What are some best practices for creating and sharing technical drawings online?

Software: Ensure technical drawings are created using industry-standard software such as Illustrator and PLM. Formatting & Clear Labeling: Use a consistent format for technical drawings & clearly label components, dimensions, & materials. To helps prevent misinterpretation. Utilize Collaborative Tools: Use tools like PLM to share & manage technical drawings. These platforms allow real-time updates & easy access for stakeholders. Ensure Secure Access: When sharing technical drawings online, use secure methods to control access. Ensure only authorized personnel can view or edit documents. Update & Track Changes: Keep track of updates to technical drawings. This prevents confusion & ensures everyone is using current version of the drawing.

Start with file formats like PDF or DWG. as these are widely accepted, easy to view and easy to download. For sharing, use dedicated platforms. Tools like AutoCAD 360 or BIM 360 are best for collaborative. Watermark your drawings, just in case they go on an unintended receiver. It's like a signature, your mark stays, no matter where the drawing travels. Include clear labels and annotations. It's like adding signs, guides viewers through your drawing without getting lost. Version control is non-negotiable. Updates happen, mistakes get fixed. Lastly, keep security in mind. Password-protect sensitive drawings. Following these practices ensures your technical drawings staying secure and organized.

As a designer when u wish to create and share your work with colleagues and supervisors, cloud-based service is the path to choose. Cloud based services are popular for collaborative works for team members working together from different locations. It offers Realtime inputs and edits across multi-users. This also reduces the risk of losing precious data and promotes effective revisioning. One other benefit is that when using a cloud-based service, your computational power is not limited with the kind of device you use. You have at your disposal the power of cloud-based servers which increases productivity

Stick to well-established industry standards for things like object layers and styles. There's no need to reinvent the wheel and make your drawings harder to understand for people outside your company. In the US the gold standard for layer names is from the AIA, which uses abbreviated categories like C-SITE-FENC to make it easier to find the specific type of layer you need.

There are several easy ways to optimize your drawing files in AutoCAD. If you want to remove redundant elements, use the OVERKILL command to delete them. It's also good practice to periodically purge all RegApps from your files. These RegApps get imported across drawing files when you attach them together like with XREF and can cause glitches or slow speed when you try to work with them. Use the PURGE command to remove them and other unnecessary elements from your files as you go.

Typically the best way to share AutoCAD files is to use the E-Transmit tool. This will open up a menu that lets you pick & choose which files to include in a zipped bundle that can be sent to others for them to use on their own computers. The great thing is that you can include supporting files like aerial photos and all your project files together, and the tool will also automatically change all links between the files to relative paths so that when someone else extracts the zip file on their computer, the files will work immediately without any need for extra linking up.