Three standard views
Engineers describe a solid with three orthogonal views. The plan is the view looking straight down from above. The front elevation is the view looking horizontally from the front. The side elevation is the view looking horizontally from one side. Each view is an orthogonal projection onto a plane, drawn to scale with real measurements.
Key idea
For a cuboid of length L, width W, height H: plan = L × W, front elevation = L × H, side elevation = W × H.
Reading dimensions
The plan shows length and width but not height. The front elevation shows length and height. The side elevation shows width and height. Together the three views fix the whole solid. Curved solids give clues too: a standing cylinder has a circular plan and rectangular elevations.
Worked example
A box measures 8 cm (length) × 5 cm (width) × 3 cm (height). Find the area of each standard view.
Plan = L × W = 8 × 5 = 40 cm².
Front elevation = L × H = 8 × 3 = 24 cm².
Side elevation = W × H = 5 × 3 = 15 cm².
Scale drawings
Real objects are large, so views are drawn to scale. At a scale of 1 : 100, a wall 5 m long is drawn as 5 m ÷ 100 = 0.05 m = 5 cm on paper.
Remember
- Plan = from above; front elevation = from the front; side elevation = from the side.
- Plan uses L and W; front uses L and H; side uses W and H.
- Always state the scale on a scale drawing.