Nashville Draftsman Needed

[TerryW]

My wife and I have purchased a set of "off the shelf" blueprints in PDF format and want to make some changes.  We have written permission from the architect to modify the plans.  I have spent over an hour just downloading different programs thinking I could modify them myself and I am over that idea.  The changes we want would be no more than cut and paste type. i.e. doors changed from swinging to pocket doors, windows moved and removed etc.  No structural changes involved.

If anyone can spend some time with me and my PDF I'd really appreciate it. 

 

Please PM me if you can do this..

 

Thank you very much.

 

Tw

[peejman]

I'm not sure that modifying an architectural blueprint that's in pdf format is going to work.  If they look like what I'm accustomed to seeing, you'd likely need the drawings in CAD format to do the editing.  I've got full Adobe on my work computer so I can edit pdf's, but Adobe isn't really set up with the tools necessary to do proper drawing changes.  It can be done, but it'd be somewhat of a hack job... something that could also be done using MSPaint or similar software. 

[TerryW]

Oh, I undrestand what you are saying, it makes sense. Hmmmmmm...

 

When I bought the plans they said it so matter of fact that having the plans in PDF format I could get them modified by them or any other draftsman. 

Are we missing something?

 

Thank you for the reply PJ

[enfield]

AFAIK, 'any other draftsman" could modify your plans, but he'd have to re-create the original CAD files that the pdfs were made from.  I'd investigate marking up your files and having the original architect make the changes.

[TerryW]

I'd investigate marking up your files and having the original architect make the changes.

 

enfield, could you explain? 

 

Thank you.  Tw

[enfield]

Pencil in the changes on the printouts.

[TerryW]

Oh, good idea!

 

Just so I understand, without the original CAD files it's not going to be as easy as the place I bought them from said?  It was almost as if they were encouraging me to get them done locally from the PDF.  They offer a CAD file for sale but said I didn't need that to get it modified.  I wonder why? 

 

Tw

[peejman]

Oh, good idea!

 

Just so I understand, without the original CAD files it's not going to be as easy as the place I bought them from said?  It was almost as if they were encouraging me to get them done locally from the PDF.  They offer a CAD file for sale but said I didn't need that to get it modified.  I wonder why? 

 

Tw

 

 

Yes, just hand mark up the drawings with the changes you want.  I'd make a copy of the original paper and mark them up neatly (use a straight edge, etc.) using a RED pen.  Sign and date the changes.  Unless they're really extensive, I wouldn't worry too much about getting the actual drawings re-done.  Any competent builder should be able to deal with that.  It's normal for stuff to change during the building process anyway.

 

 

And yes, without the original CAD files changing the drawings electronically is going to be very akin to doing so with a pencil.  I'm quite sure the architect knew that when they told you.  I'd bet the CAD files are significantly more expensive than pdf's.   

[jhc77]

Oh how I wish I had AutoCAD on my home PC. My googlefoo turned up a PDF to DWG coverter. I miss work after 5 1/2 years of being laid off. Like peejman said, mark it up, sign and date should be sufficient.

More than likely if "Joe Blow" modified it electronically, it might upset your builder anyways.

[Guest kingarmory]

Yep, I'd recommend penning in the changes manually as previously mentioned.  If you can get a DWG or DXF format of the file I can modify it for you also.  Modifying a PDF is doable, but all the scaling and other info normally encoded in a CAD file is not there, you're basically doing high-end Photoshop work at that point.

[Guest kingarmory]

And generally references to a "draftsman" are going to often be used in the same sentence as "pencil" and "straight edge", references to a "CAD monkey" will usually denote higher computer literacy though offset by a need for bananas :rofl:

[enfield]

CAD monkey - I like that!  I had one really good solid modeler I worked with - the others were monkeys by comparison.

[peejman]

I've done my fair share of actual "drafting", even had a class in college for it.  I've also used several different CAD packages and AutoDesk Inventor is by far the least friendly.  I keep threatening to get a t-shirt made for our tool designer.  It would read.... "I don't have tourettes, I use AutoDesk."  :)

[Guest kingarmory]

AutoCAD and Inventor are probably the two most archaic PITA platforms in existence that should have been revamped 20yrs ago.  As soon as the old-school generation of CAD guys retires, you'll see AutoCAD either get redesigned or nosedive, its been a "rite of passage" in the engineering community since its beginning but its losing its appeal.  We use TurboCAD Pro here and I'd take it over AutoCAD or even SolidWorks any day of the week, much more intuitive and quicker.

[peejman]

The sad part is that AutoCAD and Inventor have been updated numerous times.  They make it look like other programs, but its still way too complicated and cumbersome.  Inventor is incredibly powerful.  If you know how, you can create (quantified and precise) 3D geometry in Inventor that's simply not possible with other packages.  That becomes important when you're working with quantitative analysis models, but not everybody does that.  Plain ol' 2D AutoCAD is what I use more often than not when just sketching stuff.  And that's only when it's too complicated to draw on a sheet of paper.  :)

[DaveTN]

Oh, good idea!
 
Just so I understand, without the original CAD files it's not going to be as easy as the place I bought them from said?  It was almost as if they were encouraging me to get them done locally from the PDF.  They offer a CAD file for sale but said I didn't need that to get it modified.  I wonder why? 
 
Tw

PDF’s are cartoons. I don’t know why they would have led you to believe otherwise. The only way for anyone to make changes is to redraw from the PDF. I have done it on machine parts where a PDF is all the customer had; but they were billed for the hours it took.

How much extra were the cad files? If you get a .DWG or .DXF almost anyone that has CAD software can edit it.

[mikegideon]

I just finished some drawings that started with a PDF printout from archtectural drawings in Autocad. I was able to grab some dimensions and create my own base drawing from the PDF. but it's impossible to do the edits on a PDF file. AutoCad is an object oriented program, and acrobat is just a glorified picture. I had to do it, because it was easier than prying the original file out of the architect's hands. They don't like sharing their Autocad files.

 

So, everybody is telling you right. Print the PDF, mark it up, and get the architects to make the real edits. It's usually a simple thing for them, if your idea doesn't bite into the structural and/or mechanical designs. 

[Guest StorminMormon]

I have done exactly what your needing for a friend from church's company. They didn't want to pay the online place $500 for DWGs they could modify, so I went off the marked-uped PDFs and redrew them in AutoCAD. I charged them $350, but even if they had bought the CAD files, they would have had to pay someone to modify them. Have you seen what an architect bills you for hourly!?!?!

 

And yes, Inventor sucks, SolidWorks is where it is at as far as 3D modeling goes. In school, I thought AutoCAD was a joke, but after getting out and actually working where they use it, I have grown to like it. If you think AutoCAd is antiquated and/or not user friendly, try using DraftCAD 2001.... I worked briefly for a large mnfg. that uses it, and quickly found out why they had such a high turnover rate.

[mikegideon]

I have never dealt with an architectural firm that didn't use autocad. Been around since the DOS days. It may be clunky, but it does everything you need to make buildings. Solidworks rocks for 3D.

[peejman]

Solidworks is easy to learn and was my favorite, but there's some things it just doesn't do very well.  It guesses and/or approximates sometimes and doesn't tell you that. 

 

DraftCAD2001.... heh... I was using GeoMOD in 1993.  There's a reason it was founded by a guy named Dr. Lemon.  Seriously.

[FUJIMO]

It just so happens I am needing a draftsman in the knoxville area. And using a TGO member would be even better. We have considered doing like the OP and buying a set online but we have more than just a change or two.

TerryW, I will delete this if you consider it a hijack. Dont want to step on toes. :)

[mikegideon]

There's a reason they distribute those things for cheap in PDF form. Y'all have discovered it. I'm not so sure that $500 is too much to pay for the real autocad files. I drew my own floorplan in Visio, just to be able to do some of the work on my house.It was a lot of work, and doesn't include all the layers that would be required for permitting, especially if they require stamped drawings. Sometimes, you just gotta pay for professional services. 

[otnman]

It just so happens I am needing a draftsman in the knoxville area. And using a TGO member would be even better. We have considered doing like the OP and buying a set online but we have more than just a change or two.

TerryW, I will delete this if you consider it a hijack. Dont want to step on toes. :)

let me know what you need...I can probably help.I do it as a hobby now. Did it for years professionally... Edited November 13, 2014 by otnman

[gregintenn]

I drew mine by hand, because I no longer have a copy of Autocad. I'm not sure why people pay so much for home plans. It isn't that big a deal to do yourself if you know what you want.

[analog_kidd]

In another life, I used to be a CAD operator. Did it for years using AutoCad. a few years ago I bought a house to refurb and turn into a rental. I wanted to knock out walls, and update the electrical and plumbing. To get the city permits, I had to have an architectural plan showing my proposed changes.

 

I don't own AutoCad, so I went looking for an inexpensive option. I found DraftSight, which is a free program for hobbyists. It is very similar to AutoCad, and can even read Autocad files. I was amazed at how similar it was to Autocad in its commands and shortcuts. I was even more surprised at how quickly it all came back to me.

 

It could be a steep learning curve, but for free you can't beat the price. You might give it a shot and see if you can pick it up. If the plans are fairly simple, you should be able to recreate them yourself. Someone who knows CAD could probably do it in an hour or two.

 

Here is the web site: http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight/overview/