Engineering drawing (PDF)
Make an AS 1100 working drawing of your design: third-angle views, dimensions, a section, a detail view, a parts list and a title block.
- Engineering drawing (PDF)Export menu
| SchoolCAD | Onshape | Fusion | SOLIDWORKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering drawing (PDF) | Create drawing | Drawing from Design | Make Drawing from Part |
An engineering drawing shows your design on flat paper, with the sizes someone needs to make it. SchoolCAD draws it from your model to AS 1100, the Australian standard for technical drawing. You get the Front, Top and Right views in third-angle projection (the Top view above the Front view, the Right view to its right), an isometric view, dimensions, a parts list and a title block with your name.
How to use it#
- Type your name and class in the boxes at the top of SchoolCAD. They go in the title block.
- To draw one part on its own, click it on the model first.
- Click Export, then Engineering drawing (PDF).
- Check the Title, type your School and choose the options. The preview changes as you go.
- Click Download PDF. Print it at 100% (actual size), so the scale is right.
Options#
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drawing of | Whole model draws every visible part. Selected part draws the part you clicked. |
| Sheet | A3 or A4 paper. |
| Scale | Best fit picks the biggest standard scale that fits, or choose one. At 1:2, everything is half its real size. |
| Hidden lines (dashed) | Edges you cannot see from that side are drawn dashed. |
| Isometric view | Adds a 3D view. With a parts list, it gets numbered balloons that match the list. |
| Section | Draws one view cut through. See below. |
| Detail view | Adds a bigger copy of one small area. See below. |
| Dimensions | Full: sizes, positions, holes, radii, Overall sizes and holes or None. Best for this drawing gives one part the full set, and a whole model its overall sizes. |
| Parts list | The item number, name, quantity, material and size of each kind of part. It shows for Whole model when there is more than one kind. |
Section views (A–A)#
A section view shows the design as if it was sawn in half. It is the clearest way to show joints, grooves and holes inside.
- In Section, choose Front view (A–A), Top view (A–A) or Right view (A–A). That view is cut through the middle of the parts and labelled SECTION A–A.
- To move the cut, type a distance in Cut at (mm from the middle). A plus number moves it towards the back for a front view, to the right for a right view, and up for a top view.
The cutting plane (where the cut is) shows on the next view: the Top view for a Front or Right section, and the Front view for a Top section. It is a thin chain line with thick ends, arrows that point the way you look, and the letter A.
Cut faces are hatched with thin lines at 45°. Parts that touch get lines the other way or closer together, so each part stands out. Very thin parts are filled in black. A section has no hidden lines.
As AS 1100 asks, dowels, pins, screws, bolts and rods cut along their length are drawn whole, not hatched. SchoolCAD knows them by name, so start the part's name with a word like Dowel, Screw or Rod. Dowels made by the Joint tool are known already.
Detail views#
A detail view is a bigger copy of a small, busy area, such as a joint.
- Tick Detail view.
- Click the preview where you want it, on the Front, Top or Right view.
- A circle and a letter mark the spot. A copy 4 or 5 times bigger (less if space is tight) goes nearby, labelled like DETAIL A (2:1). With a section, it is detail B.
Until you click, the detail goes on the busiest spot of the section, or of the Front view.
Reading the sizes#
Sizes are in millimetres. Ø6 is a hole 6 mm across (its diameter), and 4 × Ø6 is four of them. Ø6 × 15 DP is 15 mm deep, not right through. CSK means countersunk, CBORE means counterbored, and R12 is a radius of 12 mm.
Tips#
- Name your parts (double-click a part in the Parts list). The names go in the parts list.
- For every size you need to make a part, draw it on its own with Selected part.
- Download SVG saves the same drawing, true size, as an SVG picture.
- To move the views, add your own dimensions and notes, or make more sheets, click Edit on a drawing sheet. The drawing is then kept with your design: see Drawing sheet.
If it does not work#
- The views do not fit on A4 at 1:1. Try a bigger sheet or a smaller scale. Choose Best fit, a smaller scale or A3. The download buttons stay off until it fits.
- The cut misses the parts. Change Cut at to move it. Make Cut at closer to 0.
- There is no room for the detail view, so it is left out. Try A3, or untick Isometric view to make room.
- Click a part in the model first. Close the dialog, click a part, then open the drawing again.
- The printed drawing is the wrong size. Print at 100% or Actual size, not Fit to page.