Graphics

If your focus area is Graphics, Sections I and II of your written paper are about the graphics industries (drafting, design, architecture, engineering drawing and visual communication): 10 multiple-choice marks and about 15 marks of short answers (roughly six items, at least one worth 4–6 marks), 25 of the 40 written marks. They test Industry Related Manufacturing Technology for graphics: drawing standards and conventions, drawing methods, media, CAD and production technologies, WHS and presentation.

• Standards: AS 1100 (Technical drawing): line types, projection, sectioning, dimensioning, symbols, title blocks.
• Orthogonal drawing: first- and third-angle projection, auxiliary views, sectional views.
• Pictorial drawing: isometric, oblique (cabinet and cavalier), one-, two- and three-point perspective, exploded views.
• Rendering: tone, light source, shadow, texture and colour; media (pencils, markers, digital).
• Architectural drawing: site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections and details; scales.
• Developments and models: nets of prisms and cylinders; scale models; rapid prototyping.
• CAD and digital technologies: 2D and parametric 3D CAD, BIM, rendering and VR, 3D printing, laser cutting, file types.
• Presentation and WHS: paper sizes, printing and plotting, mounting and protecting work, workstation ergonomics and workshop hazards.

In the real exam some Section II items ask you to sketch or complete a drawing (for example a sectional view, an isometric with a hole, or a two-point perspective). On this platform those skills are tested by questions about the rules and by calculations, so practise the drawings themselves on paper as well.

AS 1100 gives Australian drafters a shared language, so a drawing is read the same way by designers, manufacturers and builders.

A title block records the drawing title and number, scale, projection symbol, units, drafter, date, revision, sheet size and often material. The projection symbol (a cone frustum in two views) shows whether first- or third-angle projection was used.

Orthogonal (orthographic) drawings show separate 2D views of an object, each looking straight at one face.

• Third angle (the method generally used in Australia): each view is placed on the side it is seen from. The top view goes above the front view, and the right side view goes to the right.
• First angle: the opposite. The top view goes below the front view, and the right side view goes to the left.
• Views are aligned so heights, widths and depths can be projected between them.
• An auxiliary view looks at right angles to an inclined face, showing its true shape.

Sectional views show interior detail clearly. An imaginary cutting plane passes through the object and the part in front is removed. Cut surfaces are hatched with thin lines, usually at 45°; adjacent parts are hatched in different directions. Shafts, bolts, nuts, pins, keys, ribs and webs cut along their length are not hatched. Hidden lines are usually left out of sections. Types include full, half, offset, part (broken-out) and revolved sections.

Dimensioning: millimetres without the unit on each dimension; each feature dimensioned once, in the view that shows it best; not to hidden lines; dimensions read from the bottom or right; ⌀ for diameter, R for radius. Use chain dimensioning (end to end) or datum (from one baseline) to suit the part.

The horizon line is the viewer's eye level; the vanishing points sit on it. A high horizon gives a bird's-eye view, a low horizon a worm's-eye view. Exploded views separate parts along their assembly axes to show how they fit together.

Rendering makes drawings look three-dimensional and shows materials. Choose one light source and keep it consistent: faces towards the light are lightest, faces turned away darkest, and cast shadows fall away from the light. Highlights and reflections show gloss; colour and texture (such as grain for timber or streaks for chrome) suggest materials.

A scale of 1 : n means 1 unit on the drawing represents n units in reality.

Worked example: a 3.6 m wall at 1 : 50 is 3600 ÷ 50 = 72 mm on the drawing. Areas scale by the square of the scale factor, so convert each length before multiplying.

Typical scales: details 1 : 5 or 1 : 10; floor plans and elevations 1 : 100 or 1 : 50; site plans 1 : 200 or 1 : 500. Enlarged mechanical details use scales such as 2 : 1.

A-series paper sheets have sides in the ratio 1 : √2. A0 is 1 m² (841 × 1189 mm); each size is half the one before: A1 594 × 841, A2 420 × 594, A3 297 × 420, A4 210 × 297 mm.

A set of house plans includes:

• Site plan: boundaries, building position and setbacks, north point, levels or contours, driveway, easements.
• Floor plan: a horizontal section about 1–1.5 m above the floor, showing walls, doors with swings, windows, rooms, fixtures and dimensions.
• Elevations: views of the outside walls, named by the direction each wall faces (the north elevation shows the north-facing wall).
• Sections and details: vertical cuts showing heights and construction layers; enlarged details of junctions.

A development (net) is the flat pattern that folds or rolls into a surface. A cylinder's curved surface unrolls into a rectangle πd long and as wide as the height; a prism's sides unfold as a row of rectangles. Add tabs for joining.

Worked example: a closed cylinder 50 mm in diameter and 70 mm tall.

Total ≈ 14 923 mm² ≈ 149 cm² (1 cm² = 100 mm²).

Scale models (card, foam board, balsa, laser-cut acrylic or MDF, or 3D printed) let clients and designers see form, proportion and context.

• 2D CAD replaces drafting by hand: accurate, easy to edit, layers, symbol libraries, reusable drawings, electronic sharing.
• Parametric 3D modelling: parts are built from features controlled by dimensions; changing a parameter rebuilds the model, and its drawings, assemblies and parts lists update automatically.
• BIM (building information modelling): one shared 3D model of a building in which each element carries information (materials, sizes, costs). The team can detect clashes, extract quantities and keep drawings consistent.
• Rendering and VR: photorealistic images and walkthroughs help clients understand designs, but cost time, hardware and training.
• Rapid prototyping: FDM extrudes melted thermoplastic filament (such as PLA) layer by layer; SLA cures liquid resin with UV light; SLS fuses powder with a laser. Laser cutters and CNC routers cut flat parts from vector files.
• File types: DWG/DXF (CAD), STL or 3MF (3D printing), SVG and vector PDF (cutting and print), JPEG/PNG (raster images). Laser cutters need vector paths.
• Colour for print: RGB for screens, CMYK for printing; about 300 ppi at final size for printed images. Large-format printers and plotters produce A1 and A0 sheets.

Presentation drawings are mounted on rigid board (foam core) and laminated or encapsulated for display; pencil and pastel work is sprayed with fixative in a ventilated space. Drawings are stored flat or rolled in tubes.

• Mixing up first- and third-angle layouts.
• Using chain lines for hidden detail, or hatching shafts and ribs cut lengthwise.
• Repeating dimensions in several views, or dimensioning to hidden lines.
• Drawing isometric receding lines at 45° (that is oblique) or circles as true circles on isometric faces.
• Confusing cabinet (half depth) and cavalier (full depth) oblique.
• Multiplying when you should divide (or the reverse) in scale questions, or forgetting to convert m to mm.
• Converting mm² to cm² by dividing by 10 instead of 100.
• Naming an elevation by the direction the viewer is looking instead of the direction the wall faces.

• Name the standard or convention precisely ('thin dashed line for hidden detail', 'third-angle projection').
• For a compare question, give a similarity and a difference and relate them to the purpose of the drawing.
• For explain questions about CAD or prototyping, say what the technology does and why it benefits the designer, client or manufacturer.
• In calculations, show the scale or formula, convert units first and give the unit asked for.
• When a drawing is asked for, use instruments or careful freehand with correct line types, and complete all detail (hole centre lines, ellipses aligned correctly).

• Industry Study (Section III): use graphics examples such as the shift from manual drafting to CAD and BIM, outsourcing of drafting work, freelance and remote work, AI-assisted design tools, copyright and moral rights in design, ergonomic hazards at workstations, and apprenticeships and diplomas in building design and drafting.
• Major Project: your folio's drawings, renders and prototypes are direct evidence of these skills.