Rapid prototyping in the design methodology

The main objective of a design course is to teach a procedure to practice the fundamental engineering knowledge as repeatable design techniques. A popular approach to teach undergraduate engineering design is by solving open ended design problems. Tools are available now to students allowing them to evaluate the cost, manufacturing, usability, and environmental consequences of their designs. However aesthetical success of the design can only be verified subjectively and cannot be imagined from 2D drawings or 3D models. Observing and touching the products prototype may help overcome this obstacle. Rapid prototyping (RP) techniques allow creation of prototypes in short amount of time. RP enables realization of a design and promotes the enthusiasm and motivation in students. This paper describes the visualization of the design ideas and the position of the RP in the design methodology.