When you have technical drafting done by OutsourceCAD, it starts with a clear definition of the role we take on: we draft and model, we do not do engineering. That means we do not produce calculations, give structural advice or handle permits, even though to an outsider those things can sometimes seem closely related.
What we do is develop 2D drawings, 3D models, as-built drawings and revisions based on the information and CAD standard you supply. Our team consists of experienced drafters who have each been working with CAD for more than ten years, led by Sam, our team leader, who has more than fifteen years of background in architecture.
For an engineering firm, architecture practice, contractor or manufacturer with too little drafting capacity but with the engineering expertise in house, that is exactly the division of roles that works. Our work goes through at least three review layers before it goes back to you, and we carry it out entirely remotely, from our own environment with our own licences.
Cable tray routing in the model, built with parametric families that carry the material schedule with them.
Having technical drafting done: what we do and do not do
When you have technical drafting done, we deliver a clearly defined package: 2D drafting and, where needed, 3D modelling, as-built drawings and revisions of existing material. That might be a complete set of construction drawings for a contractor, detail drawings and sections for an architecture practice, or part drawings that come back in high volume and with a lot of repetition for a manufacturer. What is explicitly not included is engineering: we do not produce calculations, we do not give structural advice and we do not handle permits.
We guard that boundary deliberately, because our strength lies in developing drawings quickly and accurately, not in taking over the technical responsibility that stays with you. For an engineering firm, that means your own engineers can focus on calculations and design decisions, while developing the drawings comes to us. The same applies to an architecture practice for drafting around a design that has already been thought through and only needs working up. A contractor who runs into a detail during construction that has not yet been drawn can also have us pick up that piece without the rest of the project stalling.
The result is always drafting that matches what has already been settled on the technical side, produced by people who each have more than ten years of CAD experience and are used to high volume and repetition. That clear division of roles also prevents disputes afterwards about who was responsible for what, something that quickly leads to delays when the line between drafting and engineering is vaguer.
Software, versions and file formats for technical drafting
When you have technical drafting done by us, we work with Revit, AutoCAD and Rhino as our main software, supplemented by Inventor, Grasshopper and, to a limited extent, Dynamo and Vault where a project calls for it. We always work with the latest versions of those packages, so files connect seamlessly with what you use and no compatibility issues arise when opening or further editing the work. We deliver in DXF, DWG, the common Revit formats or as STEP files, and in practice in virtually any other common CAD format you need for your next steps.
On Revit projects we regularly build parametric families, in other words smart components that adapt to a new situation or a different size without anyone having to redraw them. If you already have an existing family set or template, we build on it rather than setting up something new that does not fit earlier work. If that existing set has become very messy after years of small changes, we discuss with you whether cleaning it up is enough or whether rebuilding it is faster.
On AutoCAD projects, which are common in greenhouse construction, the work often involves piping schematics in which a drafter redraws components such as valves by hand every time, as long as there is no smart setup. If we build a parametric family for that, in practice it quickly saves at least seventy per cent of the time compared with manually repeating the same component in a different size. A drawing office notices that difference immediately in its turnaround time.
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.
Drafting to the client's own standard
Having technical drafting done by an external team only works if the result fits seamlessly with what you are already used to, which is why we work strictly to your own standard and drawing conventions. That starts in the very first conversation, in which we discuss which layer structure, naming and drawing conventions are customary within your project or organisation. We then stick to those agreements throughout the project, even when we divide the work between several drafters. That prevents an architecture practice or contractor from losing time afterwards restructuring delivered work to fit their own conventions. When revising existing drawings, we first look at how that material is structured before changing anything, so new information connects logically with what was already there.
We did the same with as-built material from Firefly, where the existing drawings had been printed incorrectly and were partly drawn by hand: we worked it out ourselves instead of calling the client about it each time, and still delivered it neatly in line with the existing setup. Working to your standard also means we do not introduce our own preferences when they differ from what has been agreed. That makes having technical drafting done predictable, regardless of which drafter on our team does the work. Especially on a long-running project, where several drafters work on the same file one after another, you notice that consistency in the quality and in the time you spend checking afterwards.
What the delivered set contains
When you have technical drafting done, the delivered set usually consists of the agreed drawings or models, supplemented by an accompanying material schedule when we have worked with parametric Revit families. If a component within such a family changes, the material schedule changes automatically with it, which saves you time further down the line when compiling order lists or during work preparation.
We supply the files in the format you need, whether that is DXF, DWG, a Revit format or a STEP file, so you can continue working with them straight away without an intermediate step. Because we deliver in stages, with feedback and adjustments along the way, the final set does not arrive as a surprise at the end of the project; instead we build it up step by step together with you.
Before a partial delivery goes out, it has already been through at least three review layers, from drafter to Sam as team leader and finally Barry as project manager, so the chance of errors that only surface during construction stays small. For a contractor, that means the delivered drawings can be used on site straight away, without an internal review round first.
For a manufacturer with repetitive work, a delivered family set connects directly with future variants, because we build the component only once and you can then reuse it everywhere. A project lead can therefore pass that set straight on to their own work preparation. That way, when you have technical drafting done by us, you do not just get individual drawings, but a set that flows logically into your next steps.
Frequently asked questions about having technical drafting done
Let us handle your technical drafting
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.