Visualization enhancement by computer-aided projection

Abstract

The Engineering Graphics course at the University of Waterloo is designed to familiarize students with the theory of projection and descriptive geometry. The emphasis of the course is on three-dimensional visualisation. Although much of the learning takes place via drawing board exercises, a computer-aided projection (CAP) package was developed as an additional learning aid. It is a friendly, menu-driven program that allows students to input simple, wire-frame objects into a data file and to project the object onto the screen using oblique, orthographic, or perspective projection techniques. The program, written and compiled in C, is easy to use and has a built-in dynamic facility that permits rapid on-screen changes in perspective. Hardcopy laser printouts can be made of any projected results. The program is usable on a stand-alone PC or on a networked system of PCs such as the WATSTAR network at the University of Waterloo.