Plotting a polyhedron

definition
• In geometry, a
polyhedron is a solid
in three dimensions
with flat faces and
straight edges.
• two faces intersects
by an edge
• any vertex lies on at
least three different
faces
• According to Euler's theorem there are five
regular polyhedra:
– tetrahedron with four faces,
– the cube with six faces,
– the octahedron with eight faces,
– the dodecahedron with twelve faces, and
– the icosahedron with twenty faces.
 irregular polyhedron
• is defined by polygons
that are composed of
elements that are not all
equal
– Pyramid
• square pyramid
(a pyramid having
a square base)
• oblique pyramid (the apex
is not over the center of
the base)
– Prism (a convex
polyhedron that has two
congruent and parallel
faces and all its remaining
faces are parallelograms)
 Rules to represent polyhedron
• In descriptive geometry, a
polyhedron is represented on
the projection planes by
orthogonal projections of its
vertices and edges
• Lines which limits the
orthogonal projection of a
polyhedron form a closed
polygon called apparent
contour
• If the solid is considered
opaque some edges are
considered visible and others
invisible. The visible edges are
drawn with thick continuous
and the invisible once with
dash line.
 Rules to determine the visibility
the apparent contour of each projection is
always visible
if two different edges of the faces do not
intersect in space, but intersects in
draught, then the one is visible and the
other one invisible
if a point belongs to the apparent contour
then it is visible and all the edges
concurrent in this point are visible
if a point from the inside of apparent
contour is invisible then all the edges
concurrent in this point are invisible
if two points have the same horizontal
projection is visible the point which has
the highest quote
if two points have the same vertical
projection is visible the point which has
the highest distance
if two points have the same profile
projection is visible the point which has
the highest abscissa
Finding cross section of a
polyhedron
The easiest way to find the cross section of a polyhedron in
draught is to use a plane perpendicular to the projections
plane (usually a vertical or ending plane)
any point situated in a projection plane and therefore the vertices of
cross section polygon is projected on plane traces (on the vertical
traces if using a ending plane, on the horizontal traces for a vertical
plane).