Creating Basic Floor Plans from an Architectural Drawing in AutoCAD

These instructions will help you create clear and accurate floor plans from complicated construction documents. In today’s world the simpler and more concise a drawing or map is, the better and faster a person can use it for its intended purpose. These instructions can help you achieve this given you have a basic understanding of Autodesk Software/vector based computer aided drafting and, specifically, the commands and procedures within AutoCAD.

If unfamiliar with AutoCAD software please refer to  FlowJet Series parts 1 to 6  found on the Instructables website. 

Creating understandable floor plans from an architectural drawing will help you complete a Utah State University standard working single floor plan of a of approximately 10,000 square feet in 1.5 to 3.5 hours depending on your AutoCAD proficiency. The floor plans created may be used to calculate space and direction data for any and all who rely on them. These plans may even be able to provide hours of enjoyment when printed on paper that can be folded into a paper airplane!

Ensure that the following things are at your disposal:
AutoCAD software installed
Architectural CAD file of building you wish to clean up/convert
Existing standardized floor plan CAD file

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Antique-Inspired Drawing Table w/ Built-In Lightbox

I wanted a bigger, perhaps even fancier, drawing table than what I've been using for a few years; and I had a pile of wood left over from other projects, so! I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

The instructions here are different from what I did in a couple places, because I realized after the fact a better/more efficient/etc way of doing it.

Hi-Res Blueprint

What You Need
Wood: I used mostly mahogany and poplar; but the pegs are oak dowels, the roll guard (not the real term, but I don't know what it's actually called) is pine; the lightbox, pivot plates and angle rings are plywood (obviously would be fancier with real wood); the bottom of the lightbox is pressboard
Glass or Plastic Sheet: 24x36" piece; glass is cheaper, but plastic--plexiglass, acrylic, etc--would be sturdier; if you do go plexiglass, you'll need a thicker piece than with glass, as it's not as stiff, and so will need to route out more of the top to make it flush
Light(s): I used a set of under-cabinet lights; might get more even illumination with a flourescent bar-type light
Spray-On Glass Frost: in addition to diffusing the light in the lightbox, this also gives the glass a decent enough texture to keep stuff from sliding around on the desk
Stain 1: a light color; this will be your base; I went with a "sunbleached" shade; you just need a small can of this and your other stain color
Stain: a darker color; I went with a burgandy; again, just need a small can
Shellac: I used an amber shellac, as it imparts a warm, aged look to the wood; you could substitute lacquer or polyurethane; you'll need enough for at least 2 coats, more if using a more porous wood (mahogant, oak, etc.) and wanting a very smooth finish
12 Small L-Braces: these are used to strengthen the pivot plates and angle rings
2 Wooden Knobs: these will be fixed to the angle rings' pegs
2 Small Chains, 6" each: these are fixed to the pivot plates' pegs
Screws
Wood Glue

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