Having difficulty creating presentation quality, professional drawings in AutoCAD?

Here’s the reason:

Most design professionals aren't taught how to put together a set of construction drawings in school.

They learn on the job. And so, what’s passed on in practice is highly dependent on where a design professional completes their training.

If you learn to draw in a studio that places a high importance on drawing clarity and organization, your drawing style will naturally reflect this too.

The vast majority of us learn through trial and error; we aren't taught by skilled tradespeople.

So you try to make do with what you have, wasting time and unknowingly exposing yourself to unnecessary risk and liability.

You can get fancier tools…

But tools don’t make the drawing. You do.

You’ve done this before. I guarantee it.

You’re working in AutoCAD and you need to create a simple floor plan for your meeting tomorrow.

So, you go on the hunt in your digital drawing archive for a recent project to copy. Then, you set about deleting everything you don’t need.

But halfway through, you remember there was another project that was probably a better fit, so you find that one and copy and paste in all the blocks and line work you need.

But, when you paste these in, you redefine and overwrite some of the original blocks with the newer ones. Undo…undo…undo…arggh! Now try again...

At this point, the errors and inefficiencies start stacking up…

And your drawing is a mess, but you don’t have time to fix it because all you can think about is meeting your deadline.

When the meeting is over, you’ll have to return to clean up the file, wasting even more time.

This is time you can’t bill for; it’s wasted effort and now you have the mental burden to carry with you as you move through your day, remembering that you have to return to patch things up.

When you start collaborating with others on the design team, the problem compounds, and the chance for error does too. Every project a series of band-aids; every drawing looks like it was drawn by an entirely different design professional: different text, different dimension styles, and layers.

This is no way to work.

There is a better way.

Imagine starting a new drawing without having to track down your favorite dimensions and text styles, title sheet, most used blocks, annotations, all the standard settings you used on the last project.

Contractors and clients love my drawings because they’re easy to read

I consider my architectural drawings to be an extension of my business branding. Clients and collaborators can easily judge my studio’s priorities just by looking at my drawings.

What makes them aesthetically pleasing is that they’re also functional, and that’s because architectural drawing - at its core - is about communicating your ideas to those you’re expecting to buy into, finance, and construct your work.

A clear drawing style communicates your intent clearly and leaves no room for interpretation.

Our job as design professionals is to order and organize information, and our drawings do this for us.

There's the organization of the line work on the page, the layout of the sheet, and the hierarchy of information you're choosing to depict.

Each requires that you know exactly what you're trying to communicate.

30X40 Title Block Pack

Simply add your logo + branding, and these simple, clean layouts are ready for plotting.

You can get AutoCAD templates everywhere nowadays. So, how is this one different?

Why not just use AutoCAD’s built-in templates?

To begin with, the design is…well, horrible.

And, then, there’s this:

Off-the-shelf templates are made by software engineers who don’t understand the first thing about what a drawing set should include.

How about the generic templates you can find online that include hundreds of pre-formatted blocks and every layer in the universe that they include.

So, let me ask you:

Do you have time to search through hundreds of blocks to decide which one you want to use? Then scroll through 136 layers to find the right one to place it on?

And then, when you place it in the drawing, it has way too much detail. Every quarter panel and windshield wiper on the car is drawn in exquisite detail.

This bogs down your drawing, and the styling and level of detail far exceed the important elements of the drawing. You don’t need hundreds of overwrought blocks, you need to focus on what’s important.

The biggest mistake I see in professional architectural drawing sets is the lack of clarity.

Most drawing sets look flat and lifeless.

There’s a simple reason for this: when everything is drawn with the same line weight nothing on the drawing is more important than anything else.

By varying line weights we add depth and call attention to the things we want to highlight as important. For a floor plan, that might be the wall outlines, for elevations it’s building volumes.

When we combine this with shading, different line types and subtle annotations we can transform a flat drawing into one that’s clear and legible. Adding contrast is a stylistic hallmark of beautiful architectural drawings that communicate ideas clearly.

It’s taken me years to dial in these settings and these templates will save you all the trouble and time and leave you with a professionally styled drawing.

Yes, give me access

Here are some examples of my work:

There’s a meaningful difference between someone who simply teaches principles and someone who has actually implemented those principles in the field. I’ve built countless structures using this template as my starting point.

I know what works and what doesn’t because I've done it.

Using my AutoCAD assets will put you ahead of your competition and save hours of your time:

Ease & Efficiency: Say goodbye to the repetitive and time-consuming task of setting up every new drawing from scratch. With blocks ready to adjust to your project, title blocks in place, and dimension styles tailored to every scale, you can spend more time being creative.

Consistency: Benefit from a uniform start each time. My AutoCAD template ensures every drawing begins with the correct settings, blocks, and annotations, eliminating guesswork and inconsistencies.

Aesthetic Excellence: You'll be equipped with a minimalist, clean visual style that not only conveys a professional brand, but also speaks to your clients, consultants, and contractors. Drawing conventions that I've polished over the years ensure your ideas are realized, both on paper and in the field.

Customization: While the template offers a solid starting point, it also comes with instructions to adjust and adapt, allowing your studio’s individual style to shine through.

Yes, give me access

Achieve the look and feel of 30X40’s digital drawings each time you start a new project

The AutoCAD template

You'll get:

• Graphically compelling visuals right out of the box without fussing or experimenting
• An example of line types and styles that effectively communicate with both clients and contractors
• A small sample floor plan + elevation for reference
• A minimalist, well-designed title block
• Artistic pen settings for your plotter

AutoCAD Lighting Plan Template

You'll get:

• 30X40's Electrical plan legend + general notes
• 30X40's Electrical symbols 30X40's simple layer system
• Small sample electrical floor plan to copy and match styles
• A minimalist, well-designed title block (A1 + Arch D sizes)
• Short walk-through video demonstrating Eric's workflow, steps + tips

30X40 AutoCAD Title Block Pack

• A set of predesigned, minimalist title blocks
• Matching cover sheets in four sizes, and a general notes, legend , and symbol sheet.
• Each one marries seamlessly with 30X40's AutoCAD drawing template + print settings (you'll need this for the .ctb file)
• Simply add your logo + branding, and these simple, clean layouts are ready for plotting

Get the AutoCAD Bundle, download the bundle assets, customize them to suit your needs, and use them to create accurate and beautiful working drawings.

Yes, give me access

You can always earn another dollar, but you’ll never earn another minute

These are resources that will allow you to create beautiful and accurate working drawings in AutoCAD without wasting hours tinkering with off-the-shelf templates or searching through your archive of old projects.

All you have to do is download the files and follow my instructions.

In less than an hour, you’ll be up and running, creating drawings that your clients and contractors will love.

Yes, give me access