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My Go to Architecture-Engineering Survival Tools!
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items Feeling overwhelmed by your first-year supply list? Don’t worry! I’ve put together this comprehensive guide to all the tools you'll actually need for studio, from pencils and scales to a few helpful extras. Consider this your go-to survival kit.
Sections
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Your Go to Drafting Tools!
Pens and Inks
Books
Softwares
Your Go to Drafting Tools!
Mastering the art of drafting? Starts with the right tools! Sharing with you my go-to technical instruments for creating clean, precise drawings and bringing my designs to life on manual drafting!
My absolute favorite T-square since my first year of architecture school. The acrylic edge is perfect for both cutting and drawing, and it's a durable studio essential that will last you for years.
Staedtler Acrylic Edge Wood T Squares Various Sizes
This is the perfect T-square for anyone who needs to switch between metric and imperial measurements. The aluminum is incredibly durable, and it's a great tool for cutting and drawing straight lines.
Staedtler Aluminum TSquares
A must-have for any architecture or engineering student! The color-coded grooves make it easy to quickly find the right scale you need for your plans, and the durable plastic means it will last you for years of studio work.
Staedtler Mars Triangular Scales
This is one of the first and most important tools you'll buy for school. I love how the color-coded grooves make it so fast to find the right scale, which is a lifesaver when you're racing to finish a drawing. It's durable and a total workhorse that ...
Staedtler Mars Professional Measuring Set
This is the perfect tool for when you need to draw specific angles on your plans and elevations. The adjustable arm and clear acrylic make it easy to get precise measurements and trace angles without having to do a lot of complex math. It's a profess...
Staedtler Mars Adjustable Triangles
These circle templates are a studio staple. They're perfect for drawing perfectly-sized circles for things like columns and furniture plans, and the built-in risers prevent smudging. It's a small detail, but a major time-saver!
Chartpak Pickett Circle Templates
Ellipses can be a struggle to draw freehand, so this template is a lifesaver! It makes it easy to add details like pipes, light fixtures, and curved furniture to your plans. The built-in risers are a great feature that helps prevent smudging.
Chartpak Pickett Ellipses Templates
It is the perfect little template to keep in your bag or pocket. It has a bunch of different shapes and scales that are great for quick sketches, diagrams, and figuring out dimensions on the fly. It's a small tool that comes in handy more often than ...
Staedtler Mars Pocket GeneralPurpose Template
This is an incredibly useful tool for any architect. It's perfect for drawing smooth, custom curves for site plans, landscape designs, and interior layouts. It's a professional-grade tool that will give you a level of precision you can't get with fre...
Staedtler Mars Flexible Curves
If you sketch with graphite or charcoal, this is a total game-changer. Unlike a regular eraser that crumbles, this one works by lifting pigment off the paper. The best part? You can mold it into any shape to get into tiny details or even create subtl...
Kneaded Eraser
Pens and Inks
In this section, I'm sharing my favorite pens! Whether you're drawing a fine line for a building detail or a bold line for a conceptual drawing, these pens are a must-have in every toolkit.
These are my go-to pens for technical drawing. The fine point nibs let you get incredibly precise lines, and the ink is both fade-proof and waterproof, which is perfect for adding watercolor or other wet media on top of your line work without any smu...
Uni Pin Fine Liner Pens Sets
The gold standard for a reason. These pens have archival-quality ink that is lightfast and waterproof, which is a must for both technical drawing and rendering. I use them for everything from fine details to bold outlines. However, these kind of pens...
Sakura Pigma Micron Pens and Sets
This is the perfect all-in-one kit for any architecture student. The Isograph pens are the gold standard for technical drawing, and the fact that they're refillable means they'll last you for years. It’s an investment, but a worthwhile one for creati...
Rotring Isograph Technical Pen and Sets
These are fantastic all-purpose pens for your kit. They're great for sketching and quick diagrams, but also precise enough to use with a ruler for final line work. The waterproof ink is also a big plus, as you can layer watercolors on top without any...
Staedtler Pigment Liner Pens and Sets
These are my go-to pencils for a reason. The matte finish is a game-changer, eliminating all glare so your drawings look incredible. The rich tones and smooth laydown make them a joy to work with for both sketching and rendering.
FaberCastell Pitt Graphite Matte Pencils and Sets
These are the professional standard for a reason. The lead is super break-resistant, so you can press down to get deep, dark lines without worrying about snapping the tip. They're a classic for a reason and a must-have for all your technical drawings...
Staedtler Mars Lumograph Drawing and Sketching Pencils and Sets
If you want your notes to stand out or your artwork to pop, these pens are a must-have. The ink is incredibly smooth and bold, and it glides across the page without skipping. I love the set because it gives you a range of line weights (Fine, Medium, ...
Uni-Ball Signo Impact Rollerball Gel Pens and Set
Books
Here's some books that I personally use during my undergraduate study. Enjoy!
This is the ultimate pocket guide for anyone in architecture. Forget struggling with jargon Ching's clear, beautiful illustrations make it incredibly easy to understand even the most complicated terms, from a flying buttress to a fenestration. It's t...
Francis D.K. Ching A Visual Dictionary of Architecture Second Edition
Considered the bible of building construction, this book uses Ching's signature hand-drawn illustrations to explain every aspect of a building, from its foundation to its roof. It's perfect for both students and seasoned professionals.
Building Construction Illustrated by Francis D.K. Ching
This is the quintessential book for anyone in architecture. Ching's meticulous hand-drawn illustrations and clear explanations make complex concepts of form and space incredibly easy to grasp. It's the kind of book you'll keep on your shelf and refer...
Architecture: Form, Space, and Order by Francis D. K. Ching
If you're serious about the technical side of design, this is the one book you need. I've used this as my go-to reference for countless projects, and it's a lifesaver when you need quick data on anything from standard dimensions to building codes. It...
Planning And Designers Handbook
Softwares
Here's a few softwares that you can rely on when you transition from manual drafting into digital drafting.
This is the gold standard for every serious designer, architect, and engineer. The full version of AutoCAD gives you everything from precise 2D drafting to powerful 3D modeling and rendering. If you're looking for the complete toolkit that is trusted...
AutoCAD Software
For all your 2D drafting needs, AutoCAD LT is the perfect choice. It has all the speed and precision of the full version for creating floor plans, elevations, and detailed blueprints, but at a more affordable price. It's the ideal option for students...
AutoCAD LT
Revit is the industry-leading BIM (Building Information Modeling) software. Unlike AutoCAD's lines and shapes, Revit creates "smart" 3D models with embedded data. It's essential for large, multi-disciplinary projects where architects, structural engi...
Revit Software
When it's time to create stunning, photorealistic visuals of your design, 3ds Max is the go-to software. While it doesn't have the same BIM functionality as Revit, it's a creative powerhouse for rendering, animation, and high-end visualization. It's ...
3ds Max 2026 | 3D Modeling Software
If your projects involve land development or large-scale infrastructure, Civil 3D is a game-changer. It's a specialized tool for civil engineers and planners that helps with everything from site design and grading to road networks and drainage system...
Civil 3D Software
This is one of the rendering softwares you can use for your architectural visualizations! You can use this along with your skethup software.
Lumion | Industry-Leading 3D Rendering Software For Architects - Lumion
Here's another rendering software that you can use for 3d visualization and use it realtime with Sketh Up!
Enscape - Real-Time Rendering and Virtual Reality | Chaos
Sketch Up is a software tool where you can utilize its use especially for your 3d modeling and visualizations. The 3D Warehouse is an incredible resource for quickly populating your scenes with thousands of real-world products and objects, saving you...
SketchUp: 3D Design Software - Bring Your Vision to Life | SketchUp
If you want to bring your 3D models to life, Twinmotion is the fastest and most intuitive tool out there. It's a game-changer because it renders your scenes in real-time, letting you adjust lighting, add realistic vegetation, and even change the weat...
Twinmotion is a cutting-edge real-time visualization tool
Unreal Engine goes beyond traditional rendering by allowing architects to create fully interactive and immersive experiences of their designs. It's ideal for high-fidelity, real-time walkthroughs and collaborative design reviews.
Unreal Engine | Architecture