Questions
Learners' questions
Here are the questions that come up most often for people starting to learn technical drawing without a teacher or alongside their classes. The answers are short and practical. If your question is about a specific assignment, it is best to check the requirements with your instructor: your department's rules matter more than any general advice.
Do not be shy about asking your instructor "simple" questions: that is where sound drawings grow from.
About this reference
What is Engineer Constructor?
An independent reference on technical drawing and design for self-study. It is not a forum, an educational institution or a design firm.
Is this reference connected to the former website on this domain?
No. This domain used to host a forum, which was later overrun by spam. We do not restore its threads, projects or drawings, and we do not continue its work.
Can I order a drawing or a project from you?
No. We do not produce, sell or check drawings, projects or calculations. This reference explains how such documents work.
Why don't you name software or shops?
To stay independent and avoid turning the reference into advertising. Instead of names, we give criteria that make it easy to choose for yourself.
Technical drawing
What sheet size should I use for my first drawings?
For exercises, A4 at 210 × 297 mm or A3 at 297 × 420 mm works well. They fit two or three views of a simple part, and the sheet does not take over your whole desk.
Should I write "mm" next to dimensions?
Not under the Russian ESKD rules: GOST 2.307 gives linear dimensions in millimetres with no unit symbol, and any other units are stated separately. If you follow a different standard, check its rules.
How do I choose a scale?
Take the largest scale from the standard range at which the picture fits on the sheet with room left for dimensions. Small parts are often drawn enlarged, for example at 2:1 or 5:1.
Where do I start if everything seems confusing?
With lines and three views of a simple part. Until your hand gets used to the pencil and your eye to aligned projections, everything else will seem harder than it is.
Projects and study
How does a coursework project differ from a final project?
A coursework project usually focuses on one task within a subject and is smaller in scope. A final project brings together what you have learned over your years of study and is defended before a panel.
Can I base my work on someone else's drawings?
Studying other people's work is useful: it teaches you to see solutions. But you must not pass it off as your own, and in a student project anything taken from other sources must be credited.
How long does it take to learn to read drawings?
Most people can read simple parts confidently after a few weeks of regular practice. Assembly drawings need more practice: months, not days.
How do I combine my studies with self-study?
Set yourself one small task a week and give it two or three short sessions. Regular practice works better than rare long sittings.
See also
- Lessons
Six core lessons: lines and lettering, views, sections, dimensions, sheet sizes and scales, and the assembly drawing.
- Final project (in Russian)
A note at an archived address: the stages that make up a bachelor's final project in engineering.
- Home
A self-study reference for technical drawing and design: how to read a drawing, make a sketch and take an idea all the way to a finished object.
Sources
- GOST 2.301-68, GOST 2.302-68, GOST 2.307 (Russian ESKD standards)
- Engineering graphics and technical drawing textbooks
Drawing rules here follow the Russian ESKD standards listed in the sources; everything else is described in general terms based on engineering graphics textbooks. Other countries use their own drawing standards, and ISO standards are widely used internationally. Standards are revised from time to time, so check the current edition and your instructor's requirements before handing in work.