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Ductwork Shop Drawings
Below is a sample of one of my recent ductwork shop drawing projects. I created these drawings for a mechanical contractor. This client of mine provides mechanical services for new construction, rehabilitation, repair and maintenance of institutional heating, ventilation and
Architectural Drafters
I’ve been running draftingservices.com since 2007. We provide all kinds of drafting support to architects, contractors, engineers and etc.. Currently we have a few different ongoing projects. One of these projects is to draft the construction drawings of a house.
Top CAD Blogs of 2016
Hey, happy soon to be 2017! I know it’s cliche, because everyone says it, but I can’t believe 2016 is almost completed. It’s crazy. Time flies. The end of 2016 brings me to my customary year end Top CAD Blogs
Top CAD Blogs of 2015
Welcome, and wazzup! As has been my custom for the past 4 years, on basically the last day of the year I post the Top CAD Blogs of the year. Once again, I’m at it. Let’s see who ranked where.
Top CAD Blogs of 2014
Welcome to my fourth annual “Top CAD Blogs” post! Just like last year
Building Surveys
The term “building survey” can mean different things to different people. Below is a partial list of how different professionals may use the term.
Paper to CAD Conversions
“Paper to cad” is a shorthand phrase that refers to the act of converting a set of paper drawings into CAD format. The focus of this article will be an introductory level explanation of the topic.
Rent AutoCAD or Revit
Yes, you can now rent AutoCAD LT!! Okay, it’s only the LT version, but that should be good enough for many people’s needs. Here’s how you can rent it.
Why AutoCAD is still Relevant
AutoCAD is the most popular drafting software in the world – and has been since
Top CAD Blogs of 2012
This is my second annual “Top CAD Blogs” post. I changed things up a bit this year, in hopes that it’d make this post more straight forward. In last year’s
Creating a Simple Linetype in AutoCAD
Creating your own AutoCAD linetype is pretty easy to do. Today’s blog post will be
Hatch Pattern Gap Tolerance – HPGAPTOL
Recently I received a Boundary Definition Error while drafting in AutoCAD. I got the error message when I was trying to hatch the exterior wall of a building that I drafted.
Free NVIDIA Computer Graphics Card
Back in October of 2010 I bought a Quadro FX 580 graphics card for my then new computer. I paid $160 for it, and eventually determined that it wasn’t compatible with my Dell Inspiron 560 computer.
My Standing Desk
The other week I wrote about the ergonomic mouse that I bought in hopes it would aleviate the pain I have in the top of my hands and forearms. The mouse definitely did help some, but my pain is due
How to Rename an AutoCAD Block
Last week I was working on a floor plan drafting project. The project called for me to measure and draft the floor plans of a penthouse apartment on 5th Avenue in New York City. I also had to include the
Backing Up Your CAD Files
As a sole proprietor I run my own drafting services business, and up until now I’ve been using an external hard drive to backup my CAD files. This has been good, but in reality, not good enough.
Help! My Hand and Forearm Hurt!
If you’ve been on a computer for years, like I have, then you may have found yourself Googling phrases like “pain in the back of the hand” or “ergonomic workstation” or etc. If you have, then you’re not alone, because
AutoCAD System Variables
If you’re an AutoCAD user, then sooner or later you will come across “system variables”. I consider these to be a little less intuitive part of AutoCAD, then other parts of the software. Let me explain.
A Home Architectural Survey Defined
Has your Architect told you that you need an Architectural Survey performed on your house, in order for him to create the home remodeling drawings that you hired him for? Well, if this is so, then you’re not the first
AutoCAD Cheat Sheet
The mouse is death!! This is a phrase I’ve heard, in reference to one working efficiently on his computer. What it means is, given the choice between using your mouse to execute commands vs. using keyboard shortcuts to execute commands,
Evaluating the Decision to Use a Provider of Outsourced CAD Drafting Services
If you run or manage a company in the AEC Industry, are feeling a pinch in your project budgets, and your company is in need of drafting services, then using a provider of outsourced AutoCAD drafting services instead of keeping
AutoCAD Image Border
When an image is inserted into an AutoCAD drawing, it comes in with a border. The border is more properly known as a frame. I first became aware of the image frame when
An Introduction to Point Cloud Data
These days, within the AEC industry, and within many other industries too, cloud is a buzzword that I hear fairly often. In my circles the word most often refers to computing or storing data in a cloud. The cloud is
Theater Floor Plans | Project Summary 15
Every once in a while I’ll get a request to measure a theater in order to draft CAD floor plans of it. Below I describe one such project.
How to Run AutoCAD 2007 in Windows 7
It was in July of 2010 that I switched from Windows XP to Windows 7.
CADD Geek Health Issues
Here’s a superb video interview of Dr. Andrew Weil, in which the interviewer Kevin Rose asks Dr. Weil health questions that relate to computer geek lifestyles. CADD people certainly spend
Floor Plan Survey | Project Summary 13
One of the drafting services that I provide is floor plan surveys. In this post, as a continuation in my series of project summary posts, I’ll review a project on which I provided such services.
Measured Drawings | Project Summary 12
Measured drawings of multistory buildings and residential spaces
An Interview of GrabCAD’s Indrek Narusk
Recently while I was browsing the web I ran across
CAD Floor Plans | Project Summary 11
On a regular basis I create CAD floor plan drawings of existing buildings. Today I’ll dive into my project archives and summarize one such project.
Real Estate Floor Plans | Project Summary 10
Today I’ll review a project that I completed two weeks ago. The scope of work was
Construction Drawings Defined
I was just doing some web queries on “construction drawings”
The #CAD Twitter Hashtag
I just realized that we in the CAD community may be able to answer each other’s questions by using the #CAD Twitter hashtag
Commercial Building Floor Plans | Project Summary 9
A few weeks ago an architecture firm, who I’ve done business with in the past, contacted me and requested a cost proposal to field verify the accuracy of two of their AutoCAD files that contained commercial building floor plans. The
Building Measuring | Project Summary 8
Measuring buildings, for the purpose of creating CAD drawings of them, is what I do for a living. It is something that I thoroughly enjoy doing, and each building is a challenge. I get great satisfaction out of trying to
Riding Out An Earthquake Here In Queens, NY
The life of a CAD Drafter can be more perilous than one might think. It can include riding out an EARTHQUAKE at 1:52 pm in the afternoon!!
Floor Plan Service | Project Summary 7
Drafting service businesses, such as mine, provide floor plan services. Doing so entails going to a building (or house) to measure its floor plans, followed by creating a CAD drawing that is based upon the measurements.
Free Autodesk Architecture & Building Solutions Webinar 9-13-11
Yesterday I received an email invite from Autodesk to
As-Built Documentation | Project Summary 5
To provide as-built documentation services is to record the as-constructed configuration of something. That something could be a structure, mechanical system, plumbing system, or etc.
Existing Conditions Drafting | Project Summary 3
Existing conditions drafting is the act of
AutoCAD Mouse Wheel Zoom
If you use AutoCAD a fair amount like I do, and have been doing so for many years, then
Residential House Drawings | Project Summary 2
Here’s a project on which I needed to create floor plan drawings and exterior elevation drawings of a two story (plus a full basement) residential house in the Bronx, NY. The drawings were delivered to my client in AutoCAD format.
Existing Conditions Drawings | Project Summary 1
A set of existing conditions drawings for an existing structure are created from on-site measurements of the structure. The on-site measuring is sometimes loosely referred to as a survey. Once the structure is surveyed, the field measurements are used to
Project Photofly v2 Resources
Creating 2D as-built building elevation drawings in AutoCAD format is one of the services that I provide as a CAD consultant. Typically such drawings are required by my AEC industry clients for
Top Ten CAD Blogs As Of May 2011
This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, and here in New York City it’s a point in the year that always seems to me to be a time of transition. I think I get this impression because, quite amazingly, this weekend