The Multidisciplinary Environment of Engineering Design Graphics

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the limitations of the current graphics curriculum and to propose methods for better preparing students entering the multidisciplinary field of engineering. A review of popular graphics textbooks shows how the historical roots of graphics in mechanical engineering results in incomplete training of today’s engineers at the multidisciplinary level. Literacy in graphics includes the ability to read the graphics dialect across the engineering disciplines, create drawings as they are applied in the field including instrument and computer drawings, and to transfer mental images to a graphic design, which is the beginning of the creative design process