Definition of Technical Drawing

   YourDictionary defines a technical drawing as a drawing or plan, rendered to scale, used to communicate direction and specifics to a group of people creating something. Engineers, contractors, plumbers, electricians, landscape architects, inventors and others use technical drawings to create a master plan or blueprint. The blueprint or plan communicates the necessary details among the workers to build the object detailed in the plan
 
Drafters are men and women trained in the art of technical drawing. Another term for a person skilled in creating technical drawings is a draftsman, although modern practitioners prefer the term drafter. Among electrical and mechanical engineers, the person on the team responsible for creating the technical drawing may also be referred to as the designer.

What Do Technical Drawing Look Like?

Technical drawings contain geometric figures and symbols to convey the scope and details of the project. Many professions, such as plumbing, use their own suite of unique symbols. Right angles, parallel lines, curves and symbols constitute the technical drawing. To those on the team, each line or symbol conveys a specific about the project.
It is imperative that technical drawings be accurate. If the drawing is off by even centimeters, the actual work may be off quite a bit too. This leads to disastrous consequences and costly delays in construction.

Tools for Technical Drawing

Technical drawings existed throughout time. Archaeological evidence included in a recent issue of Smithsonian magazine suggests that the architect of the Greek Parthenon scratched a technical drawing onto the marble floor to guide his workers! From ancient times to the present day, most drafters used a drafting table or a special table with slanted top and parallel rulers on either side. The parallel rulers on the sides of the table slide across the surface to hold the paper in place. Other tools include the T-square and compass.
A special device called the pantograph helped usher in the modern use of mechanical and computer-assisted design (CAD) While some drafters continue to use the drafting table and handheld tools, CAD helps drafters output technical drawings accurately and efficiently.