Loading subject…
Exploded view
A drawing that pulls the parts of an assembly apart along shared centre lines so you can see every component and the order it goes together in.
Freehand sketch
A quick drawing made without rulers or drawing instruments, used to get an idea out of your head and onto paper fast enough to keep thinking.
Isometric projection
A way of drawing a 3D object where the two horizontal axes are both set at 30 degrees to the horizontal and vertical lines stay vertical, so measurements along all three axes stay true to scale.
Orthographic projection
A set of flat 2D views of an object, normally the front elevation, plan and end elevation, each drawn square on so every dimension can be measured and read without distortion.
Rendering
Adding tone, shadow, texture and highlight to a drawing so the shape reads as solid and the surface reads as a particular material.
Scale
The fixed ratio between a length on a drawing and the same length on the real object, written as drawing size to real size, for example 1:2 or 5:1.
Third angle projection
An arrangement of orthographic views in which each view is placed on the side of the front elevation that you look from, so the plan sits above the front view and the right end view sits to the right.
Vanishing point
A point on the horizon line where parallel lines going away from the viewer appear to meet in a perspective drawing.