mechanical design

[RETEP]

hey everyone,
i have been working on my anatomy skills for awhile now, and neglecting my mechanical design skills. i have a major hard time drawing mechanical objects (such as mechs/robots and cars), i was wondering if some of you could point me in the right direction to some tutorials or some tips, or anything you can think of will help. i am also interested in using markers to render my drawings, which kind of markers are best for this? some tuts and tips would be great.
-thanks

[Liquid Dragon]

Welcome to the club :D I also have a lack of tech art design skill but I am working on it now.What I suggest to you though is this: Keep working on your figure design. People who are very good at tech design spend most of their artistic skill learning techincal art. You can learn tech art too but it will seem alot more difficult then someone who spends all their time doing it and vise versa. Most or all for that matter is mostly based on your lining up skills and perspective veiws. Your main tool friend will be a ruler since tech design is based strictly on using them. Unless your good enough to draw straight lines...

I was beginning to learn tech art but then realised that I should perfect my skills in figure design. I will learn more about tech after I start attending Platt.

[MrToasty]

look at pictures in car manuels--the line work is perfect...rulers are a must!

[Jin]

Hi,

For technical art done "on the board" (rather than on the computer), here are some basic tools you'll need:

Full set of ellipse templates (including isometric but not limited to isometric).

30/60 degree triangle, not too small

45 degree triangle, not too small

Mechanical pencil and plenty of extra lead

Clic Eraser (eraser in a pencil like holder) - white, soft, and doesn't mar the paper surface when you erase

Drafting table, full sized or portable

At minimum, a T-square, preferably a parallel rule (since T-squares "wobble" - Parallel rule attaches to the drafting table and remains parallel to the top and bottom edges of the table while you slide it up and down. This helps you keep horizontal lines parallel, vertical lines parallel when you draw them against a triangle, and angled lines parallel when you draw them against a triangle.

Set up a grid on a large piece of paper or vellum. To make sure it will show through your paper, ink the grid using a fairly fat pen, or draw it with a dark pencil, then spray with fixative (outdoors, it's toxic) so the graphite won't dirty the back of your drawing paper. Tape down the grid on your table, then tape your drawing paper down on top of the grid. You can set up several grids, depending on the perspective you'll be using.

If using a grid is not feasable, a trick for setting vanishing points is to place two push-pins on either side of the drafting table (these are the vanishing points for two point perspective). Then using a long straight edge that will reach the push pins, line it up at one of the push pins and pivot it (rotate it) to the appropriate angle, then draw your line against the straight edge.

Good drafting lamp or other light directed at your work, one that can easily be repositioned as you draw on different areas of the paper.

Hope I didn't forget anything.


Good luck!

[LEN]

jin, you forgot one of my favorite tools - the light table
this helps you utilize the underlay alot better


Also mechanical design is as much about knowing how things work and how things are put together as it is about drawing. Study moltors and construction equipment also read about how things are manufactured. There are several great books on the subject out there.

I think ID style drawing sometimes gets a bad rap from traditionalists ( who also some times get a bad rap from the technical side) but it's an art of its own that I personlly really enjoy.


Shamless spam:

check out my thread in the work in progress section,

I'm still learning but right now I pretty much use templates and prismacolor markers, though right now at work I'm designing construction equipment and I use AD markers (much more juicy) Don't be afraid to experiment and have fun.

[Jin]

LEN,

Yep, a light table would be ideal for working over a grid or for tracing various elements.

[RETEP]

hey,
thanks for all the replies, i have have a basic idea of where to start.

jin-thanks for the list of tools and stuff, luckily i have alot of it already. really helps me see what i need to get.

later

[Espezito]

As far as markers go, people use a variety of brands here at CCS, it's mostly a matter of preference. Here's a list of the types of markers used here:

Copic: Marker from Japan, used by a lot of illustrators. Has a really nice hard tip... One side is broad and the other is fine, but there are many different types of these markers. They are expensive, running at 5 dollors per marker here. But they are refillable and good quality.

Prisma: The most used brand, prismas are good because their color matchs everything else prismacolor makes. Thus a lot of Trans kids here use them because the marker works great with soft pastel and pencil.

Letraset Tria: These are good markers as well, they have three tips; a broad one, and a fine point as well as a extra fine point that clicks over that. They're a little cheaper than the copics, but more expensive than the prismas.

Chartpak AD: These markers are my favorite because they have a rather soft tip for brush-like work. They are also really juicy (but dont use these on vellum as they run all over!). They are really cheap at about 2 dollors a marker and they last a pretty long time. They only have one broad tip, but because it is nice and soft you can do various things with it.

As far a paper goes, I use (old)vincent vellum, or letraset marker paper. The marker paper is nice and smooth and has a bright white color :)

A lot of the technical guys here can't draw the figure at all... it's good to do both and be versitile :)

[Sniper18]

If you are having a hard time drawing long straight lines etc., then a small ruler ( six inches by 1/2 inch ) can really help out. I have a stainless steel ruler about this size that I only use when all else fails. I hate using rulers but it works great. If you are drawing robots, cyborgs, etc. then concentrate on smaller polygons and shapes to use as body segments. This can make them appear more mechanical and saves trouble of matching the angles of longer lines. Also, the more small details you put into mechanical objects, the better they look, unless you are going for more streamlined (advanced?) looking creations. It's all about how you want it to be. Look at examples (Nathan Campbell, Mechwarrior, Battletech) to get ideas, but be sure to create your own style. The thing I love about mechs and robots is that there are so many ways to draw them, it is very easy to create your own trademark designs.

[Espezito]

On the subject of rulers, sweeps are also a good tool for getting good curved lines... There are a lot of different sweeps out there, and you can usually get a few good ones in a set at a art store. A french curve is also good for making nice lines :)

[RETEP]

thanks

Espezito- thanks for the tips on the markers, i wasnt sure what to get.