ALPHABET OF LINES

SKETCHING 101
ALPHABET
OF
LINES
VISIBLE (OBJECT) LINES

 THICK, SOLID LINES

 SHOWS THE OUTLINE OF THE OBJECT VISIBLE TO THE EYE

HIDDEN (INVISIBLE) LINES

 SHORT, EVENLY SPACED DASHES

 REPRESENT SURFACES THAT ARE NOT DIRECTLY VISIBLE TO THE
EYE.
 ALWAYS STARTS WITH A DASH IN CONTACT WITH A LINE AT ITS
START EXCEPT WHEN THE DASH WOULD FORM A CONTINUATION
OF A SOLID LINE.
CENTER LINES

 ALTERNATING SHORT AND LONG LINES, LINES ARE THIN AND

DARK
 A LINE THROUGH THE CENTER OF AN OBJECT – ESPECIALLY
ONE FOLLOWING AN AXIS OF SYMMETRY (CIRCLE, HOLE, ARC OR
CYLINDER)
 DIMENSION AND EXTENSION LINES

 DIMENSION LINES – SHORT SOLID LINES WITH ARROW HEADS AT EACH

END,
 BROKEN IN THE MIDDLE TO SHOW DIMENSION OR VALUE
 SHOWS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN 2 POINTS

 EXTENSIONS LINES – SHORT SOLID LINES USED TO SHOW THE LIMITS OF

DIMENSIONS.
 PLACED INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE OUTLINE OF AN OBJECT
 THEY EXTEND FROM AN OUTLINE OR SURFACE, BUT DO NOT TOUCH IT.
 SAME WEIGHT AS INVISIBLE LINES
CUTTING PLANE LINES

 A THICK DASHED LINE FOLLOWED BY TWO SHORTER DASHES

 TERMINATES WITH A SHORT 90 DEGREE ARROWHEADS
 SHOWS WERE A PART IS MENTALLY CUT IN HALF TO BETTER SEE
THE INTERIOR DETAIL
SECTION LINES (CROSSHATCH)
 THIN EVENLY SPACED LINES,
USUALLY DRAWN AT A 45 DEGREE
ANGLE.
 INDICATES THE MATERIAL THAT
HAS BEEN CUT THROUGH IN A
SECTIONAL VIEW
 USUALLY INDICATED WITH A
LETTER TO IDENTIFY THE CUT
SURFACE.
 BREAK LINES
 CAN BE LONG OR SHORT
 USED TO INDICATE THE PART IS
BROKEN OUT TO CLEARLY SHOW A
PART UNDERNEATH
 ALSO USED TO REDUCE SIZE OF A
DRAWING OF A LONG PART W/
UNIFORM CROSS SECTION
 SHORT BREAKS INDICATED BY THICK
SOLID HAND DRAWN LINES
 LONG BREAKS INDICATED BY THIN
SOLID RULED LINES BY FREEHAND
ZIGZAGS
 BREAKS ON SHAFTS, RODS, TUBES,
AND PIPES ARE CURVED
PHANTOM LINES

 THIN LINES
 INDICATE ALTERNATE POSITIONS OF PARTS OF THE OBJECT
 SHOWS REPEATED DETAILS OR LOCATIONS OF ABSENT PARTS
 ONE LONG AND TWO EVENLY SPACED SHORT DASHES (LONG
DASH ON EACH END)