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Enhancing an Introductory Engineering Graphics Course

Abstract

In the presented paper, an approach for teaching a freshman level Engineering Graphics course using the solid modeling principles is proposed and discussed. The created model can effectively be utilized by the instructor in the classroom to present various graphics communication principles and techniques to students. Utilizing a variety of special solid modeling tools/commands available in AutoCAD, a three-dimensional representation of the object can be produced with ease. The constructed model can be edited to create other similar solids for further investigation and exploration. This model can be oriented and viewed from various angles to enable the students to better visualize the intricate parts. Standard multiviews, auxiliary views, and sectional views can conveniently and efficiently be created from the created solid model in AutoCAD to better represent the detailed features of the object. A set of other special solid modeling tools available in AutoCAD can further aid in creating a more realistic three-dimensional representation of the studied object. The students can use the produced computer-aided drawings to check the validity of their hand-sketched drawings. Included in the paper are several samples of solid modeling projects that can be used in an introductory Engineering Graphics course to enhance and extend the students’ graphical communication skills and visualization capabilities. The presented samples clearly establish the purpose, utility, and advantages of introducing solid modeling in teaching the graphics course.

I. Introduction

In the past several years the author has published a number of papers1-7 in the area of application of computers and new technologies in enhancement of teaching. The tools and techniques discussed in these papers were distinctively selected to suit the specific needs and desired outcomes of the course they were used in. The paper presented focuses on the utility of AUTOCAD solid modeling as a tool to enhance the delivery of instruction in an introductory Engineering Graphics course. The utilization of this software tool offers an extra dimension to the delivery of the course, a dimension that is missing in other traditional modes of teaching this type of a course.

In an Engineering Graphics course (ENGR 1133) taught in the Engineering Studies Program at Georgia Southern University, traditional topics related to the graphical communication are explored to enhance the students’ manual drafting and computer drafting skills. The author has recently developed a quick reference guide that contained all essential AutoCAD commands needed for working with solid models. The developed guide is organized in three separate categories covering the following operations: (1) Solid modeling fundamentals, (2) Editing Solid models, and (3) Creating two-dimensional views from solid models. The developed guide has a brief description of the utility of the main solid modeling commands, including a page number referring the user to the pages of a comprehensive text which describes the commands in more details8. Some examples of the most important operations included the guide have been provided in Table 1. Using such commands, even the most complicated three-dimensional

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Navaee, S. (2006, June), Enhancing An Introductory Engineering Graphics Course Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--1279