When clients want to get as-built drawings drafted, it is often about a file that already exists but no longer matches the actual situation, after years of small changes that nobody fully kept track of. The type of drawing required is then not a new design, but a record of what was actually built or installed, including the deviations from the original drawing.
Sometimes that is a set of 2D drawings, sometimes a 3D model, depending on what you need further down the process. We work this up in Revit, AutoCAD or Rhino, aligned with the CAD standards you already use, so the result is immediately usable.
With a file that has partly been amended by hand and is no longer easy to read, we first work out exactly what is correct before we redraw anything. Our work then passes through at least three review layers, so the number of errors stays to a minimum in practice. For a project lead who needs to deliver a file that matches the actual situation, that is a direct route to a reliable reference.
Cable tray routing in the model, built with parametric families that carry the material schedule with them.
Getting as-built drawings drafted with parametric Revit families
When you get as-built drawings drafted, parametric working often comes into play, especially when the file contains components that appear in several sizes or variants. In that case, a Revit family is a smart component that adapts to a new situation or a different size, so we build the component once and can then place it anywhere without redrawing it. In a piping system in greenhouse construction, where AutoCAD on its own is not smart at building up components such as valves, this means in practice that a valve in 90 and 110 millimetres no longer has to be drawn separately.
With a smart family, the component is in place in a single action, and in this kind of work that saves at least seventy percent of the time. For an as-built file, that difference is particularly relevant, because the actual situation often contains more variation than the original drawing showed, with components that were swapped for a different size or version during construction. With a parametric setup, the material schedule follows automatically: if the component changes, the schedule changes with it, without anyone having to update a list by hand.
We reuse existing families and templates where possible, but with a messy set it is sometimes quicker to rebuild than to repair, and we make that call per project based on the state of what is already there. That way, we deliver not only a record of the current situation, but also a set of smart components that can be reused at the next revision, rather than a file that starts from scratch with every change.
Software, versions and file formats for as-built drawings
To get as-built drawings drafted, we mainly work in Revit, AutoCAD and Rhino, supplemented by Inventor and Grasshopper when the project calls for it, and to a limited extent by Dynamo and Vault. We always work with the latest version of the software used, so you can open the delivered files without compatibility problems. File formats match what is needed further down the process, from DXF and DWG to Revit formats and STEP files, and in practice almost any common CAD format.
If we are building on an existing set, we first check which package and version the file was originally built in, so our drawings fit seamlessly rather than forming a separate element that no longer matches the rest. If the existing file was partly drawn by hand or printed incorrectly, we first work out which information is still usable before redrawing. We do as much of that investigative work as possible ourselves rather than constantly burdening you with it.
On larger projects, we also use software that you can log into to follow progress, while for standalone drafting work files are exchanged by email. We discuss which format and software suit best in the first conversation, together with the drawing conventions you already use, so you can use the delivered file straight away without a separate conversion step. Even when you use several packages side by side, for example Revit for the model and AutoCAD for detail drawings, we keep a close eye on how the two tie together, so no components fall through the cracks.
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.
What you get when you have as-built drawings drafted
What we deliver when you get as-built drawings drafted depends on the state of the existing file and on what you want to do with it. Often it is a set of 2D drawings recording the actual situation, supplemented by a 3D model when the next stage of the process requires one. If the existing documentation is unreliable, we first work out what was actually built, for example from photos, measurements or additional information you supply. We did this before for Firefly, whose as-built material had been printed incorrectly and partly drawn by hand, which we sorted out ourselves and still delivered neatly without repeatedly burdening the client. The end result matches your CAD standards, with the same layer structure and naming as the rest of the file, so it does not remain a separate, inconsistent document.
On projects with a lot of repetition, such as piping, we record components as parametric parts wherever possible, so the next revision takes less time. We deliver in stages, so you can check along the way that the record matches the actual situation before we complete the entire file. We match file formats to the next stage of the process, from DWG and DXF to Revit formats, so you can carry on straight away without converting first. The result is a file that not only describes the current situation but also remains usable as a basis for future changes, for example when you later plan an extension or renovation and once again need a reliable starting point.
Quality control with three review layers for this type of file
Every as-built drawing passes through at least three review layers with us before we consider it final, and with this type of work that is particularly important, because there is no design to check against, only the actual situation. One of our drafters first records the situation based on the information you supply. A second team member checks that record for dimensions, quantities and consistency with the rest of the file.
Sam, our team leader, who has a background of more than fifteen years in architecture, then reviews the whole thing once more from a technical perspective. Finally, Barry, our project manager, looks over the complete set once more before it goes to you.
This sequence of checks keeps the number of errors to a minimum in practice, even with a file that was initially messy or incomplete. It prevents an incorrectly recorded dimension or a missed change from only surfacing much later, for example during a future renovation or extension where someone relies on the as-built file. With a file containing many repeating components, we pay extra attention during the check to whether a change has been applied consistently everywhere, so no components are left with an old dimension.
We kept to the same approach on a deadline that could not slip, working long days without skipping any review layers. That keeps quality consistent, even under time pressure, and that is what you need to be able to rely on with an as-built file that often serves as a reference for years.
Frequently asked questions about getting as-built drawings drafted
Let us draft your as-built drawings
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.