If you have searched for CAD services in Australia you will have seen both acronyms used, often on the same page. They are related but they are not interchangeable, and the difference matters when you are writing a scope of works or briefing a drafting partner.
What does CADD stand for?
CADD stands for Computer-Aided Design and Drafting. CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design. The extra D is the word drafting, and it is doing real work in that acronym rather than padding it.
CAD vs CADD: the actual difference
CAD covers the design side — creating and modifying geometry, modelling parts and assemblies, running the design intent. CADD covers that plus the documentation discipline: producing the drawing set a fabricator, builder or certifier can actually work from.
Put simply, CAD gets you a model. CADD gets you a model and a drawing package that communicates it unambiguously.
| CAD | CADD | |
|---|---|---|
| Full form | Computer-Aided Design | Computer-Aided Design and Drafting |
| Primary output | Geometry, 2D or 3D model | Model plus a documented drawing set |
| Typical deliverable | Part or assembly file | Sheets with views, sections, dimensions, notes, revision blocks |
| Standards emphasis | Modelling and file conventions | Drawing presentation to AS 1100 and project conventions |
| Who consumes it | Designers, engineers, downstream software | Fabricators, builders, certifiers, site crews |
Why the distinction matters on a real project
A model that is geometrically perfect and undocumented cannot be built from. The drafting half of CADD is where tolerances get called out, welds get specified, section views get placed so a fabricator is not guessing, and the title block carries the revision history that keeps site working from the right issue.
In Australian practice this usually means AS 1100 for technical drawing presentation, plus whatever the project or the client’s own drawing standard adds on top. That layer is invisible in a model file and completely visible on a drawing sheet.
Which term should you use?
- Use CAD when you are talking about the software or the modelling activity — “the part was modelled in CAD”.
- Use CADD when you mean the whole design-through-documentation service — “we outsourced the CADD package for the mezzanine”.
- In a scope of works, avoid the acronym entirely and list deliverables: model files, drawing sheets, formats, standard, revision protocol. Ambiguity here is where disputes start.
What a CADD deliverable normally includes
- Native model files and a neutral exchange format such as STEP or IGES
- Drawing sheets in DWG and issued PDF
- Views, sections and details sufficient to fabricate without interpretation
- Dimensioning and tolerancing to the nominated standard
- Bill of materials or parts list where relevant
- Title block, revision table and issue status
Common questions
Is CADD just an older word for CAD?
No. It is still current, and it is the more precise term when documentation is part of the deliverable. CAD became the everyday shorthand largely because it is shorter, not because the drafting half stopped mattering.
Does CADD apply to 3D work?
Yes. A 3D model still needs a documented 2D drawing set for fabrication, approval and record purposes on most Australian projects.
What software is used for CADD?
The same tools used for CAD — AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Revit, Inventor and others. The difference is in what you produce with them, not which one you open.
Getting a CADD package produced
ASTCAD delivers both halves: modelling and the documented drawing set, prepared to AS 1100 and to your project’s drawing standard. If you are unsure which deliverables your project actually needs, send through what you have — sketches, a model, a marked-up PDF — and we will come back with a scope and a quote.
Reference: drawing presentation conventions referred to above are set out in AS 1100, published by Standards Australia.
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