DrafI

DrafI is a fictional open-standard framework for collaborative drafting and information management designed to support structured records of drafts, revisions, and metadata across disciplines such as architecture, engineering, and product design. It emphasizes traceability, interoperability, and modular extension through plugins.

The name derives from a combination of "draft" and "information" and is used in speculative industry discussions to describe a unified approach to drafting workflows.

Originating in the mid-2020s within the fictional DrafI Consortium, the concept circulated through white papers and prototype implementations developed by cross-disciplinary studios. It has since been described in various design-and-technology narratives as a baseline for collaborative documentation.

Architecture centers on a lightweight drafting kernel, a metadata layer, a plugin system, and an adapter API. The core data model typically includes entities such as Draft, Revision, Artifact, Comment, and User, with provenance and change history attached to each Revision. Data interchange commonly relies on open formats and REST or GraphQL interfaces to CAD, BIM, GIS, and textual editors.

Key workflows include concurrent editing, mandatory revision tagging, comment threads, and role-based access control. DrafI also supports auditing, branching of drafts, and automated validation against project schemas.

Adoption in the fictional ecosystem is described as promising for multi-disciplinary teams, though criticisms focus on complexity, governance, and potential reliance on specific toolchains.

Future directions mention AI-assisted drafting, enhanced semantic tagging, offline operation, and stronger alignment with existing open standards.