ray210•11d ago

Hand drafting vs digital for my latest residential project

I had to do a duplex floor plan last month and decided to rough it out by hand first like the old days. Took me about 6 hours just to get the basic walls and dimensions down. Then I scanned it and finished in CAD in maybe 2 more hours. The hand drawn version let me move faster on the initial layout without getting stuck on layers and lineweights. Has anyone else found jumping between the two methods saves time, or am I just slow with the software?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_chen11d ago

My hand sketches look like a kindergartner's scribbles so CAD saves my clients.

sullivan.john11d ago

Ever had a friend who could explain a complex roof framing in one sketch but couldn't draw a straight line to save his life? My buddy Tom is exactly that guy. He tried sketching a simple elevation for a client once and ended up drawing something that looked more like a deformed octopus than a house. The client actually laughed and asked if he was designing a playground for aliens. After that, he swore off hand sketches completely and just uses CAD all the time now.