Types of Views 95
corners are drawn in the same manner by locating the end of the radius on the straight line and then
connecting the two points to form a triangle. The third point of the arc is actually the center of the trian-
gle. Connect the three points with a freehand arc.
In isometric projections the direction of viewing is such that the three axes of space appear equally
foreshortened. The displayed angles and the scale of foreshortening are universally known. However,
in creating a final, isometric instrument drawing, a full-size scale—i.e., without the use of a foreshorten-
ing factor—is often employed to good effect because the resultant distortion is difficult to perceive.
Isometric drawing render a three-dimensional view of an object in which the two sets of horizontal
lines are drawn at equal angles and all vertical lines are drawn vertically. In the resulting drawing all three
angles are equally divided about a center point, and all three visible surfaces have equal emphasis. Or-
thographic techniques cannot be used in isometric drawings.
Any angle can be used to draw an isometric view, but the most common is 30 degrees because it
can be drawn with a standard triangle and gives a fairly realistic view of an object. Today, CAD programs
are the easiest way to draw isometric projections, but isometrics are also quick to draw manually and
can be measured at any convenient scale. To manually draw in isometric, you will need a 30/60-degree
set square.
There are four simple steps to manually draw a 5-inch box in isometric (Figure 5.19):
- Draw the front vertical edge of the cube.
- The sides of the box are drawn at 30 degrees to the horizontal to the required length.
- Draw in the back verticals.
- Drawn in top view with all lines drawn 30 degrees to the horizontal.
When you first start working with isometric techniques, use a simple box as a basic building block
or guide to help you draw more complicated shapes. Figure 5.20 shows how to use such a simple box
to accurately draw a more complicated L shape.
The first step is to lightly draw a guide box. This box is the size of the maximum dimensions. In this
case, it measures 5 inches in length, 2.5 inch in width, and 5 inches in height. To achieve the L shape,
we need to remove an area from this box. Draw a second box measuring 4 x 1 x 5 inches, the shape
that needs to be removed from the first box to create the shape we require. For the finished shape, draw
in the outline of the object using a heavier line. By using this technique complex shapes can be accu-
rately drawn.
Circles in isometric do not appear circular. They appear skewed and are actually elliptical. There are
several methods of constructing circles in isometric drawing. For many manual tasks the easiest method
is to use an isometric circle template, which can be bought at most good art shops. These templates
contain a number of isometric circles of various sizes.
Isometric circles can also be drawn manually using the following method:
- Draw an isometric square and then draw in the diagonals, a vertical, and a line at 30 degrees from
the midpoint of the sides, as illustrated in Figure 5.21. - Place your compass point on the intersection of the horizontal and the vertical lines and draw in a
circle that touches the edges of the box - For the next section of the isometric circle place your compass point on the corner of the isomet-
ric square and draw in the arc as shown in the illustration. - Complete the circle by repeating the process for the other parts, using the appropriate techniques.