Structural drafting can be defined as the discipline of making drawings of structural objects, then placing descriptive dimensions and other notes on that drawing which when placed together, will communicate the needed information for the creation and in some cases the finishing of a structure.
In making of these drawings, super accuracy in drafting is not always required. The main things needed are that the lettering and dimensions should be clear enough that no misunderstanding is possible.
The different types of drawings made in a structural drafting room are:
The Assembly Drawings
General Details
The Stress Sheets
The Shop Drawings.
The assembly drawings usually give the views of a structure as it appears after it has been erected. On these views we find the dimensions of the members as they appear in the finished structure together with all the bolts that hold them together, their locations, and other details necessary for their completion.
The overall dimensions are always shown and also any other dimensions which are necessary for the drafter to complete the shop drawings. While the size of the members and their connections, as well as the number of bolts and nuts required are always shown.
A stress sheet is the drawing that is usually shown as a skeleton outline of the structure. On the lines you’ll find the stresses which are caused by the building movement in the wind and the loads of pressure such as furnishing and the movement of people in the structure.
The shop drawings contain the views of a certain member of the finished structure so dimensioned that it may be constructed by the people in the metal shop. It takes much greater skill and experience to make the assembly drawings than it does the detailed drawings.
My name is Tim Davis and I draw architectural plans for a living. I also teach others how to draw house plans and other types of drafting in a virtual classroom on the internet called 101 Info Dot Org at http://101info.org
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Preparations for Drawing a Floor Plan on a Drafting Board
What's needed:
* A drafting board of Course. Probably best to use one that will hold a twenty four inch wide by eighteen inch high sheet of paper.
* A Tee Square or Parallel Bar. This way you can draw the floor plan square. Accuracy is important. The Tee square is used on the left side of the drafting board to keep the drawing in square. This insures that your parallel lines are actually parallel.
* Two 45 degree drafting triangles. One of them needs to be around 10 inches in height.
* An Architectural Template at 1/4" scale.
* Two sharp #2 lead pencils with eraser. #5 lead mechanical pencils will do just as well. (You can use a gum eraser if you wish. Not really necessary though.)
* 11" x 17" white printer paper. Transparent paper is preferable as it will aide you in tracing your drawing if you continue on with the rest of the lessons. (Vellum or Transparent Bond Paper)
* 1/2" roll of Masking Tape.
Place the paper on the drafting board near the center with your tee square or parallel bar underneath the paper to make it square with the board. Once square, tape the corners (all four) to the board. This way your paper stays parallel to the drafting board.
With your scale, measure the top of the page to the center of the paper and with your triangle, draw a light vertical line from the top to the bottom of the sheet. Do the same thing horizontally. This will give you the center of the paper so that you can center your floor plan on the page.
Now you are ready to begin the drawing.
About the Author
More complete instructions to drawing a complete floor plan on a drafting board can be found at http://draftingservice.us/homes/drafting-lessons/drawing-a-simple-floor-plan-on-a-drafting-board-preface.html. If you would like to learn to draw complete house plans go to http://homedesign.8m.com.
* A drafting board of Course. Probably best to use one that will hold a twenty four inch wide by eighteen inch high sheet of paper.
* A Tee Square or Parallel Bar. This way you can draw the floor plan square. Accuracy is important. The Tee square is used on the left side of the drafting board to keep the drawing in square. This insures that your parallel lines are actually parallel.
* Two 45 degree drafting triangles. One of them needs to be around 10 inches in height.
* An Architectural Template at 1/4" scale.
* Two sharp #2 lead pencils with eraser. #5 lead mechanical pencils will do just as well. (You can use a gum eraser if you wish. Not really necessary though.)
* 11" x 17" white printer paper. Transparent paper is preferable as it will aide you in tracing your drawing if you continue on with the rest of the lessons. (Vellum or Transparent Bond Paper)
* 1/2" roll of Masking Tape.
Place the paper on the drafting board near the center with your tee square or parallel bar underneath the paper to make it square with the board. Once square, tape the corners (all four) to the board. This way your paper stays parallel to the drafting board.
With your scale, measure the top of the page to the center of the paper and with your triangle, draw a light vertical line from the top to the bottom of the sheet. Do the same thing horizontally. This will give you the center of the paper so that you can center your floor plan on the page.
Now you are ready to begin the drawing.
About the Author
More complete instructions to drawing a complete floor plan on a drafting board can be found at http://draftingservice.us/homes/drafting-lessons/drawing-a-simple-floor-plan-on-a-drafting-board-preface.html. If you would like to learn to draw complete house plans go to http://homedesign.8m.com.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Ability To Draw House Plans
It wasn't until I started teaching it, that I realized how many were interested in the field of architectural drafting. But having an interest and actually being committed enough to complete the education are two distinctly different things all together. There has to be a certain amount of ambition that goes into learning such a skill that seems to be limited to those who can imagine geometry in their head and then put it to paper.
On the other hand a drafting student can overcome an inability to visualize a house layout by training their minds to think in real life. You accomplish this by remembering the shapes and spaces they have already experienced in the homes and buildings you’ve been in throughout your life.
For instance, when confronted with laying out a room that is not only functional but also comfortable, I close my eyes and try to imagine walking through that room with furnishings included. We all have the ability because we all have experienced it, we just haven’t trained our minds to accomplish it. I use that same visualization method to draw the outside of a house too.
A good understanding of mathematics doesn’t hurt. As a matter of fact it’s necessary in order to dimension your plan and calculate what is what. We aren’t talking trigonometry and calculus here folks. Simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division are all that’s really needed.
You will also need to be able to communicate because communication skills are a big factor in being a good house drafter. If we don’t have good communication skills, how can we relate in the notes on your drawings how to do whatever it is we are wanting the builder to do?
Tim Davis is a trained Architectural Designer and Drafter who has created a complete no nonsense course in drawing House Plans at http://homedesign.8m.com and also a course in drawing a Site Plan which can be found at http://siteplans.8m.com.
On the other hand a drafting student can overcome an inability to visualize a house layout by training their minds to think in real life. You accomplish this by remembering the shapes and spaces they have already experienced in the homes and buildings you’ve been in throughout your life.
For instance, when confronted with laying out a room that is not only functional but also comfortable, I close my eyes and try to imagine walking through that room with furnishings included. We all have the ability because we all have experienced it, we just haven’t trained our minds to accomplish it. I use that same visualization method to draw the outside of a house too.
A good understanding of mathematics doesn’t hurt. As a matter of fact it’s necessary in order to dimension your plan and calculate what is what. We aren’t talking trigonometry and calculus here folks. Simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division are all that’s really needed.
You will also need to be able to communicate because communication skills are a big factor in being a good house drafter. If we don’t have good communication skills, how can we relate in the notes on your drawings how to do whatever it is we are wanting the builder to do?
Tim Davis is a trained Architectural Designer and Drafter who has created a complete no nonsense course in drawing House Plans at http://homedesign.8m.com and also a course in drawing a Site Plan which can be found at http://siteplans.8m.com.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Announcing a New Message Board
New Drafting, CAD, & Design Message Board at http://draftingservice.us/forum/
I'm hoping this message board will bring drafting professionals together to share tips, drawing symbols, and references with one another.
I'm hoping this message board will bring drafting professionals together to share tips, drawing symbols, and references with one another.
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