Draw it once.
Revise it forever.
Get it signed off.
Simple online 2D CAD with revision control and client review built in — no install, vault, PDM or viewer add-ons.
Why fabricators switch
Everything desktop CAD makes you buy extra
Revision control
Every change versioned, named and reversible.
Client review links
Clients mark up drawings in any browser.
Parts library
Drop in the parts you already make.
Simple 2D CAD for small business
All the layout tools. None of the AutoCAD complexity.
Runs in your browser
Nothing to install. Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook and tablets.
Share like Google Docs
Send a link. Clients comment in their browser.
Just the tools layouts need
Draw, snap, dimension, annotate, print.
Video tutorials
See Drafting in action
Online 2D CAD That Works Like Google Docs
Draw 2D CAD drawings in your browser, lay them out on sheets with scaled viewports, and share a review link so coworkers and clients can add notes, arrows and markups online.
Revision control
No more FINAL_v3_REAL.dwg
- Save a revision with a note — who, what, when
- Open any old version or roll back in one click
- Released drawings lock so nobody edits them by mistake
Client review
Send a link. Get comments back.
- Clients need no CAD software or account
- Notes, arrows, highlights and markups
- Tick comments off as you fix them
Asset-based drafting
Layouts in minutes, not hours
- Save gates, panels, posts and rails once
- Snap them into any layout and repeat along a run
- Bill of Materials counts every part automatically
| 6' Picket panel | 4 | 24 ft |
| 4" Post | 5 | — |
| Rail bracket | 16 | — |
Built for configured products
If you lay out standard parts more than you design new ones, this is your CAD.
Compare
TrueScope vs desktop CAD
| TrueScope | Desktop CAD e.g. AutoCAD LT | |
|---|---|---|
| Revision history built in | Vault / PDM add-on | |
| Approval status & locking | Add-on or manual | |
| Client markup by link | Separate review tool | |
| Parts linked to your products & BOM | ||
| Works on Mac, tablet & phone | Varies by product | |
| Works on Linux & Chromebook | Not supported | |
| Quoting, purchasing & jobs included | ||
| Price | $20 / user / month | Per-seat licence + add-ons |
A real CAD toolset
By industry
2D drafting for your trade
Your next layout, done before lunch.
30-day free trial · no credit card · cancel anytime
Questions about simple 2D CAD
Yes. TrueScope Drafting is a simple 2D CAD program made for small businesses that draw layouts, not complex designs. Lines, rectangles, circles, dimensions, notes and callouts cover most layout drawings, and the parts you make are saved once and dropped into each drawing. There is no software to install and no long training course.
For layout and shop drawings, yes. AutoCAD is built for every kind of design work, so it has thousands of commands. TrueScope Drafting keeps the tools a fabricator or contractor uses every day — draw, snap, dimension, annotate, print — and adds revision control and client review that AutoCAD needs extra software for.
Yes. TrueScope Drafting runs in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebooks and tablets. Drawings are saved to the cloud automatically, so you can start on the office computer and open the same drawing on a laptop or tablet on site.
Yes. TrueScope Drafting runs in Chrome or Firefox on Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint and others) and on Chromebooks, with nothing to install. AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are desktop programs for Windows and Mac, so they do not install on Linux or ChromeOS.
TrueScope Drafting runs in Safari, Chrome or Firefox on any Mac, including Apple silicon, with no Parallels or Boot Camp needed. Drawings save to the cloud, so the same drawing opens on the office PC, a MacBook or a tablet on site.
Drawings live online instead of in files on one computer. Your team opens the same drawing from anywhere, every saved revision is kept, and you share a drawing with a client by sending a link. The client reviews and comments in their browser without installing CAD software.
If you mostly draw layouts, shop drawings or site plans from standard parts, TrueScope Drafting is a lower-cost alternative to AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT and AutoCAD Web. It costs $20 per user per month with the rest of TrueScope included — quoting, takeoffs, purchasing, inventory and jobs — and has revision control and client review built in.
Layout drawings, shop drawings and site plans: fence and gate layouts, railing and stair drawings, misc metals, racking, glazing, millwork, signage, decking and similar work. Drawings go onto printable sheets with your title block and logo, scaled viewports, detail views, dimensions and notes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Desktop CAD programs save files, not revisions. To know which drawing is current, who changed it, and what changed, most shops end up buying a vault or PDM system, inventing a file-naming convention, or keeping a spreadsheet of revisions. TrueScope Drafting builds revision control into every drawing: save a new revision with a note of what changed, see the full version history with the author and date of each one, open any older version read-only, and make an earlier revision the default again if a mistake slips through. New revisions continue from whichever version is the default.
Each drawing also carries an approval status — Work in Progress, Under Review, Released, On Hold, Superseded, or Cancelled. Only Work in Progress drawings can be edited, so a released drawing on the shop floor can never be changed by accident. To change it, put it back to Work in Progress, revise it, and release the new revision. Changes are autosaved while you work, without saving more often than needed.
Client review is built in too. Publish a review copy of the drawing and send the client a secure link. They open it in any browser — no CAD viewer, account, or license — and leave notes, arrow callouts, highlights, and freehand markups in the colour and size they choose. Every comment is numbered and appears in a review panel for both of you, where it can be marked complete when it has been dealt with. Turn the link off or replace it at any time.
Drafting is asset based, which is what makes it fast for configuration work. If you build gates, fences, railings, stairs, racking, or other standard products for large projects, you rarely design new parts — you lay out the parts you already make to show how they fit a site. Save each part once as an asset in your personal or company library, then drop it into any drawing in seconds, snapping to the geometry already there. Parts can be linked to items in your product catalog, and the drawing's Bill of Materials counts each placed part and totals its length, width, area, and quantity in the part's own unit (for example pounds per foot of steel).
Underneath is a full 2D drafting toolset: lines, rectangles, circles, arcs, polygons, reference geometry, trim, extend, offset, fillet, chamfer, mirror, scale, subdivide, projection, copy along a path, and linear or circular patterns. Dimensions are parametric — change a dimension and the geometry follows — and dimensions can be driven by formulas that reference other dimensions by name, so one change updates the whole layout. Standard ANSI hatch patterns, solid fills, and text notes finish the drawing.
When the layout is ready, place it on drawing sheets: ANSI, Architectural, and ISO page sizes, your own title block and border templates, scaled viewports, round or rectangular detail views labelled A, B, C, printed dimensions, notes, callouts, tables, and images. Print or download any selection of pages as a PDF, reorder pages by dragging, and open the drawing on a tablet or phone on site.
Drawing a Layout from Saved Parts
- Open Drafting and create a new drawing; choose the page size and title block background you use most.
- Draw reference lines for the site layout (property line, grade, posts) using the Ref Line tool, or trace the outline from dimensions.
- Open the Assets or Parts tab on the right panel and click a saved part — it follows the cursor and snaps to your geometry. Click to place copies.
- Use Pattern or Copy on Path to repeat posts, pickets, or panels at a set spacing along the layout.
- Add dimensions; type a value to resize, or give a dimension a formula such as {Span} / 2 so it updates when the span changes.
- Open View → Bill of Materials to see every part used with its quantity, total length, and area, and add it to a drawing page as a table.
Revisions & Approval Status
- While a drawing is Work in Progress, edit freely — changes are autosaved after a short pause.
- When it is ready, click Save as revision and write what changed; it becomes the next version (v1, v2, …) with your name and the date.
- Change the status to Under Review or Released from the status badge. Any status other than Work in Progress makes the drawing read-only.
- Click the version button in the drawings list to see the version history; open any version read-only to compare.
- If a mistake is found, choose Make default on an earlier version — the drawing returns to it and new revisions continue from there.
Sending a Drawing to a Client for Review
- On the Draft page, click Public Review and then Enable public review to publish a review copy of every page.
- Copy the secure link and send it to your client. They do not need an account or any CAD software.
- The client adds notes, arrow callouts, highlights, or freehand markups, choosing a colour and size for each.
- Comments appear numbered in the review panel; mark each one complete when it is resolved and hide finished ones with the Show finished toggle.
- After revising the drawing, click Update review copy so the client sees the latest version on the same link.