Daily Calendar | Design Drawing and Studio Skills | Modeling | ISU [Mechanical or Industrial Design] | Architectural / Interior Design | Summative

An essential component of all design is the ability to convey ideas through drawing. Either conveying intent through a quick sketch, or completing it with a detailed breakdown of an idea. In general when we sketch we use 3 dimensions mixed with 2 dimensional views while for technical drawings we tend to stick with 2D drawings.

As we learned in grade 11, the 2 major categories of drawing real objects are when we draw them with 2 dimensions (a face of an object), or with 3 dimensions. We categorize further in that 3D drawings may have perspective or not. We will examine this further.

In a non-perspective drawing there are no vanishing points therefore lines that disappear into the distance have to be treated in one of two ways - a) they don't exist (an orthographic or elevation) or b) they exist, but no perspective will be applied to them (oblique and isometric view). We create these orthographic drawings because you can take a designed part, draw it, dimension it and then give all the needed information to the manufacturer. In a 3D environment dimensions become burdensome.

The following diagram is a sample of the typical reference material you might expect to receive on a technical illustration project. Most major plans after being designed will be broken down into elevation views (top view, front view and right view) built to make an isometric projection (image at upper right) to be given to the people in charge of manufacturing the product.

Non-Perspective no Z-axis

When considering the "pure orthographic projection" all horizontal and vertical lines in one elevation are of critical importance in determining the position and size of the object in all other views. In grade 11 you've seen how the top and front elevations align, but in grade 12 we can go one step further and see how, when we make a bounding box, the mitre line at a 45 degree angle allows us to project the horizontal lines as well. These horizontal lines from the top elevation project to the mitre line and 'rebound' to create the vertical extents on the side view of the object.

Recall also that an isometric drawing is one where the horizontal lines disappear to each side at 30 degrees to the horizon (seen in figure 1 below) while an oblique drawing the face is flat (front elevation or orthographic view) while the z-axis lines are placed at a 45 degree angle to the horizon.

1-point perspective

One point perspectives are not used as frequently as two point perspectives, but they are well suited for interior drawings. Room and furniture layouts, kitchen cabinet pictorial representations and interior space studies are all good choices for making a one point perspective drawing. At times they can also be used to show exterior views such as entries, porches and specific exterior architectural details.

The procedure for drawing a one-point perspective is the same as it was in grade 11. All lines that disappear into the z axis merge along their trajectories to the vanishing point. However - we now consider WHY we are drawing the 1-point perspective drawing. It is to emphasize a feature. To determine the horizon of the drawing you wish to draw consider where the feature is (a corner, a door, a sweep of a line) - the vanishing point will appear on there, but vertically mirrored. Consider the fence picture above - the vanishing point is left of center, while the drawing pulls your eye left, it also emphasizes the fence to the right. It is important to place the horizon at 'head height' in the drawing since the drawing is supposed to showcase a feature. Finally consider the picture plane (i.e. where you will cut off the box). The plane is chosen to reflect the depth of the object, but without making details at that point too crowded to be able to see.

2-point perspective

The ability to draw a 2 point perspective drawing is a critical skill for an architect, engineer or designer of any kind. It produces a photo-like result that is accurate and can communicate intent with a prospective client or other parties like investors. As with 1 point perspective drawings, the overall skills were taught in grade 11, but now we explore WHY we draw what we draw. The distance to the station point (the "viewer's eye") is important. If you're too close, the drawing will distort and appear unrealistic. Typically the viewer should have a cone of vision between 30->45 degrees. In high school we will typically use the plan approach to a 2-point perspective drawing. That is - we have a floor plan and we want to draw a perspective of it. Here's how it's done

Step 1 - choose a picture plane, a horizon (typically at head-height) and a ground level. Take the plan of the object and place it at the desired angle on the picture plane. Now follow these simple 2 steps.

Note - in the picture above each object has faint, but visible bounding boxes. When sketching complex shapes in, say, a living room, these bounding boxes are often the best way to ensure your object looks realistic. To make the bounding box simply take the greatest extents of the object then begin 'sculpting away' the non-square corners/curves.

No matter the type of rendering the designer chooses - the render is the designer's way of showcasing the product to the potential buyer before the product has started to be planned in any amount of serious detail. Typically a designer will produce renders of 1-3 versions of any given design and ask the client to commit to one of those choices. Aside from any emotional resonance that any particular render has on a client, often the selling feature of the picture can simply be attributed to the skill of the artist making the painting/drawing. As such - any designer is well served by learning a variety of techniques to ensure believability of the picture. Two of the most important architectural features (though they partially apply to non-architectural rendering) are shading and entourage. Shading in artwork generally is reduced to knowing where the light is coming from, then STRICTLY adhering to where the shadows would be cast from obscuring features (e.g. the shadows under the soffit of a house). Shading is often simplified to making a pattern of cross-hatching, or stippling, or area-filling. Entourage on the other hand is where you partially obscure the object under scrutiny with other environmental features (for example, putting a bush in front of a house which would leave the product partially blocked, yet makes it more believable).

This type of render is probably the easiest. No materials are needed and the product is highly acceptable if it's well done. A good pencil render includes a detailed render of things such as textures (e.g. if you are rendering bricks, include variations not only of the individual bricks, but include area colour distortions). A perspective drawing inked then rendered with pencil are softer than those rendered any other way but the difficulty is keeping the drawing clean. Thus - protecting the surrounding areas with other pieces of paper is an effective way to prevent smudges and smears.

If you are going to be making renderings that are going to be duplicated, then they are best done in ink. Lines are sharper, and fine detail is possible. Shading is possible by using a series of parallel lines and a dot pattern

A watercolour rendering is the most effective form of rendering. Vivid colours and broad expanses of light wash are available as techniques. A light wash is achieved by using very little paint with LOTS of water. While a watercolour rendering is one of the most effective methods of rendering, it is also one of the most artistically difficult to do. Practice and patience are needed.

A designer can, with as much skill as using a regular pencil, but without the overhead artistic knowledge of the watercolour techniques, render an object or landscape in coloured pencil to great effect. While the result isn't as emotionally vivacious as with watercolour, nor as exact as with pen, the coloured pencil leads to a fine result. Certain coloured pencils, once whetted with a small amount of water, transform the render into an acceptable watercolour.

While the above types are the most common non-computer-graphic renders, other types such as felt-tipped pen, tempura and airbrush are used in some (decreasing) regularity in the field of design. That said, computer graphic rendering is BY FAR the most common technique used today to showcase potential work to a client. With simple layout packages and rendering engines available for nearly every software program even a fairly inexperienced technician can create a very salable visual product for a given design - from gears to kitchens.

There are several types of presentation plans available to help sell an idea to a client. While architects and designers can easily read complicated technical drawings a presentation plan is designed to present the structure or product to the layperson who otherwise might not understand what was presented to them. These plans may also be used in advertising and/or product evaluation for the designer or company.

The types of plans often simplified for presentation are most often: exterior perspectives (1 and 2 point), elevations, plot plans, floor plans, sections and walkthroughs. They can be seen below:

Assignment #xx - Walkthrough of a property

You are to create a 45->60 second walkthrough of a property that includes entry to and exit from a house. Load the most current version of Trimble sketchup and follow this video tutorial (or supplement it with this quick written tutorial):

Note: to install Sketchup you will take it from your saved location, and copy it to the D drive. From there you will install the program. You will NOT be able to install it from your default save location which is your server account.

Once you're done your walkthrough you will go to File>Export and follow the settings in the pictures below:

When you have hit Export let the computer sit the duration of the export process. DO NOT USE THE COMPUTER AT ALL DURING THIS TIME. What may happen is that you will get jerky motion or stuttering in the export process if you do.