Preliminary Drawings
Produces the preliminary (30–60%) drawing set establishing overall geometry, systems, and coordination before final design.
Section progress
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Environmental Engineering · Impact assessment, permitting, water and air quality, noise, waste and mitigation.
Deliverable: Preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes.
Minimum tables, figures and equations for Preliminary Drawings
Tables — at least 6
- Table — trial sections or sizes considered, with the capacity of each and the selection decision
- Table — final selected geometry for every element: dimensions, thickness, grade, spacing, elevation
- Table — slab, beam, column and shear wall schedule with governing demand
- Table — ultimate limit state check summary: demand, capacity, ratio, pass or fail, governing clause
- Table — serviceability check summary: deflection, crack width, settlement, freeboard or velocity against its limit
- Table — factors of safety achieved against the factor required, per failure mode
Figures — at least 4
- Figure — free body diagram of each isolated element, fully labelled with loads, reactions, dimensions and axes
- Figure — shear and moment (or pressure and velocity) diagrams for each force-carrying element
- Figure — dimensioned section or plan of each designed element
- Figure — capacity versus demand plot, interaction diagram, or rating curve as applicable
Equations — at least 8
- Equation — equilibrium equations written out for each free body (sum of forces and sum of moments, or continuity and energy)
- Equation — the internal force relations V(x) and M(x), or the momentum/thrust relation, used to compute each element's demand
- Equation — the resulting demand at the critical section of each element, with numeric substitution
- Equation — the capacity expression for each element type, shown with full numeric substitution and units
- Equation — the sizing criterion that sets the final dimension (for example required area, depth or diameter)
- Equation — each limit state check written as demand over capacity with numbers substituted
- Equation — the factor of safety calculation for each failure mode checked
- Equation — punching shear, drift and deflection checks with limits
Number every table and figure (Table 4.x, Figure 4.x), caption it, and refer to it by number in your text. Number displayed equations and show the substitution with units. These counts are minimums — add whatever else your design needs.
Engineering documentation standard — required in every Chapter 4 subsection
These rules are graded on every subsection. Work that misses them is capped on technical accuracy, exhibits, codes and communication, whatever the quality of the prose.
Code and standard references
- Every requirement, factor, coefficient, limit and allowable you apply cites the governing document AND the exact section, article or sub-article number — e.g. ACI 318-19 §22.5.5.1, AISC 360-22 Chapter J, Section J3.6, AASHTO LRFD 10th Ed. Article 3.6.1.2.2, ASCE 7-22 §12.8.1, ASTM D2487, state DOT manual section, local stormwater manual chapter.
- Give the edition or year of every document the first time it appears, then use a consistent short form.
- Where a code equation is used, quote the equation number (e.g. Eq. 22.5.5.1) next to your displayed equation.
- Where you depart from a code provision, state the clause you are departing from and the engineering justification.
- List every code, standard and manual actually used in a Codes and Standards table at the start of the subsection.
Citations for statements
- Every statement of fact, value taken from elsewhere, material property, soil parameter, rainfall depth, unit cost or published method carries an in-text citation (APA) to its source.
- Field and lab data cite the report, boring log, gauge, survey file or test number and its date.
- Manufacturer data cites the product literature and revision date; software results cite the program, version and model file name.
- Uncited assertions are treated as assumptions and must appear in the assumptions table with a justification.
- Every in-text citation resolves to a full entry in the reference list.
Step-by-step calculations
- Structure every calculation the same way: (1) objective, (2) governing code clause, (3) equation in symbolic form with the equation number, (4) definition of each symbol, (5) numerical substitution, (6) result with units, (7) comparison against the limit and the pass/fail statement.
- Show the substitution line — never jump from the formula to the answer.
- Number displayed equations sequentially (Eq. 4.1, 4.2, …) and refer to them by number in the text.
- State the load or flow combination governing each calculation by name.
- Carry consistent significant figures and round only at the reported result; state the rounding convention once.
- Present repetitive element checks in a calculation table with one row per element and the same column order throughout.
Free body diagrams and figures
- Draw a separate free body diagram for each isolated element — no combined sketches standing in for several members.
- Dimension every FBD: span, depth, thickness, cover, eccentricity, embedment, slope, pipe diameter, wall height — with the dimension lines and values shown.
- Label every force, pressure, reaction and moment with its symbol, magnitude and units, and show the sign convention and coordinate axes.
- Show supports and boundary conditions explicitly (pin, roller, fixed, elastic, buoyant, hydrostatic).
- Accompany each FBD with its shear, moment, thrust, pressure or hydraulic grade diagram at the same scale reference.
- Number and caption every figure (Figure 4.x) and refer to it by number in the narrative; add a scale or north arrow to plans.
Units and notation
- Every number in text, tables, figures and equations carries its unit — no bare numbers.
- Use one unit system throughout (US customary or SI); if both appear, give the converted value in parentheses consistently.
- Check dimensional homogeneity of each equation and say so — the units of both sides must match.
- Provide a nomenclature table defining every symbol with its unit.
Checking and verification
- Every calculation is checked by an independent route — hand check against software, alternative method, order-of-magnitude estimate, or a published worked example — and the check is shown, not just claimed.
- Report demand-to-capacity ratios and factors of safety against the required values, with the source clause for each required value.
- Include a verification/checking table: item, method of check, expected, obtained, difference, accept or revise.
- Sanity-check every result (magnitude, direction, plausibility) and state the conclusion.
- Record who checked the work and on what date; flag anything still unverified as an open item.
- State limitations and the range over which the result is valid.
How to complete this section
Do this next: Read the Preliminary Drawings lecture and the worked example so you know what "Preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes." has to contain.
Not sure how to start or how much depth is expected? Read the fully written model example for this deliverable first — it shows the structure, tables and level of justification your advisor grades against.
Environmental Compliance Studio — what this workspace teaches
Impact assessment, permitting, water and air quality, noise, waste and mitigation.
- NEPA process: categorical exclusion, EA, EIS and public involvement
- EPA and state permitting: NPDES, Section 404, SWPPP
- Water quality standards, sampling and impairment
- Air quality: criteria pollutants, construction emissions, conformity
- Noise assessment, receptors and abatement criteria
- Solid and hazardous waste handling on construction projects
- Sustainability frameworks (Envision, LEED) and life-cycle thinking
- Mitigation planning, monitoring and compliance documentation
End-of-term milestones
- Tuesday, November 17, 2026 — Poster printed and ready. 36 in × 48 in poster finalized and printed one week before the November 24 showcase.
- Wednesday, November 18, 2026 — Final document package uploaded for scoring. Chapters 4–5, calculation package, drawings and appendices uploaded in the app for advisor scoring.
- Wednesday, November 18, 2026 — Poster presentation to faculty and industry. Wednesday poster session — printed 36 in × 48 in poster presented in person; industry reviewers score communication and impact.
- Wednesday, November 25, 2026 — Oral presentation and defense (scored). Scored oral presentation and defense held on Wednesday, November 25.
Preliminary Drawings
Produces the preliminary (30–60%) drawing set establishing overall geometry, systems, and coordination before final design.
Section B
Engineering story
A real project situation that frames this module
A civil engineering practice team hits preliminary drawings in week 6, with the project record already promised to the owner. Produces the preliminary (30–60%) drawing set establishing overall geometry, systems, and coordination before final design. The reviewer starts at the end and works backwards, and the chain breaks at drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions.
Mixing sheet scales without labeling each clearly. Because appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone, the error does not stay local: it is carried into the design of record that drawings, quantities and cost are generated from, and every downstream product inherits it before anyone notices.
The owner, the reviewing agency and the engineer of record carry the consequence. On this module specifically, the exposure runs through cross-discipline coordination shown on preliminary sheets, and the cost of correction rises every week the project record moves closer to issue.
Decisions the engineer must make
- What record establishes drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions, and is that record in the project data inventory?
- Does National CAD Standard (6th Ed.), Sheet organization, layer naming, govern here — and is that the edition adopted by the jurisdiction?
- What is the acceptance criterion for appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone, and was it written before the result was known?
- Is Drawing scale ratio: Scale = Drawing distance / Actual distance valid over the parameter range this project actually occupies?
- If the check fails, does the team revise the project record or raise a change request against the locked baseline?
Photo 1. Field review: the conversation in which a scope, a constraint or a decision is actually settled.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Section C
Why this matters
Professional
A licensed engineer defending preliminary drawings cites National CAD Standard (6th Ed.), Sheet organization, layer naming, and shows the record behind each input. Your preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes. is reviewed the same way — traceability is assessed before arithmetic.
Technical
Drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions is what makes Drawing scale ratio: Scale = Drawing distance / Actual distance usable on this project rather than a formula copied from a reference. Get it wrong and every quantity derived from it is wrong by the same factor.
Safety
The failure mode this module guards against is a decision made without a traceable basis. It reaches people through preliminary quantity take-off support from drawing geometry, which is why the safety check is recorded explicitly here rather than inferred from a passing strength or performance check.
Economic
The design of record that drawings, quantities and cost are generated from is priced from this work. Quantities, unit costs and schedule float all trace to drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions; a late correction here is paid for as a change order, not a redline.
Environmental
Environmentally, this module fixes material use, land disturbance and the waste stream generated by rework. Choosing conservatively without justification is not free — the excess shows up as material, energy and land that the project consumes for no measurable gain.
Community
Preliminary drawings must unambiguously convey the governing structural intent, even before final detailing is complete. The residents and agencies who inherit the completed work live with that outcome long after the semester ends.
Section D
Learning objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:
- 1.Interpret drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions, using this project's own conditions rather than a textbook case.
- 2.Compare appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone, using this project's own conditions rather than a textbook case.
- 3.Compare cross-discipline coordination shown on preliminary sheets, using this project's own conditions rather than a textbook case.
- 4.Justify scale, dimensioning, and annotation standards, using this project's own conditions rather than a textbook case.
- 5.Compute the governing quantity from Drawing scale ratio: Scale = Drawing distance / Actual distance, with a unit audit on every term.
- 6.Apply National CAD Standard (6th Ed.), Sheet organization, layer naming, and cite the section that governs your acceptance decision.
- 7.Reproduce the worked example for a site plan is drawn at 1 in = 50 ft and defend the interpretation of the result.
- 8.Produce preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes. at a standard the advisor of record would accept without a second revision cycle.
Section E
Instructional content
Full lecture notes with figures and governing equations
Preliminary Drawings: from proposal statement to engineering product
Produces the preliminary (30–60%) drawing set establishing overall geometry, systems, and coordination before final design. That single sentence hides the substance of the module: drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions, and appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone. Both must be established from project evidence before anything downstream is credible.
In civil engineering practice, this work is the input to the project record. Cross-discipline coordination shown on preliminary sheets — which is why this page asks you to record the source of every quantity, not just its value. The design of record that drawings, quantities and cost are generated from depends on it.
- Drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions
- Appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone
- Cross-discipline coordination shown on preliminary sheets
- Scale, dimensioning, and annotation standards
- Preliminary quantity take-off support from drawing geometry
Photo 1. Preliminary Drawings: from proposal statement to engineering product in practice — Field review: the conversation in which a scope, a constraint or a decision is actually settled.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Governing relationships and how they are applied here
The relationships below govern preliminary drawings. Drawing scale ratio: Scale = Drawing distance / Actual distance — each is valid only inside the parameter range this project occupies, so state that range before substituting.
Appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone sets the values you place into these expressions. Any code-prescribed factor must match National CAD Standard (6th Ed.); a factor lifted from a different edition silently changes the answer.
Drawing scale ratio: Scale = Drawing distance / Actual distance
Photo 2. Governing relationships and how they are applied here in practice — Field review: the conversation in which a scope, a constraint or a decision is actually settled.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Constraints, adopted standards and the safety case for preliminary drawings
National CAD Standard (6th Ed.), Sheet organization, layer naming, governs this module: Governs drawing organization and layer/annotation conventions CSI MasterFormat (2020), Division numbering, adds the second constraint: Aligns drawing/specification cross-referencing
The safety case is explicit here. The failure mode is a decision made without a traceable basis; the people exposed are the owner, the reviewing agency and the engineer of record; the control that prevents it is preliminary quantity take-off support from drawing geometry together with an independent check by someone who did not perform the work.
- Controlling criterion for this module: drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions.
- Adopted reference: National CAD Standard (6th Ed.) — cite Sheet organization, layer naming by number.
- Failure mode guarded: a decision made without a traceable basis.
- Evidence produced: Preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes..
Photo 3. Constraints, adopted standards and the safety case for preliminary drawings in practice — Field review: the conversation in which a scope, a constraint or a decision is actually settled.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Where this method stops being valid
The worked example — a site plan is drawn at 1 in = 50 ft — holds only while its assumptions hold. Confirm this matches the field-surveyed dimension before advancing the drawing to final design. Outside that envelope the arithmetic still returns a number, and the number is wrong in a way no unit check will catch.
For this project, the boundary you are most likely to push is preliminary quantity take-off support from drawing geometry. If you cross it, say so in writing, bound the error, and carry the limitation into your results chapter. A disclosed limitation is professional practice; a silent extrapolation is not.
Photo 4. Where this method stops being valid in practice — Field survey: the horizontal and vertical control every alignment and grade later depends on.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Section F
Engineering workflow
Steps
- 1. Assemble the inputs this module needs — drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions; appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone — each with a unit and a source record.
- 2. Confirm National CAD Standard (6th Ed.) is the adopted edition and locate Sheet organization, layer naming.
- 3. State the assumptions and the acceptance criterion for drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions.
- 4. Evaluate Drawing scale ratio: Scale = Drawing distance / Actual distance term by term, carrying one extra significant figure.
- 5. Test the result against cross-discipline coordination shown on preliminary sheets.
- 6. Audit units and run an order-of-magnitude check by hand before the number leaves your desk.
- 7. Obtain an independent check from a teammate who did not perform the work, and record their name and date.
- 8. Assemble preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes. and submit it to the advisor of record for review.
Decision points
- Is every input behind drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions traceable? If not — stop and collect the record.
- Does the result satisfy appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone? If not — revise the work, never the criterion.
- Would the correction change the design of record that drawings, quantities and cost are generated from? If yes — raise a change-control request before proceeding.
- Have you ruled out the most common error on this module — mixing sheet scales without labeling each clearly?
Quality checklist
- Documented: drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions
- Documented: appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone
- Documented: cross-discipline coordination shown on preliminary sheets
- National CAD Standard Sheet organization, layer naming cited by section number
- Units audited on every expression
- Acceptance criterion recorded before the result
- Independent check signed and dated
- Preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes. attached and named per the course convention
Section H
Interactive visualization
Preliminary Drawings — step-through
Advance one frame at a time. Each frame adds one engineering decision to the previous state.
Step 1 of 6
Establish drawing set organization and sheet index.
Section I
Applicable codes and standards
National CAD Standard
6th Ed. · Sheet organization, layer naming
Adopted design/analysis reference governing this module.
Relevance: Governs drawing organization and layer/annotation conventions
Reference the section number and edition in your calculation package. Do not reproduce code text.
CSI MasterFormat
2020 · Division numbering
Adopted design/analysis reference governing this module.
Relevance: Aligns drawing/specification cross-referencing
Reference the section number and edition in your calculation package. Do not reproduce code text.
Section J
Worked examples
Full engineering solution format
Section K
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Mixing sheet scales without labeling each clearly.
- Advancing to final design before preliminary coordination conflicts are resolved.
- Omitting a revision log, losing traceability of what changed.
- Treating drawing set organization per National CAD Standard / CSI conventions as a given instead of establishing it from a project record.
- Producing preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes. without showing how appropriate level of detail for a preliminary (30–60% CD) milestone was satisfied.
- Substituting into Drawing scale ratio: Scale = Drawing distance / Actual distance outside the range where it is valid, and reporting the number anyway.
- Missing preliminary quantity take-off support from drawing geometry, which is exactly the path to a decision made without a traceable basis.
- Designing to the average condition when the governing condition is the controlling one.
- Freezing a design before the constructability and access review that would have changed it.
- Using inputs that no field record, laboratory report, or published source supports.
- Stopping at output and skipping verification — an unverified number is not an engineering result.
- Confusing results (what the analysis produced) with conclusions (what the engineer decided).
Section L
Industry case study
Hartford Civic Center roof collapse (1978)
Hartford, CT arena
Official findings
- Investigation found preliminary structural drawings did not clearly convey the as-analyzed connection detail, contributing to a fabrication/erection mismatch.
Field observations
- The controlling assumption was documented nowhere in the design record.
- No independent check existed at the stage where the error entered the work.
Engineering interpretation
- Interpretation below is student analysis for instructional purposes, not an official finding.
- Map the failure to a step in your own workflow and state where your process would have caught it.
Lessons learned
- Preliminary drawings must unambiguously convey the governing structural intent, even before final detailing is complete.
Source: Summarize the published investigation; cite it in your reference list. Do not reproduce copyrighted report text.
Section M
FE Civil exam connection
Handbook FE Reference Handbook — civil engineering practice section (record the section number from your handbook edition).
Exam topics
Handbook formulas
- Scale ratio
Weak results here feed your FE Civil Academy weak-area queue for targeted practice.
Question 1 of 2
Score: 0/2In preliminary drawings, which item must be established BEFORE the analysis is run?
Section N
Apply it to your project — Preliminary Drawings
Complete this using your own capstone project data. Every field is saved to your project record and routed to your advisor with this module's submission.
Inputs and sources
Every value needs a traceable source.
| Quantity | Value | Unit | Source / record |
|---|
Assumptions and consequences
| Assumption | Basis | Consequence if wrong |
|---|
Self-check before submission
Section O
Design challenge
Consulting challenge — Preliminary Drawings
Your firm has been retained to deliver the preliminary drawings scope for a municipal client on a compressed schedule. Produce the technical position your firm would defend at a public meeting.
Client request: The client wants a defensible recommendation, the basis of design, and an honest statement of what remains unresolved.
Constraints
- Adopted local code edition governs; no exceptions without written variance.
- Budget and schedule are fixed; scope changes require change control.
- Public safety and accessibility requirements are non-negotiable.
Deliverables
- One-page basis of design
- Supporting calculation extract
- Risk and limitation statement
Evaluation
- Technical correctness
- Standard compliance
- Clarity of engineering judgment
- Honest treatment of uncertainty
Section P
Documentation workspace
Write the report section for this module in the academic editor
Section Q
File uploads
Accepted: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, PNG, JPG, ZIP
No files uploaded yet.
Section R
Deliverable and advisor review
Preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes.
Submissions route to your assigned faculty advisor and are scored independently by faculty and administrator rubrics.
Reflection
What was the hardest engineering judgment in this module, and how did you resolve it?
Section S
ABET outcome mapping
Preliminary (30–60%) drawing set with sheet index, plans, sections, and coordination notes. with advisor review and dual scoring.
Assessment: Faculty rubric score and administrator rubric score on this module's submission.
Rubric: Engineering design · Target: 70% of students at or above 'meets expectations'.
Section T
References and further study
National CAD Standard (6th Ed.)
Adopted reference — cite section numbers, do not reproduce text.
CSI MasterFormat (2020)
Adopted reference — cite section numbers, do not reproduce text.
Preliminary Drawings — instructor design procedure
Course template for the calculation package format expected in the final report appendix.
NCEES FE Reference Handbook
Locate the equations used here and note the handbook section for exam recall.
Advisor meeting agenda item
Bring the unresolved decision from this module to your next weekly advisor meeting.