Highlighting the Doors and Windows.

   

     Windows together with the doors are the opening of a house or buildings. With an artistic kind of design on your doors and windows, your house may exhibit or manifest a look that will be a great source of attention unto others (viewers), as also the placement and detail work that comprises it.

WINDOWS

• Types. There are 4 types of windows including bay, double hung, casement, and Palladian. If your chosen design was bay, it looks like embossed from outside, having its 2 obtuse angle to form and embody a flat surface right on its front. Double hung is one of the common designs of windows and yes it is simple, the casement of double hung window was aligned vertically and you can open it by pulling and pushing the lower portion of the window upward, and then, it will be automatically locked (or it depends). The most widely used, the casement it carries a simple design and it is also not required to have many materials to used, so for short, having this type of window is a great budget saver! To open your casement window, simply push it outward, and you can closed it by pulling it inward. Lastly is the Palladian, the most artistic and mostly used in churches, chapels, palace, etc. Think about a rectangle box with a square on its central top, it looks like one of the tetris blocks, isn't it? Try again to imagine the square box on its top is having an arc on its uppermost surface, and that's what is Palladian window looks like.
• Shape of openings. Your window may having a design of round arch, pointed arch, flat top, segmental arch, triangular, and tudor arch (it depends upon your desire). Round arch is composed of tiny blocks (it may vary) forming a round arch in vertical position but rectangular in form open window. Pointed arch is commonly used in Gothic Architecture, it manifests an artistic view unto others eye (viewers). It has a glass with some Gothic designs carved on it (like the most of windows in Germany and Europe). Flat top, the most widely used, even the casement window was having a kind of opening which exhibits simplicity. Segmental arch, is composed of a series of blocks in an arc form. Triangular, is as simply as triangular in shape and form, and lastly is the tudor arch, which looks like a pointed arch but differs on its point and top style.
• Parts of windows and doors. Having a window and door but having a hard time on terms? Read these:

     Fanlight, it is semi-circular window over a door with radiating bars or the so-called muntins resembling a fan. Head, is the top a window or door opening. Jamb, is the vertical member on each side of a window or door opening. Label, is a molding that runs across the top and part-way down the sides of a window or door opening. Lintel, is a horizontal beam over a window or door opening that carries the weight of the wall above the opening bottom (window bottom). Mullion, is a vertical member between adjacent window sashes or between windows and doors. Muntin, a small member that supports several pieces of glass with a sash. Sash, is the framework that holds apiece of glass. Shutter, is the hinged panels used to cover window openings. Sidelights, is the window; located at the sides of doors. Sill, is the horizontal piece forming the bottom of a window or door opening. Surround, is the trim around a window or door opening. Tracery, is a pattern of interlocking muntins in the upper part of a Gothic pointed window and transom light, is a window located above the door.

     The elements and details that either part of a building's structure or are applied it are often what creates visual delight. The terms such as arch, balcony, baluster or balustrade, barge board, belt course, bracket, butterss, capital, column, corbel table, cornice, crenellation, chesting, cupola, dentils, dome, dormer, eaves, entablature, gable, half-timbering, finial, frieze, keystone, massing, moulding, parapet, pediment, pier, pilaster, pinnacle, pitch, porch, portico, quoins, shingles, spindle , spine, terra cotta, tower, turret, vault and verandah are some of the hundreds of technical terms that have been developed over centuries to describe the overall marvelous details of a building.

Isometric Snap Mode (featuring AutoCAD)

   

     Isometric drawings are more realistic than oblique drawings. Entire drawing or object rather appears as if it is tilted toward the viewer. Isometric means equal measure. This equal measure refers to the angle between 3 axes (120 degrees) after the object has been tilted. The tilt angle is 35 degrees and 16 minutes.
     The most appealing aspect of isometric drawing is that all 3 axis lines are can be measured up using the same scale and it saves time while still producing a pictorial representation or model of the object. This type of drawing is produced when you used isometric snap mode that will be discussed later.
     Closely related to some isometric drawings are the trimetric and dimetric. These forms of pictorial drawing are different from isometric in the scales used to measure the 3 axes. Dimetric drawing uses 2 different scales, and Trimetric uses 3 scales. Using different scales is an attempt to create foreshortening which means the lengths of the sides appear to recede. The realstionship between isometric, dimetric and trimetric are discussed below.
     Isometric, dimetric and trimetric differ in the scales used to draw the 3 axes. The isometric has the scales represented as one.

SETTING THE ISO SNAP (AutoCAD)
     You can quickly set the variable of isometric in the drafting settings dialog box. To access this dialog box, enter DS, SE, DSETTINGS, RM or DDRMODES at the command: prompt, or select drafting settings from the tools below pull-down menu. The snap and grid tab of this dialog box contains options for the isometric drawing. To activate dialog box , the isometric snap grid, pick the isometric snap radio button in the snap type and style area. Notice that the grid X spacing and the snap X spacing edit boxes are grayed-out. X spacing relates to horizontal measurements, if it is not used in isometric mode. You can set Y spacing for grid and snap in isometric only. Ensure to pick the snap on (F9) key and grid on (F7) key check boxes if you want snap and grid modes to be toggled or activated. Select the button "OK" and the grid dots on the screen change to an isometric projection. If your grid dots on the screen are cannot seen or not visible, turn the grid on.
     Pay attention to the cross hairs that might also changed and appear angled. This aids you in drawing lines at the proper angles. try to draw 4-sided surface using the line command. Drawit so that it appears to be the left side of a box in an isometric layout. To draw nonparallel surfaces, you can change the angle of the cross hairs to make your work easier,. The drafting setting dialog box allows you to pick settings needed for isometric drawings. To turn off isometric mode, pick the rectangular snap button in the snap type and style area. The isometric mode is turned off and you are returned to the drawing area when you pick the OK button.

ISOMETRIC CROSS HAIR ORIENTATION
     Drawing an isometric shape is possible without ever changing the angle of their cross hairs. However, the drawing process is easier and quicker if the angles of the cross hairs aligned with the isometric axes.
     Whenever the isometric style enabled , press F5 (function key) or [Ctrl]+[E] key and then the cross hairs immediately change to the next plane. AutoCAD refers to isometric positions as isoplanes. Isoplanes are displayed on prompt lines as reference.
     The other method to activate cross hair is with the command: Isoplane, Just enter ISOPLANE at the command prompt follows:
Command: Isoplane
Current Isoplane: Right
Enter Isometric plane setting:[Left/Right/Top/]
     Press enter to toggle cross hairs in their next position. The command displays new isoplane setting.You can toggle immediately to the next position by pressing enter at the command to repeat isoplane command and pressing enter again.Type the letter of that position to specify the plane orientation.
     The isoplane command can also be used transparently while you are currently in other command and to toggle between isoplanes.  For example, you will going to start your drawing and then you realize that you are in the left isoplane and you needed to be in the top. You can change your position through the use of settings.

Digging the terms up!

     After a couple of centuries, architects together with the builders have developed specialized terms to describe their buildings (including Gothic, Victorian, Grotesque, Romanesque, and many more) Sections of guideline provides definition of the terms specifically the terminal terms. It should be used as reference to other resources where technical subjects are also discussed.

LET’S START WITH THE SHAPES

     For the sake of cost, tradition and efficiency including the styles, designers often look to a basic plan shape to denote the overall form of their building. The most common shape is the rectangle but others were also using squares, circles, L-shape, cross, U-shape, and irregular shapes. There are few additional technical words that are used with reference to the basic shapes of a building containing bay, façade, pavilion, proportion, rhythm and storey. Bay is a regular repeated visual division of a façade. Façade is the exterior face or the presentable front of one building. Pavilion is a part of façade exhibiting prominence because it projects out from the façade. Proportion is the relationship between individual elements of a building such as windows and doors and their sizes within the whole building. Rhythm is a regularly repeating sequence or patterns and lastly the storey which is the habitable space between a floor and a ceiling, floor or roof above.

SHAPING THE ROOFS

     Structural imperative of a roof is to protect the interior or to efficiently shed the water (or snow). This can be accomplished with a number of shapes, which have been exploited throughout the history by the building designers. The most common shape is the gable, which can be steep or shallow in its shape. Some other shapes are: mansard, gambrel, pyramidal, hip, shed, skillion and lean-to-roof, open gable, box gable, saltbox, M-shape, hip and valley, butterfly, combination, dormer, Dutch gable, hexagonal, jerkinhead, and flat.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND BUILDING MATERIALS

     It also addressed where basic definitions of materials and construction techniques are explained. There are however, some technical terms regarding with this subject that need further clarifications.

• Heavy Timber Frame Construction terminologies (bent, board and batter, and peg) Bent is prefabricated network of large posts and beams. Board and batten is the wide vertical wood sheathing (board) with narrow vertical wooden strips (battens) covering the joints between the boards. Peg is a pin or dowel, slightly tampered, used to join 2 parts together.
• Light Wood Frame Construction terminologies (joist, plate, purlins, rafter, studs, and sheathing) Joists is a series of horizontal members used to support floors or ceilings. Plate is a member laid horizontally to accept the ends of joists or studs. Purlins is the horizontal structure roof member that slopes up from the wall to the peak of a roof. Studs is a series of vertical members used to support wall sheathing which is the exterior cladding of one building.
• Brick Construction terminologies (bonds, mortar, and repointing) Bonds is an agrement of amsonry units (brick or concrete blocks) to provide structural strength and visual appeal; common bonds are called stretcher, header, English and Flemish. Mortar is a mixture of cement and line with sand and water used as a bonding agent between masonry units. Repointing is to repair the joints in masonry construction with the addition in new mortar.
• Stone Construction terminologies (ashtar, coursing, fieldstone, finish, rusticator, rubble and vermiculated) Ashtar is a hewn stone blocks with straight cut edges. COursing is a continuos layer of material or row. Finish is the surface texture; common finishes are rock-faced. Rusticated is the stonework emphasized by roughly cut block faces. Rubble is a construction with fragments of broken stone and vermiculated is the ornamentation in stone created with winding, wavy lines, as if caused by worms.
• Windows and Doors. It is the opening of one building - the windows and the floors - are the source of great attention in one design. The technical name for the placement of openings in the walls of a building is fenestration, from the French, "fenetre" meaning window. The placement and the detail work that comprises windows and doors can be the source of great attention. There are various types of windows including the bay, double hung, Palladian and the most commonly used was the casement.

Architectural Symmetry!

BASICS

     Isometric is from the word "iso" which means equal and "metric" which is measure. Isometric drawings are a form of drawing that projects an object in picture form for better clarifying the objects appearance. Isometric drawings also resembles a picture of an object that is drawn into 2 dimensions. As an effect, existing AutoCAD commands -- such as line and copy are used to produce isometric drawings. Isometric basics include regular, angular and circular objects that are drawn in isometric form. Isometric drawings are consist of 2D drawings that are tilted at some particular angle to expose other views or planes and give the viewers the illusion that what he or she is currently viewing is a 3D drawing. The tilting occurs with two 30 degree angles that are struck from the intersection of a horizontal baseline and a vertical line. The directions formed by the 30 degree angles that will going to represent actual dimensions of the object; that are maybe either width or depth. Vertical lines in most cases represents the height dimension. Once the horizontal baseline and the vertical line are drawn, the 30 degree angles are projected from this common point which becomes the reference point of the isometric view. Once the 30 degree lines are drawn, the baseline is no longer needed and it is usually discarded through erasing it. Depending on how we viewed the drawing or the object rather, width and depth measurements are made along the 30 degree lines and height is also measured along the vertical line, All isometric drawing has a width dimension that measures to the right along with the 30 degree angles.

CONSTRUCTING THE BASICS

     Any Isometric drawings no matter what or how simple or complex, has an overall width, height and depth dimension. Start laying out the drawing with these 3D to create an isometric box. Some techniques rely on piecing the isometric together by views, unfortunately it is very easy to get lost in all of the lines using this method. Once a box is created from overall dimensions, somewhere inside the box is the object. You can also use the left, top or even the right isometric axis modes to assist you in your constructing process.

CREATING AN ISOMETRIC GRIDS

     In manual drawing and sketching days before, an isometric grids was used to layout lines before the lines were transferred to paper or to the Mylar for ink and pen illustrations. An isometric grid may defined in an AutoCAD drawing through the  snap command. Choosing an isometric style of snap may vary display from orthographic form. The grid distance changes to a vertical spacing height that you specify. To see how vertical spacing distance affects the grid, changing it to isometric form, the dot A becomes the reference point point where the horizontal baseline is followed by the vertical line represented by the dot B, At dots A and B, 30 degree lines are drawn point C and D are formed where they intersect. This is how an isometric screen display is formed..

CONSTRUCTING ISOMETRIC ARCS

     The ellipse command – can also be used to draw an isometric arc of any included angle. To construct an isometric arc, use the arc option, go to the ellipse button on the draw toolbar and then enter A, enter El or Ellipse at the command. Once the arc option is initiated the following prompts will appear:

•          Specify axis endpoint of elliptical arc: (center/isocircle)
•         Specify center of isocircle: (center of the arc)
•         Specify radius of isocircle (diameter): (pick the radius and enter)
•          Specify start angle (parameter): (pick a start angle and enter)
•          Specify end angle : (pick an end angle and press enter)

    A common application of isometric arcs is drawing fillets and rounds. Once a round is created isometrically, the edge (corner) of the object from its original will unfiltered its position. You  can draw the complete object first then trim away the excess when you finally located the fillets and draw the lines of isometric arcs.

Floor first, before anything else.

     

     In architecture, architectural drafting, structural drafting and building engineering, a floor plan (in other term known as Scottish plan) is a drawing that full of scales, measurements, showing view from above, or underground (it’s possible) doors, furniture, trees, relationship between rooms, spaces and other structural and physical feature of a house or buildings.

     The dimensions are included and usually drawn between the walls to specify the desire room sizes and wall lengths. Floor plans may also include couple of detailed fixtures like showers, sinks, furnace, bed, water heaters, stairs and etc. It may also include notes for construction features to specify construction methods, finishes, or symbols for electrical items.

     Floor plan is sometimes refers to a “plan” which is a measured plane that has been typically projected at the height of 4”, to opposed an “elevation” which is a measured plane projected from the side of the house or building along its height, a “cross section” where a building is cut along an axis to show the interior structure.

     The term “floor plan” may be used in general to describe any drawing that shows physical layout of particular objects. It may also denote the arrangement of furniture, and of the displayed objects at an exhibition.

CLASSIFICATIONS

     A floor plan is not a top view or bird’s eye view in terms of perspective. It is a measured drawing to show and scale the layout of the chosen floor in a building. A bird’s eye view does not show an orthogonally projected cutting plane at the typical 4” measurement of height above the floor level. Floor plan can display the following: restrooms, windows and doors, appliances such as water heaters, sink, stove, refrigerators, etc. Interior features such as fireplaces, whirlpools, and use of all rooms including the master bedroom, common room, guest room, maid’s room, and many more.

REVIEW THE PLAN

     A plan view is an orthographic projection of a 3-dimensional object from its position of a horizontal plane through the object. Otherwise, the angle or portion of a horizontal plane through the object above the section (plane) is omitted to reveal what lies beyond it. In the case of floor plan, the upper portion of the walls and the roof may typically omit.

     Even if roof plans are orthographic projection, they are still omitted because they are not sections as they are viewing plane is outside of the object. A plan is a method commonly depicting the internal arrangement of a 3D object into 2D that often used in technical drawings.

HOW TO DRAW PLAN WITH SCALES?

     Drawing a Scottish plan to scale can be both a very critical part of designing process and can be greatly helpful for visualizing objects similarly to furniture layout, and for you to make your own floor plan to scale? Simply follow the instructions:

Step 1: First is to measure the length of the longest wall.

Step 2: Scale this measurement downward so that it will fit onto a sheet of graphing paper.

Step 3: Count the numbers of squares on the longest side of the graphing paper (ex. 24 squares) this is the side that accommodates the longest part of the desired plan.

Step 4: Scale down the length of the wall to reduce it down to a smaller one. (If the number of unit is very small that may result to tiny drawings, try doubling or otherwise increasing the number of squares used to depict each unit. If you aren't happy with the size, try decreasing the larger number by the smaller one. If the wall measures even numbers of units (ex. 80 ft.) try dividing it by 3, 4, etc. to see the resulting number is smaller square numbers.

Step 5: Measure the length of the other walls and covert these measurements to your scale.

Step 6: Measure the length of each door and window opening and convert these measurement to your scales.

Step 7: Incorporate all the walls, doors, and windows on your plan, use double lines for the window and single line with an arc for the door.

Step 8: Measure all the built-in fixtures, (ex. cabinets, tables) and then convert those into scales and add them on your plan.

Don't ya' dare to drop the draft.

    

     The methods of drawing is to sketch your ideas first using free hand method either it is an artist sketch or technical sketch, then draft your work (it's more complex because it needs math) and lastly is to make use of CAD to aid the designers in organizing.

     DRAFTING is commonly known as architectural drawing or architect's drawing. It is a set of techniques that truly appreciates scales, proportions, and accuracy. It is also a technical drawing of a building or any building project, houses, floors, sites, vicinity maps or even furniture that falls within the term architecture.

     Architectural drawings are used by architects, engineers, contractors and others for a number of purposes: first, is to develop ideas into a particular proposal; second, is to communicate ideas, designs and concepts; third, is to convince clients and customers to choose your designs when you show it to them; fourth, is to enable engineers and building contractors construct your work; fifth, it will be your record of the completed work; sixth and lastly, is to make a record of any existing building.

If you are interested in drafting, then I'll take you to much deeper..

DEPTH LOOK

     There are almost nine major kinds of drafting. First, is the "furniture drafting" that deals with furniture, objects, and things like sofa, television sets, cabinets, tables, chairs, decks, dividers, vases, and many more. Second, is the "architectural drafting" this is where you'll going to see floor plans, site plans, axonometrics, isometrics, dimetrics, trimetrics, orthographics, cavaliers, cabinets, one-point perspectives, two-point perspectives, three-point perspectives and other plans that obviously have their scales, with accuracy written either on a linen paper or tracing paper. Third, is the "ship drafting" or "naval drafting" it is the map of of a ship that  shows its parts, length, width, total capacities, chairs, divisions, and layers (that depends upon its area.) Fourth, is the "sheet metal drafting" that represents solid model solutions. Fifth, is the "mechanical drafting" or "machine drafting", it is responsible for "engineering mechanics" that include statics and dynamics. Statics includes the scalars and vectors, rule for manipulating vectors, components of two dimensions of Cartesian plane, components of three dimensions  of Cartesian plane, dot products, cross products mixed triple products, forces, equilibrium and free-body diagram, two-dimensional force systems, three-dimensional force systems, two-dimensional description of the moment, the moment vector,and many more. In dynamics, there re position velocity, and acceleration, straight lines and curvilinear, momentum, rigid bodies, rotation of fixed bodies and many more. Sixth, is the "airplane drafting" it also includes the maps, navigation, and the full structure of airplane in draft form. Seventh, is the "structural drafting" where the engineers is the responsible of making this, (much specifically the civil engineers) it looks like a site plan. For number eight is the "topographical drafting," it is all about the scientific description of the surface features of a region or place, and for the last is the "electrical drafting" that shows the plugs, connections, switches, octopus wiring, circuits and electrical wiring including the fuse.

      Drafting were made according to a set of conventions, which include particular views (such as floor plans, site plans, sections, projections, perspectives, obliques, elevations, etc.) sheet sizes, annotations and cross referencing, units of measurements and scales. Traditionally, drawings are made by an ink and paper or a similar materials, and any copies required that made by free hand. On the 20th century, the people saw a sudden shift on the styles of drawings and that is to draw on tracing paper, so that mechanical copies could be done easier and more efficiently.

DRAFTING TODAY

     The development of technologies and computers had a major impact on the modern methodology used to design and create technical drawings, manual drawings are almost obsolete, and opening fresh possibilities of form using organic shapes, distortion and complex geometry.

     Today the vast majority of drawings are created through the use of CAD software in the computers (Computer Aided Designs). Let's try to Para-phrase it to have a deep meaning "it is the type of drawing with the help of computer." Anyone can try these applications and for more similar app try to visit this software: AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup, 3DSMAX and many more.