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Got a reality check from an old timer about my drafting layers
I was working on a retrofit job in Austin last Tuesday and my lead drafter (he's been at this since the 80s) looked over my shoulder and said "you got 17 layers just on this floor plan?" At first I was defensive (I thought I was being thorough) but then he showed me his prints from a 1997 project with only 4 layers that were somehow clearer and easier to read than my mess. It made me rethink whether all those extra layers are actually helping or just making my files bloated. Has anyone else had a senior drafter call them out on something they thought was standard practice?
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abby_henderson14d agoMost Upvoted
Disagree a bit here. Layers arent just about organization, theyre about workflow speed. I can toggle off notes, dimensions, or existing conditions in two clicks without hunting through a cluttered drawing. Your old timer kept it clean with 4 layers because he had to, that wasnt a choice it was a limitation back then. I do think 17 is probably overkill but somewhere in the middle like 8 to 10 is the sweet spot where youre not wasting time but still have control.
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1998, I was trimming a big pecan tree for a lady in Wimberley. I had 14 different chainsaws in my truck, thought I was real prepared. She said "son, you only need two. One for cutting, one for backup." Took me ten years to realize she was right. Layers and tools stack up but they don't always help.
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