Abstract
Galleries of imagery generated from many of the recent CAD (computer aided design, or graphics) projects undertaken by St. Thomas undergraduates in mechanical engineering courses are presented. The CAD projects vary widely, e.g. as characterized by the geometric features present in the parts, number of parts in the assembly, overall complexity, scale, industry represented, in addition to presentation and viewing issues, etc. In some cases, animations with overlaid audio were made. The primary purpose of this effort is to attempt to elegantly showcase the body of quality work generated in a relatively compact manner to permit an enjoyable perusal and reflection that may be of use to others teaching future CAD courses or others, such as students interested in CAD work in a BSME program. In addition, one can see the natural evolution of the course since it was first taught. The projects demonstrate the application of CAD knowledge acquired in the freshman Engineering Graphics course where SolidWorks has been taught recently. However, because of the wide applicability of CAD, projects from many other courses (such as Introduction to Engineering, Kinematics and Mechanism Design, Machine Design, and the Senior Design Clinic sequence) are emphasized (although not all of them are showcased) as well. Finally, because of the success of the Engineering Graphics course, a brief course description is provided along with practical advice for maximizing the successful implementation of CAD projects for students.