3 Reasons Why I Love Drafting

Drafting keyboard, mouse, and plans.

I've drafted hundreds of structural and architectural plans, and it never gets old or boring.  I have been successful at finding problems and creating better ways of drawing on AutoCAD, so tedium is kept to a minimum.  The repetitive tasks are completed quickly with lisp routines, macros, dual monitors, and programmable mice.

Essentially the drafting process is predictable and fast, which brings me to the first reason why I love drafting.

Reason #1: I love drafting because I've mastered AutoCAD, and the program is so versatile and customizable that a great amount of programming can be accomplished very quickly.  As I mentioned before, lisp routines increase efficiency immeasurably. If you don't know, lisp routines are mini-programs within AutoCAD that anyone can write, for just about any purpose. For example, a lisp routine can copy a line many times instantly, instead of copying one line over and over again, each time entering the command and using keyboard strokes.  Essentially, I love the efficiency.

Reason #2: The second reason I love drafting is that I can apply construction knowledge when designing structures.  There is so much I don't know about construction and building, every day is a learning experience, but what I do know goes into the 2d drawing.  When I draw lines in AutoCAD, they are embedding 3d knowledge that everyone in the industry is aware of. The lines reference so much secondary knowledge, trade standards, and industry consensus that I have plenty to think about besides remembering which command in AutoCAD changes the lineweight display thickness. (It's LWDISPLAY, if you didn't know).

Reason #3: The third reason I love drafting is that it is a trade.  I really enjoy practicing a trade, like electricians, plumbers, or roofers. The skill of the tradesmen increases with time, and accumulating skillfulness and experience is very rewarding.  Being able to complete jobs and participate in society would be a worthwhile goal for anyone starting a career.  It doesn't require a degree from Harvard either.  (Harvard doesn't offer drafting degrees, only a professional-type Architecture degree.  The difference being that a trade offers goods or services, while a profession offers educated ideas.  The word profession is similar to the word professor, in that both words ideally profess right ideas, but don't make or do anything.)

I also wanted to leave my readers with a little video of myself drafting.  In the video, I use macros, lisp routines, and various other AutoCAD commands for your entertainment.

Let me know what you think about the video, drafting, or anything else drafting related!