Drafting - a Technical and Creative Occupation

Drafting, also known as technical drawing, is the process of creating accurate scale drawings for usage in architecture, engineering, and other technical arenas.  The person charged with drafting is called a drafter, draftsman, or even a designer.  In years past, the drafter had to create his drawing manually using a board, pencils, and other tools, but today, most use computer aided design and drafting, otherwise known as CAD.  There are many different drafting specialties including, Architectural drafting and Aeronautical drafting.

Architectural drafters create structural drawings.  They usually have a specialty within architecture such as residential, commercial, industrial, or public buildings.  At times the drafter is called upon to visit building sites and ensure that the builder is following the architects exact design, or complying with the specifications of the drawings.  They can also be expected to plan interior layouts using CAD for commercial properties.

Aeronautical drafters are primarily involved with the creation of engineering drawings focusing on aircrafts, missiles, and other parts.  Strong communication skills are a requirement, as they are often called upon to relate and work with architects, engineers, and surveyors.  They should also be quite knowledgeable of mathematics, science, and CAD design techniques.  The aeronautical drafter is often expected to be able to manually draft three-dimensional objects as well.

In short, drafting has been made easier with the aid of CAD, because among other things drafters can store drawings for future variations or adjustments to the design.  However, knowledge of manual drafting is still needed, especially in the architectural and aeronautical arenas, two of the most creative and exciting specialties in drafting today.