Preface

To the authors of this text, teaching graphics is not a job; it is a "life mission." We feel that teaching is an important profession, and that the education of our engineers is critical to the future of our country. Further, we believe that technical graphics is an essential, fundamental part of a technologist's education. We also believe that many topics in graphics and the visualization process can be very difficult for some students to understand and learn. For these and other reasons, we have developed this text, which addresses both traditional and modern elements of technical graphics, using what we believe to be an interesting and straightforward approach.
   In Chapter 1 you will learn about the "team" concept for solving design problems. The authors of this text used this concept, putting together a team of authors, reviewers, industry representatives, focus group, and illustrators, and combining that team with the publishing expertise at WCB/McGraw-Hill to develop a modern approach to the teaching of technical graphics.
   Engineering and technical graphics have gone through significant changes in the last decade, due to the use of computers and CAD software. It seems as if some new hardware or software development that impacts technical graphics is occurring every year. Although these changes are important to the subject of technical graphics, there is much about the curriculum that has not changed. Engineers and technologists still find it necessary to communicate and interpret designs, using graphics methods such as drawings or computer models. As powerful as today's computers and CAD software have become, they are of little use to engineers and technologists who do not fully understand fundamental graphics principles and 3-D modeling strategies, or do not possess a high-level visualization ability.
   This new-generation graphics text is therefore based on the premise that there must be some fundamental changes in the content and process of graphics instruction. Although many graphics concepts remain the same, the fields of engineering and technical graphics are in a transition phase from hand tools to the computer, and the emphasis of instruction is changing from drafter to 3-D geometric modeler, using computers instead of paper and pencil. Much of this text is still dedicated to the instruction of graphics using hand tools, but the instruction is generic, so that either hand tools or computers can be used. A reasonable mix of hand tool and computer tool instruction is afforded by the use of CAD references.
   The primary goal of this text is to help the engineering and technology student learn the techniques and standard practices of technical graphics, so that design ideas can be adequately communicated and produced. The text concentrates on the concepts and skills necessary to use both hand tools and 2-D or 3-D CAD. The primary goals of the text are to show how to:

1. Clearly represent and control mental images.
2. Graphically represent technical designs, using accepted standard practices.
3. Use plane and solid geometric forms to create and communicate design solutions.
4. Analyze graphics models, using descriptive and spatial geometry.
5. Solve technical design problems, using traditional tools or CAD.
6. Communicate graphically, using sketches, traditional tools, and CAD.
7. Apply technical graphics principles to many engineering disciplines.

Acknowledgments

We want to thank the following for reviewing this third edition:

Larry Beuder, Loyola-Marymount
Robert A. Chin, East Carolina University
Ron De Vaisher, University of Evansville
Debra Dudick, Corning Community College
Robert Matthews, University of Louisville
Michael H. Pleck, University of Illinois-
    Urbana/Champaign
Clarence E. Teske, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
    State University

   We would like to thank Len Nasman for all his work in the first edition; Tom Sweeney, an expert in GDT from Hutchinson Technical College, for authoring parts of Chapter 9; Pat McQuistion for his review and updating of Chapter 9 to conform to ASME Y-14.5M-1994 standards in the second edition, and to Ted Branoff for his major changes in the third edition; William A. Ross, Purdue University, for his numerous ideas on designing the text and end-of-chapter problems; Terry Burton for his review and input into the sketching chapter; and H. J. de Garcia, Jr., University of Missouri-St. Louis, for contributing problems used in this book. Accuracy checking of end-of-chapter problems was done by Ted Branoff, North Carolina State University; Ed Nagle, Tri-State University; Jim Hardell, Virginia Polytechnic Institute; and Murari Shah, Purdue University. Special thanks to Peter Booker for the use of historical figures found in his text, A History of Engineering Drawing. Thanks to Kevin Bertoline for the solutions to some of the "Classic Problems" and sketches in the third edition. Jason Bube and Travis Fuerst contributed updated and new illustrations in the third edition. Special thanks must go to Michael Pleck from the University of Illinois. Professor Pleck has spent countless hours reviewing the text and giving the authors many ideas on how to improve the content. Professor Pleck has shared his vast knowledge in graphics because of his dedication to the profession. The authors are truly indebted to him and greatly appreciate all he has done.
   The authors would also like to thank the publisher, McGraw-Hill, for its support of this project. This has been an expensive and time-consuming process for the authors and the publisher. Few publishers are willing to make the investment necessary to produce a comprehensive, modern graphics text from scratch. The technical graphics profession is indebted to McGraw-Hill for taking the risk of defining a discipline in transition. The authors would like to thank Tom Casson, for his support and encouragement throughout the project; Bill Stenquist, for the many hours he spent with the authors designing the contents and the strategy necessary to complete a project of this size and complexity; John Wannemacher, for his creative marketing and willingness to work with the authors to see that instructors would understand the features of this text; and Kelley Butcher for all the work she put into this project. She is simply the best developmental editor with whom the authors have ever worked. Betsy Jones has given us the support and direction needed to complete the project and stay focused at a time when everything needed to be done "yesterday." Our thanks also to the production staff at McGraw-Hill and Precision Graphics, especially Mary Powers, J.C. Morgan, and Matt Harshbarger, who pulled the graphics and text together into a beautifully designed and easy-to-use textbook. There are many others at McGraw-Hill, who assisted on this project, and we are grateful for all they have done to make this text a success.
   Gary Bertoline would like to especially thank his wife, Ada, and his children, Bryan, Kevin, and Carolyn, for the sacrifices they made so that he might fulfill this important mission in his life. His thanks also go to Caroline and Robert Bertoline, who encouraged him to pursue his studies. He would also like to thank all his colleagues, especially those at Purdue University and The Ohio State University, his instructors at Northern Michigan University who inspired him to pursue graphics as a discipline, and Wallace Rigotti who taught him the basics.
   Finally, we would like to know if this book fulfills your needs. We have assembled a "team" of authors and curriculum specialists to develop graphics instructional material. As a user of this textbook, you are a part of this "team," and we value your comments and suggestions. Please let us know if there are any misstatements, which we can then correct, or if you have any ideas for improving the material presented. Write in care of the publisher, McGraw-Hill, or E-mail Gary R. Bertoline at grbertol@tech.purdue.edu.

Gary R. Bertoline
Eric N. Wiebe
Craig L. Miller