Author Description

Engineering & Computer Graphics Workbook Using SolidWorks 2011 is an exercise-based workbook that uses step-by-step tutorials to cover the fundamentals of SolidWorks 2011. The intended audience is college undergraduate engineering majors, but it could also be used in pre-college introductory engineering courses or by self learners. The text follows an educational paradigm that was researched and developed by the authors over many years. The paradigm is based on the concurrent engineering approach to engineering design in which the 3-D solid model data serves as the central hub for all aspects of the design process. The workbook systematically instructs the students to develop 3-D models using the rich tools afforded in SolidWorks. The exercises then proceed to instruct the students on applications of the solid model to design analysis using finite elements, to assembly modeling and checking, to kinematic simulation, to rapid prototyping, and finally to projecting an engineering drawing. The workbook is ideally suited for courses in which a reverse engineering design project is assigned. This book contains clear and easy to understand instructions that enable the students to robustly learn the main features of SolidWorks, with little or no instructor input.