Being able to work with computer-aided design (CAD) software can lead to an excellent career choice because everything that is going to be made or built will first require that a plan is made for it. Something must be put on paper or on a computer screen that someone else can take and build a 3-D object from it. This is the job of a draftsman (also called a drafter), and most likely they will use some CAD program to do it. Here is a look at the various types of things that a trained draftsman will be responsible to draw and how to get a drafting job.
Shop Drawings
Before any physical object is built, large or small, such as a mechanical component in an engine (as well as the entire engine), or tool, every piece is put on a CAD drawing. During this development stage, before the part or entire object is built, it can easily be modified and money can be saved. The drawing enables engineers and designers to look at the part more carefully and modify it before actually making a sample or the real thing. Each part of a larger object must be drawn accurately and to scale. Once the drawing is approved, the company making it can move on to the next phase of actually building a model of it.
Using CAD for Landscape Design
Professional landscapers will often use CAD software to design a custom landscape. Drawing it in CAD enables them to draw the yard plan accurately, showing where everything will go when the project is finished. It not only reveals the locations and types of yard work to be done, but modifications to the plan can also be made rather easily. They may also present two or three alternatives so that the homeowner can choose what they think are the best designs. Plans can reveal the location and construction of a deck, a patio, pool area, walkways, ponds, trellises, bridges, trees, shrubs, etc.
Design Your Own House or an Addition
Many people learn to draw in CAD so that they can draw their own house plans. This gives them the skill that they need to be able to put together the various house and floor plans needed to build their next home. Plans include the foundation, the elevations, the floor plan, electrical, site plan, cross-section, and more. With this knowledge, plans could also be made for an addition to your home or for a remodeling project.
Choosing a Career in Drafting
There are many different types of careers that you can get involved in within the drafting field. Drafters are needed in many fields, including architectural, mechanical, structural, electronic, machine, electrical, illustrative, reproductive, and topographical. Each field may vary as to which of the many CAD programs are used, and different companies have their preferences, too.
Personal Qualifications for a Drafter
Both men and women are drafting today. It is not a difficult field to get into, largely because so many are needed. People that are best suited for this type of career are those who are willing to learn the software well, can sit for long periods at a computer, and have a mind for detail and precision. There is no room for carelessness in this field because each drawing must be as precise as possible. Those who can learn quickly and care about their results, as well as learn to double-check their drawings and details, can succeed in this field. Ongoing learning is also important because the drafter that can also learn other CAD programs well is going to stay in demand.
Working as a drafter has a great promise in the future. As long as companies continue to try and outdo each other with the newest and latest equipment or models, and as long as companies seek to develop new things, there will always be a need for a drafter. CAD companies also continue to develop new programs to make it easier, and they continue to add new features, too. Taking an online drafting program to learn CAD drawing is the first step you need.
Tim Davis is a trained architectural drafter and designer who teaches residential drafting over the internet at http://houseplandrafting.us/. He also offers a package of CAD symbols for download at http://homedesign.8m.com/details/ and complete House Plan CAD Files Archive at http://draftingservice.us/
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