TOWARDS APPROPRIATE MODELING PRACTICES THROUGH EVALUATION CRITERIA

It's quite common to find words as "Benefits of 3D CAD" and how Engineers, Designers and Architects will work more efficiently and avoid costly mistakes when they use commercial CAD solutions. However, inappropriate modeling practices produce erroneous models with variations in shape and size from the original model preventing its reuse.
In this paper, an education initiative involving the application of evaluation criteria in order to improve models is presented. The experience was applied in the subject of Computer Aided Design, which is a course of the third year of the Degree in Industrial Design Engineering at the Universitat Jaume I (Castellón, Spain).
In previous editions, the methodology used in the course consisted of a series of practical and theoretical sessions with teachers. During the practical sessions a 3D modeling software package was used to development 3D pieces, assembly and create technical drawings from the models. During the course, students took two midterms, a final exam and a 3D design project. Marks were assigned by teachers.
But attending to the necessity of appropriate modeling practices, a new way of a learning through evaluation criteria was proposed. The criteria were selected attending to a particular cases and not to general cases. This initiative, reinforces modeling practices in order to produce correct models and allowing its reuse, this fact, it will be essential in their professional life.
The results obtained were analyzed by comparing them with the results from previous years. A positive evaluation of the methodology was registered. Given the success of this initiative, the method will be complemented in following courses, and new criteria will be introduced if it was necessary.