How to Produce Drawings From Linear & Leveling Surveys
When you want to accurately draw an urban area or a natural habitat, you must know the exact dimensions of each object and the distance between them. The most reliable source for such information is a survey. More specifically, linear surveys provide data on the width and length of objects and their position in an area, while leveling surveys give information on elevation -- or an object's height, in other words. Therefore, if you consult a leveling and linear survey of the same area, you get enough information to create an accurate three-dimensional drawing, using the isometric method.
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Instructions
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Consult the linear survey to determine an object's width and length, and note down the value of these two dimensions. Use a leveling survey to determine the same object's height. Ensure the three dimensions are measured using the same unit -- such as feet or meters -- on both surveys. Otherwise, you need to convert them.
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Determine the ratio of the object's three dimensions. For example, if a building is 10 feet high, 30 feet long and 10 feet wide, then the ratio is 1-3-1. So every inch of height in your drawing corresponds to 3 inches of length and 1 inch of width.
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Draw a vertical line on your drawing surface, representing the object's height. Also, draw a horizontal line that intersects the bottom end of the object's height. The horizontal line must be faint so that you can erase it easily later.
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Place the middle of the protractor's straight side on the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines. Align the protractor's straight side to the horizontal line. Mark the 30-degree-angle spot on both sides of the protractor's arch, with a pencil.
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Place a ruler between the lines' intersection and the 30-degree-angle mark to the left of the height. Draw a line that represents the object's length. Consult your notes on the height-length-width ratio to determine the line's length compared to the object's height.
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Place the ruler between the intersection and the 30-degree-angle mark to the right of the height, and draw a line that represents the width of the object.
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Form parallels to the height, length and width lines to complete the cuboid shape, using two rulers. Place the first ruler's edge -- Ruler A -- directly on a line, making sure the top-left corner of the ruler is on the left end of the line. Place the second ruler -- Ruler B -- perpendicularly to the first one, so that its long side touches Ruler A's left edge and extends towards the direction you want to draw the parallel.
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Hold Ruler B firmly on the paper, and slide Ruler A's left edge across Ruler B's long side, until you reach the spot you want to draw the parallel. Repeat the process for every line to complete the cuboid shape. This cuboid gives you the boundaries within which you must draw your object, whether it is a building with the exact same dimensions or a tree, whose top is the only part that reaches the cuboid's edges, for example.
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Erase the faint horizontal line and the object's boundaries. Add the details to complete your drawing.
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