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CAD Drawing Service

Top providers of architectural CAD drafting services help convert clients’ dream castles into solid structures of brick and mortar, steel, and concrete. Of course, it is well known that architecture is a creative profession, yet efficiency and productivity can be ensured by establishing a logical process; and architectural CAD drafting services would work closely with the firm to make sure the project is executed flawlessly within the stipulated budget and time and to the satisfaction of all the parties involved. It, therefore, becomes imperative to identify a few important phases of the design process to streamline functioning and improve the quality of workflow.

5 Stages Architectural CAD Drafting Services Help Through To Achieve Flawless Building Projects In 2022
5 Stages Architectural CAD Drafting Services Help Through To Achieve Flawless Building Projects In 2022

Every building starts with a vision, and the massive responsibility to bring this vision to life for the clients is shouldered by the firm. So, the different stages identified to structure the approach hold great significance for the design team as well as for the clients and the overall community. The final outcome of all these efforts depends a lot on the efficient completion of each of these stages, and CAD drafting services providers can play an important role in making it work. Following is a brief discussion of how reputed architectural CAD services can help you through five main stages to ensure projects are executed flawlessly.

  1. The design conceptualization stage

The design team must first have comprehensive interactions with the clients to identify their basic requirements, likes, and dislikes, preferences, and style quotient. Once everything is well understood and listed, work is begun on the initial design scheme. This conceptualization stage is critical for the building process since it sets the tone for and acts as the foundation of the entire project. Multiple alternatives are worked upon, preparing rough sketches illustrating the basic concepts of the design, spatial relationships and different possible juxtapositions, and the basic form of the proposed structure ideally suited to its surroundings and functions. CAD drafting services prepare accurate, presentable sketches used for having discussions with the clients for their approval before moving on to the next stages.

  1. The design development stage

Once you have obtained the client’s approval for the schematic design, it’s time for your design team to start working on design development with minute details. The design process moves towards finalizing each and every aspect including planning, the exterior, and interior layouts, finishes and aesthetics, material specification, general structural details, placement of windows and doors, and so on. CAD drafting services team works on preparing the site plan, elevations, sections, views, etc to have elaborate discussions with the client in order to convey accurately the exact idea of the expected final structure.

  1. Bidding documentation stage

After completing the architectural design and drawing stage, it is time to find out who is actually going to be building the structure. The firm would have a list of possible contractors who have dealt with similar types of projects and are dependable in terms of quality of work and timely delivery. An accurate and precise bid set for the bidders is required to understand the requirements and scope of work in order to accurately price their efforts. Experienced CAD providers help with quality bid documents so there is no confusion or misinterpretation among the bidding teams.

  1. Construction documentation stage

Preparing the detailed construction documentation is another critical stage of the design process. Producing detailed dimension drawings with every conceivable detail is imperative for making the actual construction stage successful. The accurate CD set ensures that general contractors and sub-contractors don’t have any confusions or misinterpretations regarding the design or the construction process to be followed. All the specifications for construction details and materials are prepared along with time schedules for the construction process to be smooth and error-free.

  1. As-built drawings

It’s normal for the design to undergo changes during the construction stage due to various reasons. An accurate idea of the completed structure must be had for efficient facilities management and also for marketing purposes. CAD drafting services professionals with their experience and expertise help prepare accurate and precise as-built drawings that represent how various structural, architectural, and MEP services are assembled. This documentation is ideally prepared after the completion of the construction project.

Construction projects involve heavy investment in terms of time and money, reputed architectural CAD services providers like the AEC Associates help through five critical stages to ensure a faultless execution of the project. You have a trusted partner in completing these important stages- conceptualization stage, design development stage, bid documents stage, construction documentation, and as-built drawings stage- to enable you to produce timeless buildings on a regular basis.

5 Great Benefits Of Associating With CAD Service Providers For Producing Millwork Shop Drawings

Top architects and interior designers have gradually started realizing the importance of working in tandem with CAD Service providers producing millwork shop drawings for the best possible results in the year 2021.

People are often reluctant in using the pre-fabricated furniture, caseworks and cabinets since they don’t usually fit the designated space, it’s always advisable to use customized millwork drawings created by CAD Service providers that perfectly suit the project requirements.

Don’t constrain yourself only by the choices offered by the manufacturers regarding the design, detailing or size. Give yourself freedom and flexibility by going for high-quality, customized designs as per your requirements and taste.

Significance of millwork shop drawings:

Working on millwork shop drawings will help you create architectural millwork and cabinet shop drawings to complete your projects flawlessly in a timely manner.

These customized designs fit your interior space and satisfy your taste and personality. Experienced CAD Drafting companies are an assortment of skilled professionals with expertise in producing precise, accurate drawings for residential, commercial, hospitality and other types of architectural projects.

Let us discuss some main benefits of working closely with these agencies for your millwork drawings.

  1. Services of skilled professionals

You are assured of getting the services of designers and draftsmen specializing in millwork shop drawings using 2D AutoCAD when you outsource the job to experienced third-party vendors.

They specialize in documenting your intent and providing complete, detailed instructions for the manufacturers/ fabricators, thus providing detailed, state-of-the-art drawings for functional, aesthetically pleasing interiors.

  1. Opportunity to focus on your core competencies

You share details about interior spaces and your requirements and preferences while outsourcing the millwork drawing job.

Your outsourcing partner takes care of all aspects including initial take-off of the project, template drawing and modifications/ corrections, sparing you the headache of managing material and labor etc.

This allows you to focus your energies on your core competencies and business development.

  1. Ensuring faster turn-around time

Outsourcing millwork drawings ensures better efficiency, so you receive accurate outputs within shorter turn-around time.

It’s possible to achieve higher turnover without compromising on the quality even when working with limited personnel and resources.

The outsourcing vendor will add up to your capabilities with their expertise and experience.

  1. Availing customized services

CAD Drafting companies have expertise in preparing millwork shop drawings for all types of projects, like hotels and restaurants, commercial complexes, custom residences, railway and bus stations and airports, large and small educational institutions, and so on.

They have expertise in using 2D AutoCAD to provide millwork drawings in your preferred format which is convenient to use.

  1. Giving you flexibility

You have ready access to a team of thorough professionals with expertise in a wide range of millwork services when you partner with reputed outsourcing vendors.

You are assured of artistically prepared, accurate drawings of commercial cabinets, casework, counters, store fixtures, furniture, and so on for high-quality, creative interiors.

These vendors take into consideration all existing standards and have an in-depth knowledge of millwork drawings.

Working with professionals having good practical knowledge of millwork shop drawings is advisable to make your projects efficient and flawless, outsourcing to reputed CAD Service providers can help you achieve this objective.

They ensure better efficiency and productivity while offering top quality and faster turn-around time.

5 Benefits Of Hiring Architectural CAD Drafting Services To Produce Millwork Shop Drawings Using 2D AutoCAD
5 Benefits Of Hiring Architectural CAD Drafting Services To Produce Millwork Shop Drawings Using 2D AutoCAD

Millwork shop drawings help bring designers, manufacturers and architects on the same page for accurate designs and best use of floor space.

The escalating construction costs and complex technologies have completely changed the face of the building industry in the recent years; experienced architectural CAD drafting services providers combine the basic fundamentals with powerful tools to assist you in producing breath-taking buildings on a regular basis.

Millwork shop drawings can play a significant role in making your projects more creative, especially in the context of the retail projects.

The objective of having these drawings is to make specifications of a product/ element clear to the manufacturers by providing them all the relevant information to ensure flawless delivery.

2D AutoCAD is a favoured software for experienced vendors to prepare accurate millwork shop drawings, which go a long way in executing your projects with authority and precision.

Top providers of architectural CAD drafting play a major role in helping flawlessly execute the ambitious building projects within the allotted time and budget.

The true significance of millwork shop drawings:

Designers use all their creativity to design elements, like a cabinet, however, they face several challenges when it comes to giving them the real shape.

They still need some assembly to bring it to life. This is where millwork shop drawings play a significant role. There is a clear specification in these drawings about how parts and pieces of the cabinet will fit together.

In addition, they also detect where the parts or pieces don’t fit, and take corrective steps. These drawings are indispensable when there is a need to produce prototypes, building elements, furniture or some other millwork.

Architectural CAD drafting services bring you many more benefits by producing precise, accurate millwork shop drawings using 2D AutoCAD, some of these advantages are discussed below.

  1. Important design information

A scaled synopsis about how to assemble the final product is displayed in the shop drawings. This is a precise, detailed guideline for the manufacturer/ contractor. Every single relevant information is provided through these drawings, like

  • Components involved
  • Detailed dimensions
  • Materials being used, including the hidden materials (shown in dotted lines)
  • Maximum/ minimum weight limit of the product
  • Specification of joints and connections
  • Treatment of the product and texture desired
  1. Specifications for creating duplicates/ prototypes

It’s common to have multiple furniture/ elements/ products of the same specifications for a project. For example, a structure might require several joists or other elements, or an office interior might incorporate prototypical work stations. The replication job is made easier and more accurate using shop drawings as they are very particular in information  and instructions.

The manufacturers can easily duplicate the process several times for creating the same product each time. The product may also be duplicated quickly in case of a defect being noticed.

  1. Accurate documentation

Millwork drawings can be used as supporting documents in case you find any anomaly. The documentation helps you determine the cause and time of the flaw, and provides a solution for correcting the error.

  1. Accurate component accounting

On-site assembling of multiple loose parts often becomes a necessity while executing a large-scale project. The process can be made more efficient by portraying every individual element as a different section in the shop drawings.

The way the final structure will look and function after all parts are assembled is displayed clearly in millwork drawings.

  1. Accurate cost calculation

The importance of completing projects within the allotted budgets can never be undermined. Experienced architectural CAD drafting services providers facilitate accurate determination of the material costs, quantities required, thus avoiding overstocking of elements through precise shop drawings. This saves you a considerable amount of time and money.

Working closely with architectural CAD drafting service professionals enables you to design efficient structures/ interiors with a finer overall perspective. They produce millwork shop drawings using 2D AutoCAD that provide accurate visuals and allow convenient editing before the actual work is taken up.

Working closely with the reputed CAD service providers like The AEC Associates has become a norm rather than an exception for top architects around the world.

Third-party CAD service providers offer countless benefits contrary to the belief of some people who remain apprehensive about entrusting their important drafting and documentation job to an unknown outsourcing vendor and still prefer to get the work done by their in-house team only.

Following is a brief discussion on the main reasons you should not hesitate in hiring an outsourcing vendor specializing in the kind of work you deal with.

  • You Get Top Quality, Every Time

CAD service providers are teams of experienced, skilled professionals specializing in different disciplines of architecture and engineering, adept at handling both small, retail buildings as well as large, complex projects of all kinds.

You are assured of top-quality work every time when you associate with them. It takes you years of untiring hard work to build a reputation of your own, you just cannot afford to compromise on the accuracy or the quality of work.

Just take your time and choose your vendor after proper due diligence, and your results will improve.

  • Faster Turn-around Time

Time is money in today’s business world, you don’t deliver on time and your reputation is tarnished beyond redemption.

You might get apprehensive you won’t be able to control an outsider when it comes to punctuality, but is that true?

You can of course monitor your timelines closely while getting the job done from your in-house teams, but times have changed and globalization has ensured that most outsourcing vendors are usually located in different geographical locations and time zones than your own.

So, your work goes on even after you have closed down your office for the day. You can manage these vendors by having a time schedule and a good follow-up program in place to ensure a faster turn-around time.

  • Reduces Your Operational Cost Considerably

Some people think that outsourcing one’s work costs more money, but that’s a misconception.

It in fact reduces your operational cost considerably, besides giving you an exact idea of what it is going to cost you once you hire your vendor.

One big plus here is that you are spared the pain of hiring and firing as per the demand of your projects. Since you can work with a minimum number of employees as a result, you can save a lot on office space and equipment, and also on salaries and perks of the employees.

  • Ensures Data Security

Architects are sometimes wary of working with CAD service providers as they are apprehensive about design data being leaked or stolen.

They think that they are at greater risk when working with outside vendors, but it can simply be prevented by entering into contracts like non-disclosure agreements, etc.

Associating with reputed CAD service providers can give you more freedom to focus on your core competencies and business aspect.

They help make your work more efficient by reducing your operational cost, ensuring faster turn-around time, and offering top quality all the time.

 

CAD Design Services

An accurate and precise construction documentation set makes ensures that CAD design services providers are able to maintain the quality of construction at all times, and the project is completed within the specified budget and time period.

It’s the constant endeavour of top providers of CAD design services like The AEC Associates to ensure efficient and successful execution of complex multi-family residential projects in the year 2021 and beyond.

The complexities of multi-level residential projects:

With the advancement in construction technology, the structures of multifamily residential buildings are getting more and more complex with each passing day. There is always a chance of something going wrong during the construction stage. Having accurate construction documentation sets is essential in order to make sure that the construction team and the contractors understand the design perfectly well without any confusion or misinterpretation.

It has become inevitable for CAD design services vendors to adopt the latest technology and methodology to make construction documentation accurate and efficient as per the modern-day requirements. In this cyber age, for example, you just cannot undermine the importance of using digital photographs, webcam or videos for documenting the construction process, you cannot make it smooth and error-free otherwise.

Vital attributes required for preparing CD sets:

Construction projects need huge investments in terms of time and money today, the stakes are very high for your clients and also for you. An accurate and precise CD set is a necessity for ensuring that every single stage of the multi-family residential project remains efficient and error-free from designing to the construction and facilities management stage. A list of a few essential attributes of construction documentation required to achieve these objectives is discussed here.

  • Localized skilled workforce

You just cannot rely too heavily on people issuing instructions through remote control sitting far away from the worksite, too much money is involved to let anything go wrong. Having a localized, skilled workforce in good numbers right at the construction site is paramount. You should have experienced professionals in this team equipped with the know-how and expertise to deal with any emergency situation that might arise anytime. Provide them easy access to a set of accurate and precise documents to enable them to solve any issues quickly and expertly.

  • Specialization in handling similar projects

An accurate CD set protects you against wastage of time, financial losses and damage to your reputation. You need to work with people with expertise and specialization in the same type of projects in order to produce perfect documents. Reputed CAD design services providers employ expert professionals experts in handling different types of unique challenges offered by complex structures in a timely and efficient manner.

  • Access to the right information

Dealing with many specific sets of requirements and making customized solutions is required while executing multi-family residential projects. You must make your information pool accessible to everyone involved to enable them to make the right decisions. It’s imperative to make sure that the entire team from top to bottom is connected and informed on all aspects of the project.

Providers of CAD design services shoulder a huge responsibility while executing a multi-family residential project through to the end within the allotted time and budget. A set of accurate, precise construction documents is required to guide the team with clarity and purpose in order to ensure flawless execution of the project.

At the outset, one feels, the very subject of this article is more a question that a statement: CAD Drawing Services in Interior Design? The question arises from the very fact that by nature

(a)    Interior Design is more site and action oriented than drawing and process driven

(b)   CAD Drawing Services represent an in-sourced or outsourced unit that receives organized inputs as a part of a well-oiled work process.

See the inherent contradiction?

Let’s delve deeper.

Interior Project Types

In Architecture, the answer can often be found in Mies van der Rohe’s immortal lines:

“God lies in the detail”

Interior design has various project types, each with its own nuance, size, standard and trend:

  • Homes: Independent houses, bungalows, suburban villas, country homes: classic, spacious, relaxing ambience blending in nature
  • Residential: Apartments, Condominiums, Penthouses, Luxury Suites: cater to style and megalomania of urban rich, at times the richest in the world
  • Private offices: Small and Medium Enterprise, Individual Owned with pride and economy being at the fore
  • Corporate Interiors: The assembly lines of cubes, the epitome of perfection, system and monotony, with a splash of life and color thrown in for a show of feeling
  • Hospitality: A renowned hotelier once spoke these valuable words at a hotel designers’ conference: “In a hotel, the interiors are not just a background element that create a buying atmosphere or an ambience of productivity. A hotel interior is not a by-product. It’s the product that the hotel sells to its prospective customers!”
  • Retail: A retail interior is the product of an in-depth study by experts in consumer behavior, market dynamics and the psychology of design, all focused on creating just one thing: a buying atmosphere. An ambience that encourages purchase.

Each project type uses CAD Drawing Services in a different way: to know more, read our ensuing Blog: CAD Drawing Services for Interior Project Types

Scope of Work

CAD Drawing Services for Interior Design project would vary in some ways from Architectural or Engineering projects. Here is an overview of the Scope of work, which again would vary with the project size and type:

  • Schematic Design: While it is rare to use CAD Drawing Services at this stages, but large projects need elaborate planning, and oft clients ask for several options before finalization. Some smart sized architects, especially in smart sized cities like New York, Tokyo or Mumbai use the services of CAD Drawing Services with whom they have worked before and have a ‘tuned wavelength’
  • Design Development: CAD Drawing Services are the least used by Interior Designers at this stage, since this is the hands on stage of designing, where ideas are not yet frozen to the extent they need to be for handing over to another unit or firm
  • Construction Documentation: The most commonly outsourced stage to CAD Drawing Services firms. Again, since Interiors Design is a fast tracked hands-on profession, thorough Construction Documentation is done only in some cases such as:
    • Large projects
    • Projects managed by Project Management Companies
    • Countries where Construction Documentation carries legal liability
    • Contractually specified
    • Complex projects
    • Complex and critical services

Outsourcing

Outsourcing in CAD Drawing Services for Interiors may not have caught on as well as in buildings, but there are some fields of Interior Design where CAD Drawing Services are a hit. Here’s a quick look:

  • Retail Interiors: Retail Interior Firms across heavily on Outsourcing of CAD Drawing Services for their roll-outs, because of the following nuances of their work:
    • Repetition: Boring and high volume low price jobs for the Design Firm
    • Zero Error: Each Interior of a Retail Chain must look exactly the same everywhere across the world
    • Time: A new outlet or new look creates excitement amongst prospective buyers. But this faddish fervor has a low shelf life. The key to success of a retail chain is encashing on the cost of opportunity by opening stores across many locations in limited predetermined spans.
    • Hospitality Interiors: As mentioned earlier in this Article, for a hotel the interiors are the product they are selling. Hence Outsourcing of CAD Drawing Services is welcome, allowing the Interior Designers to focus on creativity, perfection and implementation. The huge size and large time scales of the project also allow a CAD Drawing Services to give valuable service with excellent savings

Summarily, CAD Drawing Services have a special and relevant role to play in Interior Design.

Introduction:

Two events, at either end of the ‘90s, revolutionized the way the AEC Industry worked.

First: CAD.  Invented in the 60s, CAD became the medium of drawing production with computers becoming affordable and accessible in the industry by 1990.

Second: Internet. In the later stages of the 90s, the availability and power of the internet allowed drawings to be transferred and shared electronically.

As a result were born an independent unit (in-sourced or outsourced) for drawing production: CAD Drawing Services.                      

Project Stages

Common stages of a Project are:

  • SD
  • DD
  • Permit
  • Bid
  • CD
  • As-Built

SD (Schematic Design)

This is the stage, as the name suggests, where the design evolves. Spaces and areas get allocated; forms are imagined (and drawn). Put best, this is the stage where ideas take shape. On paper.

CAD Drawing Services at this stage help the designer:

a)      Get a correct idea of the limitations by furnishing CAD drawings of the site, denoting boundaries, set-backs and other statutory spaces to be left

b)      Discuss the form of the building by quick conversions of the designer’s sketches to wire frame 3D models, and then, later, rendering them

c)       Creating zoning layouts or block diagrams when panning starts, based on the designer’s instructions

At this stage, these outputs are required with a quick turnaround, and may go through many revisions.

To control the design better at this creative stage, the designer mostly performs the next stage himself, that is: First-Cut Plans and Elevations

DD (Design Development)

The involvement of CAD Drawing Services increases here, as these events occur:

  • Floor plans and elevations are detailed out
  • Sections and details are created
  • Drawings go out to Engineering Consultants for incorporation of services
  • Permit sets are sent to Authorities and Statutory Bodies
  • Tender drawings are sent Out for Bid

At these stages the interaction between the Designer and CAD Drawing Services is very high, since the final designs are being created. Typically, an AEC Firms employs a tried and trusted CAD Drawing Services Firm for support at the Design Development stage.

CD (Construction Documentation)

Designs are drawn to enable accurate construction at site. To make this happen, the DD set goes through the following processes:

  • Final client approvals
  • Incorporation of all Engineering Services
  • Retrofits and changes per Shop Drawings submitted by the selected vendors and contractors
  • Amendments per comments on the Permit Sets
  • Site related adjustments, if any

Since Design inputs are 90% complete, these drawings are the ones most commonly Outsourced to CAD Drawing Services. It allows the Designer to spend more time on design and coordination. It also gives a better opportunity to check for any drawing errors that alter the design intent.

The CD Set is also a legal document which the contractor must abide when constructing.

The AEC firm can be sued for damages if any errors occur on site due to faulty drawings.

As-Built Set

After construction, a detailed set of the final design, as constructed on set, is prepared for client records. Unless changes between CD set and execution are major, most Architects find it more efficient to produce this set themselves.

If used optimally, CAD Drawing Servicesboost bottom lines and growth of AEC Firms.

What is CAD Conversion?

CAD or Computer Aided Design is the most popular application for creating and managing drawings on the computer. Creating a CAD file from a paper drawing or a PDF file is termed as CAD Conversion. (This differs from CAD creation, which is the process of creating a drawing of a building or object on CAD from scratch, wherein no record of that project is available in hard or soft format).

Why is CAD Conversion needed?

Today, with Computer’s are the most reliable method of creation, storage and analysis of data and records. Millions are being spent on moving all available information to the Computer – right from historical records, to Education to statutory legal information. In this scenario, Real Estate and Property form not only an important part of that movement, but recording them is also important for accurate town planning, valuation and growth assessment.

CAD files are almost mandatory for these actions on a premise:

  1. Sale: Many State Governments make it statutory for digital records to be a part of a sale deed and registration. Even otherwise, with big bucks at stake on every square foot of space, accuracy is of paramount importance, which comes with CAD.
  2. Lease: It is a norm for a prospective tenant to run a trial space planning of his requirements on a CAD plan of the proposed property before deciding to even inspect the premises.
  3. Renovation: A CAD file is almost mandatory for a contractor to even quote for a an addition  or alteration in a premises.

With this in mind, informed owners ensure that they possess CAD documents of their premises. In case these are not available in CAD, then CAD conversion becomes necessary to make the process of sale, lease or renovation more efficient.

When would you need CAD Conversion Services?

The answer to that sounds simple: “I would need CAD Conversion Services when I do not have a CAD drawing of my premises”.

This leads us to the real query: in which situation would premises not have a CAD record:

  1. Pre CAD Era premises: While CAD entered our lives in 1963, it really permeated the AEC world in the late ‘80s, once computers, CAD software and CAD trained personnel became easily available.
  2. CAD file destruction or corruption
  3. CAD file unavailability: Due to a dispute or pre agreed terms, the firm creating the drawings might refuse the client CAD files of his premises. Or the firm would not exist when the client, after years, realized he needed Cad files of his completed project.

What are the inputs to be given to the CAD Conversion Services partner?

To correctly create a CAD file from a paper or PDF, the following are required:

Paper:

  • Original documents to scale

Or

  • Scanned documents to scale with main dimensions written down on the drawing before scanning

Or

Note: a hand sketch of a premise with measurements is not CAD Conversion. It is CAD creation.

 

PDF:

  • Original PDFs with main dimensions cross verified at site and variances mentioned

How long does a CAD Conversion Services job take?

With these inputs, the CAD Conversion Services partner will ask the relevant questions and complete the drawing.

A standard Architectural plan measuring 5,000 sft. drawn on a scale of 1:50 (or ¼”) should take around 8 hours to convert from paper, and 3 hours to convert from PDF, including quality checks.

Adding time for query resolution and additional buffer if the CAD Conversion Services partner is in a different time zone, 2 man days should be a comfortable start to finish time period to estimate.

CAD Conversion Services are now a specialized industry with firms employing hundreds of people turning out high quality CAD files in short turn around times.

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