What is drafting?
The term drafting is used to describe the practice of drawing precise, scaled representations of objects, buildings or any property. This may be done for an engineering purpose, where drafts for an engineering project are drawn or for a house being built. Professionals in this field are known as draftsmen or draft persons.
Drafting involves drawing objects to scale where three views are drawn: the top view, main view and side view. These drawings are quite detailed as they will then form the blueprints which will be used to begin construction of the building. Drafting engineers draw the technical drawings for a product idea to make that product a reality. This is normally done for engineering equipment.
Whilst engineering drafting is common, drafting is more often done in architecture where without a proper, detailed technical drawing, houses and other buildings cannot be built. Architects hire draftsmen to draw detailed blueprints of a house. These blueprints will detail the house dimensions, room configurations, as well as window locations and dimensions, doors, appliances and lights. Outdoor features will also be drafted prior to the commencement of construction. These features include driveways, fencing, sheds, fencing etc.
How is drafting carried out?
In the past, drafting was done using traditional tools, which include using pencils, protractors and rulers. However, with technological advancement, the field of drafting has also been revolutionised. Nowadays, technical drawings are made using computer assisted design (CAD). This method is highly accurate and results in a detailed 3D drawing of the building in question. This method is also much faster than the previously used methods with a lot more room to make changes and to introduce detail and other options.
In some cases, only one draft may be drawn, which would later be enlarged. However, mechanical drawings incorporate all equipment drawn to scale. The drawing is very important, as it shows how the pieces of equipment will combine to perform a particular function. In the case of technical drawings for the construction of buildings, a number of drawings are required to clearly show dimensions, room details, as well details of internal systems inside of the building. These internal structures include for example heating systems, ducting, plumbing and wiring.
Drafting services are done through a collaborative effort where both the designer and manufacturer work together to create a final draft. This is a lengthy process, but necessary to ensure that objects and buildings are built properly and accurately reflecting the design that that was envisioned.
