Gift Ideas for Architecture Students

Given the holidays are coming and people have been asking what I want for the Holidays, I figured I should post some gift ideas for your favorite architect.

Architecture Mug by The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild

The Great Architecture Mug

Perfect for the architect in your life. Architectural drawings of 10 famous buildings from classical to classic. Holds 10 oz. Microwave and dishwasher safe. 

Trust Me I'm an Architect

Trust Me I'm and Architect T-Shirt

What can I say, we architects are an odd bunch but we always like a good laugh. This T-shirt by ThisWear is designed and printed in the U.S. on 100% preshrunk cotton shirts by printer and heat treated to ensure the color-fastness and lasting durability.

A Moleskin

Moleskin Classic Large Plain Notebook (5" x 8.25")

This basic, yet classic Large Plain notebook is one of the best-selling Moleskine notebooks. This reliable travel companion, perfect for sketches, thoughts and passing notes, has a cardboard bound cover with rounded corners, acid free paper, a bookmark, an elastic closure and an expandable inner pocket that contains the Moleskine history. There are also many more Moleskin Notebooks to choose from.

Aluminum Scale

Alvin 2200M Series 12-Inch Triangular Architect Scale

Every architect needs a scale or 10. Aluminum scales are very cool and will be used quite often when creating drawings. A must for any architect.

Everything an Architect Need to Know Every Day

The Architecture Reference + Specification Book by Julia McMorrough

Most architectural standards references contain thousands of pages of details overwhelming architects since they need to know to know a great deal on any given day. The Architecture Reference & Specification Book contains vital information that's essential to planning and executing architectural projects of all shapes and sizes, in a format that is small enough to carry anywhere. It distills the data provided in standard architectural volumes and is an easy-to-use reference for the most indispensable and most requested types of architectural information.

rOtring Technical Pens with Mechanical Pencil

rOtring Tikki Fineliners (0.35, .5, .7), Pencil, Eraser and Lead Set

This set includes some of the best disposable technical pens on the market. Usually, an architect or artist will always start in pencil before anything is inked, so the mechanical pencil, leads and eraser rounds out this great gift. Pens have free ink technology for a constant, consistent line, and a metal-jacketed fibre-tip nib for superior template and straightedge drawing. They also use long-lasting, lightfast, water-resistant pigmented inks (not refillable). The pencil has a brass mechanism for precise lead advancement of the included high-quality hi-polymer lead. Lightweight plastic bodies with rubberized grips and triangular barrels offer superior comfort and won't slide on tilted tables. You can also buy the pens in 2-packs or as a set without the pencil. These are my favorite pens by far.

Architect's Reference Notebook

Archnotes Reference Notebook for Architects (6.5" x 8")

A notebook designed specifically for architects by architects and includes reference information inside the front and back covers. The bright white paper has a light gray 1/8" grid that is "barely there" so you have it when you need it, but it doesn't get in the way. The spiral binding allows it to lay flat so you don't have to hold the book open. Important reference information is printed on the inside covers - paper sizes, 8" modules, slope percentages, drawing set order, Masterformat divisions, and much more. Never forget your scale at the office - includes architectural scales - 1/16", 1/8", 1/4", 1/2". Made in the USA.

rOtring Rapidograph Refillable Technical 3-Pen Set

rOtring Radidograph Technical 3-Pen Set

3-pen set of high-precision technical pens with refillable ink reservoirs is perfect for College-level students or Professionals. Wear-resistant, hard chrome-plated thin tip allows exquisite detail work. Nib is crafted from stainless steel. Push-on sleeve provides easy access to ink helix and fast cleaning. Color coded barrel indicates line width. Refillable ink reservoir is ideal for frequent drawers. Fill from ink bottles available in multiple colors. Wear-resistant, hard chrome-plated thin tip allows exquisite detail work.

Tutorial: Drafting Necessities

Drafting Leads

Since everyone uses leads with varying amounts of pressure and the need for depth in architectural plans and renderings resulted in the needs for many different types of leads. B Leads are darker and as you get to 9B they become more and more charcoal like. When starting to draft, always use an H, generally 4H to 9H. They are lighter in shade, with a harder lead that erases the easiest. Just be careful not to write/draw too hard, it will indent the paper resulting in issues with paper texture and eraser. You can also get a ghosting affect when shading.

Drafting leads can be expensive, so get a combo pack or buy a few different ones. F's tend to be crappy lead, so instead opt for an HB, F's work well for quick sketches though. If I am using only a few line weights in a drawing I will use a light 2H for the construction lines (very light hand pressure), a harder 2H for the smaller line weights (more hand pressure) a medium light 2H (a bit more pressure) and a 2B for dark linework. You can also use a harder 4H for an additional lighter line weight for the construction lines. Generally you need at least 3 line weights and as your drawing gets bigger, adding additional B leads will increase the detail and intensity of your drawing. For additional line weights, add a 4B, 5B or whatever works for you. Leads right next to each like a 2B and a 3B are only slightly different so jump leads by at least 2 or 3 to get more definitive line weights. Each lead you use will also have at least two line weights itself. If in doubt, test on scrap paper of the same kind of paper you are using before you start adding line weights to your final drawing.

Lead Holders (Clutch Pencil)

Lead Holder or Clutch Pencil

Leads are used with a lead holder, also referred to as a clutch pencil. It is much faster to have a few lead holders so you can have a different lead in each clutch pencil. If you can afford it, start with three lead holders and three types of leads or if you can't, a couple different leads and a holder will suffice. There are many to choose from. Some even have a rotating cover so you can select the lead in the holder making drafting easier. Others have colored caps to identify which one has which lead.

Leads

2mm Leads

Leads come in packs of 2, 12 or more. Be sure to choose your leads carefully and know which ones you are buying. I generally use 2H, HB, 2B and 4B at the very least but remember we are all different so pick what works for you. Try with drawing pencils first before you spend money on leads to what might work for your hand. Always use at least 3 lineweights and remember how far viewers will be away from the piece. Leads also come in different colors depending on what you will be working on.

Sharpeners

The leads can be sharpened with a Rotary Lead Pointer which is the quickest way. You can also use a small sharpener, a piece of sandpaper or even a scrap piece of paper. Some clutch pencils also come with a pencil sharpener built in the button. A lead sharpener has built in holes to set the lead length so you can either sharpen it to a point or a very sharp point. be sure to clean the lead after you sharpen it. A lead holder has a built in lead pointer pad, they get dirty fairly quickly, but you can get refills. A rag or an old towel works in a jamb if you're careful.

Lead Pointer - src

Erasers 

White Eraser

On vellum, a white eraser such as a Staedler Mars erases the best, however on paper, a Papermate Pink Pearl Eraser often can work the best. When you are working on the details of your drawing, it can be hard to erase so use an Erasing Shield. You simply put one of the holes of the shields over your drawing to protect it and erase through the shield.

Erasing Shield

Drafting Must Haves

Scale

Recommended list of things that every Architecture Student should never be without. Scale - Both Engineering and Architectural. You'll need either a parallel drawing board, a T-square and a drafting board, or drafting table with a parallel ruler or T-Square, one large and one small of both a 45 and 60 degree triangle. An adjustable triangle can also be helpful if you will be doing a lot of hand drafting. I have one of those drafting machine drawing boards which is great for rendering and drafting.

Drafting Triangles

Drafting with Pen

If you decide to draft with pen, a prismacolor or Sakura Micron pens are not design for drafting but are great for sketching and diagramming with. There are drafting pens out there. The refillable ones are very expensive while there are also cheaper disposable drafting pens. It is easier and cheaper to use pencil, but nothing beats a nice drafted ink line on velum.

Ko-I-Noor Rapidograph Drafting Pens

RoTring Tikky Graphic Fineliner

Hand Rendering Tutorial

Once you have learned about line weights using either pen or pencil, you can check out the Hand Rendering Elevations Tutorial. The tutorial is based on tracing computer generated elevations, which I generally do for class, however, it explains the different methods of coloring and layer colors using trace or velum which will be helpful for conceptual sketching and graphic conceptualization of your ideas.

Pen and marker on trace

Further Information

The best book to get for your architecture collection is Francis D. K. Ching's book, Architectural Graphics currently in its fifth edition. I have this book in my collection, It goes through leads, paper, and drawing technique in the first chapter. The rest of the book is how to draft architecturally. Plans, sections, elevations, perspectives, you name it, it has it. I use it for reference every now and again even now. Buy it from Amazon from a third party seller either 'New' or 'Like New' condition which will save you a bit of money. Always check seller reviews.

Pencil and Lead Tutorial

If you are new to the architecture field or drawing in pencil and are interested in knowing more about pencils, their different leads and types, check out my Tutorial on Pencils and Leads. In this tutorial, I explain different lead types, different pencils, their quality and the uses for each.

Tutorial: Indesign Tips for Architecture Boards

Intro

Over the many years of creating architectural boards for school there are a few main issues I noticed while learning to create them. Scale was always the biggest issues with students showing a section, plan or rendering too small to be legible during their presentation. This is also true for vignettes or renderings outlining the building's concept. Being Consistent in the creation of your presentation is also important. When the boards come together they need to belong. Font sizes should also be consistent and drawings should be close to the same saturation. Being subtle is the best approach so watch your picture opacity. This will start to create Visual Interest within your boards. Using large Text with your concept words is a good way to reinforce them during your presentation and help tie things together. Knowing what software to use and how to use it is also important in order to create successful drawings and renderings. 

Scale

One issue that every architect and architecture student faces from time to time is drawing and picture size. If your drawings or pictures/renders are too small, how can your critics see what your are talking about? Pay careful attention and print out text font samples so you can see what might be readable. Ask a classmate what they used or what they think about yours. When doing final drawings, always check your lineweights. Many times I have seen drawings that either used too thick or too thin lineweights (click here for The Architecture Student's tutorial on Setting up Lineweights in CAD). Always know whereabouts your audience will be standing/sitting and create your boards such that they can clearly see the main ideas from there. Portfolios are much different so be sure to make everything big enough when it comes to presentation boards.

Consistency

Use the same size fonts for each type of text (i.e. title, board text and labels). You can set these fonts up either in character or paragraph styles. I use the paragraph style myself. It is pretty easy to set up and once you do, it makes editing and adding things that much quicker. It is also good to use some sort of color or graphic that creates a coordination and belonging between your boards.

Visual Interest

After you figure out font stuff, come up with an idea that will be a theme. A box behind your section titles is one way. Linear lines that connect boards together, or a background picture at a very low opacity are also great ideas. Chris P made the following tutorial on a quick and dirty background for his review boards. Make it your own, but he a bit subtle.

Photographs

Pictures of models, precedents or renderings are quite important to your concept, their opacity are just as important. Pictures generally are too dark and contrasting than you would like. I have seen it again and again on review and presentation boards. When pictures and renderings are more subtle or relaxed, the more pleasing the layout and concept. When I input a render, plan, section or picture, I automatically set the opacity to 90%. If the picture is especially dark, I will go to 85% or lower. Implying color rather than saturating it can make things blend together and be more soothing to the eye. Black shouldn't be at a 100% opacity unless it is your intent. Solid black also has issues when printing, saturating the paper possibly leading to paper wrinkles and can mark up the rest of your boards when you print. I generally use 90% or 75% depending on if its a section, plan, picture, etc. It is important that the boards work together, don't worry about colors changes but it is a good idea to continue to use the same diagram colors throughout to help with consistency and visual appeal.

Text

Text Size - src

Generally students end up making their test too small so be careful. Some things you don't want anyone to read from afar and some that you do. No one will read a paragraph from pretty far away so keep your large text your concept words and drawing/section titles. For text I generally keep it set to black. I also keep my text opacity at 95%, anything lower goes into grey, which can start to become difficult to read. Big fonts can also be at 25% or even lower. It comes out a light grey, easy to read and not overpowering. Play around with it and keep a theme of some sort.

More from the Architecture Student Blog

Software for Architects

Section Rendering: SketchUp and Photoshop

Learn to Create an Architectural Section Render in Photoshop
Adding a Sky in Photoshop

Hand Rendering Elevations

Additional information

A lot of the tips I've learned on computer rendering I read in Bradley Cantrell and Wes Michaels' book, Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture: Contemporary Techniques and Tools for Digital Representation in Site Design. Even though it is for landscaping, it outlines the requirements and techniques for Photoshop rendering beautifully. Look for used or new books from an amazon seller since they are generally cheaper than Amazon even with shipping. Always be sure check seller reviews!

Examples

Check out our collection on Pinterest to get inspired.

Tutorial: Software for Architects

The creation of architecture drawings, renderings, portfolios and boards can involve many different types of software and there is software than can can meet all your needs. This tutorial outlines the most prevalent ones and how they might be used. Software is generally broken down into vector linework and image processing. Scale linework is important as a basis of any rendering or drawing. Then diagramming, context, habitation, and its environment can be added.

Cultural Community Hub
by KenepaStudio

There are many different software you can use, different add-ons and software versions and possible ways to use them together to create successful designs. The most prevalent software used for architectural design is AutoCAD, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Revit, Rhino, and SketchUp. Designs typically start to scale, either 2D or 3D and then imported via pdf into another program for tweaking/diagramming/processing, then placed in InDesign for printing.

AutoCAD

AutoCAD is a commercial software application for the creation of 2D and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting. Released in 1982 by Autodesk Inc., it continues to be the most widely used CAD program in the world. Typically students learn to use AutoCAD in high school or in college, where they learn to draft designs such as buildings or machinery parts. It is usually a prerequisite for college design degrees. AutoCAD Architecture is a version of AutoCAD that is created especially for architects. It has features that allow architects to do a more efficient drafting, creating designs and documents familiar to them. It has the same platform as AutoCAD that makes it easier for experienced architects to understand. There are other CAD programs out there, but remember to learn the version that will help you get a job after graduation. Many firms only use Revit nowadays, so learn and use the software to help you get the job you want.

I personally have used AutoCAD for all my plans, drawings, sections, etc. in school as it is free for students to use and I didn't have time in my schedule to learn another one. Once I have a hard-lined drawing, I use Photoshop or Illustrator to put the final touches on them. Lineweights in AutoCAD can be difficult to set and confusing to use, however Illustrator will allow you to more easily change them and you can add in textures, colors, poché, etc. more easily than you can in AutoCAD. Newer versions will likely make it easier, but use the programs you know to get the result you want.

Indesign

InDesign - src

InDesign is a vital piece of software for any architect. It is used for the creation of pdfs that can be used to post things online, create portfolios or to create architecture boards. Definitely learn this software and if you can, take a course at school or watch videos online. You can set up font types/sizes, page master pages with page numbers, helping increase productivity and document consistency. The software also gives you the ability to package your files together and bring them with you so you can work at school or at home without the hassle making sure you copy each separate file and take it with you. As a student, you can purchase Adobe Creative Cloud for about $20 a month plus tax and it is definitely worth the investment. It will automatically update, you can save your work online on Bēhance and you can also save your screen settings, all of which increases your productivity and exposure as a designer. The non-student version of the Creative Cloud is $30 a month plus tax.

Illustrator

Illustrator

Illustrator can be used for many different things; the creation of diagrams, adjusting of the lineweights of vector files (CAD, SketchUp  or Revit pdfs) and the creation of renderings. I personally learned this piece of software late and I regret it, especially after all those hours I spent fighting with CAD to get the lineweights right. I and others have also found that the hatching in CAD tends not to print correctly, but with Illustrator you can add wall poché, textures or people silhouettes much easier and with less errors than in CAD. It also works with Revit plans or 2D pdf files from Sketchup which helps a lot with 3D building diagrams, sections, elevations or plans. You can also link Photoshop files into the Illustrator files or visa verse to help you make superb renderings. I highly recommend creating your diagrams in Illustrator and saving them as pdfs so they can be viewed on any computer, and easily placed into Indesign files or printed. Creating diagrams over plants or sections in Illustrator can also be easier since the pen tool will snap over line endpoints or 'anchors'. You can download this as part of your Adobe Cloud membership.

Photoshop

 Photoshop - src

When creating renderings, whether it is a section, elevation or plan, knowing how to use Photoshop is absolutely vital. Definitely take a class at school or watch tutorials online. Photoshop is usually used in conjunction with other software like CAD, Revit, SketchUp, or Illustrator. It is used for image processing, adding textures (like brick, stone, etc.), landscape, people, a sky, etc. You can use it for just about everything, once you learn how to use it. It is also a great way to fix and edit scans of your work and create vignettes, etc. Also part of an Adobe Creative Cloud membership.

See more from the Architecture Student Blog:
Learn to create an architectural section in Photoshop
Adding a sky in Photoshop

AutoDesk Revit

Revit - src

Revit is programmed for building information modeling or BIM, which is the key for a sustainable design and coordination. The changes that you make will be automatically coordinated throughout the project that you are working on. This helps architects make a consistent and complete project. The features are easy to understand to help you start a complete, consistent and error free design and is based on AutoCAD. This program is much easier than AutoCAD to create sections, plans, etc. and most firms use this software so you should definitely learn it (ask around). You can also create 3D renderings from this software which can be a lifesaver when working on studio projects. Students can download and use Autodesk Revit for free, however it is not for commercial use so when files are used, they are saved as a student version. Commercial users can download a trial version.

Rhinoceros 3D (Rhino)

Rhino - src

Developed by Robert McNeel & Associates, Rhinoceros 3D (Rhino) is a stand-alone, commercial NURBS-based 3D modeling tool. It is commonly used for industrial design, architecture, marine design, jewelry design, automotive design, CAD/CAM, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering as well as in the multimedia and graphic design industries. Rhinoceros 3D gained its popularity in architectural design in part because of the Grasshopper plug-in (parametric modeling tool) for computational design. There are also several other rendering plug-ins developed by McNeel: Flamingo (raytrace), Penguin (non-photorealistic), Bongo and Brazil (advanced). There are over 100 third-party plug-ins available.

In school, Rhino is typically used to figure out 3D issues, however it can be used to take a CAD 2D file and quickly import it and create a 3D section axonometric for example. Rhino’s increasing popularity is based on its diversity, multi-disciplinary functions, low learning-curve, relatively low cost, and its ability to import and export over 30 file formats, which allows Rhino to act also as a ‘converter’ tool between programs in a design workflow.

Sketchup

SketchUp - src

SketchUp allows the user to quickly and easily make 3D designs. It can be downloaded for free however many of its export features are disabled. SketchUp Professional or Pro has all the program's functions and comes with SketchUp Make, which creates plans, sections, etc. for scale printing of your 3D design. Buying SketchUp Pro is quite expensive for a commercial version. A student license is a mere $49 at the time of this article though you can likely work on it at school for free. If your computer has a good graphics card and plenty of ram, it is definitely worth purchasing. Be warned that you must submit your information through a third party in order to receive the discount but your license will work for a year from purchase.

Printing to scale is quite difficult from SketchUp without using Make, however you can export a design into a drawing or .dwg file can use this file in CAD or Revit to start your design or visa versa. You can also download people, buildings, furniture, vehicles, etc from the SketchUp 3D Warehouse which can be great for the creation of design vignettes or renderings of your designs. Perfecting a rendering in SketchUp alone is also very difficult and there are many add-ons that can help you a lot with your design. In school, I typically use SketchUp to create a 3D version of my building, export pictures, print them and trace over them, embellishing the vignette, coloring, scanning and using PhotoShop to overlay the SketchUp shadows, textures, etc. Screenshots of SketchUp models tend to be over-saturated and the textures you can use also are very cartoon-like however it can become a vital step in your design process.

More Tutorials from the Architecture Student Blog

Architectural Rendering: Using Scale People
InDesign Tips for Architecture Boards 
Section Rendering: SketchUp and Photoshop

Learn to Create an Architectural Section Render in Photoshop
Adding a Sky in Photoshop

Hand Rendering Elevations

Additional Information on Computer Rendering

If you are looking for a book on computer rendering, Bradley Cantrell and Wes Michaels' book, Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture: Contemporary Techniques and Tools for Digital Representation in Site Design, even though it is for landscaping outlines the requirements and techniques for Photoshop rendering beautifully. Look for used or new books from an amazon seller since they are generally cheaper than Amazon even with shipping. Always be sure check seller reviews!