ONLINE GLOSSARY

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• First-Angle Projection. Standard for arranging multi-view drawings practiced in Europe and the International community. This system places the top view at the center of the drawing with the front view above and the left side view to the right of the front view. A completely different arrangement called third-angle projection is practiced in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.
  
  
• Floor Plans. Top plan view of a building or other structure looking downward. A floor plan shows the horizontal layout of the building/structure whereas elevations depict the vertical portions.
  
  
• Focal Plane. A surface onto which light is focused in order to create a clear image either by exposing film inside a camera or recording information in digital format using a charge-coupled-device ("CCD"). The focal plane is parallel with the body of the camera. Due to the properties of optics, light focused through the lens of the camera creates an upside-down image on the focal plane.
  
  
• Fold Line. The line along which two sides of an imaginary glass box surrounding a subject meet. Orthographic projection works by "unfolding" such an imaginary box and arranging all the sides on a single plane represented by a sheet of paper. The fold line becomes very important when creating a primary auxiliary view because the draftsman will measure distances from the object to the fold line in order to create a true-size representation of the object in the auxiliary view.
  
  
• Foreshortened. Not appearing true length or true-size. Both lines and planes/surfaces can appear foreshortened in an orthographic plan view when they are not parallel to the principal plane of projection upon which the view was derived. See also True Length, True Size.
  
  
• Frame Station. A location along the hull of a boat or ship – or along the fuselage of an aircraft – where a structural framing member is located. On boats and ships, frame stations mark points along the hull where either bulkheads or transverse frames are positioned. (On aircraft, all transverse frames are called bulkheads.) The structural frame is then "skinned" to form the shape of the hull or fuselage.
  
  
• Frontal Plane. One of the three principal planes of projection that yields the front and rear plan views. Since both views are parallel to one another, the plane of projection that yields the front plan view is parallel to the plane of projection that yields the rear plan view. As a result, these planes of projection can be combined into a single plane known as the frontal plane.
  
  
• Frustum of a Cone. A cone that is missing part of the top. The top outline of the frustum of a cone is parallel with the outline of the bottom. When a cone has been trimmed such that these top and bottom outlines are non-parallel, it is known as a truncated cone instead.
  
  
• Frustum of a Pyramid. A pyramid that is missing part of the top. The top surface of the frustum of a pyramid is parallel with the bottom. If the pyramid is trimmed such that the top and bottom surfaces are non-parallel, it is known as a truncated pyramid instead.

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0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Click on a letter to browse through the Glossary terms.
To download a printable version of the entire Glossary, click here.

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