Drawing from the Model: Fundamentals of Digital Drawing, 3D Modeling, and Visual Programming in Architectural Design traces the full arc from descriptive geometry and hand projection methods to parametric modelling, algorithmic design, and robotics — a structured progression through the history and future of architectural representation.
About This Book
Architectural representation is in transition, and this book maps that shift with precision. Frank Melendez moves from the foundational logic of descriptive geometry and orthographic projection — the analogue bedrock of architectural drawing — into the computational methods now reshaping practice: 3D modelling workflows, visual programming environments, and emerging technologies including physical computing and robotics. Rather than treating digital tools as a replacement for traditional thinking, the book frames them as a continuation of it. The result is a resource that speaks to students learning the discipline for the first time and to practitioners recalibrating their workflows around contemporary software and parametric design processes.
Key Features
- 352 pages of technical instruction covering 2D drawing, 3D modelling, and visual programming workflows for architectural design
- Written by Frank Melendez
- Covers plans, sections, elevations, axonometrics, perspectives, parametric modelling, algorithmic design, computational simulations, physical computing, and robotics
- Published by John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 9781119115625
What You'll Discover
- How descriptive geometry and traditional projection methods underpin contemporary digital drawing practice — and why that lineage matters
- Workflows for producing the full suite of architectural drawings — plans, sections, elevations, axonometrics, and perspectives — using current 2D and 3D software
- An introduction to visual programming as a gateway to parametric modelling and algorithmic design thinking
- The expanding frontier of architectural computation: simulations, physical computing, and robotics situated within a design context
About the Author
Frank Melendez is the author of this comprehensive survey of architectural representation, addressing both historical analogue methods and contemporary computational processes. [Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 352
- Dimensions: 190 x 235mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781119115625
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architecture students and educators building fluency across analogue and digital representation, and practitioners integrating parametric modelling or visual programming into their design workflows.