How Is Drafting Related to Architecture?

Drafting is a method of producing technical drawings that are communications in graphic form.  These can be done on a drawing board with drafting instruments or produced by 2D and 3D software in computer assisted design (CAD) programs. They are visual guides and instructions on how to construct a building for an architect.  Architects rarely do the actual drafting but leave this detailed task to the drafter.

What is Drafting

• A drafter or draftsman works for architects, civil engineers and scientists to produce detailed construction specifications, materials specifications and step-by-step guides to producing buildings, highway overpasses and computer chips.  


• According to their very detailed and visual instructions, they can communicate how to create the forms from these depicted ideas.  


• The paper or computer program designs are filled with all the details necessary for an architect to then use them to develop proposals.  


• With these designed plans, they can communicate their design ideas to potential customers as well as to the construction managers and building contractors assigned the tasks to complete.

Uses of Drafting Software

• When 2D CAD programs started replacing the paper plans and drawing board, their main contribution to the skills developed by a draftsman is that they gave him the opportunity to make revisions and print out those revisions without starting from scratch again on a new sheet of paper or spending hours erasing lines and redrawing.  Deadlines became easier to meet.   


• The introduction of 3D CAD programs gave the draftsman the flexibility of developing each individual part from saved templates and making adjustments as needed. 


• Producing the final design into a photorealistic view is done by assembling these individual parts together as one would put together a jigsaw puzzle.


• The architect can then explore the rendering from multiple viewpoints to isolate and analyze structural problem possibilities and more easily see the remedies.  


• Architects appreciate this added flexibility as it allows plan development from their rude sketches to be adjusted over and over during the proposal process and to meet the extra expectations or needs of potential clients.  


• There are other complimentary software programs that allow these visualizations to be turned into short architecture animations with added colors, textures, and lighting.  Some programs can even incorporate moving objects like people and cars into the scene. These are an effective tool for presentations.

Paper or CAD

• It has been suggested that these added technologies to the design process have set architecture back as much as it has aided it.  


• The hours spent over a drafting table with paper and pencil or pen produced a level of concentration and focus on detail that is not readily achieved when done on a computer terminal.  


• Some architects have even suggested that without this thoughtful investigation to every aspect and detail of the designs, that competency of design is being lost and innovative ideas are actually never allowed the time to develop.  


• Many successful architects have learned the balance of using both paper and computer driven designs to contribute to the final plans.  These architects and draftsmen are considering that despite deadlines the whole quality of designs and the buildings they produce should not be sacrificed to a one-sided fascination with useful technologies.