Adding the dynamic dimension to design
Imagine two different Design and Technology classroom scenarios. In both, pupils have computer aided design (CAD) software but in the first they are designing a product in a relatively traditional way using straight lines, arcs and curves, as if the drawing board has been translated to the screen.
Alistair Brook AUTODESK EDUCATION MANAGER, EMEA
Imagine two different Design and Technology classroom scenarios. In both, pupils have computer aided design (CAD) software but in the first they are designing a product in a relatively traditional way using straight lines, arcs and curves, as if the drawing board has been translated to the screen.
Move to the next room. Here too, pupils are working from a desktop computer screen but at once you can see a 3D virtually-real product. They are discussing alternatives to the design and are having fun trying out “what-if” ideas, changing one part of the design and watching everything else automatically changing to fit and rotating the model to view it from every angle. Which class would you prefer to be teaching?
After all, using exactly the same technology as that used for the special effects in films such as King Kong and Lord of the Rings does appear a more attractive proposition.
In some schools, for example, children as young as eleven are using the most advanced 3D software as part of an enlightened strategy. In this they are even one jump ahead of industry.
Whereas, globally, 85% of manufacturers are still predominately using 2D tools, thanks to excellent initiatives such as CADCAM in Schools and government funding support through e- Learning Credits, 3D design is now widely used as part of the Design and Technology curriculum.
Consequently, university courses involving CAD need to look at what’s happening in schools. Soon there will be a new generation of sophisticated young designers demanding courses which make use of the most advanced new software.
At the Thomas Cowley High School in Lincolnshire the technology department uses Autodesk Inventor Professional to teach 3D design and modelling from Year 7 to GCSE. Graphics teacher, James Hannam, writes schemes of work that mix traditional and contemporary PC-based topics covering three key areas of technology - graphics, resistant materials and food technology.
He is keen to introduce the students to the technology as early as possible: “It is good to get the kids thinking in 3D from the start so we give Year 7s demo pieces and small animations.”
Designing in 3D for the first time can be a challenge, but once the pupils grasp the concept, they are hooked. “When they are first shown Inventor they all groan and say: ‘This is really complicated.’ As soon as they click, suddenly it’s: ‘This is fantastic.’. They then want to sit and play every lunchtime and after school. Many of them even ask it they can take it home with them.”
To help different year groups get to grips with the technology, Hannam comes up with a variety of projects: “Year 9s do an automata project where they are presented with all the parts made in plastic and asked to model them in Inventor.
“We also give them a nine bend exercise to design a mobile phone holder. ”
As a Primary School Liaison Officer, James uses Inventor to introduce younger children to 3D: “We are getting pupils in Years 5 and 6 to use the software for basic maths, looking at geometrical shapes in 3D and modelling cubes. It is simple stuff but starting them early means they will be ready for more advanced work in Year 7.”
Enlightened schools are also finding that 3D skills are transferable. “Students in Years 10 and 11 who are interested in architecture can now use Autodesk Revit architectural design software to enhance their graphics portfolio. Because Revit has the same feel as Inventor, they get to grips with the software with little input from me. The only things they need redirection with are specialist architectural terms that they may not have come across before.”
With the QCA planning to introduce a Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment, schools that are already advanced in the use of 3D CAD will have the advantage. As Hannam says: “The ability to think in 3D gives our students a head start.”