Our textbooks bring over 80 years teaching experience to the printed page. Engineers, Architects- all technical workers- need the ability to visualize shapes involved in designs. Developing three dimensional perception or the ability to “see” in three dimensions requires a very high level of mental training. People with years of experience working with blueprints of machine parts or building projects have a quick ability to recognize shapes and design features.
Graphical Reasoning
Putting thinking processes into words is a difficult task. Our Engineering Graphics textbooks use a clear, logical approach to teaching visualization. Practice problems challenge students to develop mental reasoning processes that more quickly produce the desired outcomes. This is a solitary undertaking! Just as mastering a musical instrument takes practice along with constructive coaching, learning to think in 3D involves practice with complex shapes and logical reasoning. Problems must be rigorous enough to challenge students to develop visualization skills.
3D modeling on the computer is a powerful tool to develop visualization skills. Engineering Graphics textbook sketching problems are designed to be used outside class (homework). Computer Graphics textbooks have instruction and tutorials for use at the computer, usually in a lab. These textbooks have the same sequence of content. By sketching and modeling the same shapes at the same time, greater understanding and progress are possible.
