CAD SERVICES

This is an outline of the range of services we offer, so if anything interests you, we can of course go into your requirements in greater depth.

2D Drafting

Accurate drawings of almost anything. Examples are room and furniture layouts, building plans, plans to submit for planning permission, building elevations (side views), diagrams (wiring and other schematics), garden plans - there are practically no limitations. We are quite used to creating a drawing based upon a supplied drawing or a set of messy hand-written measurements. For less accurate work, we can even work from photographs to give a best-guess plan.

Site Measurements

We have the facility to visit a site to make measurements using a laser measure and tapes, suitable for most applications. Although we most often are called to measure the insides of offices, we have measured building exteriors, gardens and even parts of RHS Wisley. There are more accurate ways to measure a site if you need absolute accuracy, but for many applications this sort of measurement is quite suitable. We are quite used to visiting sites unaccompanied and, if necessary, working as a subcontractor and representing your business in our dealings.

Layout Plans

We are used to producing furniture layouts for offices. Whilst this involves using 2D drafting skills, this service adds the application of creative and practical knowledge. Plans of this nature need to take into account things like fire routes, spacing between desks, walkways, departmental requirements (seating x number of people, with x number of offices and x number of filing cabinets). We can go beyond this, to suggest suitable layouts starting with an empty space, drawing office walls, planning ceiling layouts, air conditioning, cable ducts, floor jacks, electrical and network sockets, fire routes, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers, fire doors, escape stairs - the huge range of considerations involved in laying-out a new office space.  Not all are our area of expertise, but through our contacts, we can bring in the required skills and services as required.

Presentation drawings

We are able to make drawings suitable for presentations, including a two-dimensional realisation of a 3D view.  We are all used to 3D models that can be rotated, but for presentational purposes it is sometimes quicker to draw a 3D representation (as an artist would).  We also have links to people who are able to make photo-realistic 3D views based upon measured drawings - very useful for presenting a new office design to your boss or a client. We can’t claim to do everything that a presentation might call for, but when combined with our graphical services, we can help you to present an idea effectively.

Planning & Building Regulation Applications

We are quite used to producing drawings for these purposes. In general, we are not prepared to act as the ‘agent’, but we are willing to help you with the forms if required.  Many people do not understand that a planning application is quite separate from a building regulations application, the latter often required for simple things like taking down or putting up walls or changing windows and doors. Building regulations are highly detailed and complicated, so whilst we are willing to help, we are unable to put ourselves forward as an expert. However, we are closely linked to a project management company who are able to offer these services.

3D CAD models

As explained in the introduction, this is something of a nascent service. However, at present we have the facility to create 3D representations of any object, big or small, and produce images from any angle for viewing. If enough interest is shown, we can upgrade to enable us to import and export drawings so that a 2D drawing can be used as the basis of a 3D representation.

3D hand-made ‘sketch models’

We have the knowledge to create physical 3D models of objects and simple buildings. We are by no means architectural modellers, but we can make models suitable for presenting a design concept. This is typically for product design, often using materials such as blue foam or Jelutong wood. However, the material needs to match its intended use, so a building concept or garden layout would employ different materials.

Industrial Design (Product Design)

This is what the proprietor trained for and whilst this is not something that we have done much in the past, it remains a skill that we can offer on a limited scale. If you’ve never heard of Industrial Design, people in this field used to be called industrial artists - they are the people that make a product saleable. Product designers tend to come from an engineering background and the tendency is for industrial designers to be seen as their poor cousins. However, the two disciplines have their place - a product needs to be both functional and desirable to buy. In our case, it would be foolish to suggest that we are geared-up for designing a complicated mass-produced product, we would be able to consider creating designs for one-off and low volume products.

Building Design

Whilst we are not architects or civil engineers, we are able to design things like building extensions and alterations, conservatories and other building-related structures. We have even designed a house (not realised), but such a design would have to be checked by a structural engineer and a civil engineer to make sure that the structure meets the relevant regulations and is going to be structurally sound. We can certainly produce a proposed building design in 3D which can be used to provoke thought before approaching an architect to add their own design input and professional skills. This might be of use to a voluntary organisation wanting to generate donations and funding before a finished design is able to be produced.