Mr. Raileanu has over twenty years’ experience in CAD-based solutions designing aluminum and steel machinery, fabrication drawings, processing and part designing.

He creates designs for HVAC systems. He has designed in the following areas:
• metal fabrication
• processing and part design
• drafting and MS Office
• 2D & 3D geometry creation and manipulation
• mechanical & sheet metal structural design
• product engineering and mechanical design

He has been working with AutoCAD since college days, however he works mainly on SolidWorks to design heat and ac frames, sheet metals and enclosures. He has worked with AutoCAD since 1989, however in 2004 he discovered SolidWorks and since then he has been designing 3D models and drawings only with SolidWorks. As a proficient user of SolidWorks, he believes SolidWorks has the best user interface and intuitive, reliable FEA (Failure Effects Analysis) features.

Since 2017, he has been working with a world-class manufacturer of dehumidifiers in Georgia. He has been designing and developing innovative products and production systems to support engineering requirements. He has been using SolidWorks extensively for all product designs, weldments and frames, work assemblies and subassemblies and creation of job fabrication binders for manufacturing team members. This includes all necessary part files, bend drawings, appropriate dimensional data, general overview layout, exploded views of critical component assemblies.

Since 2016, he has been working in another company, in development of anatomically-precise 3D and 4D surface imaging systems. He works with R&D products, responsible for creating and maintaining any CAD documentation required by sales, and developing detailed engineering drawings for system design, components, cabling, and prototyping 3D printing products.

From 2015 to 2016, he also provided CAD support for a pallet rack manufacturer in Georgia that offers a full range of services from design to installation of storage solutions for many industries and materials. He designed layouts and drawings for estimating, approval, permitting and fabrication.

One of his most challenging projects was one that required him to design and build a video electronic enclosure that had to be light and also appeal to specific customers in that field (medical devices). The challenges were to make it less heavy than the previous design, to fit all electronic components required, to have a good maintenance access and to look visually appealing.

He built a mobile dehumidifier unit with a small footprint to fit other competitors design, easy maintenance access, sturdy, structurally safe, outdoor proof and easy to maneuver. He also brought some new concepts to the design to challenge the competitors’ design, such as less energy consumption (less welding) and ability to stacking during shipping or storage.

He feels that the best thing about working as a CAD draftsman is that he gets to work from home.

He uses Skype and phone to communicate with clients. He shares his screen with clients for a variety of different purposes. He also uses Webex and GoToMeeting as he finds these tools to be very effective between people at different locations. He thinks they solve most of the issues related to projects. When required, however, he also meets clients face to face. He does not believe that issues can be solved only by face-to-face meetings, but in certain situations where a personal approach is required face-to-face meetings may be more appropriate.

T. Wilen is a CAD Technician with many years of experience in creating detailed, precise and highly technical drawings using AutoCAD. He has worked extensively with AutoCAD and EaglePoint and is also skilled in Revit Structure and Civil 3D. Mr. Wilen oversaw the drafting in an 8-person office as well as some design and some construction activities. He has significant experience in the commercial (medical) architecture field.

J. Earnest has developed detailed design drawings and specifications for mechanical equipment, dies/tools and controls, using Computer-Assisted Drafting (CAD). He has extensive experience in laying out and drawing schematic, orthographic and angle views to depict functional relationships of components, assemblies, systems and machines. He has coordinated with and consulted other workers to design, lay out, and detail components and systems and to resolve design and other problems. He has also designed specialty items, such as valves, and has modified and revised designs to correct operating deficiencies and to reduce production problems.

R. Wright is an independent CAD consultant, and is an expert in the area of computer aided drafting. He began as a draftsman and construction administrator.

Interview with Mr. R. Wright

1. What kinds of clients do you serve?

   I serve clients who are involved in residential and commercial projects.

2. What was the most interesting CAD project that you ever worked on? What made it interesting?
   What challenges did you face?

   The most interesting projects were a Veterinarian Clinic and Refurbishing a 100 year old elementary school. I had faced numerous design changes with the veterinarian clinic and with the elementary school, and had some challenges in retrofitting 100 year construction techniques.

3. Of the software tools that you use, which is your favorite and why?

   I have AutoCAD and Revit skills. Revit is my favorite software design tool because it incorporates the most information in a building model. It allows 2D, 3D and rendering.

4. What trends are you observing in the market for CAD services? How have these trends affected you, and how are you responding to them?

   I am observing a downward turn in the amount of work for CAD designers.

5. What do you like about working as an interim CAD draftsman or external CAD consultant working on a time-bound project?

   I like working as an interim CAD draftsman or as a consultant, because I can work well in an office environment or alone as a consultant.

6. Have you ever provided CAD consulting services remotely, either via phone, the Web or email?
   Do you use any screen sharing tools (like Webex, Skype, or GoToMeeting), and are they effective?
   What kinds of questions and problems could you tackle remotely?
   Are there any issues that you feel are better handled face-to-face?

   Yes, I have provided a number a CAD consulting services remotely by way of GoToMeeting, and there was no issue in the design process or project scope that could not be handled remotely.

J. Potenza serves as a CADD consultant for construction projects in Massachusetts. He began as a civil drafter for the City of Boston in 1978 while attending Boston Architectural Center, and learned the Auto-trol system in 1982. He became a CADD Manager in 1985. It was at this time that he became proficient in AutoCAD, Intergraph and GDS and began creating CADD Drafting standards. Mr. Potenza headed up the CADD design for a Wastewater Treatment Plant on GDS.

Building on his GDS experience, he created and implement the CADD standards for the Boston Central Artery Project. In 2010, Mr. Potenza began teaching CADD/Engineering. Because of his extensive design/build experience, he was recently asked to design and manage the construction of a new 104,000 sq. ft. educational campus in Woburn, MA.

Interview with Mr. J. Potenza

1. What kinds of clients do you serve? What is your particular area of expertise?

   I have worked primarily with A/E firms for over 30 years. Architectural design, Civil and Utility relocation.

2. What was the most interesting CAD project that you ever worked on? What made it interesting? What challenges did you face?

   The Central Artery/3rd Harbor Tunnel. The massive coordination of companies and disciplines. The constant changes and revisions.

3. Of the software tools that you use, which is your favorite and why?

   My favorite was Auto-trol but I dont think it exists any more. Autocad now. I was in cad before Autocad existed.

4. What trends are you observing in the market for CAD services? How have these trends affected you, and how are you responding to them?

   I think companies would rather hire a service now. It hasnt really affected me.

5. What do you like about working as an interim CAD draftsman or external CAD consultant working on a time-bound project?

   I like the constant project change and the challenge of completing a job on time.

6. Have you ever provided CAD consulting services remotely, either via phone, the Web or email?
   Do you use any screen sharing tools (like Webex, Skype, or GoToMeeting), and are they effective?
   What kinds of questions and problems could you tackle remotely?
   Are there any issues that you feel are better handled face-to-face?

   Yes, on many joint ventures. I have used GoToMeeting and found it somewhat effective. Preliminary design and most changes can be handled remotely. Face-to-face meetings are best for initial project start up and major changes.

O. Medina is an independent consultant with experience in Computer Aid Drafting software, mainly Chief Architect and AutoCad. For the past seven years he has been developing residential Architectural Drawings, HVAC and electrical drawings for residential and commercial projects. As an Architectural residential drafter he had been involved in the complete design process of projects, including schemes proposals through final construction documents. He has generated drawings for floor plans, elevations, sections, structural, electrical, plumbing, site plans and detailed sections. Also he had developed 3D walkthrough video clips for some of the projects. Oscar is currently studying electrical engineering on-line at Stony Brook University in New York. He is a graduated engineer in electronics from Saint Thomas University in Bogota Colombia.

S. Gonzalez is currently and independent Architect and CAD consultant, a role he has performed since 1998. Mr. Gonzalez has overseen all design activities for 2D & 3D drafting, focusing on AutoCad, VectorWorks, ArtLantis, Photoshop & Corel Draw. Mr. Gonzalez started his career as a CAD Draftsman. He received a BA in Architecture from UMG -Universidad Mariano Galvez- in Guatemala City and studied Architectural Design at Sci-Arc LA and Urbanism at Universidad de Puebla Mexico.

L. Bublik is an independent CAD consultant. Mr. Bublik was previously the head of the design and drafting department at a leading Control Valve design company. Mr. Bublik oversaw all design activities for the company and managed a team of 2D and 3D designers (focusing on SolidWorks and AutoCAD). His innovation in Control Valves design resulted in over $200 million in annual revenue for the company. Mr. Bublik started his career as a machinist, when he was responsible for setting up and operating lathes, mills, drill presses and other machine shop equipment. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

Interview with Mr. L. Bublik

1. What kinds of clients do you serve?

   As a mechanical engineer I work with any individuals or companies that need my special design expertise.

2. What was the most interesting CAD project that you ever worked on? What made it interesting?
   What challenges did you face?

   I recently had a project for treatment tables for hospitals with special design features that were very interesting to work on. Challenges were to find special electric motors and switches for the tables.

3. Of the software tools that you use, which is your favorite and why?

   SolidWorks is the best and my favorite because it is solid modelling and you can see right away what kind of product you are designing.

4. What trends are you observing in the market for CAD services? How have these trends affected you, and how are you responding to them?

   Clients try to pay less because of the slow job market; they want more work for less money so I have to accept any reasonable offer.

5. What do you like about working as an interim CAD draftsman or external CAD consultant working on a time-bound project?

   I like working free-lance because I can have a more flexible schedule.

6. Have you ever provided CAD consulting services remotely, either via phone, the Web or email?
   Do you use any screen sharing tools (like Webex, Skype, or GoToMeeting), and are they effective?
   What kinds of questions and problems could you tackle remotely?
   Are there any issues that you feel are better handled face-to-face?

   I use Skype for remote meetings and also the phone. Skype is good for design work questions because I can share my screen and resolve problems. If I have customers in my area I meet with them in person.

J. Bocchino is a designer, drafter and illustrator. Her Experience is in 2D drawing, and instruction writing. She has considerable experience drafting for Civil Engineers, and preparing mechanical drawings.

D. Hilton has over twenty-five years graphic design experience on Macintosh and PC platforms using primarily InDesign, Quark Xpress, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat and Microsoft Office. As an architectural and structural draftsperson, she is also adept at preparing plans, details and as-builts from client sketches and specifications using AutoCAD 2011. Ms. Hilton can prepare (2d) cost-effective photographic mock-ups of architectural structures. She is experienced in creating creative websites using CSS, HTML and Dreamweaver.

View Samples

Comments

1. Describe a project that was particularly challenging. What was challenging about it? What was the solution and what results did you achieve?

   I draw floor plans of existing homes for my husband who makes scaled birdhouses. The challenging part is that I often don’t have any dimensions to work from, so I have to interpolate the footprint and door and window sizes from photographs. I generally use standard sizes to get the best approximation.

2. Which CAD software programs do you find the most useful for the kind of work that you do?

   AutoCAD 2011

3. What are the pros and cons of the various CAD software programs that you use?

   I only use AutoCAD. I use other programs for other purposes, like Adobe products for graphic design.

4. How do you keep yourself up-to-date with the various developments in your field of work?

   I read on-line articles and talk to colleagues. Also, help forums for help.

5. Which new skills have you acquired in the past year? What new skills do you plan to acquire in the future?

   Just keeping up with the new features in the software is a full-time job 🙂

6. Are there any kinds of activities that you feel are better to outsource or subcontract than to do yourself?

   N/A

7. Send us some samples of your work, in any format (DWG, PDF, JPEG, DXF,etc.), along with a description of each sample.

   Attached is a set of drawings for a structural engineer. Also, see my website of examples:

   http://www.ilikeitdesign.com/drafting/autocad.html

8. Testimonials you would like to send us from your existing customers.

   I have never asked for any.

D. Hildebrandt is a CAD Technician with extensive experience in military, residential, municipal and commercial construction. He provides the following services:

• Participates in Civil/Architectural/Electrical/Mechanical design including but not limited to airfield and military site design, Grading, Concrete, Asphalt, Utility, Storm, Sewer, Site layout, Traffic protection, Signage, Utility plan/profile, Concrete construction, and multi-story PEB construction
• Specifies and Implements engineering drawing standards and implemented standards CAD/ detail library/filing/references/Software specification and configuration/AutoCAD and drafting specifics/hardware maintenance, specification, and configuration)
• Maintains existing site database while updating CAD/GIS files and conducting as-built surveys. Maintains GIS databases.
• Conducts as-built and topographic surveys for construction projects
• Rebuilds sites as-built survey using Trimble GPS gear and builds 3d CAD models.
• Uses 3D design software (LDD, Civil 3D and Softdesk) for contour build, pipe and structure
  profile, cross section, grading, sewer pipe design, drainage pipe design, road design, highway design, grading, cut/fill calculation, and survey data manipulation
• Provides design engineering for municipal and private sector construction projects including but not limited to site design, grading, concrete, asphalt, erosion control, retention, detention, stabilization, utility, storm, sewer, traffic protection, traffic signalization, signage, highway construction, ROW improvement, utility plan/profile, jack/bore operations
• Implements, specifies, and maintains CAD hardware, AutoCAD software, and standards
• Structural: Multi-story construction (steel, wood, concrete, masonry, tilt-up, precast), Residential Construction, Municipal and Education facilities
• Architectural: Multi-story construction (steel, wood, concrete, masonry, tilt-up, precast), Residential Construction, Municipal and Education facilities
• Electrical: Grounding, Power distribution, Lighting, Single-line, detailing, and scheduling
• Mechanical: Plumbing and HVAC layout, detail, and scheduling

Mr. Hildebrandt graduated from Porter & Chester Institute for Mechanical Design/Drafting, and has an ACI Certification for Concrete Inspection Field Technician Level 1, and a Construction Management Certificate from the University of Washington (Construction Safety, Project Management, Construction Estimating, and Project Planning and Control).

Interview with Mr. D. Hildebrandt

1. What kinds of clients do you serve? What is your particular area of expertise?

   Civil Engineers, Structural Engineers, Architects, Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Environmental Consultants, Geologists, Telecommunications Engineers, and Builders. All phases of construction design and drafting using AutoCad, Civil 3D, and a host of graphical and processing software.

2. What was the most interesting CAD project that you ever worked on? What made it interesting?
   What challenges did you face?

   The JFK International Airport Air Train. I was one of the designers responsible for traffic control, pedestrian control, and crane movements. Time was a crucial factor, as it was near-impossible to design in advance due to construction timelines, change orders, etc. Therefore every inch of the way (a year in the making) required fast-paced engineering and realistic answers to very limiting factors.

3. Of the software tools that you use, which is your favorite and why?

   Civil 3D is my favorite, as it includes all the tools I need to help design including survey data manipulation, earthwork calculations, road design, and profiling tools for utilities and infrastructure design.

4. What trends are you observing in the market for CAD services? How have these trends affected you, and how are you responding to them?

   More dedicated services. A shrinking job market requires dedication and hard work in order to hold on to clients. I’ve got to work harder to keep the work coming. There are many people looking for work who can do what I do for a fraction of the cost so I’ve had to cut corners and make deals that work in favor of my clients. Of course they work in my favor too as I’ve not lost any work and am very grateful to be busy.

5. What do you like about working as an interim CAD draftsman or external CAD consultant working on a time-bound project?

   I’ve always viewed the 24 hours in a day as my time when I’m not required to show up to an 8 to 5 job. I can work any time at my own pace (always very fast) and spend quality time with my family. It is an all-around flexible way to operate. Sometimes it’s difficult to make time for multiple clients, but dedication and superior workmanship are the key.

6. Have you ever provided CAD consulting services remotely, either via phone, the Web or email?
   Do you use any screen sharing tools (like Webex, Skype, or GoToMeeting), and are they effective?
   What kinds of questions and problems could you tackle remotely?
   Are there any issues that you feel are better handled face-to-face?

   Yes. I do work remotely via email and phone. The background I posses enable ease in communication. I’ve been dealing with engineers for 25 years. I haven’t the need to work using screen-sharing. Closely-located clients, email, scanning, phone calls, and travel cover all the bases. Any and all engineering or design projects. Of course face-to-face is easier, but engineers need flexible and experienced designers to make their projects grow quickly and accurately.

D. Colley is a CAD Designer and an AIDT certified Pipe Fitter, with extensive experience in architectural, civil, electrical and piping designs. He works with multiple materials including plastic, wood, metal, glass, cement, ceramic, fiber, leather and paper, and prepares drawings and topographical and relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, pipelines, flood control projects, and water and sewerage control systems. He also provides the following services:

• Developing specifications and instructions for installation of voltage transformers, overhead or underground cables, and related electrical equipment used to conduct electrical energy from transmission lines or high-voltage distribution lines to consumers.
• Calculating mapmaking information from field notes, and draw and verify accuracy of topographical maps.
• Preparing detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods, and other engineering information. SOS Drafting Inc. Mobile, Alabama 09/2011 to 11/2011 CAD Technician
• Reading/interpreting civil site plans and convert technical information into working drawings.
• Drafting electrical detailed drawings of fiber optic cable above and below ground systems.
• Drawing maps, diagrams, and profiles using cross-sections and surveys to represent
• elevations, to topographical contours surface formations and structures.
• Locating and identifying symbols located on topographical surveys to denote geological and geophysical formations.
• Reading/interpreting blueprints, schematics, plans and plots
• Preparing detailed drawings of architectural designs and plans for buildings and structures according to specifications provided by architect.
• Mechanical, Electrical and Architectural Drafting
• Unit manipulation and limits relationships using CAD
• Visualization of objects
• Manual 2D drafting in geometric construction, dimensioning, sketching, detail drawing and lettering software Mr. Colley has an Associate of Applied Science Degree, Computer Drafting and Design, and specializes in Materials and Processes. He works with the following software tools: AutoCAD Civil 3D, Autodesk Revit, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Architectural Desktop 2007, Microsoft Works, AutoCAD 2008-2012.