Our DWG drawings service always starts with two questions: in which file format the result needs to come back, and which CAD standards you already use. The answers to those two questions largely determine how the project runs. We deliver in DWG, DXF, the Revit formats and STEP, and in practice in virtually any common CAD format, always with the latest versions of the software used.
We adopt the CAD standards, layer structure and naming you already use, rather than laying a system of our own over the top. That saves you from having to adjust a delivered DWG afterwards before it fits the rest of your archive.
We are an outsourced drafting team that takes over drafting and modelling work from engineering firms, architectural practices, contractors and manufacturers who are short of drafting capacity themselves. We work fully remotely, in our own environment and on our own licences. Everyone in our team has more than ten years of CAD experience, and Sam, our team leader, oversees the technical side and compliance with the agreed standards throughout the project.
Cable tray routing in the model, built with parametric families that carry the material schedule with them.
Clients who outsource DWG drawings and their biggest bottleneck
Outsourcing DWG drawings is mainly relevant for clients who already have an archive and want to keep it consistent. At an architectural practice it is often a project whose basis was built in DWG, where a next phase, such as a working drawing, has to follow on in exactly the same format and layer structure. At a contractor the issue is often different: an as-built file that has partly been updated by hand, and whose digital DWG version no longer matches what was actually built. At a manufacturer it is regularly a series of product variants that we have to record in DWG one by one, with the same make-up but slightly different dimensions.
What these situations have in common is that the problem rarely lies in the drafting itself. The problem lies in the volume, in the repetition and in the risk that an in-house drawing office already stretched by the ongoing project makes mistakes under time pressure. An engineering firm that has to absorb a peak alongside an ongoing project runs into exactly that risk.
We take over that high-volume part of the DWG work without you having to change anything in your own archive. You supply the existing DWG files and drawing conventions, and we draft to them consistently. That is a deliberate choice on our part, because a DWG that does not fit the rest of the archive costs more time afterwards than getting it right in one go. We bring that insight to every new enquiry, whether it concerns a single revision or a complete file full of DWG drawings.
Drawings and files we deliver as DWG work
Within our DWG drawings service we deliver the full range of drafting work you need in that format. That means floor plans, sections, elevations, details and general arrangement drawings, supplemented with as-built drawings when we record an existing situation and revisions when we update a set. Where a project calls for 3D modelling, for example in Rhino or Revit, we convert the result into DWG for use further down the chain. We receive and deliver in DWG as standard, and where needed also in DXF, the Revit formats or STEP.
We always work with the latest versions of the software used. A large part of the work that comes to us is not a new drawing, but an existing DWG that we need to update or clean up. We then first look at how the existing set has been built, which layers it contains and which naming goes with them, before we change anything. That way the DWG we deliver continues to fit the rest of your archive.
Alongside individual drawings we also build parametric Revit families where that suits the project, with a material schedule that updates automatically with changes. We deliver in stages, not in one go at the end of the project. A first batch goes back to you, you give feedback, we make changes and carry on with the next batch, at a rhythm that suits the project, weekly or every two days. On a large package we divide the work across several drafters at once, and we keep a fixed set-up so the individual DWG files remain consistent with each other.
No ongoing payroll costs and no idle staff once the peak is over. If one of our people is off sick or on holiday, we replace them and the work simply carries on.
Costs based on pure working hours and clear billing
For DWG drawings we charge on an hourly basis or a fixed project price, depending on what suits the assignment best. If the scope of the DWG work is clearly defined in advance, for example a fixed set of drawings we need to update, a fixed project price is the obvious choice. If we need to adjust course during the project, for example because you supply more variants as you go, an hourly rate better reflects what actually happens. We only bill pure working hours. If a drafter steps away for five minutes to get a coffee, that time does not go on the timesheet. We have no ongoing hours subscription and no prepaid hour bundles, under either billing option. What keeps costs down most in practice is the quality of the information you supply. A DWG archive with a clear layer structure and defined CAD standards saves investigation up front, and that investigation is exactly the part that otherwise costs unnecessary time.
Without that clarity, we first spend time mapping out the existing structure before the actual drafting begins. The degree of repetition also plays a role, because a series of similar DWG drawings goes faster after the first one than starting a new set-up each time. You pay no ongoing salary costs for our team, and if a drafter is off sick or on holiday we replace them so the work continues. We decide together in the first conversation which billing option fits best. On a project that grows as it goes, for example because more variants are added along the way, we review that arrangement in consultation with you.
Getting started with our DWG drawings service
A DWG drawing project with us starts with a conversation in which we go through exactly what needs to be done. You supply the details and usually also the existing DWG files that need revising, together with the associated CAD standards and drawing conventions. The more complete that information, the sooner we can start the first work. If the CAD standards are missing, we go through them first before drafting, to prevent the result from not fitting afterwards.
We respond to a new enquiry within 1 to 2 working days, after which the conversation follows. As soon as there is enough information, we can start.
Barry, our project manager, is your first point of contact for a new enquiry and goes through the initial details, after which Sam takes over the technical side and stays involved throughout the project. A short first assignment, for example a clearly defined part of a DWG set, is a good way to see how quickly and accurately we work before more follows. For standalone DWG work, files go back and forth by email, and on larger projects we use software you can log into to follow progress.
We work in our own environment on our own licences, so nobody on your side has to set anything up. When things are urgent we add extra drafters to the ongoing work straight away, so a tight schedule stays achievable. Even then we keep our usual checks in place, because speed must never come at the expense of the quality of the delivery.
Frequently asked questions about our DWG drawings service
Hand your DWG drawings over to us
Send us your documents and drawing conventions and we will let you know within one to two working days what we can take on and when.