The Use of Freeware in the Teaching of Engineering Design Graphics
Liang‐Yee Cheng, Escola Politécnica, Carolina Chaves Barbosa · 2007
In the modern education of Engineering Design Graphics, the use of CAD technology is essential in learning of theoretical concepts, such as Projectiv e Geometry and Geometrical Modeling, for the development of spatial abilities and the mastering of the engineering graphics communication and design tool. Within this context, there is a demand for the CAD software in the Engineering courses. Recently, ther e are many freeware for graphics use, such 2D vector drawing and 3D modeler applications as well as CAD software. With constant improvement and updating, the potential of these freeware for the educational use is increa sing quickly. Also, due to the cost, the availability of the CAD tools to the students is relatively limited. From t he viewpoint of the students, the use of freeware inst ead of commercial CAD tools, whose access is limited due t o the cost, may mean the possibility of doing the home wo rks or practicing the projects at home. Thus, the objec tive of the present work is to analyze the feasibility of a pplying freeware for the teaching and learning of Engineeri ng Design Graphics. The analyses were carried out by checking the functionalities of the freeware agains t the requirements of the course and by collecting information from mini-courses applied to the students.