Being Responsible with your time as a draftsman

Another week: sddrawings.com In Keeping with drafting for the beginner. This week I'll look at ethics as a draftsman and some of the pitfalls working as a desk jockey. I hope that even these ideas can be used in what ever job you may go into; whether it is design, pet sitting, auto mechanics, climbing telephone poles, etc…

Today's desk jockey jobs carry some new pitfalls you used to not have to worry about.  With the advent of connectivity; being able to check Facebook, emails, texts and tweets can be time sucking endeavors.  Undoubtably, in a year or two, there will be a new emerging site that will integrate to your smart phone, where you can waste your time anywhere, in any job.  As a draftsman, you know computers, have probably been on Facebook for years and may have more than one email address.  Even a lot of the guys I worked with in Mobile who have gone on to the rough and tumble world of working in ship yards are connected at the push of a button.  But now, you landed a job in an Architectural or Engineering firm, maybe it's where you've always dreamed of working.  Even more reason to be cognitive about the time you spend at work, but not on the job.

These electronic connections between your friends can be important.  They can be very good for networking and increasing your knowledge.  However, they will also reduce your productive time.  As en employee you have to set a personal standard and adhere to company guidelines about the use of such social media.  Ignoring business ethics for a minute, just your personal work ethics should dictate how much and how often you should "check in".  No matter what job you signed up for, you agreed to work for someone for monetary compensation.  You are selling time out of your life, but that was an agreement you made the choice to make. 

If you are in my position as a self-employed contractor, your time is even more valuable.  You are literally billing someone for your time.  You are not just showing up and letting someone tell you what to do.  As a contract draftsman, I bill in 15 minutes increments. I have to be dedicated and intent with ever hour of my day if I want to be justified in sending someone a bill for my time.  Not only that, but working from home, which I often do, there are a lot of distractions.  If you're in an office setting, obviously home distractions are limited.  So regardless if your employer is lax on allowing you to check your Facebook status, you still have a job to do.  There are even great resources biblically that discuss your work ethics. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (GNT) says "While we were with you, we used to tell you, “Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to eat.”  Then in Colossians 3:23 (GNT)  we are told "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.

Since this is a blog about being a draftsman, how does all this apply to actually drafting?  In my field of Architectural Drafting, I am responsible for taking hand sketches and producing CAD drawings.  I make floor plans and elevations on my CAD system (Powercadd from ENGSW.com). I have made short cuts in my computer file system that allow me to grab items from my drafting library and use them quickly over many different jobs.  On an Apple computer, I have a folder in my dock so I can easily access any Library file.  When you draw an item, make sure it is drawn correctly so you can re-use it (discussed in a previous blog post Design & drafting techniques).  These time saving tips make me a very good and very fast draftsman.  I produce good quality work. If I took a minute or two here or there to check Facebook, I could easily get lost coming back to my project/drawing.  I want to be accurate and social media distractions do little in really helping me to stay focused on getting my job done correctly.

I have also learned sitting behind a desk day in and day out is not healthy for a person. Getting up every couple of hours to stretch and hitting the pavement for a jog once a day makes me more productive as a draftsman. It staves off the boredom of looking at a computer screen for hours on end, which I feel is the ultimate reason people constantly look to social sites; to be entertained, if only for a moment.

So know where your time is going.  Consider keeping an hourly journal of your day for a week.  Your life is limited and you should know where your time is going.  This is how great people do great things.  Consider Benjamin Franklin. He kept a Daily routine from morning until evening, where he questioned what he's done, will do and is going to do.

You may have already landed your dream job in a design firm.  Be part of the team by being responsible.  Be a valued employee, I wouldn't hire someone whom I felt would waste mine or their time always being socially connected when there's great work to be done.

sddrawings.com

Sketchup

Really enjoying Google Sketchup

Design & Drafting techniques

Another week: sddrawings.com In Keeping with drafting techniques for the beginner. Again, another post about keeping to the basics, keeping it simple, and keeping it accurate. I hope that even these ideas can be used in what ever job you may go into; whether it is design, pet sitting, auto mechanics, climbing telephone poles, etc…

Every Engineering firm & Architectural office has their own way of producing CAD drawings.  Just like every artisan has their own way of painting, every mechanic has their own way of fixing a problem and every telephone lineman has their own way of placing strand and cable.  The old saying goes at 'Ma Bell', you send 6 linemen out to do a job, you'll have 6 different ways for it to get done.  Whom ever you work for will have their own set of rules and ways of drawing.  A big secret I've used for years was to ask an Architect or Engineer for a copy of their work to reference.  Even a paper copy will give away secrets to their drawing style, though paper copies will not show advanced CAD information such as 'layers'.  Having a paper copy of a similar project as a reference handy, will help you on matching the office standards.

 Some Designers tend to have a lax approach to their drafting techniques.  They opt to simply get their point across, making the design being built their main focus, while they see CAD drawings are simply the means to make that happen.  Where they are lax in drawing techniques, they usually have a more hands on approach to the final outcome of the project.  The Contractor will usually find this designer in the field more often.  This designer is also more apt to make calls to check on projects and verify everything is going the way it should.  As a draftsman working for this style of Designer, you will probably be called upon to make field visits and document the progress or verify dimensions.

 Other designers are very meticulous about their drawings.  They will have every element fit on a page precisely.  This can provide for very quick drafting and allow for modifications easily.  Usually these designers are very detailed orientated and have greater success through release of their drawings to be built correctly, with little or no further input from the Designer.  Even during construction, a builder will have fewer questions regarding this Designer's intent (which I will address in the future).

 I personally like to use a mix of these two drafting techniques.  My goal is to find a happy medium between art and giving instructions on how something should be built or compiled.  One aspect of any design work, is the use of 're-usable' content.  This spans across all industry.  It is rare to find a car where every bolt is a different size and thread count.  The same goes for any of my designs, whether that is drawing a house or designing a web site. 

if we look at a few of my latest web site designs:

sddrawings.com   hikealabama.org   habitat2012.org (Just to name a few) 

You'll see a common element in all three of these.  That element is the menu bar (as of Sept 2012), is essentially the same across all 3 sites.  I did this to simply save time.  Not that I can not go back and change it later, but an initial place holder with a product I know was designed correctly the first time saved me days of fiddling with html & css code.  Just like one of my past posts about getting things drawn right the first time see http://sddrawing.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-all-in-dimensions_9.html, once you get a detail or drawing element correct, it's easy to reuse it across many drawings, or in this case a web page.

The bonus of this 're-use' of an element or detail, is that my finished product is completed much quicker as there is less drafting & design work to do.  The entire point being; learn what works for your office, learn how to reference other work to mimic or match what has been done in the past & be accurate with your work as it will make it much easier in the future to reuse your own work.

Feel free to email or post your own thoughts. sddrawings.com

Sneak Preview & Playing with Shading on a not completed elevation

Don't ask where the door is... this is a work in progress & a Sneak Preview of Playing with Shading on a not completed elevation.

check out sddrawings.com for more

How to deal with learning a new drafting style?...

Another week: Keeping with drafting techniques for the beginner. Again, another post about keeping to the basics, keeping it simple, and keeping it accurate. I hope that even these ideas can be used in what ever job you may go into, whether it is design, pet sitting, auto mechanics...

"Just a simple
notebook is enough"

      Learning anything new requires your time and attention.  When you are taking the jump from your high school, trade school or Architecture/Engineering program to head into the commercial world of drafting and design, it is going to be very important to be prepared and ready to learn.  Even if you have worked for a Designer before and you are going to another office, you have a daunting task of either re-learning a good portion of your trade, or a new way to go about it.  Each office will have their own standards and requirements for their drawings.  There are some basic fundamentals to help you get acclimated quickly to your new surroundings.  Aside from the basics I've already covered in previous posts like: show up, be on time, be in good spirit.  You will want to take notes. Notes, take a lot of notes.  You have been educated, that's why you have a job, though certainly you know how to take notes by now.  You have enough knowledge that someone has decided to put their trust in you to help them make their life easier.  So get a notebook and dedicate it to JUST that designer's system.  Purchase a good notebook and a pen.  You are a professional, this is part of your job.  Practice good handwriting skills and keep your notes in order. Hopefully you will actually be able to use them later.

     There will be a lot of things you have either already learned or will learn that works across the board. For instance, Layers are in all CAD systems; Autocad, Powercadd and Microstation (just to name three).  Things you will not find across the board is individual drawing styles between designers.  Some may use a "profile line" layer, some may use an intricate title block and so on. Regardless of what the topic is about during your training or meetings about your project, take notes of what the Designer (or co-workers) you work for explain.  During meetings, when reviewing your drawings or just another set of prints you will have ample opportunity to take notes.  This notebook will be your drafting "bible" while you work there.  Look for opportunities to fill your notebook.  It may be drafting styles, it may be standard practices.  Consider having a section in your notebook to differentiate between the myriad of different topics for optimal organization.

      Practice makes perfect, once you get into the rhythm of drafting for one Designer, you will learn the system and hopefully become very versed in production & design work that suits your environment.  While you are with one designer, one way you can meet their expectations is to use their past jobs as reference.  If you're on a CAD system, you can have other jobs similar to the one your working on available on the screen.  It's easy to jump back and forth between the two separate jobs.  Alternately, print out a ledger size drawing for reference or use a full size printed version of another job available to reference while you are drafting on your project.  Make it easy to jump back and forth between the two drawings, the goal is to mimic what has been done before, so make it easy on yourself.  The more you draft for one designer, the more you will understand their system and style.  Ask lots of questions.  Think about your questions, write them all down and at the opportune time, ask the Designer to look them over and give you feedback.  A good reason to write down your questions is that you will not bombard the designer (or trainer if you're just learning CADD) with a million small nit-pick questions. Obviously, they want you to know the answers to your questions, but make it easy on them and thusly yourself.  Think if you were in their shoes.  How would you want to be treated and approached?  There really is no such thing as a dumb question, sometimes it's just how you go about it.

Happy Trails!

sddrawings.com

It's all in the dimensions…

       In this week's installment: I'm going to keep with drafting techniques for the beginner, since this blog is so new. So this post is about keeping to the basics, keeping it simple, and keeping it accurate.

       Construction drawings are intricate.  There are many parts and pieces to them.  A highly qualified builder will take your drawings and make something using them as an instruction book.  This is not an Ikea instruction booklet, you want to be detailed; though more importantly, you want to be accurate in your CAD drawings.  It's part of your job, like showing up every day & on time.  As a draftsman, you will be using a computer, it's good at counting to the "umpteenth" degree.  Take advantage of this tool.  Be accurate with your drawings.

Your reputation is on the line with every line you draw.

       Every line should be placed and set at a "good" dimension.  Just drawing a line to what "looks" good will not be good enough.  Use exact dimensions, have a reason why pieces in your drawing are a certain length.  We don't want any funny dimensions.  The same holds true for modifying your drawings once you've layer out a few lines.  Tools like the "move tool" or the "reshape" tool are powerful and important features.  We want to use them, but use them accurately.

       One drafting technique for moving objects & lines is the "click and drag" technique.  Whether your dragging a line to another location, or a point in a polygon, snap is your friend.  Use those quick keys (or set them up) End point, Center & intersection snaps will help your accuracy. Learn to use them.  The move tool is a great tool in helping your click and drag drawings, though not the most accurate.

       The next technique is the "move command" (depending on the CAD system & what it is called).  The move command is far more accurate than the select and drag style, even using the move tool.  Typically with move, you choose your object, key in the command to move the object in an X or Y coordinate. This is your best bet when you want accuracy. The reason this is more accurate has to deal with the way the CAD system thinks.  In snap and drag, the system is trying to guess at what you want, with the move tool, there is no guessing.  The computer adds up the numbers before your finger comes  off the "enter" key.

      Eventually you will work on enough drawings where you will use one component over several different jobs (say you draw a door, you may copy & paste that door from one job file to another).  Be accurate to start with, inaccuracies breed.  You should be able to measure anywhere on your project and have even decimals.  The jobs where you have a measurement of 1.235432443", is fouled.  It will radiate through the entire drawing set.  Take pride in your work, be an artisan, be a craftsman.  Let the office brag about you so you don't have to.

The image on the left shows a dimension that is fouled...


Sddrawings.com

What is a Draftsman

A draftsman's main job is to take the designs of an Architect or Engineer and apply that company's standards along with local and national building standards to produce a final set of construction drawings.  To start with, right out of trade school, no draftsman knows enough to handle the intricacies to complete a set of drawings.  Most Engineers & Architects all must learn on the job as well.  Your schooling can open some wonderful & fantastic doors, though you must be ready to always learn and always be professional.  One point to remember about your job as a draftsman is, your job depends on making an Architect or Engineer's life easier.

My career began in 1998.  I begin taking drafting classes at a community college.  I networked and finally talked an Architect into letting me come draft for him for free.  Architecture & the Arts have always been my greatest passion, so I was happy just to have a shot at learning more about the trade.  After awhile of free work, I knew the Architect's system well enough that they offered me a job.  This allowed me to enter the world of Design and have a wonderful family life where I continue to raise three lovely children.

Back at the office, I was overwhelmed with the amount of differing designs & expectations the firm handed to me to draw.  On most of my drawings, there was a lot of "red ink" when I handed them back to be reviewed, it was a learning process.  After a few years I became the lead draftsman in the firm and began to teach new hires our CAD system.  As my experience grew, the Architectural firm allowed me to take on more responsibilities.  Eventually I was handling full project management under the firm's supervision.  From meeting clients to producing final designs and construction drawings based on those designs.

When the firm moved out of state, I opened my own business.  This opportunity really allowed me to take far more creative license with my own clients and not be bound by the voice and designs of another Designer's view.  As a business model, I catered to home Owner's wanting to renovate or build new, and other Architect's and Engineer's whom needed production drafting.  I continued to expand my business to offer logo and web design.  In this field, especially under today's climate, one has to wear many hats.  So I drew upon my earlier days of working on house renovations and decided to open a 'One Stop Shop' as a Design-Build firm.  This worked beautifully.  I completed several buildings to be exactly what I had envisioned.  When the housing market crashed in 2008, I was lucky enough to have foreseen financial trouble and had taken steps months prior to secure a position with ATT as a lineman.  I really enjoyed that job though I had always thought I would find my way back into the world of Design. So this month (August 2012) I was able to partner with some wonderful people who knew my talents and limitations and we've started drawing again.

Great week on Amelia Island working with Studio Sky