Understanding sectional drawings - archisoup | Architecture resources and guides (2023)

Of the many views in a series of architectural plans, very few come close to being a sectional drawing. Weatherblueprints of the floor, Elevations and perspectives receive more attention. Sections play an important role in telling the complete story of a building.

Without them we would not be able to see andcommunicatehow the spaces and volumes of a building connect and come together. In this article, we'll cover all the basics of drawing sections, as well as tips and resources to improve your presentation.

What is a cutout drawing?

In short, a sectional drawing is a view that represents a vertical plane cut through part of the design. These elevations are typically represented by labeled section lines and identifiers on project floor plans, which show the location of the section plane and the direction of elevation.

We provide a selection of these labels and complete example labels in our AutoCAD modelhere.

The sections can beorthographyViews where the drawing is shown parallel and in two dimensions, or perspective views with three-dimensional depth.

What is your job?

Sectional drawings help you better understand the interior parts of a building and show many important elements that would not otherwise be visible in other views.

They can show intricate details in different places.Scaleenrichgraphicswith additional information and visual cues.

Customers look at the sections to see the relationship and compartments of the interiors. Consultants review sections to help with the precise design of technical components, and builders refer to sections throughout the process.buildingto ensure that everything is built as planned.

Because they are important?

A clear set of sectional drawings is essential for those involved to understand the inner workings of a building. They play a key role in connecting elevation information and exterior elevations with floor plans and interior elevations.

some of the mostsophisticated buildingsthey are best characterized today by their cuts, as their true forms are often not visible on the external facades. Complex and dynamic layered designs use creative sectional drawings to illustrate ideas for your full enjoyment.

What should a cut show?

Sections can show the relationship between floors, walls, windows, ceilings, roofs, and other elements that cross the section plane. You can also show how items like glass,Concrete, and cladding are assembled together with joints, insulation, and connection details.

An effective section is one that illustrates information that is missing from other views. For example, it can be difficult to see the thickness of the floor slab in an elevation or the voids in a floor plan, but a sectional drawing can easily show both.

Contour lines in place are also a good indication of sloping terrain, but it can be tiring to imagine the slope of a section without visual guidance.

How to read a section

Imagine a slice of cake showing the layers of frosting and filling from the bottom to the decorative elements on top. A section drawing is very similar, with the levels and stories shown in their entirety.

Regardless of whether it is a complete section of a building or a small detail of carpentry, the principle remains the same.

In a typical section of a building, you are likely to see a combination of floors, structural elements, and architectural features. The first step in reading is to find the cut line on the floor plans. There you can use the location of the section in the building as a guide.

After analyzing the areas intersected by the section line, you can query the views to understand which elements of the external view are displayed. After that, much of the section should make sense and you'll have a fair idea of ​​the rooms and features you're looking at.

Section types and section styles

Detail -A detail drawing refers to any isolated or enlarged view of a specific part or item that shows an additional level of detail and provides more complete descriptions of the components it contains.

A details section is often used to show how the small parts are put together. These tend to be distinguished by numerous letters and labels, and a variety of line styles and hatch patterns to distinguish materials and masses.

Complete -Full (or typical) sections have a section line that runs completely through the building or object. They are useful for getting a complete view of the interior of a structure. These sections show a complete section of a building from top to bottom to provide an overview of the building envelope and spaces in between.

forever -A half slice, as the name suggests, is a view in which only half of the object has been sliced, while the other half is displayed as a view. This means that only a quarter of the object is removed while the rest remains intact.

When depicted on a floor plan, half sections have a section line that typically rotates 90 degrees from the center point, creating an opening that allows you to see the interior and exterior in one view.

Side? place -Terrain sections are a way of traversing the entire terrain along with terrain and terrain elements to show the macro relationship of all structures under development. This is more suitable for complexes that include several buildings grouped together.

You will also see many sections of construction sites for projects on steep slopes or along the beach. These views provide a useful visual guide for surveying and land classification, such as: B. Excavation work and underground spaces.

Along -A longitudinal section is cut along the longitudinal axis of a frame. It is a complete longitudinal section showing the structure in its entirety from top to bottom. Longitudinal sections are common in architectural projects as one of the main requirements for permits and works.

Displacement -An offset cut is a cutting plane that does not intersect in a straight line. Instead, the line has many variations as it crosses the frame to include different objects in the same view. The offsets are usually perpendicular to show different depths in the section while maintaining the same plane of view.

perspective -Perspective cuts are mainly used for presentation purposes to illustrate ideas and convey the design to the client. These section views show 3D depth beyond the section plane to show things like space, surfaces, furniture, people, and light.

Broke -A broken section is a reference view that has one or more parts omitted to show only essential aspects of the drawing. Rather than isolating an area as a whole, split sections use breaklines to represent continuations and omissions.

This technique is ideal for detailed views to reduce the overall size without affecting the content and information of the drawing. Walls and floors are commonly divided by fault lines due to their length and continuity.

Little bit -Poche is a sectional display style in which section components are filled, hatched, or shaded to distinguish sectioned elements from projected surfaces. In one section, poche is most commonly used for floors, walls, and beams. Different shading patterns and opacities can be used to help distinguish different materials, structural elements, and surfaces.

in the shade -Shadow is used as a section style to create subtle light and dark gradients on the interior walls of a section. This technique can be used to more effectively explain how natural and artificial light sources illuminate the interior of a building.

line -A line drawing consists of pure lines without color, shading, or shadows. Line breaks can make drawings easier to scale in place because bare lines are more visible than solid colors or gradient shadows. Technical design drawings are generally created as line drawings to contain as much information as possible.

león -Bevel cuts are made by cutting non-perpendicular planes in the building or object. These cutting lines are drawn diagonally or not along the horizontal or vertical planes of the design. Bevel cuts are often used for circular or radial designs to cover areas that are not adequately represented by cross and longitudinal cuts.

How to draw a cut

There are different approaches to creating sectional drawings depending on the materials and programs you work with, but the general process remains the same. The following steps describe the basics of creating a section from scratch and apply to both manual and digital drawings.

cut cut -The first step is to decide where to make the cut. This includes the location of the section line, the direction of the view, the rooms to be sectioned, and other important elements that you want to include in the drawing. Make sure the cut line is placed evenly on all floor plans and elevations where applicable.

Reference all relevant views:Reference the affected views to create the outline of the building and prepare the drawing with the proper measurements and scales.

Draw the internal components -Add interior walls, windows, doors, ceilings, hardware, and accessories as needed. It is advisable to collate views regularly to ensure accuracy and correctness.

Add the required graphics:Once the main components are drawn, you can add hatch patterns to cut walls, dirt, gravel, wood grain, surfaces, and insulation.

Add annotations –Annotations are a fundamental part of architecture sections. This is where you add important information with tags, legends, tags, and dimensions.

Refine Presentation -Regardless of whether the section is for layout or presentation purposes, it is always important to keep it clear and concise to ensure readability. For technical drawings, this might mean cleaning up line work and adjusting fonts for optimal readability. For the presentation, this can include adding colors and other images to make it easier to understand.

Improve your drawing skills with a course:To learn more about creating sectional drawings, here are some helpful courses that will walk you through with detailed instructions and demos:

• Introduction to drawing and annotation in AutoCAD
• Sections for architectural sketches
• Architectural Photoshop section
• Create an architectural plan, section, and elevation with Autodesktop AutoCAD
• 3 things that will improve your sections in architecture

How to improve your sectional drawings

weight lines

Lineweights are different thicknesses for displaying lines. They can be used to represent distance, foreground and background, importance, and detail.

In a section, important architectural elements can be shown with thick lines, while smaller details, such as wall patterns and vegetation, can be shown with thin lines. Intermediate elements such as doors and windows can be shown with intermediate lines.

Line weights help add hierarchy and character, and in views like detail sections, can provide clear differentiation between different parts and materials.

textures

Textures can add a touch of realism to sectional drawings. They can be used on things like surfaces, skies, paths, grass, and materials to make the look more realistic and attractive.

Structured sections are also easier to understand as they relate directly to the material sheet without having to read finish labels or material descriptions.

light shade

Highlights and shadows can be added to sections to add depth and contrast between spaces. They can also help convey the different atmospheres from one room to another.

Especially in designs with single openings, cross lighting and shadows can illustrate how windows, skylights, and voids bring light inside.

parts

partsYou can bring sections to life with an entourage of people, plants, animals, and cars. These images can be used to fill in the gaps and make them more like the finished product. They can also be used to illustrate how spaces evolve in specific situations such as events, meetings, and special occasions.

furniture

The furniture in a room gives a better idea of ​​its size and scale. This can make the area more attractive and informative, and users can imagine their own furniture and lifestyle to match the design.

perspective

Perspective can be added to a section view to show depth and interiors. A perspective section can be designed, modeled, or rendered.

This type of sections is preferred for presentations as it draws more lines inwards and exposes more interior walls and ceilings, giving the impression of a truly sectioned building.

frequent questions

What is cut in the technical drawing?

Slicing is the act of opening an object to show its internal configuration. It is made to look at an object through strategic section plans that contain important information for design or manufacturing.

Imaginary slices show internal features for reference during implementation.

What is the difference between an elevation and a section?

Elevations and sections show the vertical nature of a project, but the difference is that elevations are a view of the exterior façade, while sections are a section showing the interior.

For a building to be constructed, elevation and section are needed to effectively communicate the design and structure as a whole.

What is the difference between a section and a detail?

A section refers to any drawing that represents a vertical sectional view of an object or building, while a detail drawing shows a specific area with additional engineering levels, labels, annotations, and information.

A detail drawing can be a floor plan, elevation, section, or any other type of view as long as it shows an enlarged or more descriptive aspect of a specific part or area.

What does section AA mean?

The terms "AA cut" refer to the first cut and the view of the cut line. Represented on the drawing by an annotation (usually a circular bubble) at the end of the section line or above a drawing title box, the designation can be AA, A, A1, or other formats depending on industry standards and the business.

Section names follow an alphabetical or numerical order (BB, CC, DD, etc.) or both to indicate the next section views for that project. They are also normally correlated to the sheet number and their order of appearance on the sheet.

What is a cross section in the drawing?

A cross section is a view created by cutting the shortest side of the building. The section plane is perpendicular to a profile and is used to represent the interior of a building in the same way. For buildings, objects, and square assemblies, a cross section can mean any section cut horizontally or vertically showing the interior.

Why should I learn sectional drawing?

You may be wondering why you need to learn how to draw sections when 3D modeling and BIM programs can create sections with just a few clicks. Is knowing how to draw sections still useful and is it an efficient use of your time?

The fact is that drawing skills are a prerequisite for more complicated forms of architectural production. With a solid foundation of design principles, you can improve your overall presentation, identify missing graphic elements, annotate and render elements correctly, and create polished sections in any medium.

In sum

Architectural design is a holistic process and the interior of a building is just as important as the exterior. Sectional drawings provide a unique view of the building and provide essential information about the rooms and structure.

They can be used for persuasive presentations or detailed construction drawings and serve as a valuable addition to all kinds of projects.