An independent reference for learning technical drawing and design on your own. It is not a forum, an educational institution or a design firm, and it is not connected to the former website on this domain; we do not sell projects or drawings.
Lessons
The six lessons in this section are the minimum you need to read or produce a sound drawing. They work best in order, as each one builds on the last. Start with pencil and paper: understanding comes faster that way, and you will move to the computer later, already knowing exactly what you want to produce.
First learn to see a part in three projections, then choose the tool you draw it with.
How this section works: each lesson covers one concept, a short explanation of why it matters on a drawing, and a small exercise. Figures and rules come only from the Russian ESKD standards listed in the sources; everything else is described in general terms. Other countries use their own drawing standards, with ISO standards widely used internationally.
The order is chosen so that each lesson adds one new skill.
Every line on a drawing means something: a continuous thick line shows the visible outline, a dashed line shows hidden edges, and a thin chain line marks axes and centres. Learn to draw them evenly and label the sheet in neat lettering.
Reading drawings (in Russian)
An object is shown as it looks from different sides. The front view gives the fullest idea of its shape, and the other views add to it only as much as needed, without unnecessary repetition.
To show what is inside, the part is imagined as cut by a plane. A sectional view shows both what lies in the cutting plane and what lies behind it, while a cross-section shows only the cut surface itself.
Under the Russian ESKD standard, linear dimensions are given in millimetres and the unit is not written. Each dimension is shown once, and extension and dimension lines should not cross the outline unless necessary.
The main sheet sizes run from A4 at 210 × 297 mm to A0 at 841 × 1189 mm; these A-series sizes are the same as in ISO 216. The scale is chosen from a standard range: 1:1, reductions 1:2, 1:2.5, 1:4, 1:5, 1:10, or enlargements 2:1, 2.5:1, 4:1, 5:1, 10:1.
When there are several parts, they are shown together on an assembly drawing, and the components are listed in a parts list. This shows what the product is made of and how the parts fit together.
Car drawings (in Russian)
Exercises to do at home: three views of a mug, a dimensioned sketch of a shelf, and a review of common mistakes.
How a sketch differs from a drawing and a 3D model, how to read a view of a part, what ESKD is, and which myths get in the way of learning.
Short definitions: views and representations, dimensions and accuracy, design documentation.
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.