Loading…

Two years with CAD, auto-dimensioning made me lazy or just faster? | Drafters - nhfree.com

Two years with CAD, auto-dimensioning made me lazy or just faster?

I started a new gig at a shop in Tulsa back in 2021, and we switched from hand-dimensioning to full auto-dimensioning in our drawings. At first I fought it, because I was used to placing every dim manually, and auto felt like it cluttered things up. Now my old work takes maybe half the time, but I notice I rarely double-check the placement logic, and I've caught 3 instances where the software chose a bad reference point that would have confused the fabricator. It got me thinking, is leaning on auto-dimensioning making us worse drafters over time, or is this just the trade evolving like when we moved off the board? Any of you long-timers notice a real shift in your own skills since you adopted it, or am I just overthinking a tool that works?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth8782mo ago

Wait, is that really auto-dimensioning you are using, or is it parametric dimensions tied to the model? Because those are two different things, and it matters for the lazy vs faster question. I get what you are saying about the software picking bad references, but that is usually a sign the model itself is set up poorly, not that auto-dim is dumb. If you let the tool pick everything, sure, it will grab whatever is closest, but you still have to set the base points and datums in the model first. I have seen guys blame the software for picking a hole center when they should have told it to grab the face, and that is on them, not the tool. So, no, I do not think it is making you worse, it is just moving the thinking earlier in the process, and you have to stay sharp about that part. The fabricator still needs you to check the logic, but the time you save on placing dims lets you spend that time on the real design work.

evan2952mo ago

Honestly, you are overthinking it, but I get why. I went through the same thing a few years back and yeah, the software will absolutely pick a bad reference if you let it. The trick is to treat auto-dim like a smart assistant, not a brain. You still gotta set up the base points and clean up the model first, that is where the real skill is now. Once I stopped fighting the tool and started checking the placement logic like you do, I got faster and my drawings got cleaner. The three times you caught it, that is exactly why you are still a good drafter. It is not making you lazy, it is just changing where you spend your focus. The fabricator still needs you to think, you just have more time to do that now.