What is the upside to hand drafting instead of using CAD drafting besides the basic techniques?

I'm a mechanical engineer with 18 years of experience. I have done my own drawings for most of my career and still do many of my own. My first job as an engineer 18 years ago was on CAD. I have never hand drafted a real drawing on the job. Unless you're interested in maintaining a company's old paper drawings don't even bother learning on a board. Its good to be able to sketch a part by hand though and all you will need is a pad and a pencil. If you're interested in drafting in today's world, CAD is the only way. The basics of a good engineering drawing have not changed with the advent of CAD, but how you get there has changed a bunch. If I were going to hire you I could care less if you could draft by hand, only what you can do on the computer. Welcome to the REAL world.

Doing it by hand helps to show the great improvement that CAD tools offer. Apart from that, if you don't have the software, then at least you know how to do something by hand as opposed to sitting there looking dumb. At this point, doing diagrams without CAD tools seem outdated. Its like writing a software program on paper before typing it. Or even writing an essay paper on paper before typing it. Yes some people still do this, but why do they?

i dont get it... i dont think any1 else will eaither.

It's important to know how to draft by hand so that you know how to properly design a part, including how to place your dimensions and other markers. Also, If you find a design that the software can't easily handle, ie. certain compound curved surfaces, you will have to do it by hand anyway. Finally, if you work for a company and your network crashes, it would be a good idea to still be able to do your job without a computer

HI, I AM A DRAFTER AND BEFORE I USE THE AUTOCAD, I DRAW BY HAND. THE THING IN DRAWING BY HAND IS THAT IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY ON PAPER, BECAUSE IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE OR IF THERE IS A CHANGE ON THE PLAN, YOU NEED TO RESTART AGAIN IN THE DRAWING AND NEED TO TRACE IT AND DO THE MODIFICATIONS. REALLY, AUTOCAD, HAS DONE US A BIG FAVOR IN USE LITTLE OF OUR TIME DURING DRAFTING TIME, AND PAPER, WE DON'T WASTE BECAUSE, SINCE IS IN THE COMPUTER, THAN THERE IS NO REASON TO TEAR NOTHING, ONLY TO GET INTO THE COMPUTER AND GET THE FILE NEEDED TO BE MODIFIED AND THAT'S IT. IF YOU EVER NEED HELP ON A FLOORPLAN OR A REMODELING OR ADDITION JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL AT [email protected] OK.

hmmm, horse and buggy or Ferrari? well, not exactly. Learn to hand draft. It allows for quicker expression of ideas and changes. You don't need an elaborate set-up. A straight edge and a good pencil and eraser. It's also better for on-site evaluations. I've tried lap-topping a design on a factory floor but a ruler and paper are much better. Use CAD to do your final draft. I think of it as art versus computer generated.