How to understand Orthographic Drawings

                 

                                 

                                                      (Picture made by me for NCEA L2 product design in 2023)

Introduction:

Whenever you are in the technical design field, you may find yourself presented with a picture such as the one above. This can be intimidating to those who are unfamiliar with technical drawing or the field all together. Thankfully, it is not too hard to understand, and by the end of this post, I'm sure you will understand orthographic drawings with ease. 

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The sides:

Firstly, orthographic drawing has four main views. Main view, plan view, right side elevation, and left side elevation.

Simply put:

The main view is looking at the object straight on, as shown in the picture.

The plan view is a bird's-eye view of the object.

The right-side elevation is the right side of the main view.

The left-side elevation is the left side of the main view.

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Line hierarchy:

In this example, I have three types of lines. Construction lines, outline lines, and hidden detail lines. These are all different thicknesses to communicate importance and type.

Projection lines (White):

Projects the heights and lengths of an object between views. These are light and thin.

Because the right and left side elevations are not in line with the plan view, the dimensions can be projected up to a 45-degree line. This 45-degree line comes from the top right or left of the object, as shown.

Outline lines (Green):

These are the lines of the final product. They are the thickest.

Hidden detail lines (Yellow): 

These are lines to show hidden details such as screws and draws that you would otherwise not see.

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Conclusion:

With this short article, I hope you are now familiar with orthographic drawing and some of its conventions. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.