Types of communication Today, technical illustration can be broken down into three categories based on the type of
communication: • Communication with the
general public: informs the general public, for example illustrated instructions found in the manuals for automobiles and consumer electronics. This type of technical illustration contains simple terminology and symbols that can be understood by the lay person and is sometimes called creative technical illustration/graphics. • Specialized
engineering or
scientific communication: used by engineers/scientists to communicate with their peers and in
specifications. This use of technical illustration has its own complex terminology and specialized symbols; examples are the fields of atomic energy, aerospace and military/defense. These areas can be further broken down into disciplines of mechanical, electrical, architectural engineering and many more • To help manufacture or replicate an invention • Communication between highly skilled
experts: used by engineers to communicate with people who are highly skilled in a field, but who are not engineers. Examples of this type of technical illustration are illustrations found in user/operator documentation. These illustrations can be very complex and have jargon and symbols not understood by the general public, such as illustrations that are part of instructional materials for operating
CNC machinery.
Types of drawings Main types of drawings in technical communication are: • conventional
line drawings, •
exploded-view drawings, •
cutaway drawings, and •
clip art images ==Techniques==