In recent years, engineering programs have developed courses that teach sketching and computer applications to design as separate concepts. The next step is needed in the development of these programs - that of integrating the sketching and computer aided design into a unified course with clearly defined purposes and goals. Courses are still taught by using the manual drafting lab for half of the course and using a computer laboratory for computer experience. The time has arrived to admit that the computer is the design tool of the present. There is a need to teach sketching skills that encourage problem solving and planning and then using the computer for the practical computer applications of design and analysis. It is essential to integrate the sketching process into the instruction of computer aided design. This method of instruction will enhance the correlation between sketching and the computer. The complete integration of the computer in the first course of the design sequence will accelerate the students' progress toward its applications in the areas of solid modeling, finite element analysis, computer aided manufacturing, computer integrated manufacturing, and computer numerical control. The concept of solid modeling and how it relates to the field of manufacturing has become an important issue and must be addressed. This issue will be addressed and the development of curriculum materials will be enhanced with the equipment requested in this proposal.
