Computer graphics and computer aided design in mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota

Engineering design in industry is changing as a result of the application of the new tools provided by the digital computer and interactive computer graphics. This shift is placing new demands on engineering curricula. The engineering graduate today must be trained in the use of the computer and computer graphics as a design tool-in much the same way that engineers in the past used the slide rule and today use the hand-held calculator. This paper summarizes the efforts to integrate computer graphics and computer aided design into the design curriculum in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota. Specific software packages have been developed for use in teaching engineering graphics and mechanism synthesis and analysis. These packages are discussed in detail, including the hardware used.