Technical Illustration Technique Simon Tipler, Canvas GFX Product Director December 15, 2018 In this white paper, you will learn: Why technical illustration is important How to approach your illustration What techniques you should consider What turns an OK illustration into a GREAT illustration Key outcomes: Technical illustration approaches and techniques Determining your audience Best tools for the job Cosmetic considerations for all illustrations Table of Contents Why is Technical Illustration important? .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Audiences ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Approach ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Simplified or Realistic .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Techniques: Drawing, Exploded, Cut-Away, Ghosting ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Drawing .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Exploded View ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Cut-Away ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Ghosting ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Vector or Raster ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Tools ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Annotations ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Markup ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Magnification Lens ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Dimensions .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Esthetics........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12 Color .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Fonts ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Alignment ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 References .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 © 2018 Canvas GFX, Ltd. All rights reserved. This document is for informational purposes only. CANVAS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS OUTLINE. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Page 1 Why is Technical Illustration Important? Technical illustration is used for visualizing the nature of technical relationships by simplifying a complex subject matter. From user manuals needed for consumers to assemble their new IKEA furniture to detailed assembly instructions for aircraft, conveying complex information visually and as quickly as possible is very important. Great illustrators typically have detailed knowledge of the subject and the information that needs to be effectively relayed to the audience. These illustrators need to weigh detail against simplicity depending on the presumed previous knowledge of the audience. Technical illustration turns complexity into simplicity. Audiences There are three types of audiences for a technical illustration. It’s best to know who will be viewing your illustration prior to determining the visualization approach and layout. 1. General information for unfamiliar and untechnical audiences, with key information presented visually. A picture is worth a thousand words. 2. Technicians familiar with the subject matter needing the necessary details to perform work or functions. This audience does not need to know every single detail, but certainly needs more detail than just the overview. 3. Experts in the field, but unfamiliar with the specific mechanical item. Details are required as these experts will have questions based on experience. Don’t waste visualizations on unnecessary overviews – focus on the key details and use the expected language/jargon. Page 1 Approach Simplified or Realistic When creating your illustration, you’ll need to determine what to visually include. You’ll also want to consider what you want to purposefully exclude. Perhaps there’s a way to remove or adjust some aspects of the subject to make the intention easier to understand. For example, you don’t need a physics background to understand how a microwave works, and you certainly don’t need step-by-step instructions to set the clock when you’re about to assemble the microwave power supply. Consider the New York subway lines, which have an interesting history between esthetic simplicity and realistic accuracy. The audience (people traveling by subway in New York) would be interested in getting around, but are they interested in traveling between stations or traveling to destinations on a realistic map? Interestingly, tourists may want to get to destinations, therefore need the map to be realistic, whereas locals, familiar with the geography, may just be more interested in where connections between stations are made. Simplified - Unrealistic Moderate Complexity & Realism Complex - Realistic Simplify is much as you can, but don’t eliminate the necessary detail required by your audience. Page 2 Techniques: Drawing, Exploded View, Cut-Aways, Ghosting Technical illustrations generally need to describe and explain subjects to a nontechnical audience. Therefore, the visual image should be accurate in terms of dimensions and proportions, and should provide "an overall impression of what an object is or does, to enhance the viewer’s interest and understanding"i. Most technical illustrations fall into four categories: Drawing – show the exterior of an object Exploded View – show how parts fit together Cut-Aways – show the internal workings Ghosting (or “see-throughs”) – show the internal workings Page 3 Drawing A drawing is a simplified illustration of an object’s exterior view from the author’s chosen perspective view. These are used to represent “what” the object is visually, and typically are made of lines, basic shapes, and simple colors (if any). Certainly prior to the ability to take a photo of the implemented object, a drawing is an efficient way to quickly depict the final product and discuss key