Drawings are the main vehicle of communication in the construction industry, and

in learning to read and interpret blueprints, it is necessary to develop the ability to

visualize the object to be built. Orthographic projection principles are basic to all
fields in the construction industry. In order to be capable of interpreting a drawing,
one must be able to relate the different views.

It is often not possible to read a blueprint by looking at a single view; two or three
views may be needed to correctly read and visualize the form. Figure 5.1 shows
three example of objects requiring only two views to read. Figure 5.2 shows a
drawing using three views. Whether sketching or drawing, the objective is the
same. The goal is to communicate the necessary detail to the targeted audience,
whether it is the builder, manufacturer, or client.

Without the ability to communicate, architects, and engineers cannot function in a

team. Competency in drawing and sketching are essential communication tools for
architects, engineers, and those involved in the building trades and manufacturing
industries.

In the interpretation of complex objects, even three drawings are not usually
adequate to convey all the necessary information. Additional special views may be
required, including pictorials, auxiliary views, sections, and exploded views. A
view of an object is technically known as a projection.

Pictorials are an ancillary category within orthographic projection. Pictorials show

an image of an object as viewed from a skew direction in order to reveal all three
directions (axes) of space in one picture. Orthographic pictorial instrument
drawings are often used to approximate graphical perspective projections, but
there is attendant distortion in the approximation. Because pictorial projections
innately have this distortion, great liberties are often taken for economy of effort
and best effect. Pictorials are discussed later in this chapter.

5.2 ORTHOGRAPHIC (MULTIVIEW) DRAWINGS AND PROJECTIONS

For many years architects and engineers have utilized a system known as
orthographic projection to accurately represent three-dimensional objects
graphically on paper. In recent years the term “multiview

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Figure 5.1A An example of a simple drawing of objects that essentially requires

only two views to read.

Figure 5.1B An example of a simple drawing of objects that essentially requires

only two views to read.
 Types of Views 73
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