Design Communication and Technologies
Communicating design intent
Design communication is judged on fitness for audience and purpose. Know the conventions of: orthographic projection (third-angle in Australia: plan, front and side views, hidden detail as dashed lines), isometric and oblique pictorials, sectional views, exploded views, assembly drawings, scale, dimensioning and line standards, and rendering with shade, shadow and material indication. For clients, use mood boards, concept boards and annotated photographs; for manufacturers, use dimensioned drawings and a bill of materials.
Digital technologies
Understand the role of CAD (parametric modelling, constraints, revisions), 3D printing and additive manufacturing (layer resolution, support material, limited isotropic strength), laser cutting (kerf, nesting), CNC routing, and rapid prototyping. Also know virtual and augmented reality for client walkthroughs and digital twins for testing. The examinable point is never the tool's name but the decision it enabled and its limitations.
Traps in questions
- Mixing first-angle and third-angle projection, or placing the plan above the front view incorrectly.
- Forgetting units, scale and dimension lines on drawings.
- Claiming 3D printing is always stronger or cheaper - it is anisotropic and costly at volume.
- Describing CAD as "easier" without naming the benefit: rapid iteration, shared files, simulation, error reduction.
- Ignoring file formats, version control and collaboration when discussing digital workflows.
Rule of thumb
Use "audience → convention → technology": state who reads the drawing, which convention they expect, and which tool produced it. A manufacturer expects third-angle, dimensioned, scaled drawings exported as PDF or DXF; a client expects a rendered pictorial.
Worked example
A flat-pack stool: third-angle drawings with dimensions for manufacture, an exploded isometric with part numbers for assembly, and a rendered perspective for the client - one design, three communication modes.