A Simple Method Allowing Students to Improve Their 3-D Visualization Skills

Spatial visualization skills and attention to detail can be effectively improved using various specialized methods. Starting in the 1990’s multiple researchers observed that improving 3-D visualization leads to better performance in engineering graphics and in most other engineering coursework resulting in improved retention and graduation rates. The majority of the 3-D visualization exercises currently being used by students in Design and Graphics classes present the objects in isometric views already in 3-D, asking the viewer to create multiple views, fold patterns, manipulate, reflect, or rotate them. Other exercises present the objects in incomplete multi-view projections and ask the students to add missing lines. The newly proposed method uses a different approach. It uses the standard multi-view projections to show a number of rectangular bricks arranged in various patterns. The viewer must count the exact number of bricks that form the structure. To do this the viewer must visualize each brick in its 3-D arrangement and count it only once despite the fact that the same brick may show up in more than one view. The new method was used for over nine years with demonstrated success for students with a wide variety of visualization skills. It is intended as a tool to help Engineering, Architecture, and Art students and faculty who want to increase their 3-D visualization skills and improve their attention to detail.