ready model are different jobs at different prices.

Modeling comes first, geometry built to that agreed level. Then materials, and if the output is a visual rather than a drawing set, texturing, environment, lighting and camera work follow. That last part is presentation, not documentation, and it is where 3D projects stop resembling drafting at all.

BIM projects skip the pretty stage and spend the time on data instead: parameters, schedules, clash checks against other trades. That shift is the subject of how BIM changed architecture.

Wonder how much high-quality drafting services cost? Check out the examples of our real projects with pricing.

See our pricing

 

Want your projects to always be implemented as quickly and accurately as possible? Use ArchiCGI drafting services and get detailed and high-quality drawings for any type of task.

Valerie Adams
Blog Writer

Valerie is an editor and content writer. She used to work on news and entertainment TV channels and in a fashion & design magazine. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting foreign countries, art events, film and street dancing festivals.

CAD Drafting Process FAQ