Mid Level Cad Packages As Stepping Stones For Solid Modeling Education

Introductory courses to 3-D solid modeling have the difficult tasks of both introducing 3-D solid modeling concepts and instructing the use of a particular software package to exercise these concepts. In many settings more time is spent learning how to use the solid modeling software than understanding the conceptual techniques of visualizing 3-D solid objects. The use of midlevel Computer Aided Design (CAD) packages with built in tutorials can greatly reduce the amount of time spent learning how to use the software and allow the instructor to focus on conceptual understanding. Most mid-level CAD packages do not offer the power or functionality of the larger, more robust software used by industry, but their ease of use makes them a great first step in educating a student in 3-D solid modeling. Several mid-level CAD packages are made or supported by producers of large, industry accepted CAD packages. This relationship makes it easy to use the mid-level CAD package as an instructional tool toward teaching the industry standard CAD package. The instructor is still faced, however, with the task of selecting the appropriate software. This paper will describe a process for selecting an optimum package from among a variety of contenders. It will also explore the use of Parametric Technologies Corporation’s (PTC) Pro/Desktop as a stepping-stone for the use of PTC’s Pro/Engineer.