ABSTRACT
Selecting a scale for an orthographic drawing is simply a means of regulating what the designer sees in his head and the size or degree of complexity of the presented design. For instance, plans, sections, and elevations are usually drafted at 1/4" = 1'-0" or 1/8" = 1'-0" (metric equivalents 1:50 or 1:100), but a scale of 1/2" = 1'-0" (1:20) allows details to be focused. Increasingly smaller scales, which increase the distance between the viewer and the size of the building, are used for larger edifices and building complexes. These are shrunk along a decreasing scale of 1/16" = 1'-0" (1:200) or 1:500. Thus, in selecting a scale, the designer not only regulates the distance of an idea from his mind's eye, he also regulates its graphic size so that it will fit within the confines of the drawing format. Then, too, as the scale of a drawing increases, more detail in orthographics and perspectives becomes visible and, with it, the opportunity for introducing a more convincing rendition of the objects and forms that will have impact on the architectural design.
