Tricky with obslete software/machines but, I put dates on everything. I can go back to archives see when the last time it was access, by who and when it was created. Today..it is very easy to fake stuff electronically. Wet signed/stamped and date hard copies are still the best proof IMO.

Document, document and document again.

We have a tape drive for anything older than a month(just back-ups) once a month I change the tape drive and stick it in a fireproof safe.

Yep. We have one client that hired us to fly a job because it was done on film. With the Airborne GPS unit the time and date stamp is exposed along the edge of the film. The scan can be faked, the film can't.

Exactly..scans are electronic files afterall. I have this argument with engineers all the time. I know each state has guidelines but, even if the jurisdiction allows electronic stamps and sigs they will fight me to the death on it that someone can steal their signature/stamp bla bla but, someone can just as easily scan a stamped and signed package and lift those things right off there easily if they wanted to. So they'll bring up an incident 30 years ago where someone stole their signature... only further proving my point that no matter what you do if people want it they will get it. But, basically, NOBODY cares.

Morning all. Off to w.....

Stijn!!
 

Yea, for almost all of our projects the exact date does not matter. We have some environmental jobs that they want specific dates. We can prove in court that a fence or building or oil well was there in a certain year.

For us it's more of a, Us:"We sent abc on xyz date" Contractor/Architect: "No you didn't" Us: "yes we did here's proof" thing.

For us the CAD file is just a deliverable. Paper copies that are signed and stamped are the official docs.

Well, when I was in charge of the Engineering, Drafting, and Graphic Arts at the company I work for part of what I did was integrate the computer into the paper process. Every year I we would make copies of all the original drawings for off-site archive. Each drawing is signed and dated when archived, but also includes the original drawn date. When I got moved from running the department, the process stopped and I think they are going to be in BIG trouble if something happens to the engineering drawing server and it's backups as there is not hard copies kept any more.

The reason I initiated and maintained hard copy archives is that I have experienced on more than one occasion computer hardware corruption that took out both the files and the backups.

One of my current responsibilities is the Media Server where photos are stored. It is stored in with a Digital Asset Management software that not only keeps track of the date of origin but all sorts of metadata associated with each photo including copyright management. This is very common in Digital Asset Management and most companies with valuable digital assets have a least one person working as a librarian to manage the metadata.

Getting anxious to get started on my work-cation. The cold, windy weather here in DC is helping me look forward to spending a couple of weeks in SoCal. :)

It is mid 70s here today. It is supposed to get into the 80s tomorrow. I may break out the shorts!

Come on spring!

I need some sun. My pasty white skin can blind ya! :cool:

We send a lot of PDFs with electronically verified signatures to the Architects..official submissions are only sometimes hard copied wet signed drawings these days. Less and less each year.

Check me in your luggage? :)

Ever needed a pdf to dxf conversion done?

Nope..we sometimes get drawings that weren't created from cad but, once they are there they usually stay there.

Afternoon everyone. How are all my favorite online friends doing today?

eating bad left overs for lunch.

I have a little program that will almost always convert an AutoCAD generated pdf back into dxf form. At that point I can kill the title block or anything else and use it as a background block.