Sketching

You will need to do a lot of drawing as an engineer. You do not have to be good at drawing to be able to draw and design systems.

To get better—just practice. Take objects you already know, and try to draw them from different projections: front, side, top, and basic 3D.

Getting Started

Use Pencil

You must use pencil when sketching. Do not use pen. It it suggested you use a mechanical pencil, as they are light and easy to use for sketching.

Basic Shapes

Everything can be broken down into simple shapes - squares, rectangles, circles, arcs, and simple objects - cubes, prisms, cylinders. * Break everything down into simple shapes * Axles can be lines * Wheels can be short cylinders * Linkages can be rectangles/rectangular prisms * Gears as circles (definitely no teeth in sketches) * Motor > cylinder * Gearbox > cube * Use light pencil to give a base outline, then once you have the shape, go over with a firmer line * Avoid details until you've got the initial design down * Use software like TinkerCAD to help find your basic shapes and layout * Redraw constantly - you do not need to have a single perfect sketch, lots of sketches that show changes between versions instead of one sketch that you've erased and redrawn over and over.

What else?

• Label everything. Do not assume you'll remember what you've drawn!
• If something is moving, show movement with arrows
• If you have a scale you're working to, include measurements.
• Label your thinking - if you're considering or questioning a particular joint, component, or a different way to approach a particular linkage, write your question
  • Torque needed?
  • Pinch point?
  • Tension?

Line types

• Thick lines: outside edges
• Thin lines: details
• Dashes lines: hidden parts or moved component

Key points

• Use pencil
• Show overall form
• Include key components
• How sub-systems connect
• Show movement or energy flow
• Include annotations

Suggested Videos

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceK1tEGZals