What Does an Architectural Drafter Do?

If you’re a problem-solver with a creative streak, here’s an exciting career path to consider. Drafters use computer-aided design (CAD) software to transform designs into technical drawings. In the construction industry, drafters work with architects and engineers. Their skills are needed in many fields, which is why drafters generally specialize. Architectural drafters create drawings for buildings or structures, but there are also civil, aeronautical and mechanical drafters.

Architectural drafters — also called CAD drafters, CAD operators or AutoCAD drafters — create technical drawings that pull together all the needed information about how to build a commercial, residential or industrial structure. They bring accuracy and precise specifications to an idea that started as a sketch.

Architectural CAD drafters often specialize in types of buildings or even types of materials. Increasingly, many use building information modeling (BIM) software that creates 3D models.

Why is this career exciting? Because the drawings that drafters create are the starting point for a building. The architectural draftman’s work is what site managers, engineers and managers use to set everything else in motion. The architectural draftman’s precision matters at every stage of the process, so he or she needs to be an excellent communicator even after the drawings are done — especially if changes are needed.

Read on to learn more about what it takes to become a drafter, and hear from an expert who's done the job for years.