New in the United States National CAD Standard®–V5

Released in May 2011, NCS V5 provides the following improvements:

  • Online document accessible 24/7 to licensees of the standard making it easier to navigate and implement the standard.
  • Expanded and reorganized CAD Layer Guidelines includes:
    • New Discipline Designators for Distributed Energy.
    • New Level 2 Resource Discipline Designator for "Real Estate".
    • New "Abandoned" Status Field.
    • Expanded Discipline Designators for "Survey/Mapping".
    • New Major and Minor Groups definitions added to the "Architectural, Electrical, Fire Protection, Interior, Mechanical, Plumbing, Resource, Structural, and Telecommunications Layer Lists".
    • Revised flow of CAD Layer Guidelines Module to clarify that the Layer Lists by Disciplines are simply examples of some of the commonly used layers and not an all-inclusive list of layers.
    • Major and Minor Groups definitions from "Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Resource, Structural, Survey/Mapping, and Telecommunications Layer Lists" made more generic to allow broader usage.
    • Expanded allowable file extension characters to 4 characters to respond to changes in software application file extensions.
  • Updated Uniform Drawing System includes:
    • New reference symbols for "interior elevation indicator single and multiple views", "azimuth indicator" and "3/32" architectural scale".
    • Revised line thickness of "note leaders" reference symbol.
    • New line symbol for "electrical direct current".
    • New identity symbol for "electrical interconnections with substations" and "electrical photovoltaic power".
  • Appendixes:
    • New Implementation Guidelines with clear phased approaches from management buy-in to establishing an employee training plan. And,
    • Eliminated obsolete "Appendix C, G and H".