Cad vs Hand Drawing
Although there are occasions when manual drafting is a quick way to complete a technical or architectural drawing, computer-aided design (CAD or CADD) is usually the choice for completing professional-looking drawings. CAD is a faster and more accurate design tool than hand-drawn (manual) drafting. Computers make printing and duplicating
CAD drawings a simple task. Special features like 3-D capability, cutaways and zoom options enhance CAD drawings.
Drawing Speed
Computer-aided design requires CAD software and the click of a mouse to create shapes and lines. Drawings can be accomplished within hours. On the other hand, manual design requires the purchase of tools to accomplish results--parallel bar and drawing board, triangle, compass, electric eraser, pens and more. The manual method also requires a firm drawing hand and may take hours to complete a single page drawing. Drawing Accuracy
Manual draftsmen use an architectural or engineering scale (ruler) to layout a drawing's measurements. Drawing in this manner requires a level of concentration and focus that can be difficult to maintain and the accuracy of the results can vary. Computer-aided design allows the user to enter a set of exact parameters and create a drawing based on those guidelines. The computer drawing is exact to the measurements provided and can be easily adjusted by changing the parameters. Fast Printing and Duplicating
CAD software builds its drawings in layers. Once a basic floor plan or object model is established, CAD software uses it as the base layer for all subsequent drawings that require it. Printing involves the simple matter of including the needed layers in the final drawing and produces a single sheet drawing. Manual drafting uses a similar process--a single floor plan on one sheet with added layers (in sheet form) of data on top. However, the printing process requires the stacking and
CAD drawings a simple task. Special features like 3-D capability, cutaways and zoom options enhance CAD drawings.
Drawing Speed
Computer-aided design requires CAD software and the click of a mouse to create shapes and lines. Drawings can be accomplished within hours. On the other hand, manual design requires the purchase of tools to accomplish results--parallel bar and drawing board, triangle, compass, electric eraser, pens and more. The manual method also requires a firm drawing hand and may take hours to complete a single page drawing. Drawing Accuracy
Manual draftsmen use an architectural or engineering scale (ruler) to layout a drawing's measurements. Drawing in this manner requires a level of concentration and focus that can be difficult to maintain and the accuracy of the results can vary. Computer-aided design allows the user to enter a set of exact parameters and create a drawing based on those guidelines. The computer drawing is exact to the measurements provided and can be easily adjusted by changing the parameters. Fast Printing and Duplicating
CAD software builds its drawings in layers. Once a basic floor plan or object model is established, CAD software uses it as the base layer for all subsequent drawings that require it. Printing involves the simple matter of including the needed layers in the final drawing and produces a single sheet drawing. Manual drafting uses a similar process--a single floor plan on one sheet with added layers (in sheet form) of data on top. However, the printing process requires the stacking and