Engineering Drawing
Drawing is a crucial part of the engineering design process. Engineers use drawings to communicate their ideas and designs to stakeholders, including other engineers, clients, contractors, and architects. Drawings can take many forms, including sketches, diagrams, plans, elevations, sections, and details, and can be created using a variety of media, including pen and paper, Bluebeam, computer-aided design (CAD) software, and three-dimensional modeling programs.
Drawings allow engineers to visualize their designs, test their ideas, and communicate their intent to others. Drawings can be used to explore different design options, evaluate the feasibility of a proposed design, identify potential problems and solutions, and ensure that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the design and its requirements.
Engineering drawings are as important as writing; it is the way we communicate with others, so one need to get good at making them to the agreed standards.
Utilizing hand-drawn markups enhances cognitive abilities and nurtures creativity. In an era dominated by fast software tools, returning to the drawing board offers a profound understanding of how structural components fit together, considering the real world physical and material compatibility. This manual, to-scale approach fosters a deep comprehension of structural intricacies, and tolerances making subsequent work in software more efficient and informed.
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Markups Demonstration
Hand-drawing to scale encompassing various construction materials such as reinforced concrete, structural steel and wood made me cultivate a deep understanding of how these materials work together within a three-dimensional space. This process enhanced my spatial visualization skills, allowing me to visualize ideas more effectively and swiftly devise creative solutions. It led me to master a hands-on approach to problem-solving, fostering a comprehensive grasp of structural interactions.
It is important to note that these drawings are presented without context. In practice, each specification such as member sizes, reinforcing steel spacing, and sizing would be determined according to the appropriate design. For instance, footings would be sized based on the applied forces and the capacity of the underlying soil as reported by the geotechnical engineer.
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Spatial Visualization
Consistent drawing practices enabled me to mentally visualize the second 3D drawing in both of the following cases, using just a 2D plan view and maybe a couple of section cuts. While Autodesk Revit has become the industry standard for 3D modeling, there are instances, such as small projects or heritage buildings, where a 3D model is not an option. More often than not there are no blueprints on record. This ability enables me to effectively understand structural dynamics, support systems, and devise innovative solutions, even in the absence of digital models or blueprints. Finally, this skill also empowers me to maintain full control and gain a thorough understanding while working with digital 3D models, significantly enhancing my efficiency.
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Real Life Application
I've crafted these 3D sketches to enhance understanding of the situation and the construction sequence. Drawing has enabled me to swiftly and clearly grasp the nuances, facilitating efficiency on-site by knowing precisely what dimensions, thicknesses, and gaps to measure for completing my design.
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Actual Markups
The following are actual markups showing applied design and specifications, the markups have been taken out of context for demonstration.
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Samples from a reinforced concrete structure, ground-floor beam elevations. Mezzanine transfer beam elevations.
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3D Modeling
One sample of 3D modeling and drawing demonstration.
