Technical

Drawings
An Engineering, Architecture, and Design Communication Genre
By Adam, Anubhuti, and Pranjal
 • Technical Drawing is a common communication
genre used by drafters, designers, architects,
engineers, contractors and manufacturers
• Describe specifics about design size, shape,
details, and methods of manufacturing a design
• Includes many more details about a design than
just drawings, such as universal symbols,
Introduction: acronyms, and jargon
• Were traditionally created by hand, but
nowadays, CAD (Computer-aided
design) programs typically help to create them
• Some CAD programs commonly used in the
industry include AutoCAD,
SolidWorks, Inventor, Revit, and Civil 3D
Example
Technical
Drawing

(Created by Adam with SolidWorks 2020 | Education Edition)

 Goal?

A form of communication between designers or engineers and manufacturers or contractors

The person who creates the drawings is called a drafter, who examines what the designer or engineer
has made (sometimes they are the same person), and the one who is going to apply the information
given in the drawing to produce something would be the manufacturer or contractor.
Technical Drawings
usually have a few
main components:

• Drawing Views (Make UK)

• Title Block (Hijazi 3)
• Zones (4)
• Margins (2)
• General Notes (4)
• Revision Block (3) (This does not
appear as its own section on this
example, but sometimes does,
especially if it is not the first
revision) 
 • The main component of technical drawings.
• In terms of architecture, these can include a 3D 3D view:
view, floor layout views, elevation views (sides This type specifically
of the building as seen from the north, east, is called an 
west, or south directions), roof plan, or section
view (provides an interior view of the “isometric view”
building).  (Oliveras, “Paper” 6)
• In terms of a designer, common drawing views
can include a 3D view of an object, its top,
side and front view (Oliveras, “Orthographic Top view:
Projections” 3), and section views (provides an
interior view) (“Engineering Drawing
Drawing Standards Manual” 29).
• 3D views ignore the perspective effect

Views: • It is important to understand the language

the drafter used in their drawings such
as acronyms, symbols, and line types (e.g.,
center, hidden, and drawing lines), which
would either be understood by someone in the
field, explained in general notes, or provided in
another supporting document along with the
technical drawing PDF.

Section view:
 Architecture
Title Block
Title Block
Typically found in the bottom right side of the sheet (Hijazi 3), but this can vary
based on the standards used 

Often fully CAPITALIZED IN A GOTHIC FONT (“Engineering Drawing Standards

Manual” 12, 32), but this also depends on the standards being followed

It includes various areas that specify important information regarding the drawing,
some of which being: 

1. Area for General Notes and the revisions made throughout the drawing process
along with the dates (4)

2. Firm name and its address (3)

3. For design, the general tolerances, material and finish, standards, and weight (3)

4. For architecture, the project name and its address followed by sheet name like First Floor plan, Ext.
Elevation etc.

5. In architecture, the last area contains the project number like 22-202, which is the last two digits of the
year followed by a specialty number corresponding to “architect,” “plumber” and so on. 

6. Additionally, there is the date the drawing was created, the scale on which the drawing is represented
on the sheet, who it was drawn by, and the sheet number (3) such as A5 which means it is the 5th size of
sheet belonging to the A series of sheet sizes.

Design
Title Block
Sheet Size • There is a vertical or
horizontal arrangement of
text for title block data and
personalized graphics. 
• There is a common B paper
size (11x17”) for the
Imperial title block and
ISO Full Bleed A1
(841.00x594.00mm)
(Hijazi 2) for the Metric
title block used by all in a
company.
• If there are multiple
sheets necessary, they are
collectively distributed
afterward as a PDF. 

(Bromskloss, “ANSI Paper Sizes”) (Bromskloss, “A Series Paper Sizes”)

 Used on the outside edges of designs
which can be seen from the
corresponding drawing view

Separates the sheet and blocks into

their zones and boxes

Line
Shows edges hidden inside an object
which would be visible in the actual
object if it were transparent

Types
Represents an axis of symmetry, such
as in the middle of a cylinder

Used to show lengths and sizes, and

special notes (without the bars at both
ends)

Shows at what depth a cross-section

• Various types of lines are used in view is visible
technical drawings for different reasons
Show that a portion of the object has
(Morozov 5).  been removed from the drawing for
• Different fields may use additional very long parts such as poles or beams
specific types of lines, such as stitch
lines for fashion or lines indicating
specific circuit components for electrical (Qwopmaster) (Morozov 6-7)
engineers.
 Fastener hole specification
Dimensional Tolerance
Radius (uses the letter R)
Dimension and
Annotation
• Dimensions are the measurements of the
lines in the drawing
Length • Annotations provide further information
Angle (uses the • Formatted in a specific way, which changes
Diameter (uses  degree symbol) depending on the exact field of work based
the ⌀ symbol)  on standards
• Can include lengths, angles, diameters, radii,
standard fastener hole type specifications
(such as for screws, nails, or bolts), etc.
Annotation
Surface finish Geometric • Should be clearly arranged according to
specifications tolerance several principles like in the example
(uses the √- specifications
like symbol) (in boxes)
(Oliveras, “Dimensions”)
 Example: A Scale of 1:2
Example: A Scale of 3:1

Scale
Real Size Drawn Size
Real Size
Drawn Size

• Represents the ratio of how large the design is drawn • For Imperial drawings, it is an equalization like ¼”=1’
compared to its size once it is produced meaning that each foot measured in real life becomes
one quarter inch on the drawing
• Nearly always included in the title block (“Engineering
Drawing Standards Manual” 33) • The scale a drawing is produced at is determined by how
• Always consists of whole numbers (1,2,3…) for metric clearly each component of the drawing can be seen on
drawings the sheet, with 1:1 being preferable whenever possible
(“Engineering Drawing Standards Manual” 32)
• The only exception for not including the scale in the title
block is if each drawing on the page has its own scale,
which would be placed beneath the drawing
• For metric drawings, the scale is in ratios like 1:50, 3:1
etc.
 Surface Finishes
Architecture: Design:
• The intended texture for the • The roughness allowed for a surface
surface.
• Measured in microns/micrometers
• Providing surface finishes (1/1000 of a millimeter) (Oliveras,
is called hatching. “Tolerances” 26)
• The first example represents brick
• There are many characteristics which
for the wall finish and concrete
for the sidewalk. can be specified which is beyond the
scope of this presentation (24)
• If materials do not have a suitable
representation with hatching, then • Found in the title block to describe all
they are simply represented by surfaces or touching the edge of the
the symbols and all those symbols surface being described
are specified either in general
notes or the specification
document provided along with the In the title block:
technical drawing PDF. See the
2nd example for representing
material with a symbol.

One certain surface:

 Tolerances
• Designs can’t be made exactly to the size intended even with very advanced
machinery (Oliveras, “Tolerances” 2)
• More of a concern in design
• 2 types: geometrical (11) and dimensional (4)
• Allow the produced object to be off by a certain amount (2)
• If they are found in the title block, they apply to all dimensions (5)
• Any necessary different tolerances from the one in the title block are noted in the
dimension (4)
• Dimensional tolerances, allowing for differences in size, look like the examples
below (2):
• Geometrical tolerances, allowing for differences in shape, use symbols (see right
side) (12-14): Diameter between 5.49 and 5.51mm:   Length between 8.50
Title block section: and 8.45mm:   (Graspengineering)
8 . 500− 0.0 5
Angle between 9.97 and 10.02°:  
Geometric tolerances on a drawing: This surface can be up to 1° off
of 90° (between 89 and 91°)
10.0 0 ° +0.02 °
− 0.03° compared to the “C” surface
Length between 22.75
and 22.76mm:   This can be up to 0.01mm off being a
perfect cylinder and the narrow
2 2 .75+0.1
0 section can be off-centre by up to
0.02mm from the wider section
Revisions and Notes: Notes

Each company has its own

For example, in our case we have
standards which determine where
an area for notes and revision in
the revision and notes must be
the top portion of our title block.
located.

Revisions

Revisions typically include
Notes are often other important
the number of revision, its date,
details that the drafter wants to tell
who made it, the description of
the contractor or
what changed, and who approved
manufacturer about their draft. 
it.

(Hijazi 3-4)
 Not used in a traditional sense with any If anything is cited, they are usually external Standards are developed by a variety of
formats such as APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. standards to be followed. organizations, which are identified with
acronyms (Wang 16, 18).

Citation

Each standard explains how something is The exact standard being referenced always Some examples of common standard
exactly done or what level of quality or has a particular code and year associated organizations are ISO, ANSI, ASTM, IEEE,
safety is expected (Wang 4-5). with it which is found in that standard’s and ASME (Wang 14).
corresponding manual (Wang 7).
 Technical drawings are a lot more than just drawings.

There are many details about objects included.

They contain some writing but use many shortcuts to

Conclusion reduce the amount of writing needed to convey
specifications about designs.
Most of the important information is numerical.

They can range from being very elaborate to simple

based on the design they are describing.
Thank You for We hope this presentation
helped you to understand

Listening! Any some of the many

examples of jargon used
by designers and engineers
Questions? and the elements of
technical drawings.
Works Cited
“Blueprint - Understanding Industrial Blueprints.” Construction 53, 27 Aug. 2011,
https://www.construction53.com/2011/08/blueprint-understanding-industrial-blueprints/. Accessed 31 July 2022.

Bromskloss. “ A Series Paper Sizes with Comparison to Letter and Legal.” Wikimedia Commons, 14 Nov. 2006,
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/A_size_illustration2_with_letter_and_legal.svg. Accessed 31 July 2022.

---. “ANSI Paper Sizes.” Wikimedia Commons, 17 Nov. 2006, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/ANSI_size_illustration2.svg.

Accessed 31 July 2022.

Graspengineering. “Geometric Tolerancing as per ASME Y14.5.” Grasp Engineering, 4 Sept. 2020,
https://www.graspengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Geometric-Tolerancing-as-per-ASME-Y14.5.png. Accessed 31 July 2022.

Hijazi, Ala. “Engineering Working Drawings Basics.” Small Satellite Reliability Initiative Knowledge Base, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, 22 June 2021, https://s3vi.ndc.nasa.gov/ssri-kb/static/resources/Engineering+Working+Drawing+Basics.pdf. Accessed 31 July 2022.

Qwopmaster. “Line Types.” Wikimedia Commons, 16 February 2011, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Line_types.svg. Accessed 31

July 2022.

Make UK. “How to Read Engineering Drawings – A Simple Guide.” Make UK, Make UK, 19 Oct. 2020,
https://www.makeuk.org/insights/blogs/how-to-read-engineering-drawings-a-simple-guide. Accessed 31 July 2022.

Morozov, Alexei. “The Detailed Design Review.” Centre for Intelligent Machines, McGill University, 24 Oct. 2010,
http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~alexvit/MECH463/DetailedDrawingsReview.pdf. Accessed 31 July 2022.
Works Cited
Oliveras, Flavio Ruiz. “Dimensions.” KPU Courses, 6 Feb. 2018, https://courses.kpu.ca/mod/resource/view.php?id=3034780.
Accessed 31 July 2022.

---. “Orthographic Projections.” KPU Courses, 19 Aug. 2020, https://courses.kpu.ca/mod/resource/view.php?id=3025206. Accessed

31 July 2022.

---. “Paper.” KPU Courses, 23 Jan. 2018, https://courses.kpu.ca/mod/resource/view.php?id=3045114. Accessed 31 July 2022.

---. “Tolerances.” KPU Courses, 26 Feb. 2018, https://courses.kpu.ca/mod/resource/view.php?id=3079290. Accessed 31 July 2022.

Wang, Ping. A Brief History of Standards and Standardization Organizations: A Chinese Perspective. East-West Center, 2011, East-
West Center, https://www.eastwestcenter.org/system/tdf/private/econwp117.pdf?file=1, Accessed 31 July 2022. 

SolidWorks | Education Edition, 2020, Dassault Systèmes, 18 Sept. 2019, https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/downloads.htm.

Accessed 31 July 2022. 

United States, Congress, Goddard Space Flight Center. Engineering Drawing Standards Manual, F ed., National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, 1994. https://s3vi.ndc.nasa.gov/ssri-kb/static/resources/NASA%20GSFC-X-673-64-1F.pdf. Accessed 31
July 2022.