Update: I used to think 2D was fine for everything until a chat with a fabricator in Tacoma

Faith Murray · 2026-03-19T01:05:05.663492+00:00

I was helping a fabricator in Tacoma with a steel frame drawing and he got really frustrated. He said, 'Your 2D plan doesn't show me how this beam connects at the corner, so I have to guess.' I had to model it in 3D to show him, and it clicked that a flat drawing can leave out too much. Anyone else run into this with shops that need more visual info?

aaron8847mo ago

Ever notice how we all assume a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes it just isn't?

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walker.cole6mo ago

Is it really that big of a deal if they have to ask a question?

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alexc937mo ago

Been there for sure. A flat drawing can miss the real world puzzle a welder has to solve. It's easy to forget that our clear plan on screen is just a bunch of lines to someone holding a torch. That moment when you have to build the model just to explain it is a real eye opener. Makes you change how you put together the next set of shop drawings.

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