[simpleaffiliate source="chitika" results="0"][/simpleaffiliate] What are the standard colours and linetypes used in CAD?
I am a Civil Engineering student and we are drawing up a site survey on CAD. What are the british or european standard linetypes for Buildings, Kerblines, Fence Lines, Lamp posts, Footpaths and manholes.
Or if you can direct me to a website that has the info that would be great!
I want to do the best job on this project! Thanks, would you know the correct linetype and colour for say, building lines, kerblines, footpath, and ramps?
imaginarykitten: In Europe, it may be the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that sets the standard; for instance, ISO 13567-1:1998, "Technical product documentation -- Organization and naming of layers for CAD," which can be ordered from the link below. ISO standards are not free, but your university may have access to them via a database that your library pays for.
Many references provide a lot of definitions for technical drawing. A technical drawing or drafting is the "academic discipline of creating standardized technical drawings by architects, interior designers, drafters, design engineers, and related professionals." It is an "integral communication of technical or engineering drawings and is the industrial arts sub-discipline that underlies all involved technical endeavors.1" It is a "means of clearly and concisely communicating all of the information necessary to transform an idea or a concept into reality.2" It is a "drawing plan, rendered to scale, used to communicate direction and specifics to a group of people creating something.3" It is a "formal and precise way of communicating information about the shape, size, features and precision of physical objects," a "universal language of engineering used in the design process for solving problems, quickly and accurately visualizing objects, and conducting analysis," and "a graphical representation of objects and structures." It is also the "expression of bodies by lines.4" It is a "skill, a vocation.5" A good technical drawing is "one that properly and conveniently communicates all of the information needed to transform a design into a product that meets or exceeds customer expectations.2"
Technical drawings have many uses in many kinds of applications specially where there is a need for designs and conversion processes, such as those found in manufacturing, engineering, architecture, and construction. Because technical drawings have many uses, there is a need to regulate practices that are involved in creating these drawings. Drafters use standards of practice, of which the most widely used are practices of the US Department of Defense (DOD), the US Military (MIL), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).2 Drafters use many geometric figures and symbols to specify the scope and details of a product because it is very important that technical drawings be accurate.3 Drafters create technical drawings using freehand, mechanical, or computer methods.4 Processes that are involved in drafting are sometimes time-consuming.1 One thing that determines the ultimate quality of a product is the quality of its technical drawing. We know if a technical drawing is a good one when developers for a design should no longer need to consult designers or drafters of the drawing because all information that these developers need are already included in the drawing.2 In essence, technical drawing is about linear projection.5
A Quick Summary of the History of Technical Drawing
Technical drawings are things that are not new. Even during the times of early Greek civilization, technical drawings existed. These drawings were scratched on the floor to guide workers while they were building. As time went on, people learned to use mechanical devices on drafting tables to draft. Nowadays, drafters or designers use computers to aid them in their design works.3 Computers lessened the effort needed by designers to accomplish their tasks. Before the widespread use of drafting software, drafters were required to have an extensive knowledge on the principles of descriptive geometry and to use tools such as t-square, compass, and drafting table. Now, descriptive geometry is no longer used very often because computers do much of the computations. With the use of computers and knowledge in linear algebra, data, such as coordinates of points and their projection on planes, are computed more easily, and designers can now bypass some rules or principles on how to draw correctly.5
Methods of Technical Drawing
The three methods in technical drawing are the following:1
Sketching
Manual or by instrument
Computer-aided design (CAD)
A sketch is a "quickly executed freehand drawing that is not intended as a finished work." It is a "quick way to record an idea for later use." Sketches serve as abstractions or summaries of complex patterns or design solutions. Because their purpose is to summarize, sketching results to an enhanced design process. In a way, these sketches aid in the design collaboration.1
In manual drawing, it is very important to have an accurate drafting table and to give much attention to the positioning of drafting tools. Drafters use a wide array of mechanical instruments and tools, such as compasses and French curves. Drafters of manual drawings are skilled in geometry, trigonometry, and spatial comprehension. They have mastered the mechanics of drawing lines, arcs, and circles, and they are expected to be precise and accurate in giving technical details. One procedure in manual drafting involves using a drafting table with a paper over it, and sliding a T-square across the side of the table over the surface of the paper. Drafters run pencils or technical pens along the edge of the T-square to create parallel lines. Sometimes, the T-square is used to hold other smaller drawing tools, such as squares and triangles. With the use of these smaller drawing tools, drafters could draw lines from different angles. When tasks become repetitive already, drafters use templates, and these templates were made for some specific tasks. Templates are commercially available, but sometimes, drafters prefer to create their own.1
Manual drawings must be redrawn from scratch when there is a need to modify them. This difficulty was removed by the use of CAD systems. A CAD system is either 2D or 3D. A 2D CAD system is "merely an electronic drawing board." 2D CAD systems are capable of producing drawings of large projects such as plans for a building or an aircraft, but they do not have the capability to allow designers to test whether components and parts will fit together. These kinds of projects require designers to use 3D CAD software for the modeling, assembling, and checking of components before the actual release of technical drawings to manufacturers.1
CAD systems, such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Pro/ENGINEER, automate and accelerate the mechanics of drafting tasks. These systems support symbols for common components that are found in many disciplines, such as electrical, electronic, pneumatic, and fluidic. CAD designers follow standards such as those provided by BS and ISO, but, sometimes, it is up to designers to create drawings.1
Structural Steel Detailing – A Steel Building Construction Boon
Steel building construction has gained more and more attention of construction industry nowadays as the number of benefits that steel buildings provide is much higher than other buildings. Steel building construction is highly served by a wonderful process called “structural steel detailing”. It really is a special boon as far as steel building construction is concerned.
Structural steel detailing – a standard process for better and more effective steel buildings construction can be defined as a process of producing detailed working drawings related with steel fabrication and steel erection. These detailed drawings contain valuable information such as detailed working drawings and design plans, construction drawings and other building documents. All these information is very much necessary for the construction and erection of steel members that are widely used in the construction of buildings like residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
Now talking about steel members, they are fundamental building components such as steel columns, steel beams, steel braces and trusses, handrails, stairs, joists and metal decking. Every small important information regarding these steel members are covered in steel detailing process. Steel detailing illustrates the common structural steel shapes in use and how these shapes are joined to form steel members and complete steel building structures.
Also steel detailing mainly focuses on steel detailing practices and steel member conventions. One of the limelight features of steel detailing is that it thoroughly explains detailing information for standard sections, steel bolts and welds. This enables builders to clearly visualize their proposed steel building structure and develop an effective construction technique for further construction activities. Steel detailing also clarifies certain important aspects such as where and how to erect the fabricated steel members. These steel detailing drawings typically demonstrate dimensioned detailing plans to builders, contractors to locate the steel members.
So from above, it is quite clear that structural steel detailing can surely be considered as a steel construction boon due to its wide range of utilities and importance. If you would like to get more details about structural steel detailing, then please contact us at: http://www.structuraldraftingdesign.com/steeldetailingservices.php or drop an email at: info@structuraldraftingdesign.com regarding your queries.
For the woman who has it all, this year's most dazzling accessory is sure to surprise and inspire. MB&F, the Swiss master of the modern luxury timepiece, has collaborated with the House of Boucheron, known for its exceptional jewelry and gems. This union celebrates the past and present by partnering the 152-year-old Boucheron label with the five-year-old MB&F to create something entirely otherworldly. The result is the JWLRYMACHINE, a stunning feat of design that encompasses both a first-class watch and a uniquely decadent bracelet, and is sure to be passed from generation to generation.
The JWLRYMACHINE is Boucheron's haute-joaillerie take on MB&F's Horological Machine N3, which was conceived in 2009. The HM3 is lauded for surpassing the technical and aesthetic limits of horological design, and was created by the most forward-thinking, creative artisans, well-versed in both traditional and cutting-edge construction. Defined by the placement of a kinetically energetic engine on the top of the watch and twin cones that rise magnificently from its three-dimensional sculpted case, the HM3 is a work of art that also happens to tell time flawlessly. Its engine sits over both the oscillating balance and battle-axe-shaped MB&F symbol, and allows a clear view of both.
Maximillian Bsser's MB&F collective of exceptional artisans pool their creativity and visions to produce only one watch per year. This fact illustrates the dedication and specialization that go into each and every timepiece, with the goal of creating original and even radical watches that function with the utmost sophistication.
MB&F's artisans must machine, hand-finish, and assemble all 305 parts of the watch's engine, working to a tolerance of a micron, or one-thousandth of a millimeter. The 22-karat rose gold "mystery" rotor has a visually symmetrical placement, rather than off-center-the more obvious and common choice. These are only a few of the HM3's impressive, exclusive features and provide an example of truly impeccable craftsmanship.
It is only fitting that Boucheron, a brand known for its incredible attention to detail, should team up with MB&F. The watch, heavily encrusted with the finest jewels, is devised as a precious owl and is available in two tones: 18-karat white gold with amethysts, diamonds, and purple and blue sapphires; and 18-karat red gold with pink tourmaline, rose quartz, diamonds, and pink sapphires.
Set over the twin cones, the owl's eyes are composed of gleaming cabochons and, due to the unique construction of the watch, its heart appears to actually "beat." The owl's glittering wings embrace the watch's engine, which is decorated with the finest pav-set brilliant-cut stones. Its noble breast, carved from a single block of either amethyst or rose quartz, scintillates.
These touches lend an air of supreme originality rare in a jewelry item, let alone a timepiece. Elegantly mysterious surprises like these are a hallmark of Boucheron's finest designs and, along with MB&F's reputation for innovation, continue to draw repeat customers the world over.
Would You Be Able to Tell a Computer-made 3d Drawing from a Real Photograph?
You've seen those neat 3d wallpapers everyone has these days: the scenery and everything in it has a perfect molten metal look, thatlooks good enough to eat. Of course they don't jump out of the screen like in those old movies that required a pair of special glasses; 3d drawings, the kind computers make these days, are remarkable for a different reason: they are perfectly shaped, with perfect lighting, reflection, perspective and texture. For this qualities they feel as real and three-dimensional as a real photograph. How exactly is this effect achieved though?
Those old black-and-white, or should we say black and sepia Mickey Mouse cartoons when they first appeared seemed three-dimensional compared to the stick figure felix the Cat animations people were used to looking at before. Until Fantasia appeared; then those breathtaking color images seemed pretty much three-dimensional as compared to the monochrome Mickey Mouse that came before. Do you see a trend here? The more real-world details a drawing is endowed with, the more your brain is willing to feel that it is being shown the real thing - until it grows used to it. The more the computing power available rises today, the more real-world details an animator is able to bring in. What kind of details might trick our modern jaded eyes the best way then today?
A soccer ball is a great way to understand how a computer makes 3d drawings. If you have ever seen one, they make those balls sewing together the 32 individual five- and six-sided polygons (pentagons and hexagons) of leather into a perfect sphere. A polygon is a basic unit of the computer graphics engine in any computer. When you want a shape, any kind, the computer figures out how to draw one out of an arrangement of an assortment of triangles and polygons, just the way a soccer ball is made out of 32 polygonal panels. Once a skeleton made of polygons is in place, the computer needs to figure out a number of other things: what kind of surface the skeleton is to have, hard and shiny or soft and dull; the surface needs to be reflecting light a certain way, and its color is to shine or dull out depending on where the light is shining from.
A real object doesn't really need to think about how each visible quality turns out: it just is the way it is. And the way it is just happens to be incredibly varied and complex. The shape itself has such a fine texture of infinite depth; it reflects and absorbs light in a hundred ways. Even a simple rock is not a uniform material all over. This then, is one of the best ways to make a 3-D drawing look real: to patiently give it as many different textures all over, and make them reflect light in different realistic ways.
Students at any computer graphics school often like to take a challenge where they paint in a 3d drawing into a real photograph, say, a computer-drawn hat on the head of a man in a photograph, only to pass their handiwork around and ask people to find out if the hat is real or artificial. You would be surprised how many people get it wrong.
About the Author
James Morgan is a home business owner, and a proud husband and new father.
GOOD OLD AI GPS Drawing: The Symbol of Research As Big As Paris - A Video by Uros Krcadinac, 2009
