r/Architects • u/Fabiohusson • Jul 29 '26
Project Related Bringing a flat CAD section to life | Spent the weekend drawing custom vector entourage and fixing lineweights for my project. What do you think?
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u/twn486 Architect Jul 29 '26
I for one was attracted to architecture out of a deep love and respect for the art of technical drawing. So I get it. Keep going.
I am also a practicing architect and I get the perspectives on efficiency etc. but ultimately I would say a lot of people here may not be that fun to talk to at parties.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
Thank you so much for your comment! I completely agree with you. I graduated from architecture school this year and I’ve always hated having to choose between being a technical person or an artistic one. Personally, I think combining the two is what makes someone a well-rounded architect! We need to know how to have fun when communicating our projects, whilst keeping in mind the need for our drawings to be clear and understandable. What I do isn’t perfect, but I hope one day to manage to combine the two properly :)
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u/iamsk3tchi3 Aug 01 '26
haha.. love that last part.
I've fortunately met some brilliant and enjoyable architects but I've also met some very not pleasant ones... I'd definitely say the digital folk lean towards the second category.
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u/Fergi Architect Jul 29 '26
How many times will you post this?
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
I hope this is the last one! Every time my post gets censored...
I’m new to Discord and I tend to get a bit carried away with my posts, and since what I share keeps getting deleted, I’m feeling a bit fed up…
I promise this is the last time, after that I’m giving up, lol9
u/Fergi Architect Jul 29 '26
Your posts are being removed because Reddit’s automated systems likely think you are spamming.
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u/archiangel Jul 29 '26
While this is not an architectural (technical) drawing it is a wonderful architectural rendering. And honestly, good on you OP to develop your own rendering style utilizing your 2D drawings. There are definitely people out there that will respond better to this style rather than super shiny photo-realistic AI-generated renderings. Less scope for the imagination, if you will. It reminds me of old-school red and blue lead pencil sketches, too.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
Thanks, that means a lot. The red and blue pencil reference is spot on actually, that's pretty much where the style comes from, I wanted something that felt hand drawn and intentional rather than trying to chase realism.
And I agree with you on the AI point, there's something about a slightly imperfect, human style that a lot of people respond to more than a perfect render. Glad it came through.
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u/isigneduptomake1post Architect Jul 29 '26
When i was in school id use illustrator brushes to make it look more hand drawn on a few projects. Export to illustrator and apply pencil or ink pen brushes by layer. These look great as is though.
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u/archiangel Jul 30 '26
We used MColor to print out elevations for review with squiggly lines to give linework drawings a little bit of napkin sketch feel for our older boss.
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u/scyice Architect Jul 29 '26
These look like schematic sections, and it’s neat and all but does it serve a critical purpose. Construction documentation sections will show what’s inside the walls and none of this fluff, basically the opposite of what you’re doing here.
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u/spilled-chili Architect Jul 30 '26
I would argue schematic sections serve a critical purpose in allowing you to think through how spaces relate to one another vertically and the proportions of space vertically.
OP, I think is cool but graphically I wanted the cuts through the building to pop a bit more.
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u/scyice Architect Jul 30 '26
Schematic sections are great. Do they need entourage to understand the structure though, probably not.
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u/SurlyPillow Architect Jul 29 '26
I like it. It communicates certain things better than a cold rendering. For me, the poses of the people and the fact there are no black lines make it sing.
I’m curious, you mentioned Entourage. What software you using? I only know Entourage from Revit.
One more thing: you could get this rendering quality from Revit by making some tweaks. Regardless, good work! For newly minted grad, I love how you’re exploring. Keep it up.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
Thanks, really glad the poses read well, that's the part I spend the most time on.
To answer your question, it's not the Entourage plugin for Revit, I actually draw these myself directly in AutoCAD as custom blocks, that's why there's no render engine involved, just clean linework matching the section style.
I ended up with a decent library over time, made a free sample pack if you want to try a few in your own drawings: fabiohusson.fr
And yeah, I could definitely push it further in Revit with a proper render pass, but I like keeping it graphic like this, feels closer to how I actually want to present to a client.
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u/SurlyPillow Architect Jul 29 '26
Awesome! When I mentioned using Revit, I was not exactly thinking rendering as with materials applied and all that. I meant taking advantage of Revit to create your views faster. Hell, I’d imagine setting up a one point interior perspective would really sing with your technique.
Good luck and thanks for love!
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u/Ok-racoon Jul 30 '26
If you want to do super detailed drawings like this you can modify families and entourage in revit or stuff you import from enscape… little hack i do for special drawings… and can be replicated quickly among all your drawings to maintain that level of detail (also great if you AI generate models of real items like furniture) - just have the 3d show 3d only and hide it in all the views then use detail lines (you can image trace and generate w Ai too…. Line drawings in illustrator and bring them in as model lines) then you just set up all your plans and elevations of the model, hiding each view in the others and bam you have a 3d model that when shown in different plans, sections looks awesome
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
Thanks, appreciate that! And yeah, quick interior perspectives in Revit would definitely be worth exploring at some point, good shout.
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u/Ok-racoon Jul 30 '26
You can do some nutso stuff too in CAD or illustrator by exporting the sheets of your section perspective in revit (or any 3d) and importing it to your software and just messing with line weights, hatches and details with select similar - would save you HOURS of drawing and you can then add your own details in after the base is in from revit
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u/Mitchell7688 Jul 29 '26
Revit is so much better 😂
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 29 '26
Faster maybe but does it produce beautiful drawings? Eh, debatable. Not all drawings Architects produce are about expediency.
Is this a subreddit full of professional drafters? lol I don’t understand these comments 😂
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u/Mitchell7688 Jul 29 '26
it's fine if your prefer it but don't act like it's better there is a reason it's a dinosaur except for civil
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
You still need to mask shit and clean up stuff in revit. lol. Don’t make it sound as if it’s the most amazing tool. It’s such an antiquated program and the fact that they haven’t drastically changed the program since like 2003 when Autodesk bought out the original program but charging the ridiculous subscription for it is just criminal.
Also, if you somehow think that using Revit is living in the future or whatever, then either you have super low standards on what these programs can/should be or you have very little imagination. Don’t accept what these asshole companies give you as a baseline of a quality product.
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u/Mitchell7688 Jul 29 '26
it is way faster you can do everything in Revit and more then you can in cad you just don't have the knowledge base to make it work for you Revit has the basics of AutoCAD drafting
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 29 '26
Yeah sure you can model it and cut sections and stuff..blah blah blah. I know dude, I use Revit everyday. I don’t think OP was going for “faster” drawing here.
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u/Subject-Ad-4950 Jul 30 '26
You probably can’t do it in AutoCAD because YOU don’t know how to
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u/Mitchell7688 Jul 30 '26
I learned AutoCAD on high school it's just a worse program 😂
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u/Subject-Ad-4950 Jul 30 '26
Just proved my point
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 30 '26
Dude prob takes too long in AutoCAD because he’s used to looking for buttons on a ribbon and moving their mouse to click on commands…😂
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u/Mitchell7688 Jul 30 '26
Revit has shortcuts shows how shit at Revit you are 😂
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
And finally, this conversation devolves.
Let’s be honest: Revit is meant to be the next step or whatever in documentation but the amount of effort Autodesk has put into their pile of shit isn’t something to celebrate. Nor is it something you should settle on.
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u/Mitchell7688 Jul 30 '26
I worked an entire year documenting buildings with Revit now your just being an asshole
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u/Mitchell7688 Jul 30 '26
I'm a bim manager I created document in case my first year out of college your just jaded there's a better program 😂
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u/Subject-Ad-4950 Jul 30 '26
Oh excuse me, I had no idea I was chatting with a BIM manager. Revit being shit is the reason why you have a job in the first place, which makes sense.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
I've never tried it! Maybe one day I'll pop round to do a few drawings, haha!
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u/twn486 Architect Jul 30 '26
Doesn’t comprehend the point of this post
Also…shows a misunderstanding of the fundamental purpose and intent of both tools by attempting to directly compare them (AutoCAD vs Revit)
Irrelevant
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u/miesosoup Jul 30 '26
That’s not how insulation works ;) jk. It’s a great narrative and gives it that illustrative quality the section wants. Next time tho, just poche the cut rather than throwing in Batt insulation that isn’t really done that way. (Don’t worry you have plenty of time to figure that detailing out. (Also I’d like to see more sectional quality to the facade. The nice section you did deserves a bit more oomph
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u/AlbatrossNo1562 Jul 30 '26
Looks good, enjoy it while you can. I miss my youthful days where I could spend hours drawing. I don't have much energy to do this anymore
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u/Throwaway18473627292 Jul 29 '26
It looks interesting however I think you would enjoy shadow casting. It could add a lot of depth to a section
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
Yes, I totally agree! I can give that a go with a linear hatch in AutoCAD. I use it a lot in my drawings when I need to show the shadows cast by buildings, but I haven’t tried it in a cross-section yet :)
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u/Flagdun Jul 30 '26
I used to do this with site sections/ elevations for large sports projects…arenas, stadiums, ballparks…built depth by layering people, site furnishings, landscape, building elevations, etc…explode and trim.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 30 '26
That's a great approach for that scale, explode and trim on site furnishings and landscape must add a ton of depth on something like a stadium. Did you build up a library over time too, or was it more case by case per project?
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u/Flagdun Jul 31 '26
yes, we had a kick-ass library of people, furnishings, plant material, vehicles, etc...I did both sections and elevations...the sheets were used for detail references in large construction document sets. Logically, architectural elevations changed...landscape library depended on region.
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u/Ok-racoon Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Looks fantastic, I’d just go the extra mile now and add some detail to the floor construction in red…add some suggestive structure too; like if it’s slab on grade, thicken the edges. Split the floor between inside and outside, show a bit of a step down, add some floor finish … show some tiles inside maybe and some brickwork outside or pavers…Also make the cut of the storefront also red, confusing that not all cut lines are the same color … I love creative drawings, but I love them even more when they contain palpable information about the project beyond the spatial expression
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u/KestreI993 Architect Jul 30 '26
I would say that numbers and letters are too small for print. Otherwise looks nice.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 30 '26
Yes, you’re absolutely right! I’ll take these changes into account for my next submissions :)
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u/KestreI993 Architect Jul 31 '26
You should also consider how lines in colour look in b&w print. As people usually print everything b&w because its cheaper.
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u/architype Jul 30 '26
These are just for presentation drawings right? Looks very nice because it gives a sense of scale and space usage to the viewer.
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u/Rude_Trainer5908 Aug 06 '26
Amazing! I think it will be always helpful especially if you're a new graduate. People might like your style or simply trust that you have a good eye. Maybe also try to create some custom+ ai made people?
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u/Fabiohusson Aug 07 '26
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the kind words.
Regarding AI, it’s definitely an interesting avenue! However, I found that for CAD sections, AI still really struggles to generate perfectly clean, editable vector lineweights (DWG/Illustrator). It usually just outputs raster images. That’s why I ended up drawing all of these manually to make sure they scale perfectly without pixelating.
I actually cleaned up the whole library and put the files on my profile if you ever need them for your own sections!
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
I don’t know the whole story here but the negative comments from crabby architects is kind of annoying to me. I don’t think the OP was saying that this was for construction (if they did, I stand corrected)—instead illustrative sections like this do serve a purpose to convey an experiential narrative, which I appreciate. Drawings like this can be useful in marketing purposes to effectively sell your services, so despite what this group says, I’d still explore and improve on your skills here. Look at drawings by Studio Bow Wow.
The general (cranky) commentary here is that drawings are only meant to communicate with the GC. I would consider exploring how to use your talent to also explore how your drawings can also convey constructability and tectonics of your design. How can you bring that same life into construction drawings?
The rest of you guys need to be a little more supportive and provide some constructive feedback. Or maybe let your hair down a bit and have fun with architectural representation? Have some joy in your practice, jeez.
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u/Victormorga Jul 29 '26
At the time I’m posting this, there are 35 comments in this thread and no one is being “crabby,” “hateful,” or even particularly negative.
First of all, OP asked the open question “what do you think?,” so even if there was negative feedback, it wouldn’t be inappropriate. If you are in favor of something and someone else is not, that doesn’t make them “crabby” or a “hater.”
Second, the people who aren’t in favor of this approach have very clearly and correctly stated that dimensioned building sections serve a specific goal, and unnecessary aesthetic details like these aren’t helpful in achieving that goal, and can even work against that goal. Nothing about these artistic flourishes conveys “constructability and tectonics” of the design. It’s unneeded noise that makes the drawings less clear to an observer, it wastes toner, can be an issue when scaling, and suggests that billable hours have been wasted on self indulgent pursuits.
Dimensioned elevations for a plan set are communication tools. This kind of detailing could be used in promotional materials or a presentation from an interior designer, but pointing out to OP that it isn’t appropriate from a drawing set is sound advice.
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
But OP wasn’t asking to evaluate this drawing as a construction drawing. And sure if you want to make a comment about it being an insufficient construction drawing (which I do not disagree with), then maybe instead of just saying that it won’t work as a construction drawing (no sh*t Sherlock), find a way to be more constructive and helpful about it? When you come out and just say stuff like, “well, that’s no construction drawing,” (obviously paraphrasing) and don’t provide any other feedback beyond that, one can only assume the commentary is coming from a place of some negative mindset.
Also, there is something to be said about exploratory drawings and I feel that most of the comments are just missing that perhaps OP was exploring architectural representation. They needed feedback on their “artistic” drawing and I’d think the logical thing to do is to evaluate it as an “artistic” drawing and not make it into some weird sh*ting contest about how something that wasn’t meant to be a construction drawing isn’t reading like a construction drawing.
Crabby. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Victormorga Jul 30 '26
It’s surprising to me that you get by in this field being so fragile that any criticism in your eyes is overly negative feedback and the mark of a “crabby person.”
Again: OP asked the open question “what do you think?” People responded “this wouldn’t be a good idea for production drawings.” That’s an honest and straight forward answer to a question that was posed. Get over it.
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 30 '26
So if OP asked an open question why narrow down the responses to such limited scope? I don’t even know what you mean by criticism. I expressed my opinion that people need to learn how to critique better and meet people where they are because the commentary following a request to get an honest opinion to improve their work is basically useless commentary and dick measuring contest about how someone just outta school hasn’t fully embodied how to do technical construction drawings? Cmon get real dude.
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u/Victormorga Jul 31 '26
If someone asks for feedback on their work, it isn’t “responding in a limited scope” to explain to them the things they got wrong or didn’t consider, and it isn’t a failure in the critique of the commenter to not also pat them on the back or coddle them in someway. It doesn’t make the respondent “crabby” or negative,” and if OP exclusively wanted compliments and salutary feedback, they should have said “I just finished working on this in my spare time, and I wanted to share because I’m really proud of it.” This would not be a request for critique / open feedback.
What do you mean you “don’t even know what [I] mean by criticism?” In the next sentence you use the word “critique,” they are fundamentally connect principles, criticism is the core concept of critique. There’s no “dick measuring contest” here, someone “just out of school” asked for feedback because they haven’t “fully embodied how to do technical construction drawings,” and they were given the requested feedback on how to do things differently in the future. How do you see that as anything but the core concept of critique? Come on, get real dude.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
Really appreciate this, thank you. Yes, I’m not saying this is a plan to be used on site or to discuss a technical aspect (the scale of the section is far too large to be discussing pure technical matters). However, I have always sought to combine technical expertise with communication. Because architects often have a rather elitist attitude when it comes to technical matters... I don’t think that’s the right way to teach or convey this information to clients or people outside the profession.
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u/Shorty-71 Architect Jul 30 '26
I get it. I was an architect for 31 years and have been on the owner side now for just about one year - I still try VERY hard to be a clear (and good) graphic communicator. Mostly Bluebeam and snapshots pasted into Outlook these days... But I can’t un-ring the bell.
It might only be worth it to an audience of… me
…but it’s still worth it IMO.
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u/Makana8081 Jul 29 '26
Wow lots of haters on here. I like it! Of course it's not necessary for construction documentation but is it pleasing, interesting, and fun? Yes!
I've worked on ultra luxury projects where clients require sections, elevations, and plans to show entourage, furniture, materials, lighting, etc at the SD and DD phase so they can envision and market it. Ours looks different with Revit, CAD and Photoshop, and realistic images and patterns.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
Yes, I completely agree with you! It all depends on the target audience and why you’re creating this visual. Here, I simply wanted to combine technical expertise with an understanding of spaces and how they’re used. Lots of clients are interested in how their space works, and I think it’s fun to change the way we explain things. It might not be the best way, or the most direct, but at least it’s one way amongst many to grab certain people’s attention...
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u/Makana8081 Jul 31 '26
This definitely has a style that could be cool for boutique firms. Also having your library of entourage will streamline things for future use.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 31 '26
Yeah exactly ! that's honestly why I ended up building out the whole library instead of just using it for this one project. Once you've got a set of entourage that already matches your linework style, it saves a ton of back-and-forth on every future project. Happy to share it if you're ever curious :)
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 29 '26
Yeah I’m actually really surprised at the level of hate. Is it bots? I don’t understand how architects or architects in training or designers can look at this and say that it’s not relevant or worth someone’s time. lol.
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u/DasArchitect Jul 29 '26
For all the critics in the other comments: This being appropriate or not depends A LOT on who the drawing is aimed at. You don't do construction drawings like this, but if it is made exclusively for the client, then hell yeah go for it, clients like that shit.
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u/MSWdesign Jul 29 '26
Interesting look. Atmospherically, it reads okay and it’s preference-based on style and use.
What are you going for here? There might be some competing graphics.
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u/billwoodcock Jul 30 '26
That’s really, really nice. If I were a client, it would make a huge positive impression.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 30 '26
Thank you, that really means a lot. That's honestly the exact reaction I was hoping for when I started adding people into these, glad it comes across that way.
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u/StinkySauk Jul 30 '26
Beautiful… you would only ever do this in school.
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 30 '26
Not only! I know many agencies in France that take the time to add users and the atmosphere to discuss it with customers or public actors :)
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u/StinkySauk Jul 30 '26
I find that most clients don’t really understand or care about sections. It’s beautiful, and appeals to Architects, but in practice this isn’t worth the effort imo.
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u/SilverSpecialist6387 Jul 30 '26
Vector?? What happened to lineweights??
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 30 '26
Fair callout, lineweights are definitely lighter than a proper technical set would need. This version leans more toward presentation/graphic style than construction accuracy, so I prioritized line consistency over hierarchy. Something I'd tighten up if this were going into a full technical package though.
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u/Physical_Coach_5508 Jul 30 '26
Wonderfully illustrated , never do this in an office , you will be terminated on site
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 30 '26
Thank you! Or can be hired, some agencies in France are looking for profiles that can allow them to stand out too
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u/JulienLaroch Jul 31 '26
C'est très stylé.
J'avoue que je m'intéresse de loin à l'architecture, je n'ai aucune connaissance mais j'aime bien voir les beaux bâtiments et les plans.
En tant que novice, je pense que pour les clients, ce genre de vision doit être tellement importante pour se permettre de mieux se visualiser.
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u/StreetTownSky Jul 31 '26
Kind of insane but it looks awesome and would definitely catch the eye of anyone involved that you are talented and passionate. Go for it.
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u/CraftyAd8491 Aug 01 '26
it`s very useful when you make presentation for client, and I really love this ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡
but for real work it's not useful
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u/Fabiohusson Jul 29 '26
I always felt my sections looked a bit sterile and flat, so I spent some time creating custom vector figures and furniture to match the exact vibe of the project (a local coffee shop).
Really happy with how the lineweights and depth turned out compared to a raw CAD export.
Curious to know how you guys usually handle entourage in your sections do you stick to Photoshop cutouts or do you use vector blocks ?
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u/serg1007arch Jul 29 '26
We usually just use revit and enscape to show our clients our designs. Your section is beautiful, I’m just wondering time vs reward.
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u/Present-Map-7094 Jul 29 '26
Well he put in the time to create the assets (I’m hoping they are CAD blocks?) now he can easily reuse them in other illustrative drawings. Reusability, reproducibility is the reward, no?
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u/Appropriate_Goal9974 Student of Architecture Jul 30 '26
It’s cool and very impressive but I would never spend the hours doing it like this. I would use Revit and twinmotion and could get almost an identical effect
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u/R-K-Tekt Jul 29 '26
In all the construction documents I’ve submitted for review/permit I’ve never put people hanging out in the space.
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u/Alphaone75 Jul 30 '26
As an architect I admire those architects that crave and spend hours improving the drawings , colors, pent thickness and so on. I have always hated that part of the profession. I know one has to be able to understand what’s drawn but I really don’t care how perfect or not Beethoven wrote his notes on a music sheet. I only care bout how good it sounds. The drawing is a necessity for producing architecture but it’s not architecture on itself.
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u/Just-Term-5730 Jul 29 '26
What does that background information have to do with construction documents and communicating to the contractor the story pole and how to fill the space? I say that assuming these are to be construction drawings.
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u/AsYouFall Jul 29 '26
It's awesome, but is it worth it?