(Part 2) Top products from r/AutoCAD

Speaking as someone with a MFA in Theatrical Design and Technology and who has worked in film and television the last few years, I never ran across a widely accepted standard.

I setup my layers up in a very straight forward fashion:

0-ghost, 0-very light, 0-light, 0-med...0-very heavy
1-line type (hidden, phantom, etc)
2-Dims, 2-Notes, 2-Notes Red, etc

I'm not sitting at my computer so I can't recall all my layers, but I feel like I approached them as I approached linework as a hand draftsman... And I feel like I change how I do it every year.

For my layouts

Page 1 is Plan and what elevations for (in 1/4" and 3/4" for more complicated objects)
Page 2 to as needed is continuation of elevations
Then I go into details (full or half scale) and renderings as needed


Some excellence books

Drafting for the Theatre https://www.amazon.com/dp/0809330377/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4CUiDbWGFMX9A


Designer Drafting and Visualizing for the Entertainment World, Second Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240818911/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JEUiDbK121Y4D

The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information https://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747397/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DFUiDbGBHHPHK

Architectural Graphic Standards. Third Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EZI774/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.GUiDbZP96C4H - for theater, don't bother with a brand new edition, I have 3rd (all the drawings are by hand and are shit yourself gorgeous) and seventh? (I would have to check my library). The current edition is needed for current building code, but that typically doesn't pertain to what I do.

I work in the oil and gas industry in the UK at work we use this:
Manual of Engineering Drawing
I find it has most things like welding symbols, dimensioning principles and surface finishes it is pretty much my bible at work.

As for an actual standard like BS8888 they all cost £100+ and I can never find them online.

Hope it helps.

Last year of school, eh? What are your plans for next year, then? Are you going to community college, or university? Or do you plan on jumping right into the world of work? Maybe the job market is different where you are, but here, one high school grad in a thousand has a shot at getting an entry-level job with an architectural or engineering firm. Pretty much everybody who hires anybody where I am wants either a trade-specific certification (either the official Autodesk Certification or the local junior college certification) or an AA/AS degree in CAD. So it's off to school for you, maybe...in that case - How do you know that a career in architecture is really what you think it is? Here is my advice: enroll in junior college and take Intro to Architecture ASAP. If the professor is honest, he'll tell you what you're in for: 5 or more years of school, followed by years as an intern, followed by the AREs, which cost a ton and many people fail the first time they take them. Then you are an architect, in a career with surprisingly low pay for such high stress and high levels of required education. If your professor is not honest, read this book:http://www.amazon.com/Architect-A-Candid-Guide-Profession/dp/0262621215 and follow this web comic: http://architexts.us/ . These will ground you in the reality of this field.
Have you ruled out the other other fields of study that utilize CAD? Locally, my students all go to work drawing piping systems or doing electrical drafting. I know, not as sexy as designing a skyscraper, but right now there is record levels of unemployment for persons with a degree in architecture, while other areas in related CAD disciplines have critical shortages. PLEASE consider taking some Drafting & CAD classes at you local community college. Learning from YouTube or a website is NOT the answer for MOST people. You need someone to explain the "why" behind the "what." You need someone to teach you the theory behind the fields that use CAD, not just how to press the buttons. yes, Revit is a good product, but don't fall too deeply in love with a piece of software. 5 years from now when you have a degree maybe we'll be using a completely different program for architectural design and documentation (e.g.: Tony Stark's holographic interface in the Iron Movies)

This is more of an experience issue than a cad issue mate.
But it’s great that you are considering this.

Get yourself some books on “engineering drawings”
Or have a look on YouTube for some tips.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Manual-Engineering-Drawing-International-Standards/dp/0750651202

Line weights, dimensions, notation, projections, these make all of the difference.