Reading and Using Plans and Elevations

Technical drawings often show an object from several different viewing positions. In the design of a building, for example, there is usually a plan view, which is the view from directly above, a front elevation and one or more side elevations, which are respectively the views from directly in front and from the sides.

A drawing comprising plans and elevations omits details that cannot be seen from the relevant viewpoints and does not attempt to convey a three-dimensional or perspective impression of the object. In reading such drawings, it is necessary to use some imagination to gain an impression of how the real object will appear.

Similarly, in making plan and elevation drawings, care is needed to determine which parts of the object will be visible in each case and what the shapes will look like.

In mathematical terms, a plan or elevation is a projection of a three-dimensional object onto a plane that is perpendicular to an important axis of the object.

Example

 

Worked Examples

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