Preface
The Best Yet
We are proud to say that this fifth edition of Graphics for Engineers is the best edition since its introduction in 1985 in all categories: content, format, readability, clarity, quality of illustrations, and economy. Every revision has begun with the challenge, "How can the book be written and illustrated to make it easier for the student to learn and the teacher to teach?" Also asked is, "What should be the content for today's course that will fit tomorrow's needs?"
Successfully meeting this goal is a difficult chore for an author in any discipline, but it is especially daunting in the area of engineering design graphics where 2,000 illustrations, 1,000 problems, and a multitude of topics must be merged into a cohesive and compact textbook. Content must include fundamentals, design, computer graphics, industrial applications, and meaningful problems. We hope you agree that we have met these goals.
Content
Every paragraph and illustration has been revisited for evaluation, revision, improvement, or elimination so that each makes a worthwhile contribution to the learning process. No space has been squandered to make room for "fluff" in the form of exotic illustrations that are far beyond the scope of a beginning freshman course. Instead, that valuable space has been used to better illustrate and present concepts in an understandable format in order to reduce the amount of classroom tutoring needed by the student.
Major content areas covered in this text are: design and creativity, computer graphics, engineering drawing, descriptive geometry, and problem solving. Design and Creativity
The eight chapters devoted to the introduction of design and creativity have been revised and improved. New case studies, with examples of worksheets and drawings applying the steps of design, guide the student through the design process.
Care has been taken to offer realistic design problems that are within the grasp of beginning students rather than overwhelming them with problems that are beyond their capabilities. Since the primary objective of design instruction is to teach the process of design, meaningful design assignments are given to make the process fun as well as to encourage the application of creativity and intuition. Most problems are adequately challenging to encourage creative and inspirational solutions that may lead to patentable products.
Chapter 9 has a variety of design problems that can be used as "quickie problems," short assignments, or semester-long design projects. Additional design exercises are included at the ends of the chapters throughout the book.
Computer Graphics
AutoCAD® Release 14 is presented in a step-by-step format in order to help the student learn how to use this popular software, not just read about it in the abstract. Step-by-step illustrations show the reader what will be seen on the screen as the example is followed. Chapter 29 gives an introduction to twodimensional computer graphics and Chapter 30 covers three-dimensional computer graphics, solid modeling, and rendering. A brief introduction to AutoCAD® 2000 is given in Chapter 29.
The main purpose of Graphics for Engineers is to help students learn the principles of graphics, whether done on the drawing board or on the computer. This book can be used in courses where the entire course is done by computer, in courses where nothing is done by computer, or in courses that are partly done by computer.
Format: Was it worth it? Much effort has been devoted to the creation of illustrations separated into multiple steps in order to present the concepts as clearly and simply as possible. A second color is applied as a functional means of emphasizing sequential steps, key points, and explanations, not just as decoration. Explanatory information and text is closely associated with the steps of each example.
Many three-dimensional pictorials have been drawn, modified, and refined that will aid the reader in visualizing the example at hand. Photographs of actual industrial parts and products have been merged with explanatory examples of the principles being covered.
The author has personally developed and drawn the illustrations in this book, rather than illustrators who have never taught graphics in the classroom or tried to explain a concept to a student. Only after years of classroom experience and trial-and-error testing is it possible to present principles of graphics in a format that enables the student and teacher to cover more content with fewer learning obstacles.
The two-color, step-by-step format of presentation with conveniently located text has been classroom tested to validate its effectiveness over a number of years. Its classroom effectiveness is substantially better than the conventional format used in other texts, but it required about twice as much effort by the author and twice as much expense by the publisher to produce this textbook in this format.
Do the results in the classroom justify this added effort and expense? You bet they do.
Other Revision Features The coverage of instruments, lettering, and geometric construction has been compressed; the current standards of geometric tolerance have been included in Chapter 20; new working-drawing problems have been added to Chapter 22; and new problems have been added to most chapters. The tables in the Appendix have been revised to make them more readable and functional.
Many problems and illustrations have been enlarged to make them easier to use. Very little space in this book has been wasted.
A Book to Keep
Some material in this book may not be formally covered in the course for which it was adopted due to time limitations or emphasis by the instructor. These lightly-covered topics may be the ones that will be needed in later courses or in practice. This book should be retained as a convenient reference for the engineer, technologist, or technician.
A Teaching System Graphics for Engineers, used in combination with the supplements listed below, comprises a complete teaching system.
Textbook problems: Approximately 1000 problems are offered to aid the student in mastering the principles of graphics and design.
Teachers' solution manual: A solution manual containing the solutions to most of the problems in this book is available to assist the teacher.
Problem manuals: Nineteen problem books and teachers' guides (with outlines, problem solutions, tests, and test solutions) that are keyed to this book are available. New problem manuals are in development as well. Fifteen of the problem books are designed to allow problem solution by computer, by sketching, or on the drawing board. A listing of these manuals is given inside the back cover of this book.
Visual Aids: Sixteen modules of SoftVisuals are available on disks from which multicolored overhead transparencies can be plotted on transparency film for classroom presentations. Transparency selection can be made from over 500 SoftVisuals keyed to this textbook that can be plotted or projected onto a screen with AutoCAD®.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful for the assistance of many who have influenced the development of this volume. Many industries have furnished photographs, drawings, and applications that have been acknowledged in the corresponding legends. The Engineering Design Graphics staff of Texas A&M University have been helpful in making suggestions for the revision of this book.
Professor Tom Pollock provided valuable information on metallurgy for Chapter 18. Professor Leendert Kersten of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, kindly provided his descriptive geometry computer programs for inclusion. His cooperation is appreciated.
We are indebted to Jimm Meloy of Audodesk, Inc. for his assistance and cooperation. We are appreciative of the assistance of David Ratner of the Biomechanics Corporation Inc. for providing HumanCAD® software.
We are appreciative of the fine editorial and production team assembled by Eric Svendsen at Prentice-Hall: Amy Rose, Project Manager, worked closely with us to expertly manage 2,000 illustrations to see that they were properly reproduced, sized, and laid out. Amy demonstrated exceptional professionalism in overseeing the project; she handled the minor details with the same dedication as the major issues. Thank you, Amy. It was a pleasure to work with a pro.
Above all we appreciate the many institutions who have thought enough of our publications to adopt them for classroom use. This is the highest honor that can be paid an author. We are hopeful that this textbook will fill the needs of engineering and technology programs. As always, comments and suggestions for improvement and revision will be appreciated.
Jim Earle
College Station, Texas
