Humans comprehend an active 3D model far better and faster than static views on paper.
While the information one can readily extract from an active model is essentially limitless.
Creating detailed paper plans is tedious, time consuming and expensive.
And even the most detailed paper plans convey only a fraction of the information accessible in a model.
Dimensioned orthogonal views are helpful and often necessary to the building process.
To be cost effective, that means they need to be in the model, where the builder can also measure anything in addition to what the designer deemed adequate at the time.
When I worked for this company 15 years ago, everything was drawn in AutoCAD, printed on paper and then handed to production. The Océ plotter in the Engineering Dept. never got a chance to rest.
Given the cost/benefit chasm between paper and model, it seems to me the end of static, dimensioned paper space drawings is much nearer than one might think.
What it comes down to is the cost of conveying information to the skilled hands that do the building. Compare the old paper approach with what you see on every workbench in their modern new facility.
New Glenn Rieder Facilities in West Allis, Milwaukee, WI … Built from scratch in 2017
