Between India ink and CAD - by Gabi Kahl

Technical illustrators are the link between the design engineer and the user. An illustrator is able to visualize technical issues in orientation to a specific target group and to prepare them for various media. This article will address how they do this, where their operational areas are, what tools they use, and what you can expect of a technical illustrator.

Our neighbors, the British and the French, and the Americans, have long appreciated the work of the technical illustrator. These countries have had appropriate courses of study and vocational training in this field for about 20 years. Unfortunately apart from some private training facilities, the illustrator has not become this prevalent in Germany. The operational areas of technical illustrators are diverse and so often are their educational backgrounds. A basic prerequisite is technical or graphic training. Thus, illustrators can be learned technical draftsmen, graphic designers, or mechanical engineers.

Operational areas

Capabilities and tools

An illustrator is able to independently run a project from the first to last step. They handle the classic documentation on paper (up to pre-press), as well as web graphics and online- and multimedia productions. 
However an illustrator is not only a "solo player," team spirit is likewise important. Close cooperation with other departments not only facilitates the job, it is absolutely necessary in most cases. Existing data can be a useful feedstock. Therefore, illustrators need to have data conversion knowledge. An illustrator is familiar with diverse illustration, DTP or even 3D programs. They know how data can be converted and modified according to the target medium.

Apart from existing data, many materials can serve as a basis. The mosto common materials are:

• technical drawings
• photos
• product samples
• old or similar product information.

One special task for illustrators is the target group-oriented creation of drawings. This refers to the creation of a drawing in an easy-to-understand matter, which targets the inherent information. For example, the illustrator must to reduce, make clear or simplify where necessary. When creating an easy-to-understand drawing, an illustrator can apply various techniques, perspectives and styles; such as

• 2D drawings (height + width, e.g. a technical drawing)
• 2 1/2D drawings (height + width + simulated depth, e.g. a freehand drawing)
• 3D constructions (freely rotational volume models)
• parallel perspectives such as isometry, dimetry and trimetry
• vanishing point perspectives
• line-art drawings
• grayscales
• colors
• line thicknesses
• exaggerations
• highlightings
• magnified details.

In order to familiarize you with the work of the technical illustrator, we interviewed six technical illustrators. These interviews covered operational areas, clients, illustration types and publishing media.

Seminar brochures

Dagmar Benecke, Norddeutsche Metall-Berufsgenossenschaft, Department of Education..
My main task is the creation of seminar brochures for professional education of work safety. The insurants of the "Norddeutsche Metall-Berufsgenossenschaft" are the target group. My clients are the seminar teachers and technical supervisors. With their cooperation, I am developing brochures according to didactic viewpoints.

The illustrations range from 2D and 3D representations to functional representations, structural diagrams and pictograms. The publishing media range from A4 paper and foils to presentations on screen. We also publish on CD and on posters. In the field of pre-press, I am also working closely with the printers. Therefore, knowledge of colors, color management and printing techniques is as vital for me as knowledge of data exchange. In this respect, the conversion of data must not be underestimated. These data are mainly graphic and text files that have to be built into the brochures. This job principally demands independent action.

Perspective drawings

Dirk Schmitz, tecteam GmbH, technical documentation department
My main task is the creation of perspective drawings for installation and instruction manuals, and - depending on the volume - also the creation of fully text-free tutorials. My customers come from many different areas, from manufacturers of printer cartridges, via manufacturers of sanitary equipment up to mechanical engineers.

My work can revolve around the creation of single graphics, as well as the creation of complete manuals, including the printing. The illustrations are created as 2D drawings and as 3D volume models. The latter can be used in multimedia animation, among other things. In my job, I am dependent on the cooperation of various other departments. This demands flexibility on my part. There are always new and interesting impressions and tasks, which keeps my job interesting and diversified.

Illustration and meta data

Christian Schmähl, Customer Services Manager, ITEDO Software GmbH
At ITEDO Software, I am responsible for the flow of information to the customers, in the areas of support, training and general information.

The profession of the technical illustrator has undergone continuous change in the past 10 years. While it was previously sufficient to create India ink drawings by hand, the focus is now on an optimal process integration. This integration refers to the further use of CAD data for technical illustrations. Today, the illustrator gets 3D CAD data that they use or modify in order to make their work more efficient.

A field is the combination of illustrations with meta data. In this part of the process, elements are assigned object information so they can instantly be used in electronic media. Today's illustrator works with CAD, databases and standards, in order to secure the constancy of their work. Many of our customers rely on the standards CGM, SGML and XML. For the use of a company's existing data, it is especially important to choose formats that include these data as a subset. Version 4 of the CGM format does so by combining vector data, raster data and already specified object information in one vendor-neutral format.

Multimedia

Guido Leuck, Managing Director of macroscope GmbH, Multimedia Agency
My main task is the complete transaction of multimedia productions, starting with project acquisition, the conceptual and textual consultation of the customers, the subsequent calculation and proposal, over the making of a script and up to the production of the determined content. Contingent upon my education as a technical illustrator, I concentrate on the creation of graphic elements, such as illustrations, 2D and 3D animations, cartoon and screen design, when it comes to the productive part.

In general, however, my responsibility lies in project management. I have to instruct the right people at the right moment with those jobs that are necessary for a smooth and (financially) successful project process.
My customers come from many different industry branches, such as the automotive sector, printing machine industry, service providers, and sanitary equipment sector, as well as areas that have nothing to do with engineering, for example the German Bundestag.

The output media are also very diverse. CD ROM productions are still being ordered, as are modern Internet solutions (Flash, data base connections, online shopping systems) and 3D sceneries, which can be used on trade shows either as animations or as printed posters.
We always try to illustrate in orientation to the specific target group and purpose and choose the illustration technique accordingly. For example, we apply complex and realistic 3D representations when the advertising effect of these graphics should be underlined.

Realistic 3D representations have good advertising appeal

These 3D drawings can also be used to depict functional procedures, but in most cases, a 2D drawing / animation is more appropriate. This can be reduced to the essentials and can be abstracted where needed. Cartoons or animated cartoons can replace expensive video productions; for example, when future visions shall be presented. It also makes sense to apply these when the audience is expected to identify with the displayed character, because this would be more difficult with a real person. Another advantage of a caricature is the possibility of exaggeration, which allows us to hint at the core message in a humorous way.

The audience can easily identify with a cartoon character.

Additionally, we create conventional graphics, such as vector graphics in color or in black-and-white - some of them photo-realistic. These can be scaled and animated in Flash applications without any loss of quality.

Data and conversion

Bettina Just, freelance illustrator
My main task is the creation of drawings for instruction manuals and cover pages, as well as the layout of brochures. Data conversion is a large part of my work. My clients range from freelancers to large companies. They all come from a technical / scientific background and want to visualize something in this field.
I mainly create 2D line-art drawings, but also create color graphics and photo collages for advertising booklets. Web pages also make up a major part of my work.

Detail from an airbrush pistol

The output media range is from digital data to the delivery of a completed print product. This demands a lot of communication with printers and customers. Here, it is an advantage to have profound knowledge of data that goes beyond the simple creation of the drawings.

Enhanced spectrum

Heinz Rebmann, Putzmeister AG
The operational area of a technical illustrator is becoming more and more diversified in our company. Apart from the classic tasks, such as the creation of illustrations for instruction manuals or spare parts catalogs, more and more planning and coordination tasks have been added. The profound knowledge and experience acquired during our education and work as technical illustrators is now being noticed by other areas within our company that are beyond the actual "technical documentation" department.

The preparation and creation of presentations for the managing board are as much a part of our work as digital image processing, the building and administration of a picture database and the transaction of internal and external seminars on "visual design". We are very often the place to go for any kind of data conversion problems. We are realizing that experience and special knowledge in the field of digital picture creation, modification and conversion is becoming more and more important. Nowadays almost everybody in our company is dealing with digital media, so it is no wonder that more and more problems occur that demand special knowledge.

In the illustration department, we mainly create isometric graphics for re-use. Apart from that, we develop line-art illustrations, schematic-oriented graphics, pictograms, symbols and signboards. The implementation of color or grayscales is hardly needed in illustrations for technical documentation, because we produce our whole paper documentation "in-house" on black-and-white high-speed printers. On the other hand, our illustrators can be highly creative in terms of color when producing company graphics and presentations. Real 3D animations only play a marginal role, because our machines are so complex.

Our main product is construction machinery. Together with their documentations, they are exposed to heavy-duty use. Therefore, we deliver our machine-specific documentations in the classic form on paper as well as a digital medium on CD ROM. For this purpose, we have developed a special modular-built "DocuBox" that matches the requirements of the target group and the hard construction site routine. Apart from paper documentation, this box includes a CD ROM with machine-specific spare parts documentation, including search help and ordering service.

Conclusion

As you read above, the operational field of technical illustrators covers a broad range. Their work results are not only printed, but also support the display on CD ROM or on the Internet - as instruction manuals, presentations or advertising material. Likewise the instruments the illustrator uses are diverse - from classic India ink to the highly modern CAD system.

Source: technische kommunikation No. 6/2001

We thank Mrs. Kahl, the publishing house Verlag Schmidt-Römhild and tekom e.V. for their support and their consent to reprint this article.