Guides

Isometric paper on iPad

Isometric paper is graph paper for drawing in 3D. On iPad you skip the printer, pick the lattice size you want, and your lines can snap to it.

What isometric paper is

Instead of squares, the paper is a lattice of three sets of lines: one vertical, and two diagonals running up to the left and up to the right. They match the three edges that meet at the corner of a box: height, width and depth. Draw along them and a box’s three visible faces land on the grid, parallel edges stay parallel, and a size along any of the three directions can be counted in lattice steps.

That makes it the quick way to sketch an object in 3D without working out perspective. People use it for machine parts, furniture and joinery, 3D-print ideas, room layouts, and game and pixel art.

Why draw it on iPad

• No printing, no running out. A fresh sheet is a tap away, and a pad holds up to 50 pages.
• Lines that land on the lattice. With snapping on, straight lines start and end on lattice points, so the sketch stays true when you draw fast.
• Undo instead of erasing. Try a shape, step back, try another.
• Pick the density. A tight lattice for detailed parts, a wide one for big, simple shapes.

How to sketch on isometric paper

1. Block in the overall box. Start at the nearest corner: one vertical edge, then the two bottom edges along the diagonals, then close the top. Count lattice steps for each size.
2. Carve features out of the box. Notches, steps and cutouts are smaller boxes taken out of the big one. Draw their edges along the same three directions.
3. Add angled cuts last. Slopes and chamfers don’t follow the lattice. Find both ends on lattice points, then join them.
4. Draw circles as ellipses. A circle on any face becomes an ellipse. Sketch it inside the diamond the circle would fit in on that face.
5. Size it. Add the key dimensions. How to dimension an isometric drawing covers where they go.

Choosing a lattice size

PencilCAD offers three sizes. Small fits more detail on a page and suits parts with many features. Medium is a good default. Large makes big, simple shapes quick to block in and easy to read from across the bench.

Other papers in the same app

Isometric is one of six paper types in PencilCAD. Grid and dot grid suit flat views, floor plans and cut lists, and lines snap to them too. Lined, calligraphy and blank cover notes and everything else. Change paper anytime from More.