Isometric drawing: showing a 3D object on flat paper

0:00How can we draw a solid object on flat paper so that it looks three-dimensional?

0:06Let's draw a block that is 60 millimetres long, 40 millimetres deep and 30 millimetres high.

0:13A front view shows only one face: the length and the height, but not the depth.

0:19An isometric drawing shows the top, the front and the side all at once.

0:25First, from the front corner, draw two light lines at 30 degrees to the horizontal.

0:32Next, mark the length of 60 millimetres on one line and the depth of 40 millimetres on the other.

0:39Then draw a vertical line up from each of the three corners, 30 millimetres tall.

0:46Isometric means equal measure: length, depth and height all use the same scale.

0:53Finally, join the tops with lines parallel to the ones you already drew.

0:58Now we can see the top, the front and the side in one drawing.

1:04For quick sketches, isometric grid paper gives you vertical and 30 degree lines to follow.

1:10An isometric drawing uses vertical lines and lines at 30 degrees to show three faces at once.