Abstract:

The teaching of the history of technology involves learning about the operation of technical historical heritage. However, on many occasions it is mainly taught by historians who lack the specialized technical training to present it in detail from the technical point of view and not only the historical. Therefore, it is essential to use current digital technologies to generate innovative applications in engineering education such as virtual recreations, virtual and augmented reality, and even 3D printing using additive manufacturing techniques.
It is essential to generate resources that become complements in this educational task, providing the user with an accurate understanding of the operation of the historical invention, thus allowing them to discover its operating principles from the point of view of engineering.

As has been mentioned, one of the most widespread resources are real-time virtual recreations, which also facilitate the acquisition by the student of a series of skills and competences related to graphic subjects in engineering studies.

However, learning to operate the numerous tools currently available for the development of recreations is very different, and in most cases requires an outstanding additional effort. Programs dedicated to the development of 3D graphics by computer, special effects and animation, such as Autodesk 3ds Max or Autodesk Maya among many others, are just some examples of the magnificent quality of these virtual recreations. However, this comes at the expense of an investment of time and effort that in many instances does not compensate, depending on the objective pursued.

For this reason, it is necessary to carry out a search of the software currently available and choose a compromise solution between the software that requires less effort in its learning, and that which allows us to obtain acceptable qualitative results.

In the present communication, one of them has been chosen (Autodesk Inventor Studio) since it is included in the computer-aided design parametric software Autodesk Inventor Professional. This was used to three-dimensionally model the historical inventions of Agustín de Betancourt, in particular his hydraulic mill for flint milling designed in 1796.

The methodology has focused on the step-by-step exposition, as a tutorial, of the process followed in virtual recreation. As a consequence of the application of this methodology, the results obtained have been the clear and orderly presentation of the steps followed to obtain two main milestones: the creation of a rendered image and that of a computer animation.

Finally, there have been two conclusions obtained that justify the relevance of this research: on the one hand, students are able to develop the skills and competences closely related to engineering graphics, and on the other hand the multimedia tool obtained (video) is independent of the platform chosen for virtual teaching, allowing students to understand the detailed functioning of this outstanding historical invention, developing their motivation, updating teaching based on ICT, and promoting self-learning in a didactic and enjoyable way.

Keywords:

Agustín de Betancourt, Virtual Recreation, Autodesk Inventor Studio, Skills, Competences, Technical Historical Heritage.