Architectural Lines and Lettering Chapter 6 Architectural Lines and Lettering

Introduction Drafting Universal graphic language Uses lines, symbols, dimensions, and notes to describe a structure to be built Properly drawn lines are dark, crisp, sharp, and of a uniform thickness

Types of Lines Lines are the primary method of displaying images on architectural drawings Must accurately and clearly represent content There are a variety of types Each conveys a meaning Widths are thick or thin Guidelines are used to guide manual lettering

Types of Lines (cont’d.) Object lines Define outline and characteristic features Specific thickness Presentations vary

Types of Lines (cont’d.) Dashed lines (i.e., hidden lines) Show features not visible in the view or plan

Types of Lines (cont’d.) Extension lines Show extent of dimension Dimension lines Show dimension length Terminate at related extension lines with slashes, arrowheads, or dots

Types of Lines (cont’d.)

Types of Lines (cont’d.) Leader lines Thin, dark, and crisp Used to connect notes to related features Drawn freehand or with irregular curve

Types of Lines (cont’d.) Break lines Used to remove a portion of an object, show a partial view, shorten a long object Also used to terminate features when extent is clearly defined May be long or short Line techniques For additional information, refer to Student CD

Types of Lines (cont’d.)

Lettering Basic terminology: Composition Justify Lettering Text Lettering spacing, layout, and appearance Justify To align text Lettering Traditional handmade letters and numbers Text Lettering using CADD

Lettering (cont’d.) Basic terminology (cont’d.): Annotation Font Text, notes, dimensions, and text symbols Font Assortment of one size and style of lettering or text Text style Set of text characters (e.g., font, height, width)

Lettering (cont’d.) Single-stroke lettering Single straight or curved line elements Makes text easy and clear to read

Lettering (cont’d.) Slanted lettering Slant to the right with an angle of 68° from horizontal Uppercase slanted lettering is used for water feature names in mapping

Lettering (cont’d.) Lettering height Minimum should be 1/8" (3 mm) Some companies use 5/32" (4 mm) All dimension numerals, notes, and other lettered information should be the same Except titles, drawing numbers, and captions Height of fraction numbers should be the same as other lettering associated with the fraction

Lettering (cont’d.) Lettering legibility Lettering should be dark, crisp, and sharp Reproduction quality Spaces should be uniform Some letters will require spacing farther apart (e.g., I, N, or S versus L, A, or W) Minimum recommended space between letters is 1/16" (1.5 mm) Notes should be lettered horizontally

Lettering (cont’d.) Rules for lettering and text numeral applications: Foot units are followed by foot symbol ('), and inch units are followed by inch symbol (″) Inches and fractions are used for values less than 12 inches (e.g., 6″) Metric values in architectural drafting are generally in millimeters

Lettering (cont’d.) Rules (cont’d.): When metric values are used on a predominantly foot and inch drawing, the abbreviation “mm” follows the metric value Metric unit names are lowercase Except proper names Vertical text is used for unit abbreviations Leave a space between a numeral and an abbreviation

Lettering (cont’d.) Rules (cont’d.): Hints for professional lettering Do not leave a space between a unit abbreviation and its prefix Do not use plural unit symbols Use the plural of spelled-out metric measurements Millimeters (mm) are assumed Hints for professional lettering For additional information, refer to Student CD