Shop Drawing Software for Fabricators

A shop drawing is the sheet your welder builds from. It carries every size and every cut. The software you make it in decides how long each one takes and how often a mistake slips through to the saw.

There is no single best program. A shop detailing a three-storey building frame needs very different software to a shop making driveway gates. This guide splits the options into three kinds, says what each is built for and helps you work out which one fits. Every product was checked on its maker's own site in October 2026.

What is shop drawing software?

Any program that turns a design into drawings the workshop can build from. That means dimensioned views, part lists, cut lengths and notes on hardware and finish. If you are unsure where a shop drawing ends and a fabrication drawing starts, see shop drawing vs fabrication drawing.

The software falls into three kinds:

1. Structural detailing software. Built for building frames: beams, columns, bracing and bolted connections, often hundreds of parts per job.
2. General CAD. Draws anything, from a bracket to a building, but you do the setup and the drafting.
3. Configurators. Draw one family of products from a few inputs. Fast, but only for what they know.

Which shop drawing software do fabricators use?

Here is the field at the time of writing (October 2026), from each vendor's own site.

Tekla Structures lists a free 30-day trial. SDS2 comes in tiers, including a drafting-only package and an all-in-one Ultimate. For general CAD prices, see AutoCAD alternatives for fabricators.

When do you need structural detailing software?

When you fabricate parts of buildings. Think warehouses, mezzanines, portal frames and commercial stairs. Those jobs have:

• Hundreds of members, each with its own drawing.
• Bolted and welded connections that an engineer has to sign off.
• A builder and an architect sharing a 3D model.
• Beam lines and CNC machines that want data straight from the model.

That is what Tekla Structures, SDS2 and Autodesk's detailing product are built for. Trimble says Tekla can make single-part, assembly and general arrangement drawings straight from the model, along with reports, bills of materials and CNC data. SDS2 lists automated connection design, shop drawings and links to CNC and ERP systems.

For a small gate and fence shop, this is usually far more software than the work needs, with a learning curve to match. If you do not detail building frames, you can most likely skip this group.

Can general CAD do shop drawings?

Yes. General CAD can draw anything. The question is how much of the drawing you make by hand.

• AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are 2D. You draw each view and every dimension. Precise, but every size change means redrawing.
• SOLIDWORKS builds welded frames as weldments, from sketch lines and a tube profile, and can put a weldment cut list table on the drawing.
• Inventor has Frame Generator, which places frame members on a skeleton, adds mitres and cuts, and keeps a parts list up to date.
• SketchUp Pro models quickly, and its LayOut app turns the model into dimensioned sheets.

3D CAD saves time on change, because the drawing follows the model. You pay for that with a longer setup and learning curve. More detail in is SketchUp good for metal fabrication.

When does a configurator beat CAD?

When you make the same kinds of product over and over. A swing gate at 3,600 mm and one at 4,100 mm are the same design. In CAD you still redraw or rework the model. In a configurator you change one number.

CAD60 is a configurator for gates, fences, pool fences, screens and balustrades. You pick a model, type the sizes and choose the tube, infill and hardware. You get every view, every size, a cutting list and a 3D model in 60 seconds. Paid plans add your logo on the title block and a STEP file for your own CAD. My dad has run a fabrication business for nearly 20 years, and getting a drawing done fast and cheap was always a struggle for him. That is the problem we built it for.

The limits, plainly:

• It only draws the models in its catalogue. It is not general CAD.
• It does not detail building frames or bolted connections.
• A one-off design still needs a CAD program.

What should good shop drawing software give you?

Whatever you choose, check that it can put these on the sheet without a fight:

• Front, side and plan views, plus an isometric view for the welder.
• Overall sizes and clear openings, dimensioned the way your shop measures.
• A title block with job, revision and date.
• A cut list with lengths and quantities.
• Hardware, weld and finish notes.
• The file types your cutter, folder or customer needs.

For the full list of what goes on a gate sheet, see what to include on a gate fabrication drawing.

How do you choose shop drawing software?

Look at the last twenty jobs you built and sort them.

You may end up with two: a general CAD program for the odd job, and something faster for the work you repeat. Try each on a real job before you pay. If you would rather not draw at all, see what a gate shop drawing costs to have done.

Common questions