Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Symmetry Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Advances on Engineering Graphics: Improvements and New Proposals, Volume 2

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Published Papers

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Computer".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 9616

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. José Ignacio Rojas Sola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Engineering Graphics, Design and Projects, University of Jaen, Campus de las Lagunillas, s/n, 23071 Jaen, Spain
Interests: engineering graphics; industrial heritage; industrial archaeology; history of technology and industrial revolution; historical inventions; mechanical engineering; computer-aided design; computer-aided engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of engineering graphics, defined as the set of graphic communication techniques that engineers, architects, and designers use to express ideas and concepts, or the graphic expression applied to the design process, is becoming increasingly important.

Not surprisingly, engineering and architecture studies have one of their main functions in the teaching of graphic communication, since it is the universal language of engineer, architect, or designer in engineering and/or architecture fields.

The correct interpretation of graphic language allows the development of skills in the training of an engineer or architect. For this reason, research on this topic is especially interesting to find improvements or new proposals that help toward a better understanding of those techniques.

The scope for case studies is very broad and can cover different disciplines of engineering, such as mechanical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, automation and robotic engineering or telecommunications engineering, among others, as well as architecture. In particular, research on educational aspects of the teaching of graphic communication techniques, which improve the development of skills related to the fields of engineering and architecture, are especially welcome.

This Special Issue invites researchers to submit original research papers and review articles related to any discipline in which theoretical or practical issues of engineering graphics are considered. The topics of interest include but are not limited to:

Engineering graphics
Computer-aided design
Industrial design
Industrial drawing
Geometric modeling
Virtual reality
Augmented reality
Technical drawing
Descriptive geometry
Computer animation
Multimedia.

Contributions in other domains are welcome, although we ask that you please contact the Guest Editor.

Prof. Dr. José Ignacio Rojas Sola
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Other

26 pages, 6414 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design and Development of a Geometric Calculator in CATIA

by José Ignacio Rojas-Sola, Gloria del Río-Cidoncha, Rafael Ortíz-Marín and Andrés Cebolla-Cano

Symmetry 2023, 15(2), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15020547 - 18 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1579

Abstract

In this article, an application in the field of engineering graphics is presented for the design of a geometric calculator generated as a macro in CATIA V5. The code of this macro is written in the CATVBA language and utilizes the CATIA internal editor while taking advantage of the capabilities offered by Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The principal purpose of this application lies in the possibility of creating the three main geometric elements (point, line, and plane) and in solving five types of general geometric problems, and then comparing the results obtained with their equivalent problems from analytical geometry. In particular, within these types of general geometric problems, 34 possible cases are solved: definition of lines (nine cases), definition of planes (12 cases), intersection points (three cases), angles (three cases), and distances (seven cases). These new entities defined with the geometric calculator can serve as support for the generation of new three-dimensional volumes, the creation of auxiliary symmetries, and the dimensioning of various elements. It was verified that the results of the designed macro and the solutions of the analytical equations coincided; therefore, the procedure was validated. Likewise, the module employed herein in the CATIA V5 environment is “Wireframe and Surface Design”, since it enables handling the three basic geometric elements (point, line, and plane), which form the basis of the geometric calculator. Lastly, it is verified how the geometric calculator allows their integration with three-dimensional solids, which represents a notable advance as an aid in its geometric definition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Engineering Graphics: Improvements and New Proposals, Volume 2)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 14356 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design and Development of a Macro to Compare Sections of Planes to Parts Using Programming with Visual Basic for Applications in CATIA

by José Ignacio Rojas-Sola, Gloria del Río-Cidoncha, Rafael Ortíz-Marín and José Antonio Moya-Ocaña

Symmetry 2023, 15(1), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15010242 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2520

Abstract

This article presents an application for educational purposes in the field of engineering graphics, which corrects the dihedral projections of the sections of a plane for a part by comparing the solution provided by the student with that obtained through 3D CAD modelling software. Said application is generated as a macro in CATIA (Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application), which is included as a tool in the ‘Part Design’ module. The code of this macro is written in the CATVBA language, utilizes the CATIA internal editor, and takes advantage of the capabilities offered by Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in the design of Graphical User Interfaces (GUI). The operation of the macro consists of obtaining the section in the 3D CAD model, projecting it onto three dihedral projections of the part (elevation, plan, and profile), and calculating the visible and hidden lines by means of a numerical process based on dividing the lines into discrete sections. Likewise, to obtain numerical results, the section obtained in CATIA (reference section) is compared with the section provided by the student (section that needed to be corrected) by means of a spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel). The data of the coordinates of the points of the reference section are exported to said spreadsheet as is the data of the coordinates of the section that needed to be corrected, which is contained in a file with a dxf format (Drawing eXchange Format). From these data, by programming the appropriate formulae in the cells of the spreadsheet, the numerical values of the errors are obtained, thereby locating said errors in the dihedral projections of the section which needed to be corrected. Likewise, the application can be programmed to compare the central symmetry of both of the sections. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Engineering Graphics: Improvements and New Proposals, Volume 2)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 9628 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Perception Study for Unit Charts in the Context of Large-Magnitude Data Representation

by Yun Lin, Yi Tang, Yanfei Zhu, Fangbin Song and Wenzhe Tang

Symmetry 2023, 15(1), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15010219 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2672 | Correction

Abstract

Unit charts are a common type of chart for visualizing scientific data. A unit chart is a chart used to communicate quantities of things by making the number of symbols on the chart proportional to the number of items represented. An accurate perception of the order of magnitude is essential to evaluating whether a unit chart can effectively convey information. Previous studies have primarily focused on perceptual properties at small order-of-magnitude scales or the efficacy of pictographs in unit charts. However, few researchers have explored the perceptual effectiveness of unit charts when representing large orders of magnitude. In this study, we performed a series of sampling measurements to investigate the visual–perceptual characteristics of unit charts when representing asymmetric interactions such as large-scale numbers. The results showed that under the restriction of the current conventional display medium, unit charts still offer a significant advantage over bar charts in a single-scale visual overview. However, this comes at the cost of a longer response time. Although this study constitutes basic research, accumulating evidence about how people reason about magnitudes beyond human perception is critical to the field of information science. This study may contribute to understanding how viewers perceive unit charts and the factors that influence graphical perception. This article provides some specific guidelines for designing unit charts that may be useful to visualization designers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Engineering Graphics: Improvements and New Proposals, Volume 2)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 17380 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Computer-Aided Design: Development of a Software Tool for Solving Loci Problems

by David Hernández-Díaz, Francisco Hernández-Abad, Vicente Hernández-Abad, Ricardo Villar-Ribera, Fernando Julián and José Ignacio Rojas-Sola

Symmetry 2023, 15(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15010010 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1184

Abstract

In this work, we developed a software tool for the simplified, automated definition and viewing of loci in the plane, an essential task in the design, engineering and architectural fields. The process was started by identifying the most salient geometric loci in the engineering domain (i.e., tangents). A geometric approach was followed to deal with curves from the relative positions of two circles or a circle and a point. The algorithms used can be easily implemented in commercially available CAD software, which testifies to the usefulness and timeliness of the proposed tool. The tool successfully solved all target cases and was implemented as a function with the commercial software Adobe Authorware v.7.0.2. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Engineering Graphics: Improvements and New Proposals, Volume 2)

► Show Figures