Drafting Exploded View Schematics
Markdown--- name: drafting-exploded-view-schematics description: Produces exploded-view and sectioned technical drawings of assemblies and equipment, with numbered callouts, leader lines, and clean black-line technical illustration style. Use when a concept, mechanism, or assembly needs to be visually communicated through classic exploded parts diagrams, sectioned detail views, or factory-style technical schematics with numbered parts lists. --- # Drafting Exploded-View Schematics
When asked to illustrate an assembly, concept, or mechanism:
- Confirm the subject and intended depth: full assembly, sub-assembly, or single detailed component.
- Default to exploded isometric view, clean black line, technical/factory look.
- Number every distinct part in logical assembly order (1–30), placed in balloons connected by straight or gently curved leader lines pointing precisely to the part.
- Add a parts list / notes block beneath or beside the drawing, matching numbers to names.
- If a region needs more detail, produce a sectioned view (cutaway) of that area, cross-referenced to the main exploded view (e.g. "SEE DETAIL A").
- Render all labels and notes in Rock Salt-style hand-lettered typography; keep the line art itself clean and precise regardless of label style.
Output as a single clear drawing (or drawing + detail inset) — not a gallery of alternates — unless explicitly asked for options.
Progress:
- Step 1: Clarify subject, scale, and purpose (concept sketch vs. factory documentation)
- Step 2: Choose orientation — standard exploded isometric (default) unless instructed otherwise
- Step 3: Lay out parts along a logical explosion axis (usually vertical or along assembly direction)
- Step 4: Draw parts in clean black line only — no shading, no fills, no colour
- Step 5: Number parts sequentially in assembly/disassembly order, 1 through N (cap at 30 per sheet; split into multiple sheets if exceeded)
- Step 6: Place numbered balloons (circles) just outside the silhouette, connect with straight leader lines to a precise point on the part
- Step 7: Build the notes/parts list — number, name, (material or spec if relevant)
- Step 8: If requested, add sectioned/cutaway view of complex sub-areas, labelled as a Detail (A, B, C...)
- Step 9: Apply Rock Salt-style lettering to all labels, titles, and notes
- Step 10: Final check — every number has a corresponding note, every leader line lands accurately, no stray or ambiguous callouts
- Line work: Clean black line only. No pencil texture, no shading, no greyscale, no colour fills. Flat technical line weight, with slightly heavier outlines on primary silhouettes and lighter lines for internal detail.
- View type: Classic exploded isometric as default. Orthographic sectioned view when detail is requested.
- Mode: Technical/factory look is default — precise, ruled, uniform line weight. Only shift to a looser hand-drawn conceptual sketch when explicitly told this is a "first conception" or early ideation pass.
- Callouts: Circular balloons, numbered 1–30, leader lines terminating in a clear arrow or dot exactly on the referenced part — never floating ambiguously near multiple parts.
- Typography: Rock Salt (or equivalent casual handwritten marker-style font) for all titles, callout numbers' companion notes, and annotations — this is a deliberate contrast against the precise technical line art.
- Layout: Generous white space between exploded parts so leader lines never cross through unrelated components. Parts list organized in reading order, left-to-right or top-to-bottom.
Example 1: Input: "Show an exploded view of a bicycle pedal assembly with parts list." Output: Isometric exploded drawing of pedal body, axle, bearings, dust cap, and crank arm bolt, spaced along the axle's axis. Each part numbered 1–6 with balloon + leader line. Notes block: "1. Pedal Body 2. Axle 3. Bearing Set (x2) 4. Dust Cap 5. Retaining Clip 6. Crank Bolt." Clean black line, factory style, Rock Salt lettering for title "PEDAL ASSEMBLY — EXPLODED VIEW" and notes.
Example 2: Input: "Concept sketch for a new kind of clasp mechanism — just an idea, not final." Output: Looser, slightly hand-drawn exploded view (still black line only, no shading/colour) showing the clasp's 3–4 main parts, numbered callouts, minimal notes, Rock Salt-style annotations like "spring-loaded?" or "pivot pt" to convey it's conceptual.
Example 3: Input: "Need more detail on the valve housing in the pump assembly." Output: Main exploded view stays as-is; add inset "DETAIL A" — a sectioned (cutaway) view of the valve housing showing internal seals, spring, and seat, numbered continuing from the main sequence (e.g., 14–18), with its own tight leader lines and a note "SECTION A-A" or "DETAIL A" linking it back to the main drawing.
- Keep explosion order logical — it should read like a disassembly sequence a technician could follow.
- Never let two leader lines cross if avoidable; reroute or reposition the balloon.
- Keep numbering continuous across a sectioned detail rather than restarting, unless the detail is on a separate sheet.
- Reserve shading/fills entirely — depth and form are conveyed through line weight and construction (hidden lines dashed, visible edges solid), not tone.
- Match lettering style consistently — don't mix Rock Salt with a mechanical font within the same sheet.
- When the component count exceeds 30, split into logical sub-assemblies with their own sheets rather than cramming.
- Don't shade, cross-hatch for shadow, stipple, or add colour fills — sections use line hatching for material only, not tonal shading.
- Don't let a leader line terminate ambiguously between two parts — it must clearly touch one specific part.
- Don't default to hand-drawn/sketchy style unless explicitly told it's an early concept — factory/technical is the baseline.
- Don't skip the parts list — a numbered drawing without matching notes is incomplete.
- Don't renumber arbitrarily between main view and detail/section — maintain a single consistent numbering system per assembly.