How well can you tell? (…If the drawings in front-of you have been produced via 2D or 3D methods?)

I’m often asked: 'have the documents been coordinated?'.

The question should not be, if the documents are coordinated but to what extent they are not;

Being able to assess the method of creation of the original documents can be helpful in answering this dilemma.

Fully model based, fully 2D or hybrid? Type of hybrid?

Level of model integrity, 2D dress-ups or laced with numerous versions of the same model?

You should be interested in these questions, no matter where you are sitting in the AEC triangle and whatever your role is. The moment you are exposed to drawings (hard or soft copies) you become extremely vulnerable to them. They can manipulate you, deceive you and even destroy your carrier.

Many people know this, still take on a totally ‘laissez-faire attitude’ to where these drawings have come from, prepared by whom and how?

So, does it matter if you can tell or not?

The hardcopy is the contractual document - that is all that matters?

Well, if the game truly sharpens up within the industry, it will matter.

Just as by opening someone's CAD file 20 years ago and seeing pen-colours not set to ‘by-layers’ indicated a sloppy organization, a good set of eyes can read numerous things from drawings nowadays.

Give me a couple of sheets of your drawings and I’ll tell who you are!