Technical illustration is illustration meant to visually communicate information of a technical nature. Technical illustrations can be components of technical drawings or diagrams. Technical illustrations in general aim "to generate expressive images that effectively convey certain information via the visual channel to the human observer". Technical illustrations generally have to describe and explain the subjects to a nontechnical audience. Therefore, the visual image should be accurate in terms of dimensions and proportions, and should provide "an overall impression of what an object is or does, to enhance the viewer’s interest and understanding".

Types

Types of communication

Today, technical illustration can be broken down into three categories based on the type of communication:

Types of drawings

Main types of drawings in technical communication are:

Techniques

Technical illustration uses several basic mechanical drawing configurations called axonometric projection. These are: Technical illustration and computer-aided design can also use 3D and solid-body projections, such as rapid prototyping.

Examples