Re: Figures

[Stefan Fielding-Isaacs <sfi -at- VERITY -dot- COM>]

>       >From: Nancy Burns <nburns -at- NOAO -dot- EDU>
>       >Subject:      Re: Figures
>       >
>       >>I'm just curious (some would say *extremely* curious indeed, but that's
>       >>another story...), how do the folks on the list handle figures in their
>       >>documents? I used to do sketches and let designers handle it, and even
>       >>then I did figures as an afterthought, after the text was finished.
>       >>
>       >>How do the rest of you work? Do you use a lot of figures? How do you
>       >>develop them? In the document cycle, when do you develop them? Do you
>       >>include them in technical reviews?
>       >>
>       >>|Len Olszewski, Technical Writer |
>       >
>       >Len,
>       >
>       >I usually develop the concept of a figure during the early draft stage and
>       >then create the actual figure, using a drawing program, when I have enough
>       >information.
>       >
>       >Nancy Burns

 Interesting points of view.

 I have done a fair bit of hardware technical writing amongst my software
 projects.

 The first stage of component-level hw tech writing is to sit down with
 the machine in question (I prefer to write service manuals for entire
 computers) and take the thing apart. Several times.

 Then I sit down and draw the machine from the perspectives I'll need.
 Rear view, side views, top view. Then I draw all the major components
 that are to be replaced and all the cables. Then I draw the layout of
 the cables for the machine in a variety of configurations.

 When I've got all the drawing done I begin to do the writing.

 I think it's next to impossible to do a good field service manual without
 following a similar procedure. One has to take the machine apart.

 The rough drawings (all hand done because it's much quicker that way)
 I then pass on to an artist/mech CAD person to put into a drawing program.
 I then import the graphic into FrameMaker. In the draft documents I use
 my hand-drawn views.

 Unless there is a _very_ good reason, my drawings are rendered exactly
 into the CAD program (I don't want any surprises).

 A picture is worth a thousand words, after all.

 I cannot imagine writing such a manual before doing the drawing work.
 To my mind the drawings would necessarily be a less-than-useful adjunct
 and the writing in the manual unecessarily verbose..

 Comments?

 Stefan Fielding-Isaacs
 dba Art & Science
 Consulting Hardware and Software Technical Writing