Aluminium rulers further offer the choice of getting the lettering either embossed or laser etched onto the ruler. Laser etched rulers tend to be more expensive, but people report theirs having lasted for over three decades. Hence, you should have a clear idea about your intended use before you go out there and buy an architectural ruler. This is an imperial ruler. From the picture, we know it’s only in inch graduation. The overall length of this ruler is 6 inches. In our opinion, this is the best one for school kids or home use.

So far, when it comes to quality measuring tools, you can go to Mitutoyo. It is the most persistent brand that produces great measuring tool products. The same thing goes for if you are looking for the best metal ruler, Mitutoyo stands up as the first option. If you are transitioning from a student or beginner to a professional architect, we would recommend an aluminium ruler with laser-etched marking. With this, you are guaranteed increased accuracy and long-lasting operation. This will influence not only the material, but the kind of lettering to go with the scale too. If you have something more than a passing interest or are transitioning from being a novice to an amateur, we would recommend going in for an aluminium ruler. Plastic rulers are best suited as secondary or spare rulers, or as a first ruler for those just starting out with drawing. A second and slightly less precise method of measuring a drawing is via a scale bar (examples below). These effectively represent a printed scale rule, and therefore their measurement can be taken and translated to just about any measuring device that might be to hand. Since laser-etched markings are quite costly, if you are constrained financially, you can go for the embossed ones. They'll also serve you for a while.Accuracy is important for serious measurement. In this case, you have to be able to differentiate between accuracy in two different terms. Firstly, it’s about how exactly the same it is with the standard ruler. Secondly, it’s about graduation. Let’s be honest here. Who would buy something that won’t last for a couple of months or years? Of course, nobody. White Glue: Non-toxic white glue offers a firm and clean adhesive bond, but it requires a longer drying time. The initial step is to understand the scope and nature of the project you are tasked to model. If your project is largely about form, concentrate on selecting the base material that will best illustrate your design, irrespective of its interior view. For instance, we sometimes forget that small tools, such as a nail, play a large role in holding a huge door in place.

The last option that we present is a wooden ruler from Fiskars. It’s lightweight and unique. Made from wood, this is a wise option if the use is aimed for children. Wood doesn’t contain harmful chemical substances and it’s safe if they put it in the mouth. Being able to scale drawings up and down using percentages has become very useful too. Working in Adobe (Photoshop, InDesign etc), you will find you can adjust the size of an object using a percentage, which is great if you are wanting to accurately scale a drawing up or down while working in photoshop while maintaining a precise scale. Metal is used to demonstrate the structural design of a building. It can also be integrated as a material into the finished model. Due to it’s malleable and ductile nature, some of the common metals used are aluminium and copper. Florist Wire The kind of material used also impacts weight. You'll find plastic rulers to be light-weight than metallic ones. Combined with other factors, the weight will influence the architect's experience in measurements or drawings. 2. Duration of UseAs a result and due to its huge variety and availability, this material group is one of the most widely used. Museum board Foam Core or Foam Board: Lightweight material consisting of a foam center sandwiched between two layers of paper. It’s easily shaped and cut, making it a go-to for many models. What most of us do not know is how intensive the work behind the architecture is and what kind of tools are needed for such a fine construction. The common scales you’ll see on scale rulers are 1:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50, 1:100, 1:200 and 1:500 In my first year of architecture school I was introduced to working in scale. As a refresher, from the “how to read and draw a scale floor plan video”, drawing to scale is drawing an accurate representation of something, usually in a shrunken version of itself.

Once we know the drawing scale, we can use a scale ruler to determine the measurement shown on the drawing in real life. Say your drawing is a floor plan at 1:100 and we want to know how big the internal bathroom is. Bristol Board: A heavy-weight drawing paper that, due to its rigidity, can be used in model-making. Ah, drafting. Whether you’re an engineer, architect, or interior designer, at some point in your schooling or career you’re going to have to start drawing. One of the last things you want is your draft to be not quite drawn to scale, so accuracy is paramount. Florist wires are great for landscaping in a model be it trees in an urban design model or fenestration to models. WireLandscaping Your Model: Landscaping can include elements like flooring, vegetation, water features, and lighting fixtures. Besides being termed as an engineering scale, it is also an architectural, mechanical, and draftsman ruler. The specific paper material an architect chooses often depends on the purpose of the model, the desired aesthetic, and the level of detail they aim to achieve. What is the best board for architectural models? Can you read between drawings and their scales easily? Some drawing such as plans and elevations may read better if they are same scale and presented next to each other. It can be produced on any paper format and size, with the scale clearly annotated and often accompanied by a scale bar. The architects scale

You’ll notice some smaller gradations to the right of zero on each scale. These fractions of an inch allow you to measure fractions of a foot. If you want to draw a line to indicate a window that is 4.5 feet long, begin it at the halfway point of the smaller gradations and then continue out until you reach the “4” mark. For example, a floor plan of a building drawn using a metric scale of 1:100 (pronounced “one to a one hundred”), means that for each unit that is measured on the drawing (the 1), the real world size of it is 100 times larger (the 100) than it appears. Texture and Aesthetics: Different materials bring different textures and aesthetics to a model. This can help in conveying the tactile and visual qualities of a design. In short, a drawing scale allows real objects and/or subjects to be accurately represented at fixed reduced and enlarged sizes, which can then be measured via a scale rule to determine their real world size. Scale drawings definitionSelf-healing Cutting Mat: To protect your cutting blades from premature dulling and to prevent damage to your workspace, use a self-healing cutting mat. It’s very unusual for a scaled drawing to deviate away from using one of these set scales, and as architecture students you should always aim use these standards.