Hand Drafting: Dimensions in a Floor Plan

Summary

In this instructional video, Jaya reviews a class on architectural drafting, focusing on dimensioning techniques. She demonstrates how to add dimensions to a floor plan without touching the drawing itself, using extension lines and tick marks. Jaya emphasizes the importance of clear, non-confusing dimensions, showing how to measure and mark distances accurately. She also discusses the use of vellum for finished drawings and the practical application of these skills in construction, expressing enthusiasm for the drafting and building process.

Takeaways

• 📏 The instructor, Jaya, demonstrates how to add dimensions to a floor plan drawing, emphasizing the importance of accuracy and clarity.
• 📱 Jaya mentions the limitations of drawing on a phone, suggesting that a computer or a more precise tool is preferable for detailed work.
• 🔍 To avoid confusion, dimensions should be placed separately from the main drawing, using extension lines and tick marks to indicate specific points.
• 📐 Jaya uses a ruler to measure and mark dimensions, starting with an 1/8-inch tick mark and then proceeding to 1/2-inch and 3/8-inch marks for organization.
• ✏️ The instructor advises against erasing unnecessary dimension lines and instead suggests extending them to maintain clarity and accuracy.
• 🏠 Jaya discusses the process of dimensioning the outside of a building, highlighting the need for overall dimensions on each side unless they are identical.
• 🪟 For window dimensions, Jaya uses a quarter-inch scale, which equates to one foot, to measure and mark the center of the window openings.
• 📝 The text for dimensions should be placed above the dimension line without touching it, with other details centered for a clean presentation.
• 🛠️ Jaya explains the practical application of these dimensions on a job site, where the center of the window opening is crucial for framing and installation.
• 📈 The floor plan serves as a base for further drafting projects, including lighting and elevation studies, indicating a comprehensive approach to architectural design.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is teaching the process of adding dimensions to a floor plan in a drafting project.

Why does the instructor move the dimensions away from the drawing?

The instructor moves the dimensions away from the drawing so that they are viewed as separate from the actual drawing itself, ensuring that the extension lines do not touch the drawing.

What is the purpose of tick marks in the dimensioning process?

Tick marks indicate where two lines cross because when dimensioning, the point being dimensioned is defined by two lines that intersect, and the tick marks note where that point is.

How does the instructor measure the distance for the first tick mark?

The instructor uses a one-inch ruler to measure away from the outside edge of the drawing and makes a tick mark at 1/8 of an inch.

Why does the instructor choose to start dimensioning from the outside edges?

Starting from the outside edges helps the instructor get centered visually and ensures that the overall dimensions are placed accurately before moving on to more detailed dimensions.

What is the significance of not repeating dimensions?

Not repeating dimensions is significant because it avoids confusion and ensures clarity in the drawing. However, when there are broken dimensions, the overall dimension is always included.

Why does the instructor turn the drawing upside down during the video?

The instructor turns the drawing upside down to better access and measure certain dimensions without being obstructed by the scale or other objects.

What is the purpose of measuring the center of the window in the floor plan?

Measuring the center of the window is to provide a reference point for the framing during construction, allowing for flexibility in window types and sizes.

What does the instructor mean by 'rough drawing' and 'finished drawing'?

A 'rough drawing' is a preliminary version of the floor plan used for initial drafting, while a 'finished drawing' is a more detailed and polished version, often done on vellum, suitable for construction.

What is the instructor's attitude towards the drafting and building process?

The instructor expresses excitement and enthusiasm for drafting, building, and finishes, indicating a passion for the subject and the process.

Outlines

00:00

📏 Introduction to Dimensioning in Architectural Drawing

Jaya introduces a review from a class on architectural drawing, focusing on the process of adding dimensions to a floor plan. She demonstrates how to create extension lines and dimension lines separate from the drawing to avoid confusion. Jaya explains the importance of marking points where lines cross to indicate specific measurements and emphasizes the use of a scale to ensure accuracy. She uses a one-inch ruler to measure and mark dimensions, starting with an 1/8-inch tick mark and then a 1/2-inch mark for the first dimension line. Jaya shows how to dimension the outside of the building and discusses the concept of not repeating dimensions unless necessary for clarity. She also mentions the use of vellum for finished drawings and expresses excitement about the drafting and architectural design project.

05:01

🏠 Detailed Dimensioning for a Building's Floor Plan

In the second paragraph, Jaya continues with the dimensioning process, focusing on the interior of the building. She measures and marks the center of a window, explaining the use of a quarter-inch scale to represent feet. Jaya demonstrates how to dimension to the center of window openings and the end of walls, emphasizing the importance of balance in the drawing. She corrects her initial overestimation of needed dimension lines and adjusts her approach accordingly. Jaya also discusses the practical application of these measurements on a job site, explaining how they help with window framing and installation. She concludes by expressing her passion for building and framing and encourages students to look forward to learning more about drafting and architectural design.

Keywords

💡Floor Plan

A floor plan is a two-dimensional representation of a building or room, showing the arrangement of walls, doors, windows, and other features. In the video, the floor plan is the primary object of study, with the instructor adding dimensions to it. The floor plan is essential for understanding architectural design and is the base for further drafting projects.

💡Dimensions

Dimensions in drafting refer to the measurements that define the size and position of elements within a drawing. The script describes how to add dimensions to a floor plan, ensuring they are separate from the drawing itself to avoid confusion. The instructor demonstrates adding dimensions such as overall building size and window placements, which are crucial for construction and design accuracy.

💡Extension Lines

Extension lines are lines drawn from the object being dimensioned to a point where the dimension line can be placed. They serve as a boundary for dimension lines and help in clearly indicating the points being measured. In the script, the instructor emphasizes not touching the drawing with extension lines, which is a drafting convention to keep the drawing neat and the dimensions clear.

💡Tick Marks

Tick marks are small marks made along extension lines to indicate where two lines cross, defining a point of measurement. The instructor in the video uses tick marks to denote the points where the dimension lines intersect, which is essential for accurately conveying the measurements in the floor plan.

💡Scale

Scale in drafting is the ratio of a measurement on the drawing to the actual measurement in reality. The script mentions using a scale to measure distances for dimensions, such as using an inch ruler to represent a certain distance on the drawing. Understanding and applying scale correctly is fundamental to drafting as it ensures that the drawing accurately represents the real-world space.

💡Vellum

Vellum is a type of paper used in drafting for creating high-quality, detailed drawings. The instructor mentions that finished drawings of the floor plan would be done on vellum, indicating a higher level of precision and professionalism required for final presentations in architectural design.

💡Rough Drawing

A rough drawing is a preliminary sketch that captures the basic layout and ideas without the need for fine details. The video script refers to the current state of the floor plan as a rough drawing, suggesting that it is a work in progress and will be refined into a more detailed and accurate representation.

💡Architectural Design

Architectural design involves the process of creating aesthetically pleasing and functional buildings. The video's theme revolves around teaching architectural design through the creation of a floor plan, with the instructor guiding students through the drafting process to understand the fundamentals of building design.

💡Elevation

Elevation in architecture refers to a type of drawing that represents a view of a building from one of its sides. The script mentions that students will learn to create elevations, which are essential for visualizing and planning the exterior appearance of a structure.

💡Window Openings

Window openings are the spaces in a building's structure designed to accommodate windows. The instructor discusses dimensioning to the center of the window openings, which is important for construction as it allows for flexibility in window sizes and types. This approach ensures that the framing can be adjusted to fit any window according to its specifications.

💡Construction

Construction involves the actual building process, where the architectural design is physically realized. The video script alludes to construction when discussing how window openings are measured and framed on a job site. Understanding construction methods and requirements is integral to creating accurate and practical architectural designs.

Highlights

Introduction to adding dimensions to a floor plan drawing

Demonstration of how to avoid touching the drawing with extension lines

Explanation of the purpose of tick marks in dimensioning

Guidelines for creating extension lines and dimension lines

Technique for measuring and marking dimensions using a ruler

Importance of starting dimensioning from the outside edges

Principle of not repeating dimensions and when to make exceptions

Process of dimensioning both sides of a drawing for accuracy

How to measure and dimension window openings using a quarter-inch scale

Adjusting dimension lines for clarity and avoiding confusion

Technique for placing dimension text without touching the dimension line

Discussion on the importance of centering window dimensions for framing

Insight into the practical application of dimensions on a job site

Overview of the drafting project's progression from base drawing to finished drawings

Enthusiasm for the drafting and architectural design learning process

Anticipation for future lessons on lighting and elevation in architectural design

Encouragement for students to be excited about the learning journey

Reminder about the next class meeting time

Transcripts

hi there it's jaya just coming in to

give you a short little

review from our class the other day

i've used a drawing from my computer

it's the floor plan that we're working

on

and i went in and added dimensions the

way

you will be adding dimensions when you

get started

so i've started and i've done some of

the layout and then i thought

i would include you in the rest of the

layout

however i can't draw in all my my phone

which is my camera at the same time

so i'm going to kind of twist it up

let's see i can get this ended

i'm going to twist it and i'm going to

work over here

now i think i could even move the phone

so that is even more towards the center

okay

just to show you how this was uh laid

out

um what we want to do is move our first

dimensions

away from the drawing so that they

are viewed as

separate from the actual drawing itself

so

we don't touch the drawing with our

extension lines

am i outside the drawing yep i am okay

so you can see here we don't touch

the drawing with our extension lines

this is an extension line it extends

from the drawing

and it becomes the boundary

for your dimension line and these tick

marks

that you make free hand by the way not

with your

triangle those indicate where the two

lines

cross because whenever we're

dimensioning something

we are dimensioning to a point

a single point and that point is defined

by two lines that cross each other and

basically we're just noting where that

point is and we're giving you a number

to correspond with that point in space

so what i did was i started by taking my

scale

using my one just my regular one inch

ruler end of my scale

and i measured away from the outside

edge of the drawing

1 8 of an inch

so 1 8 of an inch i made a tick mark

where are my tick marks

there they are you can see them which is

not really

recommended but i can see mine so 1 8 of

an inch

down there then i went to one half of an

inch you want to kind of bring

the first group of dimensions away from

the drawing

so we go with a half an inch there and

then we

measure out 3 8

of an inch after that

and on and on now i did four but it ends

up that i'm really only needing

three dimen lines of dimension so i can

erase one of these so that i'm not

confused by it

i i could just not use it but i don't

want to confuse anyone so there that's

what i need

and like i i usually

like to start on the outside

edges putting in that first overall

dimension it just helps me get

centered visually because a lot of times

like i know where that line's going

because i've already marked the distance

so i can put in a good

line that means i can press hard on it

put in a good solid

line there and right here we're doing

the outside of the building again

and i've already created my boundaries

oops

there so now i have my outside dimension

line

for my overall dimension on this side of

the drawing

now we say never to repeat dimensions

but when you have

broken dimensions underneath a dimension

line you

always put your overall dimension so

i will always put two dimensions on each

side

unless the two sides are exactly the

same

so i'm just going to come in a little

bit what i'm doing is actually coming in

about that eighth of an inch

but i'm eyeballing it and i can put in

my

dimension line there see how they cross

at the corners

that's what you need them to do so now i

can use this lower line

as a guideline

for my text and i can just put

an eighth of a little dot there i do not

have my

lettering guide so i'm having to measure

all of this out

by hand but that that's where this would

go and this

is also the same as on the other side

and the overall dimension is 24

feet 0 inches

so i'm going to pull back the camera

[Music]

and come down a little bit and you can

see so

we have to dimension both sides of the

drawing

and now i'm going to further dimension

this side by going to

mark off the center of this window oops

over here i'm going to measure it and

quarter inch scale because this is

quarter inch scale equals a foot now i

can't move my scale up further again i'm

blocked

but i but when you're in quarter inch

scale

it becomes easier to uh

it's still blocked so i am going to turn

this upside down

i lied yeah

i got to get in there come on look i'm

moving my whole table now

hey girl's got to do what a girl's got

to do to get these

this measure so now let's get this

window measured miss rose

all right three feet so half of that

is going to be 18 inches which is one

foot six inches or one and a half feet

in quarter inch scale

and how do i know that i just do so i'm

doing this this

is to the center line so this is the

first line of

dimensioning because i'm going to the

window opening

and then i'm going to the next window

opening

and then i am going to

the end of the wall so in theory

i did not need three lines of dimensions

i really only needed

two and since i want it to stay balanced

i'm going to come back in here

you might see the top of my head right

now but i'm going to come back in

and extend that line

instead of erasing everything i can do

that easier than

erasing and then i know that my

coming down below that'll be the bottom

of my

guideline for my text coming down about

an eighth of an inch

and that's those are my dimensions now

i will not be using this first one

or the second one so you can see that

after all these years i still have to

sit and figure it out

and that's part of the reason why when

we will be calling your drawing when

you're finished with it it's actually a

rough drawing

if we wanted it to be a finished drawing

and we will be doing finished drawings

of this floor plan

we would be doing that on a sheet of

paper called vellum

and we will get there this is going to

be our base drawing

for our drafting project then our

lighting project

and then our elevation so we're going to

learn

everything everything there is to know

about drafting and

architectural design and building

a very simple structure and i'm pretty

excited about it so i hope you are

too um yes i would come back over here

then and i would add my

eighth of an inch and that with my

eraser because that would be

not the smartest move okay i'm gonna

pick up my correct pencil

and i'm gonna draw myself a few little

guidelines here so you see if you turn

your head to the left

this is your dimension line and your

dimension

text sits above that line but

doesn't touch that line you get my drift

and then everything else goes to the

center

and as i mentioned before different

window manufacturers different window

sizes different window types

will have and require different window

openings so rather than tell people what

this

opening should be we tell them where the

center of the window is

so that when they're laying out

the framing they can know where the

center lands and it really doesn't

matter whose window

is delivered to them because once they

find

what the rough opening of the window is

they can block it in

for that installation of that window and

that's

what happens on a job site and i hope

that you get to see that soon

i'm excited uh i love

i love framing i love building i love

finishes so

you will too i just know you probably

already do okay so

that's that and i'll see you in class

tomorrow in the morning

9 30. see you then bye