Tired of hearing that digital drafting is the only way forward

I was at a supplier meeting last week and this younger drafter kept going on about how manual drafting is obsolete and anyone still using a board is holding the industry back. But here's the thing: I've been doing this for 25 years and I still sketch out rough ideas by hand before touching any software. It gives me a feel for the layout and proportions that a screen just doesn't provide. Back in 2019 I saved a $50,000 project from a major error because my hand check caught a dimension that the CAD file had wrong. Has anyone else found that mixing manual work with digital tools actually makes you more accurate?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennifer_jenkins19d ago

Old-timers gatekeeping hand drafting now?

the_tessa19d ago

Nah, I don't see it that way. Most old timers just want people to understand the fundamentals before jumping into CAD.

xenaf5118d ago

I get what you're saying about mixing the old with the new, @jennifer_jenkins. It's not gatekeeping, it's about having a backup that catches mistakes software misses. Hand sketching gives you a solid foundation that makes you faster and smarter in CAD.