DETAILED DESIGN

A part of design which I don't particularly enjoy is detailed drawings. I have much more fun researching and creating ideas rather than getting down to the nitty-gritty details, but this kind of design is very important in the real world so it is something which I must learn to like. Detailed drawings should clearly define the requirements of your ideas, and are to be used by the people who are making your drawings real, i.e engineers, architects. The drawings often feature geometry, dimensions, tolerances, materials and finishes.

Although I said that I don't enjoy detailed design (the researching of materials, cost, fittings, techniques, etc.), I do like the drawing style as it can look very effective. On the right are my first attempts of detailed drawings, which I did as part of a retail design project at university. The first image shows a cavity wall which was one of the main features of the space I was designing in. My drawing (in scale) shows the heights and widths of the wall, and the positioning of the partitions and shelves which I wanted. The third image shows the fittings which I would like to be used, and also how they work. I used architectural books to help me decide to use these spring wallplugs, as I had never considered this when designing before. The middle image is a drawing indicting how a mirrored cube should be put together. The cubes were another main feature in my design so I thought necessary to have a drawing of them in my project. I had chosen to use angle irons to fix each piece together in this case.

I plan to use detailed drawings as part of all future projects so that I can develop a knowledge of these kind of things. I would like to increase the quality of my drawings so I have looked at the way that different line styles can represent objects. For example:

• visible – continuous lines to depict edges directly visible.
• hidden – short-dashed lines can be used for edges that are not directly visible.
• center – alternately long- and short-dashed lines to represent the axes of circular features.
• cutting plane – thin, medium-dashed lines, or thick alternately long- and double short-dashed that may be used to define sections for section views.
• section –  section lines are commonly referred to as "cross-hatching."
• phantom - alternately long- and double short-dashed thin lines used to represent a feature or component that is not part of the specified part or assembly.