Way back in the olden days, when people used to produce floor plans using paper and pencil, a great deal of attention was paid to the number of hours and minutes it took for a draftsperson to complete the production of a single drawing sheet. In fact, many firms were able to determine their fees merely by calculating how many drawing sheets would be needed for the project.

Over the years, techniques had evolved to improve the quality and productivity of the drafting process. Right-handed designers and draftsmen were taught to begin their drawing sheets on the left side and build the drawing from left to right in order to avoid smearing and smudging by the right forearm. Another nuance of the manual drafting process was the technique of drawing something very lightly at first and then stroking very dark lines on top of the light outline for the solid finished product. A more subtle technique was the turning of the graphite holder while drawing a line in order to keep the point sharp for the next line.

These techniques became (and in many offices still are) fundamental components of the hand-drafting process. Many decades and even centuries of mechanical and architectural drawing had crafted their evolution. They had evolved slowly over time and were handed down from generation to generation via the apprenticeship process. In today's environment where computers are supplanting the drafting board, very little seems to have been written or discussed about the best techniques for drawing on computer. Obvious reasons for this include:

• the fact that computers have been a significant part of our lives for only a few years;
• plus the relative emphasis on the hardware and software as the focal point of our decision-making.

It can be argued, however, that an intelligent, well-conceived and systematic methodology for the production of computer-based drawings can have a dramatic impact on the quality, creativity and productivity of our work. To put it another way, I'd rather have a 33 MHz 386 machine with a smart drawing strategy than a 200 MHz Pentium and no methodology at all.

Guidelines
"Methodology" in this sense does not mean the setup of drawing layers or graphic standards such as fonts or line weights. A smart layering approach can certainly help (the fewer layers the better), but it is only one of the very first steps in a long journey. A systematic methodology for the production of drawings can provide clear and helpful guidelines on:

• where to begin;
• what to draw first;
• when to review the drawing's progress;
• when to "clean up" the drawing;
• and how to complete the drawing.

Each of these guidelines should be applicable regardless of what drawing software is being used.

Most of us who are familiar with some form of computer-aided design and drafting have likely been through one or more training classes on how to use the software. Basic software training, typically for those with little computer experience, tends to focus on where commands and features are located and how to perform basic functions. If we're lucky (or perhaps unlucky) enough to find ourselves in an advanced training situation, the tendency is to concentrate on advanced features and perhaps "power-user" shortcuts for using the software. Training always focuses inward on the software itself. Rarely, if ever, is there a training class with an emphasis on the process for assembly of a floor plan document or a sheet of details.

Whether making a sales presentation or performing actual software training classes, CADD trainers or vendors will focus on software features which automate the production of floor plans, such as drawing automatic double-line walls, adding door symbols, cleaning up wall intersections as you draw, inserting automatic or "smart" dimensions, or relocating a window along a wall. What becomes apparent is that most of these people are clueless about how an initial design concept can evolve and be presented in several incarnations over the many weeks or months of a project, from a schematic idea to a final construction document.

Many CADD software programs include these features or add-ons (sometimes at a hefty additional cost!) to assist the architect or interior designer in creating his or her floor plan. This can become problematic when the user thinks that this is the way floor plans are done in this program, and he or she doesn't realize that alternative, and perhaps better ways to build the drawing exist. A good drawing software program is one which gives the user options. It should have features to aid in the production of architectural floor plans but should not force the user to build his or her drawing in an inflexible way.

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