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Use a revision cloud to show exactly which part of a drawing changed, or is being revised, during a review or new issue. Place the scalloped boundary close enough to the affected detail that a reader can find it quickly, but do not let it hide dimensions, notes, or geometry. A cloud is a visual locator—not a replacement for the revision identifier, description, approval, and recordkeeping required by your project.
What a revision cloud communicates
A revision cloud is a scalloped boundary around changed drawing content. Autodesk describes revision clouds in Revit as a way to indicate design areas that have changed, while its AutoCAD guidance calls the cloud the standard way to call attention to an area modified since original issue. Those descriptions explain the visual purpose; they do not establish one mandatory convention for every contract or jurisdiction.
The cloud answers “where did this change occur?” It does not, by itself, answer what was approved, why the change was made, who authorized it, or which issue is current.
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When you should add one
During a revision or drawing issue
Add a cloud when reviewers, contractors, fabricators, or other downstream users need to locate changed content on a revised drawing. Cloud the specific detail or a closely related group of changes rather than an entire sheet by default.
When the boundary improves navigation
Keep the boundary close to the affected content and clear of dimensions, notes, symbols, and nearby geometry. If several separate areas changed, use separate, legible clouds when your standard permits them. At plotted scale, each cloud should be distinguishable and should not look like design geometry.
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When your project standard requires it
Check the owner, contract, and office drafting standards before drawing anything. They may define the layer, color, linetype, arc size, revision marker, and which views or sheets must be clouded.
What a cloud cannot replace
Formal revision control still belongs in the title block or revision block and in the project record. ASME describes Y14.35 as covering practices for revising drawings and associated documents, including methods for identifying and recording revisions. ASME describes Y14.100 as setting essential requirements for preparing and revising engineering drawings and associated lists, unless a specialty standard modifies them.
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As of October 3, 2026, ASME’s catalog listed Y14.35-2025 and Y14.100-2017, with the latter shown as remaining in effect. Confirm the current edition and applicability with ASME and your governing project documents before claiming compliance.
- Keep the revision identifier associated with the cloud.
- Enter the required description, date, approval, and issue information in the revision block or document-control system.
- Make sure the sheet status and distribution match the formal issue.
- Do not use a cloud as decoration or as a vague substitute for explaining a change.
Owner standards can differ
A PacifiCorp consultant drafting standard illustrates why you must not generalize one owner’s convention. Its example directs engineering groups, contractors, and consultants to cloud affected details on drawings in design or construction. It specifies red clouds on a REV layer, a continuous linetype, consistent arc size, and a nearby revision triangle containing the drawing revision number. Those are PacifiCorp requirements, not universal rules.
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The same example advises keeping clouds with the drawing entities in the same space and allowing a line break where a cloud conflicts with text. Your project may use different colors, layers, markers, or exceptions.
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AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture
Autodesk’s AutoCAD Architecture 2025 command reference documents freehand, object, polygonal, and rectangular cloud shapes. Its prompts include color, arc length, and polyline width. In that command, the documented maximum arc length cannot exceed three times the minimum arc length; this is a product constraint, not a general drafting standard.
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Autodesk’s AutoCAD guidance also describes drawing a cloud freehand or converting an existing polyline, circle, polygon, or spline, then adjusting arc lengths and style. Because that guidance was published in 2018, use the help for your installed release for exact command names and interface prompts.
Revit
Revit’s 2026 help describes assigning a revision to a cloud, tagging it, editing its boundary and appearance, hiding it, controlling arc length, and creating a revision-cloud schedule. Revit assigns the most recent revision by default when a cloud is added, but another revision can be selected. Verify that assignment before issuing the sheet; an accurately drawn boundary with the wrong revision metadata can still produce incorrect documentation.
Choosing the right coverage and appearance
| Decision | Practical test | What governs it |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Does the boundary identify the changed detail without enclosing unrelated work? | Project standard and readability at plotted scale |
| Multiple clouds | Can each changed area be distinguished and associated with the correct revision? | Office or owner procedure |
| Arc size | Are the scallops legible at the issued sheet size without obscuring content? | CAD settings and drafting standard |
| Color and layer | Will the cloud print, plot, and display correctly in the required deliverable? | Owner, contract, and CAD standard |
| Revision association | Does the cloud carry or link to the revision identifier shown in the formal record? | Document-control workflow and software metadata |
When a cloud is not enough
If a change is extensive, difficult to locate, or affects the meaning of an entire sheet, follow the project procedure for a new or reissued sheet, a narrative change description, or another document-control action. The available standards do not establish one universal size or complexity threshold at which a cloud must be replaced. Do not invent a threshold; use the contract and office workflow.
Quick Recap
Issue-day checklist
- Read the applicable owner, contract, and office CAD standards.
- Identify the exact geometry, notes, or details that changed.
- Draw a boundary that is close to those items and clear at plotted scale.
- Apply the required layer, color, linetype, arc treatment, and revision marker.
- Associate the cloud with the correct revision in your CAD system, if supported.
- Check the title or revision block, description, date, approval, and issue status.
- Plot or preview the sheet at its issue scale to confirm that clouds are visible and do not hide information.
Common mistakes
- Clouding a whole sheet when only one detail changed.
- Allowing the boundary to cover dimensions, notes, or symbols.
- Using a color or layer that disappears in the required plot.
- Leaving a Revit cloud assigned to the automatically selected revision without checking it.
- Treating a cloud as proof of approval or as a complete revision description.
- Copying another owner’s red-cloud, layer, or marker convention into a project that specifies something else.
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