Architectural drawing
[2] The oldest architectural elevation drawing was found in a piece of white terracotta crucibles unearthed in China, dated 7400 years ago.
On the scale of one-eighth of an inch to one foot (1:96) or the metric equivalent of 1 to 100, walls are typically shown as simple outlines corresponding to the overall thickness.
At a larger scale, half an inch to one foot (1:24) or the nearest common metric equivalent 1 to 20, the layers of different materials that make up the wall construction are shown.
The disclaimer "Do not scale off dimensions" is commonly inscribed on architects' drawings, to guard against errors arising in the copying process.
For a construction project, the site plan also needs to show all the services connections: drainage and sewer lines, water supply, electrical and communications cables, exterior lighting, etc.
Despite fairly complex geometrical explanations, for the purposes of practical drafting the difference between isometric and axonometric is simple (see diagram above).
The axonometric gained in popularity in the twentieth century, not just as a convenient diagram but as a formal presentation technique, adopted in particular by the Modern Movement.
In contrast, modern buildings need to be fully detailed because of the proliferation of different products, methods and possible solutions.
This technique is popular in computer visualization, where the building can be photorealistically rendered, and the final image is intended to be almost indistinguishable from a photograph.
A sketch is a rapidly executed freehand drawing, a quick way to record and develop an idea, not intended as a finished work.
The aesthetic element includes the layout and visual appearance, the anticipated feel of the materials, and cultural references that will influence the way people perceive the building.
[16] Although common in technical illustration, including many building products and systems, the cutaway is in fact little-used in architectural drawing.
Working drawings may include tones or hatches to emphasize different materials, but they are diagrams, not intended to appear realistic.
In the Renaissance, architects from all over Europe studied and recorded the remains of the Roman and Greek civilizations, and used these influences to develop the architecture of the period.
[9] Formerly, working drawings would typically combine plans, sections, elevations and some details to provide a complete explanation of a building on one sheet.
Modern working drawings are much more detailed and it is standard practice to isolate select areas of the project on separate sheets.
Until the latter part of the 20th century, all architectural drawings were manually produced, if not by the architects, then by trained (but less skilled) draftsmen (or drafters), who did not generate the design, but did make many of the less important decisions.
[citation needed] Developments in the 20th century included the parallel motion drawing board, as well as more complex improvements on the basic T-square.
[citation needed] Computer-aided design (generally referred to by the acronym CAD) is the use of computer software to create drawings.
[citation needed] Professional CAD software such as AutoCAD is complex and requires both training and experience before the operator becomes fully productive.
Different software (for example Autodesk 3ds Max) is then used to apply color and texture to surfaces, and to represent shadows and reflections.
[citation needed] Building information modeling (BIM) is the logical development of CAD drawing, a relatively new technology but fast becoming mainstream.
The starting point of BIM is spatial design, but it also enables components to be quantified and scheduled directly from the information embedded in the model.
An architectural animation is a short film showing how a proposed building will look: the moving image makes three-dimensional forms much easier to understand.
[citation needed] Schools are producing well-versed architecture students who perform in computer assisted collaboration, construction automation and intelligent buildings which promise to have as much impact before the adaptation of technologies.
Although pure drafting, which involves manually drawing plans for construction, is not being used as often because of CAD, they are training architects to exercise human-centered designers and to dive deeper into culture to ultimately understand clientele.
Benefits of VR for architecture include: low start-up costs, gaining a competitive edge, avoiding revision, and the duplication of real-world scenarios.
Reprographics or reprography covers a variety of technologies, media, and support services used to make multiple copies of original drawings.
Prints of architectural drawings are still sometimes called blueprints, after one of the early processes which produced a white line on blue paper.
Although colour printing is now commonplace, it remains expensive above A3 size, and architect's working drawings still tend to adhere to the black and white / greyscale aesthetic.
