Drawing and form

Member lesson

Technical drawing conventions

Lesson 10 of 14 in Drawing and form.

Understanding Engineering Drawings · The Efficient Engineer
Lesson

Technical drawing is a notation rather than a picture, and like any notation it only works because everybody agrees what the marks mean. Line weight and line type carry information: solid for a visible edge, dashed for something hidden behind, chain-dotted for a centre line.

three edges: 30°, 30° and straight upparallel lines stay parallel, so every length can be measured
An isometric cube with equal measures on three axes.
A 3D sketch of a drilled block on the left and its flat front view on the right, with solid outer edges, dashed lines for the hidden hole and a dot-dash centre line.
A block with a hole through it, drawn flat. Solid lines show the edges you can see, dashed lines show the hidden hole, and a dot-dash line marks its centre.
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Members answer these 3 questions and keep the ticket for this lesson. Every lesson has one.

  1. Question 1, locked

    Which of these words means this? “Continuous for visible edges, dashed for hidden, chain for centres.”

    • The squint test
    • Horizon line
    • Line type
    • Cast shadow
  2. Question 2, locked

    Which of these words means this? “A measurement with arrows and extension lines. Has its own rules.”

    • Line type
    • Isometric
    • Dimension line
    • Diffuse reflection
  3. Question 3, locked

    Which of these words means this? “The permitted variation. A dimension without one is not a specification.”

    • Comparative measurement
    • Life drawing
    • Elevation and plan
    • Tolerance

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