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Lesson

Technical graphics are types of drawings designed to convey specific types of information to the reader.  There are two principal forms

  • technical drawings
  • technical illustrations

Technical Drawings

Technical drawings are used to convey specific technical information about the construction of an object

  • drawings are drawn to accurate size and scale, they have no shading or fills. 
  • they are line drawings only.  In addition, there is an alphabet of lines such as construction and dimension, each of which has a particular meaning. 
  • the orientation and placement of parts on the drawing also convey information. 
  • measurements, hidden details and so on are expressed in very specific ways. 

All of these standardised techniques are employed exactly the same way in every technical drawing.  This ensures that the drawing will be interpreted in exactly the same way be everyone who can read the language of technical drawings.

Technical drawings are used by architects, engineers, production designers, construction workers, carpenters, and contractors.  In addition, there are specialized versions of technical drawings for things like plumbing, electrical, electronic, civil engineering, and manufacturing.  While they all use the same core techniques like isometrics, orthographics, and schematics, each has specialized libraries of symbols and specialized methods for presenting information that is unique to the field.

Further Information

To see an example of technical drawings, go to

Technical Illustrations

Technical illustrations serve entirely different purposes.  They are used to convey an impression of what the finished product will look like, to focus on details not visible on the actual object, or to give a view not easy to achieve with a photograph.

Technical illustrations achieve this through the use of

  • perspective drawings complete with colour, shading and shadows
  • cutaways and exploded views
  • semi-transparent components
  • accurately scaled 2D and 3D drawings

Further Information

For excellent examples see the technical illustrations at

Activity

Assigned activities

The purpose of this activity is to identify examples of technical drawings and technical illustrations.

  • Identify and collect 6 examples of each
    • technical drawings
    • technical illustrations
  • Create digital copies of each example, and put into the appropriate category.  Give reasons for your choice
  • Create a suitable entry in the course portfolio to include all your examples and explanatory materials

Test Yourself

1. Egyptians used these drawings to communicate ideas and tell stories.
Orthographic
Cave Drawings
Phonetics
Hieroglyphics

2. Drawings which communicate the true size and shape of an object.
Technical Drawings
Dimensional Objects
Technical Illustrations
Hieroglyphics

3. Drawings designed to show a particular aspect of an article or object as clearly as possible or to create an impression.
Technical Drawings
Dimensional Objects
Technical Illustrations
Hieroglyphics

4. A drawing representing and artists concept a house is an example of a:
Technical Drawing
Technical Illustration

5. The scaled set of plans the architect provides the homeowner for the building contractor is an example of a:
Technical Drawing 
Technical Illustrations

6. The drawings on the cover of magazines or in children's books are examples of:
Technical Drawings
Technical Illustrations