Abstract:

Two-dimensional drawings used in the construction industry are communication tools developed to explain the intention of the architects to the contractors. In order to describe the 3D structure in a 2D plane, the architects draw the shape of the 3D structure viewed from the top or from the side, and adds an appropriate dimension line thereto. When these 2D drawings are delivered to the contractors, they get busy figuring out the 3D geometry of the structure that the architect wants to describe. The competency of reconstructing the 3D structure in their mind by reviewing the 2D geometries in the construction drawing requires a considerable amount of training. Therefore, higher education institutions that produce construction professionals teach students how to read 2D drawings. Students learn various lines and symbols used in 2D drawings, the orthogonal representation of 3D objects, and the features of architectural or structural drawings. However, learning this subject matter does not necessarily result in the ability to reconstruct the 3D structure in mind from combining the geometries depicted in the 2D drawings. The most effective way to acquire this ability may be to actually build the structure once using 2D drawings. While building a structure, students can see the process of getting the 2D representation of a structure transformed into a 3D structure. It provides students a crucial opportunity to understand the spatial relationship between what is represented in a 2D drawing and a 3D structure. Building an actual structure using 2D drawings may also provide students an opportunity to investigate 2D drawings more actively. Because the 3D structures they build are visually demonstrated that they have read the drawings correctly, students have to be more aggressive in investigating 2D drawings. This gives students the opportunity to actively participate in class activities. In reality, however, we can not use this teaching method for a variety of reasons. Instead, we can think of asking students to build a structure in a virtual space using a 3D computer modeling application. This paper presents an experimental class that teaches students how to read 2D drawings using SketchUP, one of the easy 3D computer modeling applications. This class asked students to build a residential house using SketchUp. For this class project, students picked the residential house they wanted to build and collected associated drawings. The construction process in a virtual space was divided into two phases. The first is about building foundation and the frames of the house. The second phase involves building walls, ceilings, and roofs of house. Through this process, students gained the competency of converting the 2D drawings into a 3D structure. However, we also found some rooms to be improved. Because the 2D drawings of residential houses commonly built in the United States are often too simple, students often do not get enough information from the 2D drawings. They had to pick up additional information by visiting the site. This has resulted in the dilution of the essence of trying to gain the ability to understand two-dimensional drawings by creating a three-dimensional model. Those who want to use this pedagogy need to be careful in selecting 2D drawings.

Keywords:

2D Drawing, 3D Model, Virtual Construction.