Basic Drafting

Drafting is the primary method of communication between designers and clients, architects, and
builders, engineers and production personnel and between advertisers and customers.
A drawing, when used to show the material, dimensions, and shapes of product, is known as
a technical drawing(French 1974).
Fundamental Elements of Drafting
1.

Sketching techniques

Horizontal lines are generally drawn from left to right.

Vertical lines are generally drawn from top to bottom.

Inclined lines are generally drawn in upward or downward direction.

Short lines are drawn with finger movements

Long lines are drawn with arm movements

Very long lines are drawn with segments with very small gaps of about 1/ 32/1 mm.
2. Technical terms used in connection with lines

A point indicates the position only; It has no length, breath or thickness.

A line has only one dimension and it is called length.

A straight line is the shortest distance between two points

A curve line is a line no part of which is straight

Parallel line are those which are equal distance apart through their entire length.

Perpendicular lines are those which intersect with an angle of 90 degrees.

when two lines cross each other they are said to intersect and the point at which they
meet is the point of intersection.
3. Arcs and Circles.

A circle is a plane figure enclosed by curved lines

The distance around circle is a circumference.

The diameter of the circle is a straight line passing through the center of the circle and
terminated at both ends by the circumference.

Radius is one-half of the diameter

One fourth of the circle is a quadrant.

One half of the circle is semi-circle.

Tangent is a line that touches only one point of the circles circumference.