Drawing of mechanisms is a fundamental tool for mechanical design and representation. In this paper a historical study on the evolution of representation of mechanisms has been carried out in order to establish the historic background and identify the progress over time. Investigating several authors has identified basic changes in the evolution of mechanism drawing, and a few examples are reported in this paper to stress the main concepts. The drawing of mechanisms has evolved from an intentionally incomplete representation to a naturalistic and pictorial view, then from concise sketches and kinematic diagrams to modern abstract graphic pictures. The development of mechanism drawing has been strongly linked with and affected by the evolution of knowledge in mechanical sciences and particularly mechanism design.
CigolaM.CeccarelliM.On the evolution of mechanisms drawing. In Proceedings of 9th IFToMM World Congress, Milan, 1995, Vol. 4, pp. 3191–3195.
2.
PollioneVitruvio M.De Architectura (Ed. GiocondoFra), 1511, (Verona) (reprinted in 1513, 1522 and 1523).
3.
BarbaroD.I Dieci Libri dell'Architettura di M. Vitruvio, 1584 (Venice).
4.
von LandsbergHerradHortus Deliciarum: Texte Explicatif Commenc pour le Chanoine A, Straub, 1899 (Strasbourg).
5.
BechmannR.Villard de Honnecourt, Le Pensée Technique au XIII e Siècle et sa Communications, 1991 (Paris).
6.
BattistiE.Brunelleschi, 1975 (Milan).
7.
Mariano di Jacopo detto il TaccolaLiber Tertius de Ingeniis ac Aedifitiis non Usitatis (Ed. BeckJ. H.), 1969 (Milan).
8.
MussiniM.Il Trattato di Francesco di Giorgio Martini e Leonardo: Il Codice Estense Restituito, 1991 (Istituto di Storia dell'Arte, Università di Parma).
9.
CianchiM.Le Macchine di Leonardo, 1984 (Becocci, Firenze).
10.
FrommelC. L.The Architectural Drawings of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and his Circle, 1994 (MIT Press, New York).
11.
ValturioR.De re Militari, 1473 (Verona).
12.
VegezioF. R.De re Militari, 1535 (Paris).
13.
RamelliA.Le Diverse et Artificiose Machine, 1588 (Parigi).
14.
GalileiG.Le meccaniche, 1600. In Opere di Galileo (Ed. FavaroA.), 1964–1966 (Firenze).
15.
Del MonteG.Mechanicorum Liber, 1577 (Pesaro).
16.
Del MonteG.I sei Libri della Prospettiva di Guidobaldo dei Marchesi del Monte (Ed. SinisgalliR.), 1984 (L'erma di Bretscneider, Rome).
17.
DürerA.Institutionum Geometricarum Libri Quatuor cum Figuris, 1532 (Paris).
18.
BessonJ.Théatre des Instruments Mathématiques et Mécaniques, 1578 (Lion).
19.
SchottG.Technica Curiosa, 1664 (Norimberga).
20.
BrancaG.Le Machine, 1629 (Rome).
21.
De RobervalP.Observation sur la composition des mouvements, et sur le moyen de trouver les touchantes del lignes courbes. In Memoires de l'Academie Royale des Sciences. Depuis 1666 jusq‘a’ 1699, 1730 (Paris).
22.
De la HireP.Traitè de Mecanique, 1695 (Paris).
23.
OzanamM.La Mechanique, 1720 (Paris).
24.
GrandiG.Instituzioni Meccaniche, 1739 (Firenze).
25.
D'Alembe rtJ. B.DiderotD.Recueil de Planches, sur les Sciences, les Arts Liberaux, et les Arts Mechaniques, 3rd edition, 1774 (Livourne).
26.
KoetsierT.A contribution to the history of kinematics–I. Mechanism and Mach. Theory, 1983, 18(1), 37–42.
27.
HachetteJ. P. N.Traitè de Gèomètrie Descriptive, 1828 (Paris).
