How-To Guide

CAD Drawing Submittal Checklist: QA Every Drawing Before It Goes Out

Published November 2026 | 74mph Solutions

The owner rejected the closeout set. Two drawings had missing xrefs, one was full of proxy objects, and nobody had purged. The final payment waits until the files come back clean.

Owners such as the U.S. General Services Administration and many universities publish CAD standards for consultants, and some can hold payment until the files pass. The checks are almost always the same handful.

300 drawings in the closeout set. Eleven checks each, by hand: days. Tornado: one report, eleven columns, every drawing.

The Checklist

Read the owner's own standard first: their list wins over this one. These are the checks that show up in most of them.

Check	Why owners care	By hand in AutoCAD	Tornado check
1. Missing fonts	Text prints in a substitute font	Missing SHX Files dialog, `STYLE`	Missing fonts
2. Missing xrefs	Sheets print with parts missing	External References palette	Missing xrefs, Xref path types
3. Missing images and PDF underlays	Same as xrefs	External References palette	Raster images, PDF and DGN underlays
4. Proxy objects	Plain AutoCAD cannot edit them	Proxy Information dialog on open	Proxy objects
5. Unpurged items	Unused layers, blocks and styles	`PURGE`	Unpurged items
6. Audit errors	Damaged objects get worse	`AUDIT`	Audit errors
7. Units	Inserts come in at the wrong size	`UNITS`, `INSUNITS`	Drawing units, Measurement system
8. DWG version	The owner asks for a release	Not shown in the drawing	DWG version (with a minimum)
9. Layers to the standard	The owner's layer list	Layer Properties Manager	Non-standard layers, Objects on 0 and DEFPOINTS
10. Title block filled in	Sheet number, date, revision	Open the title block	Title block attribute
11. Junk geometry	Clutter and snapping trouble	Hard to find by eye	Zero-length objects

By hand, each line is a separate look inside every drawing. In Tornado, each line is a column in one report that runs on every drawing in the folder tree.

Turn the Checklist Into a Recipe

In Tornado DWG Scanner, drag those checks into a report chain, set the expected values (units, minimum DWG version, your standard layer list, the title-block tag that must be filled) and save it as a recipe named after the requirement, such as "Owner closeout check". On the next project, open the recipe and point it at the folder.

Know which drawings will fail before the owner does.

Free trial with no time limit. 10 files per run, all checks.

Try Tornado Free Try Hurricane Free

Fix, Then Prove It

Export the flagged drawings from Tornado as a file list. Tornado finds Hurricane's file-list folder automatically, so the list loads straight into Hurricane's queue. Run the fixes in one batch, for example audit and purge:

;Fix audit errors, then purge twice to catch nested items
AUDIT
Y
-PURGE
A
*
N
-PURGE
A
*
N

Test before you batch: run it on a copy or two first, because prompts can differ between AutoCAD versions and your owner may want some unused items kept. QSAVE is left out on purpose: Hurricane adds the save to every drawing.

Units, fonts, xrefs and layers have their own guides: wrong units, missing xrefs, missing fonts and CAD standards.

Then run the same Tornado report on the same list. When the Flagged view is empty, export it to Excel (the flag colors come with it) for your records. Keep the report with the submittal.

Tornado helps you check. It does not certify that a set meets any owner's standard.

Where the Requirements Come From

GSA PBS CAD Standard (2021, PDF)
Rutgers University CAD standards
The CAD manual named in your own contract.

What You Need

Tornado: full AutoCAD 2018 or later on Windows (AutoCAD LT is not supported yet). Free trial: no time limit, 10 files per run, all checks.
Hurricane: AutoCAD (2026 and all prior versions), AutoCAD LT, BricsCAD, IntelliCAD or DraftSight. Free trial: no time limit, no credit card.
Both are local Windows programs. Your drawings never leave your PC.

FAQ

What should a CAD QA checklist include?

Most owner standards ask for no missing fonts, xrefs or images, no proxy objects, purged drawings with no audit errors, the right units and DWG version, layers to their standard and a completed title block.

Is Tornado approved by GSA or any owner?

No. Tornado helps you check your drawings against the requirements. It does not certify that a set meets any owner's standard.

Can Tornado check against my .dws file?

No. Tornado does not read .dws files. You set the standard up in Tornado as a recipe. AutoCAD's Batch Standards Checker reads .dws files, and you can use both.

Does this work in AutoCAD LT?

Hurricane works in AutoCAD LT. Tornado needs full AutoCAD 2018 or later for now.

Closeout day: the set goes out with a clean report attached.

Try both free. No time limit.

Try Tornado Free Try Hurricane Free