Engineering - Civil (54) Visualization and animation are areas of increasing importance in civil engineering practice. The goal of this project is to adapt concepts developed in the Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center at Georgia Institute of Technology, and to implement a modification of these concepts into the civil engineering curriculum at Cal Poly Pomona. The first objective is to introduce static visualization into lower division courses. A second concurrent objective is to introduce real-time 3-D visualization and animation into upper division courses.
Rhinoceros, a 3-D NURBS solid modeling and static visualization tool, is being utilized to accomplish the first objective. Static visualization concepts are being introduced into CE 127 CAD Engine Concepts, a freshman computer graphics class. More advanced concepts and basic animation are being addressed in CE 134 Elementary Surveying, CE 220 Advanced Surveying, and CE 222 Highway Design. Objective two is being accomplished by acquiring 20 graphics accelerated SCSI workstation with static and dynamic visualization software. This equipment is going to be used to modify the spatial positioning systems, photogrammetry and GIS classes. Data are being collected in these classes by global positioning systems and softcopy photogrammetry. These data are going to be used to build computer models with visualization and animation software currently applied in industry. Concurrently, this equipment is being used in senior projects and the comprehensive civil engineering design classes. Students are developing terrain fly-throughs, building walk throughs, earthquake simulations and civil engineering equipment simulations. The visualization and animation techniques are being integrated throughout the curriculum. Students are incorporating these techniques into most senior projects. These senior projects are presented to faculty, students, and industry on College Symposium Day. The impact of visualization and animation techniques on these audiences will assure their inclusion.
The project is expected to reach 3,700 enrolled engineering students. This project addresses both upper and lower division student audiences and integrates new technology into the curriculum of the Department of Civil Engineering enabling student learning and understanding of three-dimensional space. In addition, based on current enrollment statistics approximately 33% or 175 students who are underrepresented minorities are going to be impacted by this project. Finally, the College of Engineering works with a consortium of high schools, and Metropolitan Transit Authority Foundation transportation academies. Through these avenues, the project promises to reach several hundred high school students.
