Table of Contents
Engineering Drawings
Engineers did some of the most famous technical drawings, and this was because they had the particular skill to bring meticulously out a representational model of anything with the precision that it deserved. For engineers to come up with any physical structure where it being a new invention or something that exists, they first have to put is down on paper, and that involves having a representational drawing with physical components represented as symbols.
This is crucial is it helps the engineer to theoretical prove the viability of his project before they go ahead and do it practically. One of the most revolutionary inventions made was by the Wright brothers Orville and Wilbur, these two brothers had the very ambitious idea that they could take on the skies just like birds. They pioneered the aviation industry by creating airplanes that was during the early 1900s and the society then was a very skeptic group of persons who did not believe that anything manmade and heavier that air could fly. To come up with a successtul design, the brother had to fist come up with engineering drawing with very specific measurements and designs that would make them make correct calculation on how to develop the bouncy needed to help their airplanes fly (Jose12 ).
The drawings they made would graphically communicate to them on the requirements they have used and the ones that they need. Without the help of such graphical illustrations, it is almost sure that they might not have cracked the design of how to make an airplane buoyant in the air. In order to become and inventor, hand skill drawings are a critical skill that one has to master. Any designer should know that people in most cases want a real locking thing that is attractive to their eyes, and any good looking thing can only come out of very precise designs drawn by the hand. Any engineering inventions is mostly developed to solve a problem. For this reason, the device developed should be very clear on what it is doing and should not add more problem to the existing ones. Such kinds of perfections are mostly achieved by numerous trial of models that are initially hand drawn.
127 our experts are availableright now
When making of hand drawings by any inventor, this is where most of their calculations and measurements are done since it is at a small and manageable scale that they can use. But when an inventor lacks the hand drawing skil, they will not be able to make these measurements and calculations and thus end up with an inventions that has a lot of faults, hence making it not to be a useful invention and the inventor is assumed to be not a good creator. However, with the ever-changing technology, drawing is being done virtually using tools and special software’s running on computers. This might have made the work of hand drawing easier but still representational drawing of the final product will be printed out as it is still imperative to the development process where the engineer give the printout to the techniCians that then construct the representational drawing exactly as it is on paper (Jordan 67).
The best thing about having the hand skill of drawing is that, investors will be able to come up with the final representational faster in paper that when they would be doing it practically. Engineering inventions were made at very difficult time with very difficult condition where the odds were against the success of any project. It led to the proverbial saying of invention sketched on napkins. Most of the most fundamental inventions made in engineering were made over two hundred years ago, and one can only imagine the material they had to make due with to be able to make these significant achievements. One sure thing is that, the level of technological growth at that time was very small and in industries there was very little mechanization. To, for this reason, come up with a product one had to build it manually.
The quality of drawing materials, the paper and pens used was also destitute, yet the maximized the opportunities that they had to come up with the best designs and principles that are still in use even today. Comparing those times to what we have now, it is like having an invention sketched on a napkin. The talent with Da Vinci in art and engineering was many years ahead of his time, and this made him a great catch mostly for the wealthy families who appreciated his talent. They would contract him to make drawing of their loved ones and make portraits from these designs. One of the drawings that he never got to finish was of his king’s mistress, and he could not complete it as he had an affair with her.
The fame of his work had reached far and wide, and he took advantage of this to sell his ideas. Anybody lucky enough to have any of his works at that time was highly respected for acquiring such masterpieces of work. Since Da Vinci was a man considered to be a jack of all trades, he would sell his works as an artist, in the medical profession, battlefield and engineering of mechanized machines. The main selling point of his work was the uniqueness that he put into it, the designs were done to perfections and any person with the financial means able to secure it did so. So on the strategy he employed to sell his ideas was to have mesmerizing displays of complete masterpieces that sold themselves in a way for they attracted any potential buyer. The contributions that da Vinci made to the field of engineering were inspirational. He was a scholar who read any reference book that he happened to get and with his genius minds he was able to come up with various inventions.
He would always carry a journal with him where he drew anything inspirational that came to mind. During that time, Florence was at war and the King at that time Lorenzo de Medici saw that advantage of having da Vinci as his weapons specialists to come up with means to protect the city from the siege. One example is a barricade that prevented entry into the town by the rebels. In his journal there was also a drawing a flying machine and this seems to suggest even before the Wright brother perfected the airplanes design to make it fly, da Vinci had created a small model that was propelled by wind long before (Laurenza 54). There is also an account of a self-propelled knight, this is more like the robotics that are practical today, yet at his time this seemed impractical.
In civil engineering, designs of a bridge that he had made back in 1502 are used to construct a bridge in Norway showing the tremendous contribution that he made in engineering back during his time and even today. He had a way with levers, pulleys and gears that made him the greatest engineer of his time and most of this knowledge has been implemented to the word we live in today. Technology is growing rapidly and the trend looks like anything that is being done manually will soon be mechanized and to a great level shall be done using computerized machines. CAD meaning computer aided design is a platform where the innovators of today make their blueprints, and it seems like it shall replace free hand drawing. But this is not entirely accurate because even before they begin working on the computer aided platforms to design, the first make a storyboard that is done using free hand drawing.
The thing with CAD is that on its platform it has a tool that make work far much easier for the developer as all they need is to import them to make designs. Therefore, the future of hand drawing is not very bright and the inevitable is that CAD are the future, and they do not have room for hand drawings since CAD makes drawing far much easier (Blurton 34). However, in an age where everything is being computerized, where we have electric boards and electronic pens and all these need free hand drawing, there is still some hope for free hand drawing but this time it shall be done on different media. Hand drawing has a distinct trait that can never be achieved where CAD is used. This is why, with the hand drawing of da Vinci that he made in his journal have a more sentimental feel. These drawing can be able to tell a story about the painter and what was going on his mind and also the conditions in the environment.
We see da Vinci had a broad and creative imagination by the mechanized knight drawing since this was something that was not conceivable during his time. He would borrow ideas from his surrounding, and this is evident with his obsession to fly. He observed birds for a long time trying to understand the mechanism that they employed and with such inspiration he would be able to design a complete and functioning model (Cummings). In conclusion, engineering drawings are an essential component for any innovations and should always be drawn long before the final model is complete. This is irrespective of the means that one uses to come up with one, may it be CAD or hand drawing.
Works Cited
Blurton, John. “Drawings.” Scenery: Draughting and Construction for Theatres, Museums,
Exhibitions, and Trade Shows. Vol. 2013. London: A. & C. Black, 2001. 176. Print.
Cummings, Stephen. “Pericles of Athens-Drawing from the Essence of Strategic Leadership.”
Business Horizons: Print.
Jordan, Patrick W. Designing Pleasurable Products: An Introduction to the New Human
Factors. CRC, 2003. 224. Print.
Jose. S. Soaring Through North Carolina History., 2002. Print.
Laurenza, Domenico, and Mario Taddei. Leonardo’s Machines: Da Vinci’s Inventions Revealed.
Newton Abbot: David& Charles, 2006. Print.s
