Hands-On Orthographic Team Challenge

Orthographic Projections of Top, Side, and Front Views are foundational skills for technical sketching and development of spatial visualization ability. An engaging hands-on way to teach these skills is with a team challenge.

Video Overview

Activity Preparation

Buying the Supplies

Clear Plastic Box 4”x4”x4”

Snap Cubes

Foam Tape

Dry Erase Markers

select an item to purchase from Amazon

Building the Box 

Fold and make the box. It seems flimsy but when the top is closed it stabilizes.

1. Create a 3x3 square base of 9 white snap cubes with the holes pointing up.

2. Lay a base of double sided foam tape on the bottom of the box.

3. Press the white snap cube base onto the top.

Snap Cube Shape in Place

Activity Instructions

Snap Cube Shape Removed

1. Split the class into teams of 2-3 students.

2. Each team gets a plastic box and 5 snap cubes.

3. They build a snap cube shape of their choice. 

   1. Click the shape into a layer of snap cubes pre-taped to the bottom of the box.

   2. Draw the orthographic projections with erasable markers on all sides including top of the box. 

   3. Don’t forget to draw hidden lines as dashed lines!

4. Have the instructor check the sketches on the box faces.

5. The team removes and hides their snap cube shape, and then hands over their empty box with the orthographic sketches to another team. 

6. The receiving team has to recreate the snap cube shape based on the orthographic views on the box, and show it to the original team for verification.

7. For the next iteration increase the challenge by having shapes made of 6, 7, and then 8 snap cubes. It gets harder with more snap cubes, and students love to challenge their classmates!

Authors

Nathan Delson, Ph.D.

is a teaching professor in Mechanical Engineering at the UC San Diego and Co-founder of eGrove Education. He teaches introductory design, mechanics, mechatronics, capstone design, medical devices, and product design & entrepreneurship. His interests in design education include increasing student motivation, teamwork, hands-on projects, and integration of theory into design projects.

Lelli Van Den Einde, Ph.D.

is a teaching professor in Structural Engineering at the UC San Diego and Co-founder of eGrove Education. She incorporates integrated pedagogical innovations into core structural engineering courses; prepares and advises next-generation faculty; advises student organizations; and is committed to activities that broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM.

Comment below to share your experiences of using this exercise in your classroom or contact us with any questions.