Mobile-First Business System
2D CAD Drafting with Built-In Revision Control, Client Review & Reusable Part Libraries
The AutoCAD LT Alternative for Fabricators and Contractors Who Draw Layouts From Standard Parts — No Vault, PDM, or Review Add-Ons
TrueScope Drafting is browser-based 2D CAD for fabricators and trade contractors. Every drawing has revision control and approval status built in, can be sent to clients for markup through a secure link, and is assembled from reusable parts and assets — so layout and configuration drawings for gates, fences, railings, racking, and other standard products take minutes, not hours.
Core Operational Capabilities:
- Built-In Revision Control: Save revisions with a change note, author and date, browse the full version history, open old versions read-only, and revert to any revision — without Autodesk Vault or a third-party PDM system.
- Approval Status & Locking: Work in Progress, Under Review, Released, On Hold, Superseded and Cancelled. Only Work in Progress drawings can change, so released drawings on the shop floor are never edited by accident.
- Client Review Links: Share a secure link; clients add notes, arrow callouts, highlights and markups in any browser — no CAD viewer, licence or account — and you mark each comment complete.
- Asset-Based Drafting: Save gates, fence panels, posts, railings, brackets and other standard parts once in personal or company libraries, then drop them into every layout in seconds.
- Bill of Materials From the Drawing: Parts link to your product catalogue; every placed part is counted with its length, width, area and quantity converted to purchasing units (e.g. lb per foot).
- Parametric 2D CAD: Parametric and formula-driven dimensions, trim, extend, offset, fillet, mirror, patterns, ANSI hatch fills, drawing sheets with scaled viewports, detail views, title blocks, and print / PDF.
Why desktop CAD needs extra software for revisions — and TrueScope does not
Desktop CAD programs such as AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT save drawing files, not revisions. Knowing which drawing is current, who changed it and what changed usually means buying a vault or product data management (PDM) system, enforcing a file-naming convention, or keeping a revision spreadsheet next to the drawings folder.
TrueScope Drafting keeps the revision history inside every drawing. Each revision records a note, the person who made it and the date. Any earlier revision can be opened read-only or made the default again, and new revisions continue from it. Approval statuses lock released drawings, so the version on the shop floor is the version that was approved.
Layout drawings for gates, fences, railings and other configured products
Many fabricators do not design new parts for each project. They make the same posts, panels, pickets, brackets and frames, and draw layouts that show how those parts fit a site. TrueScope Drafting is built around that workflow: save each standard part once as an asset, then place it in any drawing with snapping, patterns and copy-along-a-path.
Because parts are linked to the product catalogue, each drawing produces its own Bill of Materials with quantities, total lengths and areas, converted to the units you purchase in — ready for quoting, purchasing and production in the rest of TrueScope.
Send drawings to clients for review without CAD software
Clients, general contractors and architects rarely have CAD software. Instead of emailing PDFs and collecting comments by phone, publish a review copy and send a secure link. Reviewers add numbered notes, arrow callouts, highlights and freehand markups in the browser, and both sides see the same comment list until every item is marked complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does TrueScope Drafting have built-in revision control?
- Yes. Every drawing keeps a numbered revision history with a change note, author and date. You can open any revision read-only or revert to it, and approval statuses (Work in Progress, Under Review, Released, On Hold, Superseded, Cancelled) lock released drawings against changes. No separate vault or PDM software is needed.
- Can clients review and mark up drawings without CAD software?
- Yes. Publish a review copy and send the client a secure link. They open it in any browser, with no account or CAD licence, and add notes, arrow callouts, highlights and markups. Comments appear in a review panel where you mark them complete as you resolve them.
- Is TrueScope Drafting a good AutoCAD LT alternative for fence, gate and railing fabricators?
- For layout and configuration drawings, yes. Standard parts are saved once as assets and placed in seconds, the drawing produces a Bill of Materials linked to your product catalogue, and revision control and client review are built in. It runs in the browser on Windows, Mac and tablets for $20 per user per month with the rest of TrueScope included.
- Can I print drawings and export them to PDF?
- Yes. Drawing sheets support ANSI, Architectural and ISO page sizes with your own title block. Choose which pages to print or download as a PDF, and reorder pages by dragging.