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I was a draftsman many years ago, back in the stone age when we used paper and pencil (ink). I have always took it that "profile views" is a nautical architecture term for side views of these long narrow things called ships. Looking down on the decks are called "Plan views". The terms profile and plan views are also used in ship photography. "Elevation views" are more of a building architecture term because views from all sides are normally drawn (unless two sides are identical). Although, I have seen architecture drawings showing landscape, labeled as profile views to show the building and its surroundings and slopes of the site. Engineering drawings had side views, top and bottom views, and section views.