Per the Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) Manual, a key document contained in the MSD CAD Standard package:
The purpose of this manual is to establish uniform guidelines to facilitate the exchange of information on engineering drawings. It cannot anticipate all possibilities. The manual will be an evolving document that will be updated as needed.
The quality of drafting is an important ingredient in maintaining consistency and uniformity. With CAD, consistency and uniformity are the hallmark of a well-received set of plans and the foundation of a quality design.
A consistent layer scheme makes the technician and engineer’s job easier. By utilizing a consistent layer scheme, the technician is not required to learn different layering schemes for each engineer they work with. Any technician or engineer should be able to open any drawing and instantly determine the character of a line by the layer it occupies.
Project and file naming conventions make locating drawings easier. With a naming convention, the relationships between drawings and projects are made clearer. The most valuable part of any computer is the information it contains. Being able to access and use this information is critical to being productive and efficient.
NOTE: The MSD CAD Standard package is a .zip file. It contains files in Adobe .pdf and Autodesk .dwg formats.