What is Descriptive Geometry and why is important for engineering, architecture and design?
As I mentioned in my introduction message, I am working as private professor for University students and I am giving them lessons in Descriptive Geometry. Many of them find it too difficult and useless and that is because nobody tells them why it is important and what is benefit of learning it.
Descriptive Geometry is graphical solution for creating three-dimensional virtual space on a two-dimensional plane. It is a method to study 3D geometry through 2D images and it provides an insight into the structure and metrical properties of spatial objects, processes and principles. It increases the level of imagination and as you learn more you will notice that things that you had difficulties to imagine before suddenly became very easy both to imagine and draw.
Nevertheless, in the public opinion Descriptive Geometry is not important anymore since we have AutoCad and similar software for drawing. Actually many people think that it is synonym for manually drawn images of 3D objects and that is logical to be replaced with a software. In my opinion, software is just a tool which cannot give you knowledge about 3D objects and space in general. Having this kind of knowledge gives you high level of imagination and you can draw things manually, using a software or just in your head avoiding many mistakes that can happen when you think all you need is ArchiCad or Rhino.
It is wrong to rely on technology more than on the development of the ability to create shapes and structures especially because only the people with a profound knowledge in Descriptive Geometry are able to make an extended use of CAD programs as the communication is usually based on views only.
The reason why this branch of science is so important for students is that brings about abilities to:
- comprehend spatial objects from given principal views
- specify particular views
- get an idea of variety of the geometric shapes and of geometric reasoning
Few days ago, when I created steemit account I was thinking that it would be great idea to write about Descriptive Geometry in order to try making it a bit more appealing but I find it little difficult writing it in English because I am teaching it in Serbian/Montenegrin/Croatian/Bosnian. I hope you will understand my point and I will give my best to improve my English in order to write better about this topic.
Every suggestion is more than welcome :)
*The drawings shown in article are solved problems which are often given as tasks on exams and I made them during the lessons.
Hello, and thank you for showing us this amazing skill derived froma human being ...but I kind of feel differently than you do. I actually feel like the technology that we create is like the next evolution of ourselves. it's not that we're cheating when we use, you know, Photoshop,or any other stylus based computer generated UI. I myself am an artist and of course I can still do what I need to do with a pencil and a piece of paper, in fact i still rely on plenty of napkin drawings. especially when speed is of the essence, but I really do feel like we should support the technology and accept it and really be grateful for it because it's not a cheating tool it's an extension of ourselves it's a natural progression we've gotten smarter and better and so has the technology that we use countless times throughout life I've been in the situation where I have it in my mind but it just can't get it to the paper some kind of combination of two or more lines that just aren't straight enough or pretty enough or I can't get perfect symmetry and then the entire project is completely forgotten because I get too frustrated to continue. you really have to stop and realize what kind of miracle that we actually have, if I have something in my mind and I want to get it out of my head all I have to do is pull out the magic window in my pocket and throw it into existence. I will concur with you about artists may be relying too much on the new technology and that a good solid foundation of artistic skill and understanding is completely needed and that goes for anything. one of the saddest things that I've seen in this country in the past 20 years is the complete devastation and degradation of the apprenticeship programs, of any skill base,even if I were to know more information about something then the man that I work for if he's been doing what I'm doing for more than my lifetime I'm going to listen to him because he knows every back door every side pocket every way to talk to whoever and how to shake hands and how to get it done. The first dream job that I ever really had it I wanted to be an architect because I'd like to build stuff out of Legos and I like to draw a really big buildings and I wanted to do all of it all the little things, tediousness and I wanted to run conduit I wanted to be responsible for what everybody else was going to put together I wanted to be able to do thought experiments like that and as I look back now I think it would have been too hard or too much or you know there's too many rules to that book for me personally I think the progression that we're taking especially the creative communities that I see adopting the new technologies and adopting the new tools and getting very skilled with them is a very natural progression that's how I feel about this
First, I must thank you for sharing your opinion with me and others :) We agree that developing technology is our next evolution and I use many programs on daily basis too. That is the reason why I wanted to talk about this. Learning things as Descriptive Geometry does not mean that we should exclude technology from our life and using technology does not mean that it can replace abstract thinking. You can actually do both things at the same time :)
You are absolutely correct. I went on a tangent there, and i apologize. I just get incited toward non-malleable ideologies toward different media... Which I know, makes me sound like one of those... You know... "Performance piece"artists. And im not, i promise. I dig art that i can discribe to someone else who hasnt seen it and not have contextual difficulties in explaining or even discribing it. (Disclaimer: im not trying to tear anyone down, im just low brow... Id pass on lunch with Pollock, but lose my mind at the idea of 20 minutes with Norman Rockwell or Guy Aitchison.) Furthermore, if im being brutally honest, im probably a little on the dullard side, and the idea of freehand Descriptive Geometry without an experienced handholder and a tutor to help me remember ANYTHING from college, i would embarrass myself.
BUT, doing both is absolutely possible, and probably eccential to continue forward with the "path to mastery" that many artists feel, myself included. Thank you for the volly of words, and reminding me to not be dumb... Abstract thinking got us out of the foodchain, therefore, i am a fan.
I dig the schematics, thanks for taking the time to make and show us this.
I love this information, i have been trying to work out how to introduce geometry to my daughter who is only 3 at the moment but i believe that geometry is the best start to maths.... do you have any thought on it?
Love the post