CAD (computer-aided design) software is used by architects, engineers, drafters, artists, and others to create precision drawings or technical illustrations. CAD designs drawing software can be used to create two-dimensional (2-D) drawings or three-dimensional (3-D) models. CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) is software used to design products such as electronic circuit boards in computers and other devices.

Primarily, it’s a question of experience and understanding. A drafter is an integral part of any design team but they require a great deal of direction and input from management in order to complete tasks. CAD Designers, on the other hand, are individuals that are very familiar with the standards and requirements of their particular design field and can be trusted to put together a large portion of any project on their own, with minimal oversight and review needed.

It means that if you are a licensed architect and you need to revise the gymnasium on the school you’re currently designing, the amount of work you’ll need to put into that change varies, depending on if the person making the changes is a designer or drafter. If they’re a drafter, the Architect will need to carefully mark up the plans, with notes, dimensions, and explanations of design intent that you have already calculated. The benefit of working with a CAD designer is that the architect is freed from hours of working out the details of this re-design.

The benefit of working with a CAD designer is that the architect is freed from hours of working out the details of this re-design. It can be handed to the designer with a simple statement such as: “The gym occupancy needs to go up by 50 people.” The designer is familiar with the local ordinance and governing codes that dictate the necessary size, egress, seating and other control criteria for such a change and can do the initial design and turn it back to the architect for a quick review and approval.