Engineering Graphics &

Models
Fall 2013
Lecture 1
Introduction to Graphics Communication

Graphics Communication
Visualizing, sketching, modeling, and detailing are how engineers
and technologists communicate as they design new products and
structures for our technological world.
In engineering, 92 percent of the
design process is graphically
based.
Sharing technical information
through graphical means is
becoming more important as
more nontechnical people
become involved in the
design/manufacturing process.
Figure 1. Users of graphics
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Graphics in the Design Process

Technical graphics is a language used in the
design process for:
Visualization
Communication
Documentation

Figure 1. Technical drawings are used to

communicate complex technical information.
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Visualization
Visualization: ability to mentally picture things
that do not exist.
Most designers will initially
capture their mental images
by sketching them on paper.
Visualization and the
resulting sketch is the first
phase in the whole process
of graphics being used in the
design process.
Figure 2. Design sketch of a hand digitizing system
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Communication
Communication: you must be able to improve the
clarity of your graphics to such an extent that others
are able to visualize your design
In the past, real models of the
design were created;
many industries now use rendered
3-D computer models to replace
real models.
Figure 3. A refined 3-D model of the digitizing system
used to communicate the design without ambiguity
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Documentation
Documentation: you must be able to improve the
clarity of your graphics to such an extent that others
are able to visualize your design

Figure 4. A detail drawing used in the documentation process

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The Engineering Design Process

Engineering design is associated with
the entire business or enterprise, from
receipt of the order or product idea, to
maintenance of the product, and all
stages between.
Linear engineering design is a design
approach divided into a number of
steps

Figure 5. Traditional engineering design sequence

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The Engineering Design Process

The model-centered engineering design process is a nonlinear team
approach to design that brings together the input, processes, and
output elements necessary to produce a product.
Collaborative engineering is dependent on computer based tools,
which are used to create a virtual representation of a product design.

Figure 6. Model-centered engineering design

Figure 7. Collaborative engineering design

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Virtual Product Representation

Collaborative engineering is highly dependent on computer
based tools.
These tools used to create a virtual representation of a product
design through:
1. 3-D CAD models
2. Product Data Management
3. Large assembly visualizations
4. Packaging analysis
5. Tolerance analysis
6. Structural, thermal, and flow analyses
7. Dynamic simulations for design and manufacturing
8. Virtual Reality
9. Collaborative Web Technology
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Virtual Product Representation

Prototyping: quickly create a physical model of a
part or functional prototypes to create mockups
of the part suing traditional means
Productivity tools: used by engineers and
technicians on a daily basis to support the overall
design process
PDM/Configuration management: tools to
manage long-term overall design/manufacture
process
Internet, Intranet, and Extranet: computer
networks used to share information
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The Engineering Design Process

Product Life Cycle Management (PLM): model that facilitates the
simultaneous working of all the companys departments: engineering,
strategy, marketing and sales, planning and production, procurement,
nance, and human resources.
PLM is a strategic business
approach for the effective
management and use of corporate
intellectual capital.
PLM supports and enables three
interconnected processes:
1. Supply chain collaboration
2. Product development
3. Enterprise process integration
Figure 8. Product life cycle management
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Design Projects
The membership of a design team will vary according to
the complexity and type of design.
Typical members of a design team might include:

Product design engineer

Product manager
Mechanical engineer
Electrical engineer
Manufacturing engineer
Software engineer

Detailer/drafter
Materials engineer
Quality control engineer
Industrial designer
Vendor representatives

Types of Design Projects

Modification of an Existing Design
Improvement of an Existing Design
Development of a New Product
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Ideation
Ideation is a structured approach to thinking for the purpose of
solving a problem.

Figure 9. Ideation process

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Ideation
Ideation is the start of the design phase and includes:
Problem identification process in which the parameters of the design
project are set. Problem identification includes the following elements:
Problem statement,
Research,
Data gathering,
Objectives,
Limitations,
Scheduling.
Preliminary ideas development is the process of suggesting as many
solutions to a problem as possible, brainstorming. It results in a list of ideas,
along with some preliminary sketches or computer models.
Preliminary design creation of models out of foam or other material, or
using computer models

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Refinement
Renement is a repetitive (iterative or cyclical) process used
to test the preliminary design, make changes if necessary, and
determine if the design meets the goals of the project

Figure 10. Refinement process

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Refinement
The refinement stage begins with rough
sketches and computer models to create
dimensionally accurate drawings and models
Then the engineers select the materials for
the component parts
The preliminary design is tested physically,
the design is analyzed, and manufacturing
begins to determine the processes needed to
produce the product
The preliminary design is also market tested
to a small group
The final step in the refinement stage is
selection of the final design for the product Figure 11. Refinement of a battery
contact design
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Refinement
Modeling is the process of representing abstract ideas, words, and
forms, through the orderly use of simplied text and images.
A descriptive model presents abstract ideas, products, or
processes in a recognizable form.
A mathematical model uses mathematical equations to represent
system components. A scale model is a physical model created to
represent system components.
Computer simulation is the precise modeling of complex situations
that involve a time element.
Computer animation is the imprecise modeling of complex
situations that involve a time element.
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Refinement: Design analysis

Design analysis is the evaluation of a proposed design, based on
the criteria established in the ideation phase

Property analysis, which evaluates a design based on its physical

properties
Mechanism analysis, which determines the motions and loads
Functional analysis, which determines if the design does what it is
intended to do
Human factors analysis, which evaluates a design to determine if the
product serves the needs of the consumer
Aesthetic analysis, which evaluates a design based on its aesthetic
qualities
Market analysis, which determines if the design meets the needs of the
consumer, based on the results of surveys or focus groups.
Financial analysis, which determines if the price of the proposed design
will be in the projected price range set during the ideation phase.
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Implementation
Implementation is the third and nal phase in collaborative
engineering design and is the process used to change the nal
design from an idea into a product, process, or structure.
It includes:
Planning
Production
Marketing
Finance
Management
Service
Documentation process used to
formally record and communicate
the final design solution

Figure 12. Implementation process

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Implementation
Planning: Manufacturing engineers and technologists are
the leaders in the planning process, as they schedule the
machines and jobs necessary to create the product.
Modern planning techniques include computer-aided
process planning (CAPP), material requirements planning
(MRP), and just-in-time (JIT) scheduling.
Production: the process used to transform raw materials
into finished products and structures, using labor,
equipment, capital, and facilities.
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Implementation
Marketing: anticipates customer needs and directs the
flow of goods from the producer to the consumer

Finance: analyzes the

feasibility of producing a
product, relative to
capital requirements and
return on investment

Figure 13. Marketing process

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Implementation
Management is the logical organization of people, materials,
energy, equipment, and procedures into work activities designed to
produce a specified end result, such as a product.
Service is an activity that supports the installation, training,
maintenance, and repair of a product or structure for the consumer.

Figure 14. Production

managers responsibilities
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Documentation
Documentation process used to formally record and
communicate the final design solution
Concurrent documentation is a process that creates
documents at the same time that the product design is
being developed.

Figure 15. Concurrent documentation

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Documentation
Design drawings and models: sketches, rough design layout
drawings, and initial 3-D computer models created during the
ideation and renement phases
Production drawings and models: Multiview dimensioned drawings
and assembly drawings with a parts list are used for production
purposes.

Figure 16. A design drawing

Figure 17. Production drawing

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Documentation
Technical illustrations: used to convey
ideas to others on the team early in
the design process
Animations: used to support the
marketing, training, production, and
service activities
Technical reports: accounts that
Figure 18. Technical illustration
chronicle the design process
Presentation: text, illustrations, and
other visual aids used when making an
oral report to a group
Patent drawings: highly regulated
piece of graphics.
Figure 19. Pictorial
patent drawing
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Product Data Control

A critical part of the
design process is
managing all of the
information related to
the product.
Product data
management is a
computer-based tools
and processes used to
manage this
information
Figure 20. PDM in a networked environment

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Standards and Conventions

Standards and conventions are the alphabet of
technical drawings, and plane, solid, and
descriptive geometry are the science which
underlies the graphics language.
Conventions commonly are accepted practices,
rules, or methods. Example: the use of dashed
lines on multiview drawings to designate a feature
Figure 20. Drawing conventions
hidden from the current viewpoint.
Standards are sets of rules that
govern how technical drawings are
represented. Example: placing the
dimension text such that it is read
from the bottom of the sheet
Figure 21. Drawing standard
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Other Engineering Design Methods

Design for Manufacturability (DFM): the design technique in
which the design is developed by a team and the focus is on
simplicity in manufacturing and functionality
DFM principles are as follows:
Minimize the number of parts.
Use modular design (breaking a single design into smaller parts).
Use gravity in assembly whenever possible.
Minimize reorientation and adjustment during the assembly process.
Provide easy access.
Reduce or eliminate fasteners.
Increase part symmetry.
Consider ease of part handling.
Design parts for ease of alignment.
Design parts to maintain location.

Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE): the system that

complement CAD by adding the engineering knowledge
necessary for a products design
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Graphic Communication Technologies

Reverse Engineering: the method of taking an existing
product, accurately evaluating it, and putting the information
into a CAD database
Web-based Communication: Now it is possible to share
design information in a new way. Physical presence is no
longer necessary for the people doing the design or the
documents used to support the design process

Figure 22. Coordinate measuring machine

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Graphic Communication Technologies

Output Devices: can be used to make check
plots, production plots, presentation plots or
combining of these
Storage Technologies: storage devise is used to

store information

Figure 23. Design jet printer

Figure 24. Laser jet printer

Figure 25. Stereolithography

system
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Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a 3-D (in most cases, but not
always), computer-generated, simulated environment,
rendered in real time with interactive user control of
the environment.

Figure 26. Components of VR

The use of VR in industry is

becoming more common
for oil and gas exploration,
engineering design
especially in the automotive
and aerospace industries
and scientic visualization
for research in many of the
basic sciences.
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Summary
Visualization the ability to mentally control visual
information
Graphics theory geometry and projection techniques
Standards sets of rules that govern hoe parts are made
and technical drawings are represented
Conventions commonly accepted practices and methods
used for technical drawings
Tools devices used to create engineering drawings and
models, included both handheld and computer tools
Applications the various used for technical graphics in
engineering design, such a s mechanical, electrical, and
architectural

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