Before you read what a drawing says, learn how it says it: the scale of each view, what each line type means, the symbols and abbreviations, and the legend that defines them for this set.
A drawing is a language with its own grammar. Two people can look at the same sheet and read different things if one of them doesn't know that a dashed line means "hidden" and a chain line means "centre line". This lesson is the grammar.
Metric drawings use ratios (1:50, 1:100, 1:500). Imperial drawings use "so many inches to a foot": 1" = 30'-0" means one inch on paper is thirty feet on site. Sheet 1 of the bridge is at 1" = 30'-0"; its location map is at 1" = 800'. On a detail sheet you will often find several scales, one under each view.
Read the full lesson on BIMpedia →
