MEE222: ENGINEERING DRAWING II

MAKING AN ISOMETRIC DRAWING FROM ORTHOGRAPHIC VIEWS

Isometric drawings are a type of pictorial drawings that show the three principal dimensions of an object
in a single view. The principal dimensions are the overall sizes for the object along the three
principal directions. Pictorial drawings consist of visible object faces and the features lying on the
faces. The internal features of the object are largely hidden from view. They tend to present images of
objects in a form that mimics what the human eye would see naturally. Pictorial drawings show
images that bear physical resemblance to the real or imagined object. Non-technical personnel can
interpret them because they are generally easy to understand. Pictorial drawings are excellent starting
point in visualization and design and are often used to supplement multi-view drawings. Hidden
lines are usually omitted in pictorial drawings, except where they aid clarity. An isometric drawing is one
of three types of axonometric drawings. It is created on the basis of parallel projection technique. The
other two types of axonometric drawings are dimetric and trimetric drawings. In isometric drawings, the
three principal axes make equal angles with the image plane.

Rectangular objects are easy to draw using box construction, which consists of imagining the object
enclosed in a rectangular box whose sides coincide with the main faces of the object. Sketching is a
quick way of visualizing and solving a drawing problem. It is an effective way of communicating with all
members of the design team. Circles can be sketched by constructing a square and locating the four
tangent points where the circle touches the square. Sketching is one of the most important skills for
accurately recording ideas. Isometric, oblique, and perspective are three methods used to create
pictorial sketches.

Why is visualize important?

Visualization is the ability to picture, in your mind, how a 3D part would look as a 2D orthographic
projection and visa-versa.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus
Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus
STEP by STEP: ISOMETRIC SKETCHING FROM AN OBJECT

Positioning the Object

To make an isometric sketch from an actual object, first hold the object in your hand and tilt it toward
you, as shown in the illustration. In this position the front corner will appear vertical. The two receding
bottom edges and those edges parallel to them should appear to be at about 30° with horizontal. The
steps for sketching the object follow.

STEPS
1. Sketch the enclosing box lightly, making AB vertical and AC and AD approximately 30° with
horizontal. These three lines are the isometric axes. Make AB, AC, and AD approximately
proportional in length to the actual corresponding edges on the object. Sketch the remaining lines
parallel to these three lines.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

2. Block in the recess and the projecting block.

3. Darken all final lines.

ILLUSTRATION 1
In fig.1, draw the isometric drawing from the given top and front views respectively.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

STEPS
i. Draw the three construction lines that represent the isometric axes.

ii. Draw a defining box. The sides of the box are equal to the maximum height, width, and depth
dimensions of the object.

iii. Draw the lines of the object that are parallel to the axes.

iv. Add the lines of the object that are not parallel to one of the axes.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

CIRCULAR FEATURES
Circular features of an object appear as ellipses on an isometric pictorial. Fig. 2, shows four-center
ellipses constructed on the three visible faces of a cube. Note that all the diagonals are horizontal or at
60° with horizontal. Realizing this makes it easier to draw the shapes.

Fig.2: Four-Center Ellipses

Approximate ellipses such as these, constructed from four arcs, are accurate enough for most isometric
drawings. The four-center method can be used only for ellipses in isometric planes.

STEP by STEP: DRAWING A FOUR-CENTER ELLIPSE

1. Draw or imagine a square enclosing the circle in the multi-view drawing. Draw the isometric view of
the square (an equilateral parallelogram with sides equal to the diameter of the circle).

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

2. Mark the midpoint of each line and draw a perpendicular line from each.

3. Draw the two large arcs, with radius R, from the intersections of the perpendiculars in the two
closest corners of the parallelogram.

4. Draw the two small arcs, with radius r, from the intersections of the perpendiculars within the
parallelogram, to complete the ellipse.

TIP

Here is a useful rule. The major axis of the ellipse is always at right angles to the centerline of the
cylinder, and the minor axis is at right angles to the major axis and coincides with the centerline.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus
Illustration 2

Step 1) Draw the linear features of the object using the procedure previously described.

Step 2) Draw a box whose diagonals meet at the center of the circle and the length of the sides are
equal to the circle’s diameter.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

Step 3) Draw an ellipse in the box whose major axis is aligned with the long diagonal of the box. The
ellipses touch the box at the midpoint of its sides.

Illustration 3
In fig.3, draw the isometric drawing from the given top and front views respectively, obtained from third
angle method.

Fig. 3

STEPS
1. Lightly draw the overall dimensions of the box.

2. Draw the irregular features relative to the sides of the box.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

3. Darken the final lines.

Illustration 4
In fig.3, draw the isometric drawing from the given front and side views respectively, obtained from
third angle method .

Fig. 3

STEPS
1. Select axes along which to block in height, width, and depth dimensions.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

2. Locate main areas to be removed from the overall block. Lightly sketch along isometric axes to
define portion to be removed.

3. Lightly block in any remaining portions to be removed through the whole block.

4. Lightly block in features to be removed fom the remaining shape along isometric axes.

5. Darken final lines.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

Illustration 5
In fig.4, draw the isometric drawing from the given top and front views respectively, obtained from third
angle method.

Fig. 4

STEPS
1. Directly measure dimensions that are along isometric lines (in this case, 44 mm, 18 mm, and 22
mm).

2. Because the 54 mm dimension is not along an isometric axis, it cannot be used to locate point A.
Use trigonometry or draw a line parallel to the isometric axis to determine the distance to point A.
Because this dimension is parallel to an isometric axis, it can be transferred to the isometric.

3. The dimensions 24 mm and 9 mm are parallel to isometric lines and can be measured directly.

ANGLES IN ISOMETRIC
Angles project true size only when the plane containing the angle is parallel to the plane of projection.
An angle may project to appear larger or smaller than the true angle depending on its position. Because

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

the various surfaces of the object are usually inclined to the front plane of projection, they generally will
not be projected true size in an isometric drawing.
STEP by STEP: HOW TO DRAW ANGLES IN ISOMETRIC
The multi-view drawing at left shows three 60° angles. None of the three angles will be 60° in the
isometric drawing.

STEPS
1. Lightly draw an enclosing box using the given dimensions, except for dimension X, which is not
given.

2. To find dimension X, draw triangle BDA from the top view full size, as shown.

3. Transfer dimension X to the isometric to complete the enclosing box. Find dimension Y by a similar
method and then transfer it to the isometric.

4. Complete the isometric by locating point E by using dimension K, as shown. A regular protractor
cannot be used to measure angles in isometric drawings. Convert angular measurements to linear
measurements along isometric axis lines.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

HIDDEN LINES AND CENTERLINES
Hidden lines in a drawing represent the edges where surfaces meet but are not directly visible. Hidden
lines are omitted from pictorial drawings unless they are needed to make the drawing clear. Figure
5 shows a case in which hidden lines are needed because a projecting part cannot be clearly shown
without them. Sometimes it is better to include an isometric view from another direction than to try to
show hidden features with hidden lines.

Fig.5
Draw centerlines locating the center of a hole only if they are needed to indicate symmetry or for
dimensioning. In general, use centerlines sparingly in isometric drawings. If in doubt, leave them out, as
too many centerlines will look confusing.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

Supplementary illustrations

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus
Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus
Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus
EXERCISES
Draw the missing view and reproduce the isometric projection from the views.

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus
REFERENCES
1. “ Engineering Drawing and Graphics” by K Venugopal.
2. “ Engineering Drawing” by N D Bhatt and V M Panchal.
3. “ Engineering Graphics” by B Bhattacharyya.
4. “ Machine Drawing” by N Sidheswar and P Kannaiah.
5. “ Technical Drawing with Engineering Graphics” by Frederick E Giesecke and Ivan L Hill

Compiled by Engr. G. S. Linus