Drafting software such as AutoCAD has made it easier than ever to create high-quality engineering drawings. However, you might be curious to know how it worked before these solutions came along. Here we’ll go over how people drafted engineering drawings using old-school solutions and paper. This puts into perspective how far we’ve come along in this industry as we make the transition to a paperless future.

Going Back to the Drawing Board

Years before the introduction of AutoCAD and other platforms, drawings were drafted using large sheets of paper and drawing boards. In addition to these materials, various supplies helped create drawings. These include erasers, set squares, pencils of various grades, and T-squares, among other items. There was arguably an admirable amount of artistry and crafting that went into engineering drawings in those days. But the process was more time-consuming, costlier, and generally less efficient.

Drafting and design have a long history starting, as far as we can see, around 2,000 B.C. The first evidence of drafting came from this period in the form of a drawn aerial view of a castle in Babylon. Since then, drafting has developed into an art that’s relied on the work of well-trained and inherently talented designers. As a result, many skilled designers have contributed to archaic structures that remain modern marvels to this day.

In the early days of drafting and until recent decades, engineering entailed working with paper to manually draw floorplans and designs using basic drawing tools. Things began to evolve in 1963 when Ivan Sutherland developed Sketchpad. This was essentially the first computer-aided design (CAD) program that gave users the ability to place x-y plots on drafts. The program wasn’t widely used and didn’t truly change the way designs were produced at the time. However, it was a sign of things to come in the years ahead. It was the launching point for a wave of automation and innovation that would eventually alter the industry forever. 

The Introduction of CAD

Engineers with firms and institutions such as Citroen, GM, Ford, Boeing, and MIT led the way for the development of CAD as a means of automating the drafting process. Specifically, these engineers made certain financial and intellectual contributions throughout the ’60s as CAD looked to be a game-changer for the aerospace and automotive industries. On the other hand, the limitations of CAD programs at this time still required plenty of manual processes.

Over the next several decades, the drafting industry would continue to evolve as CAD programs became more intuitive, accessible, as well as capable. First came the inception of Autodesk. This was the hardware that would facilitate the use and future development of CAD programs. Once the 1980s came along, the industry would see an even more dramatic change with the development of AutoCAD.

How AutoCAD Revolutionized Engineering Drawings

With the introduction of AutoCAD in 1982 came the establishment of the company behind it, Autodesk, not to be confused with the aforementioned hardware. John Walker founded Autodesk when he and 15 fellow co-founders decided to put together and launch five separate applications for desktop automation, in the hopes that one would thrive. The product that garnered the most success of the five was AutoCAD. It appeared at the COMDEX trade show located in Las Vegas. AutoCAD also became the very first CAD program to run on a PC. Since 1986, AutoCAD has been the most commonly implemented CAD program across the globe.

In the following years, AutoCAD began to see exponential growth, with a whopping 31 versions released since the initial launch in 1982. These upgraded versions included additional features and programs that made the program useful for a variety of applications beyond engineering. One of the advantages of AutoCAD that enabled these developments is the software’s support of automation and customization APIs. These APIs led to the development of various products, including AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Architecture, and AutoCAD Civil 3D. Additionally, the developers have expanded into apps for both cloud-based computing systems and mobile devices. This lead to the creation of A360 Viewer, AutoCAD 360, and Fusion 360, among other programs. When used in conjunction with various documentation platforms, it’s easier than ever to draft, collaborate on, and share designs online.

AutoCAD Today

Today, AutoCAD is useful for mechanical engineers, but it’s also invaluable for many others across a variety of industries. The construction industry primarily uses AutoCAD. Autodesks’ Building Design Suite assists construction engineers through the use of CAD tools and Building Information Modeling (BIM). One notable design project with which AutoCAD helped considerably was the Shanghai Tower. This structure came with many complex elements that required fully capable design tools, which is where AutoCAD came into play. AutoCAD’s BIM enabled the design team to develop in-depth 3D visualizations for the tower to help inform its construction. Additionally, designers could effectively analyze the design to inform their decisions around additional design steps. This includes decisions regarding ways to make the structure more eco-friendly.

What the Future Holds for Engineering Drawings

AutoCAD has made it far easier for engineers and others to draft drawings, share them, and keep track of their many revisions. Many professionals continue to rely on AutoCAD. And a growing number of them are also finding more ways to go completely paperless with their drawings. Gone are the days when manual processes and paperwork were necessary. These materials and steps now merely hinder rather than help draft and manage engineering drawings. Instead, you can create top-quality engineering drawings that deserve to be displayed, and without the need for paper at all.

Through the use of programs like AutoCAD and documentation management systems, you can go without paper drawings entirely as you develop a completely paperless environment. Eliminating paper comes with many benefits. It includes saved storage and workspace, reduced costs associated with paper products, as well as increased productivity, along with other advantages.

If you want to make it easier to manage your drawings and integrate paperless systems into your operations, the Drawing Specialists can help with an innovative drawing management solution. To find out more about what we can do for you, contact us today.

You don’t need an engineering degree to read an engineering drawing. Stick around we’re going to teach you the basics and purpose of engineering drawings. How do you read an engineering drawing?

First off, what are Engineering Drawings?

Engineering Drawings go by many names such as; Blueprints, Plans, Mechanical Drawings, A Drafting, Design Plans, Technical Drawings, etc. They can range in size and complexity, anything from; drawings for the design of a door hinge all the way to the complete Mechanical layout of a Hospital. They often contain multiple viewpoints and contain the assembly details for an object, for the sake of this article that we will assume that object is a multistory building.

What is the Purpose of Engineering Drawings? 

Engineering Drawings go through a life-cycle where the purpose changes.  As they transfer through these stages they often switch ownership and are used for a variety of purposes depending on the stage. Each stage is comprised of a series of revisions and approval processing before transferring to the next stage.

Design and Planning Stages – Engineers and Architects – costing, materials, structural details, project timeline and phases

Construction – These are the plans used to construct the building. Dimensions, materials, details, etc.

Operation and Maintenance – These are the plans handed over to the building owner after the building is constructed. These are used for the general function and upkeep of the building, planning for any new renovations, locations of services in the building, etc.

Next up, how do you read an Engineering Drawing?

Reading Engineering Drawings 

Let’s start with the cover page. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on an in-tact complete set that hasn’t been torn apart yet, you’ve struck gold!

The cover page ‘generally’ has a ton of valuable information that is useful when it comes to interpreting all the other drawings throughout the set – consider this your answer key when trying to decode your drawings.

A good Cover Page will include:

• Project Name and Number 
• Revision Status and Date  
• Drawing Index 
• Key Plan   
• Names & Contact Info of Consultants, Engineers, Architects, Facility Managers 
• General Notes
• Legend (Symbols for Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical, Structural) 
• Finish Schedules, Door Types, Wall Partition Types, etc…  

Read the Title Block 

Next up, we’ll share how to read the title block. The set will then be split into sections based on the different disciplines; Site, Structural, Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical. The Title Block is generally in the bottom right corner on most drawings and contains the following information;

Drawing Number – Specific to the company’s set of standards

Drawing Title – Brief, clear description of the drawing contents

Project Number – Number designation for set of drawings

Some drawings will contain a second project number or branch number for internal use, when the numbering system of the facility differs from that used by the architect/engineer.

Year – The original date the drawing was created.

• Note this does not necessarily mean this is the most current date of the drawing, a drawing will typically go through years of revisions.

Author – the creator of the drawing (will change throughout a drawing set based on the discipline)

Scale – Ratio between what is drawn and actual measurement

Checked (CHK’D) – area for initial sign off of person reviewing the drawing for accuracy

Revisions – This will often be a list with multiple entries depending on which stage the drawing is at in the project life-cycle. This shows previous changes and stages of the drawing and is listed chronologically.

Types of Drawings

Finally, the Sequence of drawings is categorized by Major Disciplines and then further divided into sub-disciplines.

Major Disciplines: Site, Structural, Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical

The Site Set – This will focus on the entire property that the building is located on. It will show locations of buildings, locations of mechanical and electrical services, property lines and landscaping details.

The Structural Set – is how the building is built. These primarily focus on the load-carrying components of the building. This consists of Foundation Plans, Framing, Elevations, Sections and Details.

The Architectural set – is the design of the building. This focuses on the way the building appears and its layout. These include Floorplans, Millwork Details, Interior Elevations, Wall types, Sections, Reflected Ceiling Plans and so forth.

The Electrical Set – shows the layout of the electrical components throughout the building. These consist of Power layout, systems, lighting, emergency and life safety, Nurse call, Single Line Diagrams, riser diagrams, communications, Controls, Schematics, etc…

The Mechanical Set – is divided into HVAC Ventilation, Heating & Cooling Piping, Plumbing & Drainage, Medical & Laboratory Gases, Sprinklers, Riser Diagrams, etc.

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In Summary

Therefore, due to the variety of purposes of engineering drawings, the level of detail and required knowledge to interpret them can vary greatly. For instance, an Electrical Engineer will have a completely different use for them compared to someone needing them for furniture layouts and space allocation. This brief summary of how do you read an Engineering Drawing was designed to be an introduction at a very top-level for anyone new to the world of engineering drawings.

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