This is the second of a three-part series by Aliza Leventhal and Julia Larson on enhancing archivists’ visual and technical literacy in handling complex digital objects. Foundational Components: Objects, Attributes, Blocks, and Libraries. AutoCAD image courtesy SMWM Collection, 2013-01, Environmental Design Archives, College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley. The first article in this series introduced common features used in most digital design soft

This is the first of a three-part series by Aliza Leventhal and Julia Larson on enhancing archivists’ visual and technical literacy in handling complex digital objects. Deconstructing CAD: Layers, Xrefs, and You. Screenshot of MicroStation. Image courtesy: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop (TGH) collection, (2021-13), Environmental Design Archives. College of Environmental Design. University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California. Physical materials in a design archive are inh