The Future of Technical Drawing (rev 1)

Overview

This document seeks your support for the clarifications set out herein that are intended to: These developments should not be siloed. Reviving a clear understanding of the function of technical drawing is the first step. Development of equipment in modeling software adequate to this …

World << >> Focus INTERPLAY

A 35 second film clip by the filmmaker Jim Cummings powerfully illustrates world < > focus interplay. You recognize yourself in this clip, how YOU develop understanding, of the world, and the targets of your focus, each through the other, the world through focus, the object of your focus contextualized in the world. It’s interplay:

film clip posted on Linkedin

Interplay is fundamental.

The pairs are in continuous interplay:

  • Wide / Narrow
  • Environment / Focus
  • Film Set / Attention-Focusing camera rig
  • Garden / ATTENTION-FOCUSING RIG (CAT)
  • Model / Drawing

Interplay generates understanding and is the basic observable dynamic of thinking.

Digital innovation investment in the AECO industry has for decades been weighted toward the wide, the whole, the expansive environment (the model), while the other half of the interplay tandem — technique of articulate narrowing focus (drawing) — stagnates.
The imbalance is counterproductive.

The purpose of digital media

The purpose of continued development of digital media is to assist with thinking. Let’s assert that.

The purpose of innovation in digital media is to make media a more energetic and able companion to thought and understanding. The goal of continued development is to expand and enhance media’s support for clear, coherent, timely, thought. Effective media helps the mind at work arrive on target, at cogent understanding.

The Future of Technical Drawing: Evolution in Form

A look at drawing’s future, characteristics of drawing’s proposed new form of expression, in models:

  • drawing should be immersed in-situ at true orientation within modeled environments
  • drawing should exist also ex-situ, abstracted out of modeled environments
  • ex-situ and in-situ, drawing should easily, elegantly, flow from one to the other (ex, in), and back, looping on demand
  • in-situ, drawing should be persuasively interactive. Drawing should compel users to engage because they draw one into models by delivering insight and clarity with enough communicative power that work becomes fun, building understanding becomes something one does for the delight of doing so
  • drawing should fully exploit the tremendous available power of digital modeled environments
  • drawing should be visually clear and powerfully communicative
  • drawing should exploit film industry camera rigging: https://wolfcrow.com/100-camera-angles-shots-and-movements-in-filmmaking/
  • drawings should define their range scope (scope box/volume) within a model
  • drawing should include a built-in camera rig viewing path
  • Along the camera rig path, various graphics controls are specified by the drawing author, including:
    • show/hide (filter) model graphics.
    • elements in motion – motion is optional.
    • extra graphics like embellishing/completing lines and arcs, text notes, labels, dimensions, stylized symbolic textures/patterns are authored and can be made progressively visible along the camera rig path
    • a camera transformation from perspective to parallel projection
    • an I/O to and from other graphics apps and formats
  • drawings should be portable so that drawings authored in one modeled environment are portable.

The Future of Drawing: TGN – a model INTERACTIONS format standard

Characteristics of drawing’s future, listed above, are specified in detail as a proposed new model INTERACTIONS format standard: TGN.
03 TGN: demonstration https://youtu.be/wTh2AozTHDc

TGN Developer Specification DOWNLOAD

TGN developer specification download links:

There are important aspects of TGN missing from the demo video. The shortcomings of the demo are discussed in self-critique here:

Not the first time

This is not the first time I proposed evolution in drawing’s form. The first time was back in 2006. I proposed automatic presentation of complete CAD drawings at true orientation within models. It took awhile, but I was eventually employed by Bentley Systems …

TGN is for everyone, every platform

Now 10 years later, TGN is richer than hypermodel:

  • better expression, more engaging use of graphics potential
  • more compelling interactivity, better control, and more controls
  • clearer communicative impact
  • more authoring power and greater viewing comprehension

TGN promises improvement in technique for the close study of complex modeled environments.

I’m available to help

I’d like to help any (every) developer organization design their implementation of TGN ... Message me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robsnyder3333/
Or email: robsnyder@tangerinefocus.com

About the author

Hi! My name is Rob Snyder, I'm on a mission to elevate digital models in AEC ...