A simple program for drawing drawings. Free programs for creating drawings

A free drafting program reminiscent of early versions of AutoCAD. Designed for quickly creating simple flat drawings.

IntelliCAD- an international DWG-compatible platform for many AutoCAD-like CAD systems.

It's no secret that the leader in design platforms at the moment is the "great and terrible" AutoCAD. Although recently it has been strongly squeezed by cheaper competing CAD systems based on IntelliCAD. Almost all of them are not free and can cost as much as a couple of decent computers.

A simple engineer may not need all these 3D bells and whistles for a hundred thousand rubles, when he just needs to draw a simple part or, for example, a bookshelf. Then programs like this come on stage A9CAD. And this is what we will now look at in more detail.

A9CAD Features

• creation of 2D drawings in popular DWG and DXF formats;
• working with layers;
• works correctly in Wine from Linux;
• Only English text is supported, unfortunately;
• export of the finished project to EMF.

Installing the program

Installing A9CAD does not contain any special surprises. It is in English, but a school course is enough to work with it. Launch the downloaded installer and in the first window of the Installation Wizard, click the “Next” button.

In the second window, set the switch to the “I accept the terms in the license agreement” position, confirming that we agree with the license and want to install the program. Click "Next" again.

In the next windows we leave everything as is. Again “Next”, “Next” and in the last one: “Install”. The direct installation of the program will begin, after which the final window will appear, in which we click “Finish”.

We launch from the Desktop or from the Start panel.

A9CAD interface

When you first launch the drawing program window will look like this.

As you can see, unlike serious CAD systems, there are not so many tools, but for simple drawings they are quite enough.

Let's first set up the A9CAD interface:

1. The black background of the working field can be made white in the menu "File" - "General Settings" - "Background Color" - "White".

Pixel- minimum point on the screen.

2. In the same window you can set in pixels:

• cursor crosshair length (Cross Size);
• the size of the handles by which the figures are “grabbed” (Grip Size);
• the area of ​​the “capture” zone when selecting figures in the form of a square around the crosshair (Pick Size).

3. All panels can be dragged by grabbing the special areas at the very top (for vertical ones) or on the left (for horizontal ones). This can be useful if the program is installed on a netbook and some panel does not fit vertically. Then you can drag it up or down. Or even send him on a “free voyage”.

4. Unneeded panels can be hidden, shown or edited using the context menu that appears when you right-click on any of the panels.

The most convenient way to navigate around the working area of ​​a drawing is to use the mouse roller. By rotating it towards ourselves, we move the picture away, and by rotating it away from us, we bring it closer to the point where the mouse cursor is located. You can more precisely set the desired view using the navigation tools on the Standard toolbar.

Drawing in A9CAD

There is a certain drawing technique here, slightly different from the drawing technique in raster graphics editors. The difference is that all actions are performed with single clicks of the left or right mouse button. There is no such trick as holding the button down.

For example, let's draw a polyline:

Polyline- a complex figure consisting of one or more segments and arcs.

Console- command line at the bottom of the program window.

1. We decide whether we need to draw lines at right angles, and also whether a grid and drawing step will be useful (for greater accuracy).
2. Select the Draw polyline tool from the drawing panel. In most cases, it is better to draw with polylines rather than simple segments. The PolyLine start point prompt will appear in the console.
3. Click the left mouse button once in a suitable place on the work field. A “rubber” line will stretch behind the crosshairs. In the console, the inscription will change to PolyLine second point.
4. Click the left mouse button again to fix the second end of the segment. We will have one fixed line and a second rubber line.
5. Now you can continue drawing the polyline by pressing the left mouse button or interrupt it by pressing the right button.

You can control tools not only with the mouse, but also with the keyboard. For example, you can specify the next point of a polyline relative to the previous one using numbers separated by commas (X,Y).

The remaining figures are drawn in the same way, a tool is selected, then according to an individual algorithm:

1. Draw point - we simply indicate where to insert the point.
2. Draw line - indicate the beginning and end of the segment.
3. Rectangle (Draw rectangle) - two opposite angles are indicated.
4. Arc (Draw arc) - the center of the circle of which the arc will be a part is specified, then the radius, the initial and final direction (counterclockwise).
5. Draw circle - set the center and radius of the circle.
6. Ellipse (Draw ellipse) - indicate the center, one of the two points closest to the center, then one of the two points farthest from the center.
7. Polyline (Draw polyline) - the first and subsequent points are indicated.
8. Text (Draw text) - the first point is indicated, then the angle is specified by the second point and then text is entered from the keyboard into the console (unfortunately, only the Latin alphabet and only capital letters are supported), which, after pressing the Enter key, appears on the screen.
9. Draw image - in the window that opens, select a picture on the computer, indicate the position of its lower left corner on the working field, and the second point sets its scale.

As you can see, the main problem of A9CAD has been revealed here, which does not allow it to be used to create full-fledged drawings - the program “doesn’t support the Cyrillic alphabet at all.” However, there are many tasks where you can do without explanatory notes. For example, if you need to explain to a measurer what the future furniture you want to order should look like.

It is precisely in such tasks that the last 6 tools in the drawing panel, designed for creating dimensions, will come in handy:

1. Align dimension - specify two arbitrary points between which the distance will be calculated.
2. Vertical dimension - the distance along the Y axis between two arbitrary points.
3. Horizontal dimension - the distance along the X axis between any two points.
4. Angular dimension - angle in degrees. You need to specify the center and two directions between which the angle will be calculated.
5. Diameter dimension - the diameter of a circle or arc. It is enough to indicate the desired figure.
6. Radial dimension - the radius of a circle or arc. Indicate the desired figure.

Editing a drawing

Drawing from scratch and without errors is of course good, but not realistic. It doesn't happen that everything works out the first time. Therefore, there are tools for editing the created shapes, and now we will look at them.

The editing panel is divided into two parts: the tools themselves and the buttons for turning on/off object snaps.

Snaps are a very handy thing because they allow you to precisely “snap” the mouse crosshair to different points on existing shapes.

For example, if we need to draw a line from the intersection of a circle with a rectangle, then we turn on Snap to intersect, select the Polyline tool and move the cursor crosshair to this intersection. A yellow prompt appears, indicating that the anchor point is captured.

Now, if you press the left mouse button, the beginning of the polyline will be exactly at the intersection of existing shapes. Other bindings work the same way:

Perpendicular on a plane - when one line is at right angles to another.

• by endpoint (Snap to Endpoint);
• by midpoint (Snap to Midpoint);
• at any nearest point on the contour (Snap to Nearest);
• Snap to Perpendicular;
• in the center (Snap to Center);
• by insertion point (Snap to Insert);
• by intersection (Snap to intersect);
• and the last button in the panel (with the image of a magnet) is to reset all bindings (Clear OSnaps).

If everything is clear with the bindings, then let's look at what editing tools we have:

1. Select is the same as simply clicking on a shape with the mouse crosshair.
2. Reset selection (Deselect).
3. Erase.
4. Move.
5. Copy.
6. Scale - resizing.
7. Rotate.
8. Explode - dividing a complex figure into primitives, for example, a square is divided into 4 segments.
9. Trim - removing part of a shape that extends beyond the border of another shape (for example, an auxiliary line).
10. Extend - extending a line until it intersects with a specified part of another figure.
11. Rounding (Fillet).
12. Offset - creating the semblance of a figure at a given distance from it.
13. Break - dividing a figure into two parts at a specified point.
14. Mirror - creating a mirror copy of a figure.
15. Join - joining two figures (for example, two polylines) into one.

Thus, with the help of all these tools, you can build quite complex drawings, put dimensions on them and send them for printing.

Working with layers

We haven't covered another important thing - working with layers. Layers allow you to display and edit created shapes in separate "packages".

For example, we decided to draw a plan of our room (to plan the rearrangement of furniture), where the walls will be black, the windows and doors will be blue, and the furniture will be orange. Then it’s most logical to draw each type of object in its own layer and give it a layer color (BYLAYER). To do this, go to the layers panel (Layers button) and create two more layers (for example, OKNO and MEBEL), in addition to the existing one with the name “0”.

We immediately assign the desired color to the new layers and then, either during the drawing process or after, we indicate to each figure its layer. This allows you to later, in one fell swoop:

• change the color, type and thickness of lines for all objects in one layer;
• hide this layer so that it is not visible;
• lock the layer so that the shapes in it cannot be accidentally “edited”.

Saving a project

When working with any serious program (and A9CAD is no exception), it is important not to forget to periodically save your project, since if there is an accidental failure, you can lose hours and even days of your work.

You can also save the project as a drawing in EMF format. The format is not very popular, but is easily recognized by standard Windows tools. To convert to it, use the “File” - “Export to EMF” menu and give the new drawing a name other than Drawing (otherwise it won’t be saved).

Conclusions

A9CAD is indeed not a full-fledged CAD program, and does not pretend to be that title. Drawing in this program is convenient only in cases where you need to create a simple drawing without Cyrillic characters. This could be some small household task, like sketching a future cabinet.

But on the other hand, installing A9CAD is much easier and faster than professional CAD systems, at least the same free nanoCAD.

P.S. Permission is granted to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

P.P.S. Carrying furniture around a room in A9CAD is not the most exciting activity. There is a special program for this that allows you to see how the future arrangement will look in 3D:

Training video on working in A9CAD

subscribe to new video lessons!

P.P.P.S. By the way, good results do not always require high-quality, expensive graphics. Sometimes all you need is a good idea, like in this strategy flash game.

Computer drawing program?

Computer technology has penetrated into all spheres of human activity. Engineering was no exception.

The era of drawing boards and pencils has passed; now special software and printers are used to create high-quality drawings.

In addition, the use of such programs is available to everyone, that is, high-quality drawings have gone beyond the design bureaus.

In the relevant software segment, there are many decent CAD (computer-aided design) systems.

Particular attention should be paid to three representatives: AutoCAD, Compass-3D and NanoCAD. It is these programs that this material is dedicated to.

Autodesk AutoCAD

One of the most popular CAD systems both among professional design and among amateurs.

Autodesk is constantly improving computer drawing in Autocad, adding more and more features. New versions are released regularly, every year.

Functional Features

The 3D drawing program allows you to create both two-dimensional projects and three-dimensional drawings. At the same time, the capabilities of rendering three-dimensional objects are not inferior to full-fledged editors.

2D modeling functions make AutoCAD not just an electronic drawing board, but a powerful tool for creating high-quality drawings.

The program supports working with drawings in three formats: DWG (a closed format for editing AutoCAD drawings), DWF (a format for publishing drawings) and DXF (a format for working with AutoCAD drawings in other programs).

Advantages and disadvantages

This CAD system has many advantages, but they come at a price. You will have to pay a lot of money for rich functionality.

On the other hand, there are cheaper versions of the program with reduced functionality (AutoCAD LT) and a free version for educational use.

Positive properties:

A huge set of tools and functions for professional design.

Possibility of integration with Excel spreadsheets.

Working with layouts.

Flaws:

High cost of the basic version of the software.

High system requirements.

Scope of application

AuotCAD is used in the field of professional equipment design, design, architecture and even for educational purposes.

Any modern industry that needs to create drawings cannot do without decent software for creating projects. In most cases, this is AutoCAD.

Askon KOMPAS

"KOMPAS" is a whole family of software tools for creating electronic drawings.

Interesting! The main feature of CAD is that it is developed by a Russian company and has an original computing core. Drawings created using Compass fully comply with state standards.

The computer drawing program Compass allows you to design parts, entire mechanisms and even buildings.

Functional Features

The program supports work with many of the most common electronic drawing formats, which allows you to effectively collaborate with companies using other design environments.

The basis for the finished drawing is a 3D model. In this case, the data in the 2D drawing changes dynamically as the volumetric model is edited.

Based on the finished drawing, design documentation is drawn up, which fully complies with state standards.

At the same time, standards are constantly updated thanks to the special service “KOMPAS Audit”.

From 2008 to 2013 there was a program for drawing on a computer online from KOMPAS.

Advantages and disadvantages

The program is most widespread in the Russian Federation, which is not surprising, given the developers. There are also foreign localizations, but the demand for them is not so great.

Among the many advantages, it is worth noting the following:

Easy to learn and use.

Large database of attached libraries.

Active development and continuous improvement.

Wide range of tools.

Focus on the Russian user.

Flaws:

High cost.

Demanding on computer resources.

Scope of application

KOMPAS is widely used both for professional activities and for educational purposes.

There are no free versions of the program, but for educational purposes the cheaper KOMPAS 3D LT with reduced functions is used.

Many domestic enterprises use this CAD to create drawings and design documentation for standard and original parts and assemblies.

Good day to all readers! This time we will digress a little from the actual construction topic. Today I bring to your attention the most useful drawing program.

It's called sPlan (currently the seventh version is current). When renovating, very often you need to draw something, design something, and draw up a floor plan. This thing allows you to do all this easily and quickly.

Here's why I personally use it in my work:

• Creation of apartment/room plans with all sizes and areas included
• Designing plasterboard structures, especially useful for calculating rounded shapes
• Drawing up a wiring plan
• Drawing up visual diagrams for counting material

Using a computer program for these purposes is much more convenient than drawing everything by hand on paper.

sPlan makes it easy to make any adjustments to drawings, export them to common image formats and print everything. But the most important advantage of this program is its simplicity. At the end of the article I will give specific examples of my drawings and what was done with them.

sPlan, in fact, is designed for drawing up electrical diagrams, but we will consider it only as a program for creating drawings.

General information about this drawing program

sPlan is a German product from ABACOM. It works on all Microsoft operating systems, from Windows 2000 to Windows 8. It contains many built-in object libraries: all kinds of capacitors, transistors, etc., but we don’t need that. All components, shapes, lines are snapped to the sheet grid, the size of which is specified by the user. The program supports cutting, copying and pasting objects, applying dimensions: linear, angular, radial. This is what the working window looks like:

On the left is a field for selecting ready-made components; its width can be changed, but we are not interested in it. To the right of it is a column of working tools for creating and editing a drawing: (from top to bottom) pointer, rectangle, circle, special shape, figure, line, Bezier curve, dimensions, node, text, text block, drawing, magnifying glass, meter. We'll talk about them a little later.

The largest field, of course, is the drawing area, and at the bottom of the window there is a status bar, which displays: (from left to right) cursor coordinates, scale, grid size and magnification, settings for aligning and joining objects, bending and rotation angles, line settings and figures, tips. The program has the ability to create several sheets of drawings in one file, similar to Microsoft Excel.

Settings

All basic sPlan settings are located in the Options/Default Settings menu:

Here are the main ones:

• Numbering of sheets. On the tab next to the sheet name there will be its number. A matter of taste.
• Numbering of elements taking into account the sheet number. The sheet number will be automatically placed before the letter designation of the element. We don't need this.
• Text smoothing is a desirable thing, because when this function is turned off, the text in the drawings looks non-ice.
• Show ruler. Similar to MS Word. A handy thing that makes it easier to navigate the scale of the drawing.
• Ruler on a white background. Change the ruler color to white. The most important function (sarcasm).
• Snap to grid. It must be included without fail; without it it is completely impossible to draw.
• Sticking lines. The function allows you to save connections between circuit components in the program when moving one of them. Must be enabled.
• Joining the ends. As soon as we approach the end or start point of a graphic element to the same similar end of another, their ends will automatically connect. A red square at the connection point will indicate that the common point of connection between the ends of the elements is captured. Definitely put it in.
• Compress the picture file when writing. If the drawing contains raster images, the program will compress it. Leave a checkmark.
• Windows FileInfo support. Saving information about files that reference a document. No need.

Font settings look like this:

I use a drawing font, so everything looks more serious, I even printed my diploma with it, although everyone was perplexed as to why, but I got a 5. I use the same settings for texts and text blocks. We will not need fonts for contacts, symbols and denominations.

Grid Settings:

A mesh size of 0.5 mm is almost always enough for me; more is not the same accuracy; less is inconvenient. The grid size change step in sPlan is 0.1 mm. A grid marker is a gradation of its lines. The number 5 in this case means that every fifth line will be thicker than the rest, this is very convenient.

Size settings:

Dimensions are always needed when drawing up any drawings. Again, I have a drawing font here, only the color is not black, but gray (you can choose any one). “The end of the arrow” implies the angle of its divergence, its sharpness. The size of the arrow is its length; everything else here, I think, is clear.

We don't really need the rest of the settings. Let's now talk in more detail about creating drawings.

Creating Drawings

The first thing you need to do after creating a blank drawing in the sPlan program is to set the sheet format and dimensions.

This is done through the Sheet/Properties menu item, or by right-clicking on the sheet tab and clicking Properties. Sheet formats (A0, A1, A2, A3, A4...) are known to everyone; you can choose one of them in vertical or horizontal orientation. And you can set the sizes yourself. I always put A0, it’s definitely enough for any drawing. In the same menu you can set the name of the sheet and its description.

So, we consider that we have created the drawing file, we have adjusted all the parameters to suit ourselves, we can start drawing. To begin with, I propose to consider the tools available for this. We look at the vertical toolbar. After the pointer there is the “Rectangle” tool, we’ll start with it, but first we must indicate its properties in the status bar:

Here you set the thickness of the rectangle outline, its appearance, color, you can draw with a fill inside the outline and choose from several options for this fill. Let’s say we don’t need to change anything, we’re happy with everything anyway. Click OK and we see how the cursor has some kind of axes, they are very helpful in navigating the ruler:

To start drawing, you need to hold down the left key and drag the mouse diagonally. We see that a rectangle emerges:

The status bar (left) shows two pairs of coordinates. The left pair shows the absolute coordinates of the mouse cursor in the drawing, and the right pair shows its coordinates relative to the upper left corner of the figure. That is, we get a rectangle with sides 91x52 mm. The cursor axes are blue, and where they overlap the shape lines they are colored yellow. Release the left mouse button - the rectangle is ready:

We see that it is purple, and at the edges it is surrounded by squares of black and white. This means that our rectangle is selected. If you pull the black squares, the figure will stretch in size in the corresponding directions, and if you pull the white squares, the corners will be smoothed:

Any shape or line in sPlan can be selected and modified in the same way. Selection is carried out by a single click with the left mouse button on the figure. There is another type of selection - by another click on an already selected object:

In this case, the black squares turn into arrows, by grabbing which we can rotate the figure. The rotation is carried out not smoothly, but in steps; the gradations of the rotation angle can be changed in the status bar (green arrow):

With the Circle tool everything is exactly the same, but rotating it doesn’t make sense. In general, using this tool, we generally get an ellipse, but to get exactly a circle, we need to hold down the Shift key together with the left mouse button (in some versions of the program, for some reason, Ctrl, look at the prompts in the right corner of the status bar):

One interesting thing you can do with circles in sPlan is open them, turning them into arcs. When designing multi-level plasterboard ceilings or figured partitions, this function is very useful. The white square on the rightmost point of the circle when selected is responsible for it. Pull it down - the circle opens, upward - an arc of the same radius appears instead:

“Special Figure” has four options: Polyhedron, Star, Table and Sine.

All options are customizable, but the need to use them is extremely rare.

"Figure" (or "Polygon"):

One click of the left button starts drawing, each subsequent click sets a vertex at a given point, and stopping drawing is done by clicking the right mouse button.

“Line” - this tool is used, perhaps, more often than others. Here, too, everything is simple, pressing the left button starts the line, the second press sets the break. If you further press the right button, the line will remain, but if you continue pressing the left button, you get a broken line that ends when you press the right key.

"Bézier curve". I suggest you read about what it is on Wikipedia, it’s a very interesting thing, but we absolutely don’t need it in the drawings.

“Dimensions” in sPlan come in four types: linear, radius, diameter, angle, all of them are presented in the figure:

“Node” is an ordinary bold point on a drawing. “Text” is just text anywhere in the drawing, just like “Text block”, only it gives the text a certain shape, width, let’s say. With “Drawing” and “Magnifying Glass” everything is clear, but “Measurer” provides information about the experimental object, in this case about the picture:

It's a pity it doesn't measure the area, it would be very cool. We still have to consider possible actions on drawing objects. Let’s draw, for example, a circle, select it and see how some buttons have become active:

When you select more than one object at the same time, you can align them relative to each other, group them, and ungroup them.

What remains for us, perhaps, is to talk about the properties of lines and text in sPlan. The properties of the figures have already been discussed above. So, line properties can be edited by left-clicking on the line icon in the status bar, or by right-clicking on a specific line in the drawing and selecting the Properties menu (in this case, only the properties of that specific line are changed):

At the top of the window you can set different styles for lines: solid, dotted, dash-dotted, dotted... The buttons on the sides are responsible for defining and selecting the types of arrows at the ends of the line. With thickness and colors, I think everything is clear.

Text properties:

In general, the window for these settings repeats the window for setting fonts, except that the text itself is edited here. We are not interested in the settings of the lower half of the window.

The initial settings are also duplicated here, but it becomes possible to set a specific size if you uncheck Auto. Here you can also add a diameter icon, prefix-suffixes and tolerances, which is sometimes useful.

Now let's look at exporting and printing drawings. Export is saving a drawing as an image; it is available through the File/Export menu:

Export options window:

Here you can specify the format of the future image and its resolution. After clicking OK, all that remains is to specify the path to save. The print window can also be called up via the File menu:

You can select the print scale, drawing orientation, number of copies, as well as templates for placing the document on the page.

Well, we got acquainted with the basics of our sPlan program. Now I propose to see what can be drawn with its help, using specific examples. Let's go.

Drawing of a three-level ceiling with lighting:

Close-up:

In this drawing you can see how I used sPlan to draw the circular arcs. It was impossible to use a compass in this case - the center of the circles was behind the wall, and to mark the ceiling we used discrete values ​​of distances from the base line. This method very often helps in marking arches. And here’s what came out of it (although here the panorama is stuck together crookedly):

And here is a project for a decorative plasterboard partition in a children's room:

The partition itself:

A simple drawing of the layout of tiles in the hallway:

Result:

Well, and finally, a drawing of a two-level ceiling - a combination of plasterboard and stretch ceiling:

The ceiling itself:

Now you've probably seen how useful a simple drawing program can be for repairs. It generally saves me a lot of time when calculating all sorts of square and linear meters, as well as in drawing up estimates. In general, I recommend downloading! Don't forget to subscribe for updates, and good luck!

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In the 21st century, people have practically stopped making drawings by hand. You can make a mistake in them, make a serious mistake due to inattention, and it is impossible to scale such drawings. That is why digital CAD solutions are increasingly being used for work and education. They guarantee the quality of graphic images, their scalability and safety.

Free drawing programs

KOMPAS-3D- an excellent product that is suitable for all types of drawing. It allows you to create parts for different areas of human activity. This is a fairly simple program, which, nevertheless, is suitable for solving the most complex problems.

Russian users appreciate it for its convenient and localized interface, support for ESKD and GOST standards. This is very important, because compliance with technical requirements is the main condition for any drawing program. Also, this program has a very nice hint system that can tell you about the technical capabilities and methods of working with KOMPAS-3D.

Of course, such a product cannot be completely free, and this program is distributed under a closed, paid license. However, there is a special version for home use. It has a number of limitations in the choice of formats, but otherwise it is fully functional software.

Paid programs (demo versions)

A very expensive but very powerful product that is used by professionals all over the world. AutoCAD is the benchmark for other computer drawing programs, and for good reason! Autodesk always creates truly high-quality applications that quickly become industry leaders.

You can make absolutely any drawing in it, from the simplest part to a complex mechanism. Thanks to the unique tools that this program has, drawing becomes easy and fast. This allows engineers not to waste time on banal formalism and drawing each line.

Of course, AutoCAD also has a very significant drawback - it does not work with the Russian ESKD system. Instead, users are offered only the international one. For some businesses, this is a major deterrent to purchasing this program.

AutoCAD has a trial version that can be downloaded for free.

Astra Furniture Designer- a program whose essence is easy to understand from the name. It is often used in furniture production; it allows you to evaluate the appearance of a future model before creating it from physical materials. The use of this software, which, by the way, is distributed in Russian, helps businesses save money. Indeed, thanks to Astra, it is possible to analyze all the weak points of the design before starting production.

The program interface is very simple, and even those engineers and architects who have not previously worked with CAD systems can handle it. Also, it is worth noting the set of tools typical for drawing. They fully correspond to real analogues.

It is interesting that the program has added fasteners used in assembling furniture. Angles, spacers and other simple designs can be selected from a special library. Also, you can add new details there.

designed specifically for ateliers and private tailors. In it you can create cuttings of any level, from the simplest skirts to voluminous dresses. Thanks to this program, you can save a lot of fabric, thread and time, because the appearance of future clothes can be assessed before production begins. This is very important in small businesses where additional expenses are unacceptable.

There are free programs with similar functionality, but they are much inferior to Astra Cutting. For example, they do not have unique tools for virtual work with fabric, or panoramic viewing, which allows you to speed up the process of creating cuttings.

Despite the fact that this program is paid, you can evaluate its characteristics in the free demo version. It is not limited in capabilities, but is valid only for a short period of time.

If you have any questions, ask in the comments, we will definitely help.

Anyone can benefit from the ability to create drawings. But if drawing is an engineer’s bread and butter, then representatives of other professions often treat this activity as something meaningless.

Even if you are going to create something primitive, a barbecue, a bench or a beehive, you cannot do without a drawing. With its help, it is easier to understand the sequence of actions, calculate dimensions, and avoid many mistakes.

In this article we will tell you how to learn how to make drawings, what they are and what you need for this.

Types of drawings

Getting acquainted with the world of images of objects should begin by answering the question of what types of drawings there are. Professional drawing documentation is carried out strictly in accordance with the requirements of state standards. Amateur performance and creativity are not appropriate, otherwise no one except its creator will be able to read the drawing.

GOST establishes the following graphic documents:

• detail drawing;
• assembly drawing showing the composition and method of assembly of the structure;
• a general view drawing that helps determine the purpose of individual components and the operation of the entire structure;
• theoretical drawing;
• dimensional drawing;
• installation drawing containing information on installing the product at the installation site;
• electrical installation drawing;
• packaging drawing;
• scheme.

Drawing subtleties

When carefully viewing photos of drawings, you can discover interesting nuances. Thus, an assembly drawing can be a document that includes an installation view.

In this case, in addition to the assembly unit itself, a drawing of the foundations, installation locations for foundation or anchor bolts, etc. are drawn.

In many cases, it is not necessary to draw up a full-fledged drawing of the part; you can limit yourself to a sketch. It is an image without a specific scale, but in compliance with proportions and GOST standards.

Where does the drawing begin?

Just as theater begins with a coat rack, drawing begins with the ability to construct basic views and projections of drawings.

Imagine any object that is placed inside a cube. Each side of this object will give a display (projection) onto the faces of the cube parallel to it. In drawing, the view is usually understood as that part of the object that is seen by the observing person.

There are 6 types in total: main or front, right, left, top, bottom and back. The number of types is selected taking into account a clear understanding of the geometry and shape of the part.

Each type has its own place in the drawing. The top view should be below the main view, and the left view should be placed to the right of the front view. You cannot break this rule by arranging the views in random order.

If you need to draw something to scale, you can take graph paper. And if we are talking about a sketch, then there are no paper requirements. A regular 5x5 mm checkered piece of paper will do.

Pencils are classified based on the hardness of their leads into hard (marked T or H) and soft (M or B). The letter designation is preceded by a number indicating the degree of hardness or softness. The larger it is, the harder or softer the rod.

A few simple tips on how to correctly draw a drawing on paper with a simple pencil:

• To make the contours of an object, choose TM brand pencils.
• Use T-type pencils to create dimensions or extension lines.
• To draw a frame limiting the field of the drawing, a pencil of the M or 2M series is suitable.

We draw in special programs

Methods and instructions on how to make a drawing on a computer are based on the use of special software (software).

Advantages of computer drawing:

• you can create drawings of any complexity;
• work in both 2-D and 3-D modes with the creation of visual models;
• in addition to drawing, you can carry out calculations (for strength, for shear);
• Software saves people from routine, time-consuming work.

The most popular among amateurs and professionals are 3 software environments - AutoCAD, Compass and SolidWorks. The operating algorithm for all of them is approximately the same. To create a document, select “Drawing” with the mouse button.

A window with a standard frame and main inscription will appear on the screen. Further construction is carried out by selecting commands on the user panel.

An example of creating a drawing manually

Suppose we are faced with the task of drawing a drawing of a rectangular box 100x50x20 mm (length, width and height, respectively), on the upper edge of which there is a through hole with a diameter of 40 mm in the center. There is nothing complicated about this if you follow the recommendations outlined below.

Step-by-step master class on how to make a drawing of an object in three types:

At the first stage, you need to decide which type will be the main one. According to the recommendations, the main view provides the most complete picture of the part.

In our case, this will be the largest face of the box. Therefore, we build a rectangle measuring 100x20 mm, in the center of which we draw a vertical dash-dotted line 30 mm long. This will be the axis of symmetry, which divides the figure into 2 equal parts.

Let's move on to the top view, mentally imagining what our box looks like from above. Strictly under the main view, with a slight indentation from it, we draw a rectangle of 100x50 mm. In the center of it, using a caliper, draw a circle with a diameter of 40 mm. Don't forget about the axes of symmetry.

On the right side of the main view at the same level we place the view on the left - a rectangle 50x20 mm.

The drawing in three types would be ready, if not for one point: how can we understand from our images that the hole is through?

Imagine that it is deaf, i.e. reaches the middle of the part. Then the top view would look similar. In these cases, they do this: on the main and left views they show the location of the holes with dashed lines. Or they resort to cutting or sectioning parts.

All that remains is to put down the overall dimensions. It is recommended to distribute all sizes evenly between types.

Photos of drawings on paper and PC