I know everyone swears by the new 3D modeling add-ons, but my old 2D workflow in AutoCAD is still faster for 90% of my residential plans.

4 comments

4 Comments

jamie_webb672mo agoProlific Poster

Oh man, I get where you're coming from, but that 90% number feels way off. The real speed of 3D isn't just the modeling, it's that all your sections and elevations auto-update. I've seen guys stuck for hours fixing a dozen 2D views after one change. For basic floor plans, sure, 2D is quick, but for a full set of residential drawings, modern tools save a ton of time.

gavin2282mo ago

Wait, stuck for hours? @jamie_webb67, that's the part that gets me. I saw a guy in my old office re-draw a single window detail across six sheets because the head height changed. That's half a day gone, easy. The real time isn't in drawing the first line, it's in chasing every copy of that line through the whole set. With a proper model, you fix it once and the callout in the foundation plan, the section, and the interior elevation just... fix themselves. That's not just speed, that's saving your sanity.

nguyen.morgan1mo ago

Ngl, your window detail story hits home. I had a similar situation on a townhouse project where the client moved a toilet by 6 inches after we were already into 2D construction docs. Took me an afternoon to track down every section, plan, elevation, and reflected ceiling plan that showed that bathroom. With a model, I would have just moved the fixture and clicked regenerate. Honestly, that one change alone convinced me 3D is worth the setup time. Tbh, the real cost isn't in the software or the learning curve, it's in the hours you waste fixing things that shouldn't need fixing twice.

paige_owens52mo ago

Yeah I was totally on the 2D train for ages. But seeing someone re-label every single door number after a room swap? That's the moment it clicked for me. The model handles the boring stuff so you can actually think.