Can we talk about how I used to draw every HVAC duct run by hand until I switched to AutoCAD last July?

I spent 6 years doing everything on paper with a 0.5mm pencil and an old drafting table, then a senior guy at my shop in Denver showed me how a simple AutoCAD template cuts my design time per job from 4 hours to maybe 1.5, has anyone else made that switch and felt dumb for not doing it sooner?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenny5801mo ago

What template did you use that actually worked for ductwork layouts?

patwest1mo ago

I remember reading on a forum a while back that someone used the basic manual D templates from the SMACNA website. They said it wasn't fancy but it got the job done for their house. That person mentioned they just printed it out and sketched their layout by hand before entering it into software. I think those templates are free or really cheap to download. Might be worth checking out because they cover the basic sizes and friction loss stuff. Not flashy but it works if you just need something to start with.