ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the process a prop builder uses to go from idea to reality. A drafting is an orthographic projection of the prop, used to represent a three-dimensional object in two dimensions. A drawing of a prop can range from a fully realized technical drafting to the most basic of doodles, and everything in between. While a sketch or illustration is less exact than a drafting, it frees the designer from having to provide precision and exact detail where it is not needed. Sometimes prop builder need to make an exact duplicate of an item in a photograph. Taking photographs from different angles will help ensure prop builder have the correct proportions and measurements. US scene designers typically work in ¼″ or ½″ scale, while designers in metric parts of the world will work in 1:25 or 1:50. Once prop builder have their full-scale drawings or patterns, they need a way to transfer them to their material.
