Teaching Applications ofthe New Computer-AidedModelling Technologies inthe Recovery and Diffusionof the Industrial Heritage

JAVIER SUAREZ,1 JOSE IGNACIO ROJAS-SOLA,2 RAMON RUBIO,1 SANTIAGO MARTIN,1

SAMUEL MORAN1

1Universidad de Oviedo, Campus de Viesques, Gijon 33204, Asturias, Spain

2Universidad de Jaen, Campus de las Lagunillas, Jaen 23071, Spain

Received 18 November 2007; accepted 4 December 2007

ABSTRACT: This paper describes the technical development of a 3D computer simulation

model as a reconstruction of a fulling mill. Details of the fulling mill and its operation are

presented, and innovative technical developments to accurately convert existing data

(technical drawings, CAD models, etc) into a 3D model are described. Preliminary evaluation

of the usefulness of the model as an aid to support the undergraduate teaching module are

also presented.�2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 17: 455�466, 2009; Published online

in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20227

Keywords: computer-aided design; industrial heritage; industrial archaeology; multimedia

INTRODUCTION

Today, many of the natural wonders and of those

constructed by man are on the brink of destruction.

The efforts of conservationists, archaeologists and

restorers to prevent them from being reduced to a

mere ancient memory are not always sufficient. Once

a part of our heritage is lost, the opportunity to study,

analyse or simple access its impact on society is gone

for good. However, with the aid of digital media, the

places, buildings, industries and objects of cultural

importance can be recreated, making it possible for

future generations to enjoy these wonders of a past

age.

The role played by synthetic images and multi-

media in the recovery of the industrial heritage has

grown exponentially in the last decade, as it allows an

area, a building or an object to be analysed and

interpreted without altering or affecting the originalCorrespondence to J. Suarez (quiros@uniovi.es).

� 2009 Wiley Periodicals Inc.

455

physical model. Furthermore, these technologies can

have a positive effect on teaching activities in the area

of engineering as they allow fundamental physical or

mathematical concepts to be illustrated thanks to the

simplicity of the ancient objects studied, without in

any way renouncing the opportunity to strengthen the

historical, social and cultural aspects of the learning

process, which are generally absent from the syllabus.

The application of technological multimedia, that

is, the integration of resources of diverse origin (texts,

graphical data, animations, music, etc.) in a single

support has grown and spread in an unprecedented

way over recent decades. Numerous works have been

carried out to demonstrate the efficacy of this tech-

nology in the training sphere. The progress made in

these decades in cognitive psychology, are beginning

to reveal the role that the new technologies can play in

the teaching-learning process. Thus Mayer [1�4],

who draws on the contributions [5�9] establishes a

cognitive theory of learning through multimedia

resources, which is based on the concatenation of a

series of processes that culminate with the integration

of the verbal and visual models supplied by resources.

Diverse works have underlined the efficacy of

these multimedia resources in the teaching-learning

process [1,2,10,11]. Schematically, their use has three

main advantages:

* A reduction in the learning time.* An increase in the levels of attention and

motivation.* Ease of adaptation to individual learning styles.

These advantages are supported by principles

such as multiple representation (it is more effective to

present an explanation using two modes of represen-

tation rather than one), or contiguity (the combination

of the modes of representation is more effective when

they are used simultaneously), which have been

analysed by several authors [3,4].

The main purpose of this work is to analyse the

role of these technologies in the diffusion of the indus-

trial heritage of Asturias (a region of the North of

Spain) among engineering students. There is a twofold

interest in making this heritage accessible to the

students: these diffusion activities foster the develop-

ment of a collective awareness of the industrial past

that enhances its presence in today’s society and,

further, the study of these primitive machines is fully

justified in the engineering syllabus, not only for their

intrinsic cultural value, but also for the nature of the

basic principles governing their operation.

For the preparation of the multimedia materials, a

methodology was designed to systemise the treatment

of the flow of information, as the remains of our

industrial heritage are numerous and of varied origin.

This methodology was applied to the creation of a

resource on DVD about the fulling mill, one of the

primitive hydraulic machines used in Asturias.

Finally, a series of test were made to analyse the

impact of this resource on engineering students.

DESCRIPTION OF FULLING MILL

One of the usual tasks in the old textile industry

consisted in rendering the woven cloth stronger and

thicker, giving it a matted surface similar to felt. The

cloth used for making warm garments to protect

against the cold and rain was subjected to an operation

called ‘fulling’, which could last 24 h or even more,

depending on the temperature of the water used. The

fulling mill is a hydraulic device, constructed entirely

of wood, and used for fulling cloth, a process which

consisted in repeatedly beating the cloth with huge

wooden hammers or ‘stocks’ to degrease, wash and

strengthen it (Fig. 1).

The Property Register of the Marques de la

Ensenada, a minister of Philip V (1683�1746),

records over 200 fulling mills in operation in Asturias

towards the middle of the XVIII century, which is

clear evidence of their importance in the textile

industry of that era. Fulling mills were abandoned due

to the development of more efficient industrial

processes to obtain all kinds of cloth, particularly

with the rise of the Industrial Revolution. At present

Figure 1 Description of the components of the fulling

mill [12]. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue,

which is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

456 SUAREZ ET AL.

there are only a few remains scattered over the North

of Spain [12].

In view of the importance of this industrial

heritage, the regional institutions are encouraging the

process to recover these ancient devices, once wide-

spread in Asturias. The fulling mill studied in this

work is located in the hydraulic complex in Os

Teixois, an interesting ethnographical museum in

Taramundi, where a series of full-size reconstructions

have been made of water-driven machines. The basic

parts forming this mechanism [12] are described

below:

Power

The power source for the fulling mills as for other

hydraulic devices is water energy. Depending on the

size of the installation, the wheel could be turned

direct by the river flow, in which case it was located

directly over the river; this system was used for small

fulling mills, or, in other cases, for larger installations

or when the river flow was insufficient a reservoir was

constructed, similar to that of the mill ponds.

From the reservoir (Asturian name: banzao), the

water is led to the wheel through a channel hewed out

of the trunk of an oak tree. The flowrate could be

regulated at will by means of a sluice gate operated by

a lever from the place where the fuller worked. In

addition to this main channel, there were other smaller

channels also made of wood that led water to cool the

articulations or journals and moisten and cool the

cloth being processed.

The Water Wheel or Shaft

The device was driven by the rotation of a wooden

water wheel constructed on and turning with a shaft or

arbour equipped with cams which lift and then let fall

the hammers or stocks (Asturian name: porros or

mazos) on the cloth.

The wheel, with a diameter of 2�2.5 m, is made

up of four wooden segments (cambas) making a

circle, which fit between the crosspieces or arms to

which they are firmly fastened with a simple system

of wedges. The wooden blades—16 and 20 in

number—that receive the water are fitted into these

segments.

The shaft rotates together with the wheel; it is

around 3.5 m long and 40 cm in diameter. Both ends

of the shaft are equipped with metal supports or

journals that rest on and rotate in water-cooled

wooden recesses.

The arms of the wheel are set into the shaft

at approximately half a metre from one of the

ends; half way along the shaft are the two cams

(volvedoiras), which are also set into it and

protrude around 30 cm from the shaft on each side.

The cams, whose function is to raise and let fall the

two hammers or stocks alternately, are offset from

each other by 908.

Frame

The main structure or frame of the fulling mil consists

of four uprights that are set into two large horizontal

tie-beams that form the base and which in turn rest on

the soil.

Two of the uprights are completely vertical, while

the others slope lightly forward to withstand the

overturning moment of the assembly. On top of these

four uprights and bracing them to each other is a

horizontal frame consisting of two beams that fit on

the uprights and another two crossbeams that, in turn,

fit on the former. The complete structure is erected

without nails; wooden wedges are used to ensure the

tightness of the joints.

The pivots (yunques or yunquinos) from which

the hammers or stocks are suspended are supported on

this frame.

Tub or Cradle (imina)

This consists of a thick chestnut-wood trunk 230 cm

long and 90 cm in diameter, supported on the two

bottom tie-beams. On two sides, the wood is hewed

away forming a hollow or cradle where the cloth is

laid for the fulling operation. There are small channels

in the top of the cradle that carry the water required to

cool the cloth and to prevent the heat generated from

damaging it.

Hammers or Stocks

The hammers or stocks, made of chestnut wood

and fastened on the end of two swinging arms

(cabritas) are suspended from the upper frame, or,

more specifically, from the pivots (yunques or

yunquinos). The weight of these hammers varies from

70 to 90 kg. They are prism-shaped with a sloping

base, and have notches cut out of them forming steps,

which are designed to make the layer of cloth

turn round inside the cradle as the fulling process

proceeds.

Fastened between the hammers and their arms are

the parts that protrude below the hammers and receive

the impact of the cams.

NEW COMPUTER-AIDED MODELLING TECHNOLOGIES 457

METHODOLOGY USED FOR RECOVERINGAND UPDATING THEHISTORICAL HERITAGE

A work methodology was developed to systemize the

process of acquiring, classifying, treating and distrib-

uting the existing sources of input data relating to the

component of our industrial heritage (drawings,

photographs on paper, slides, audio records in

analogue format, texts without electronic media) so

as to facilitate both the conservation of this material

and the generation of media with a greater added

value. The methodology is illustrated schematically in

Figure 2, and has been validated with the creation of a

series of teaching resources (called generically target

material) relating to the fulling mill. This methodo-

logy is inspired by earlier works relating to the

recovery and analysis of the industrial heritage

[13�15].

This methodology consists of an organised

sequential set of procedures structured in three phases.

The first phase, called updating, comprises three

tasks: first the processes relating to locating data and

their classification, to nomenclature and to the storage

of all the documentary sources referring to the item of

our industrial heritage are systematized. Then, the

procedures and most appropriate technologies are

defined for the proper digitalization of the original

material, depending on its nature. The final step is to

determine the classification of the material in

distributed digital repositories using documentary

management techniques.

The purpose of the execution phase, once the

objectives and the scope of diffusion of the target

material has been defined, is to define the most

appropriate multimedia solutions in the context,

taking into account the resources available and the

target audience. This process includes the identifica-

tion of the technical requirements, the definition of

their functional characteristics, the determination of

workflows between the various applications involved

and the analysis of the creation and publication

processes associated with said applications.

Finally, the aim of the verification phase is to

measure and assess the impact of the target material

on its audience through some kind of test, designed in

accordance with the parameters to be evaluated. This

analysis will allow corrective actions to be designed to

adapt the characteristics of the target material so as to

achieve the intended objectives.

In the case described in this study, the target

material consists of the creation of an audiovisual

resource on DVD intended basically to be used as an

aid for the teaching activity in engineering schools.

The objectives sought are to familiarise future

engineers with the ancient industrial heritage and to

promote the analysis of the solutions provided by such

traditional devices as a means to strengthen basic

Figure 2 Diagram of the methodology proposed for the

recovery and updating of the industrial heritage. [Color

figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available

at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

458 SUAREZ ET AL.

concepts in the fields of physics, mathematics, or

technical drawing.

The original sources for the work comprise

extensive documentation with no electronic media

support, photographs on paper and slides as well

as beta-format video records over 20 years old. After

a suitable nomenclature had been defined, the

digitalised material was stored in a repository using

the Web Project Manager tool [16], a web environ-

ment for distributed project management through

Internet.

One of the critical phases of this process was the

generation of digital models of the historical device so

as to obtain a virtual recreation of it based on original

sources. The applications and the workflow used in

this step of the execution phase are described in the

following sections.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODEL OFTHE FULLING MILL

In view of the lack of drawings or structural diagrams,

the dimensions of the fulling mill had to be deduced

from sketches made of it and from information in

photographs and slides. The tool chosen for the 3D

model was Autodesk Inventor [17]. The reasons

guiding the choice of this application were:

* Autodesk Inventor is a parametric modelling

program. This means that all the operations

performed can be edited at any moment in

the modelling process by modifying a series of

user-defined parameters. These parameters are

related to each other through a set of constraints

that predict the behaviour of the modelled

structure in response to potential changes. This

substantially improves the adaptability of the

modelling process.

* Once a model of the mechanism has been

created, Autodesk Inventor allows all kinds of

calculations of the resulting geometry to be

made, from the weights and moments of inertia

of each component to finite element analyses

to verify the behaviour of the structure when

subjected to a series of stresses. Thus the

operation of the machine can be easily analysed,

statically and dynamically, by obtaining stress-

strain diagrams.* Documentary information such as detail draw-

ings, assembly drawings, static exploded views

and animated assembly drawings can be gen-

erated semi-automatically from the geometric

model.

Figure 3 contains two illustrations of the three-

dimensional model obtained. The simplicity of the

geometric elements that form the fulling mill allowed

basic parametric modelling operations, such as

extrusions and revolutions to be used, which greatly

simplify the design process.

APPLICATION OF VIRTUALTEXTURING TECHNIQUES

Parametric modelling tools are useful to verify the

mechanical behaviour of the device modelled and

to generate all kinds of documentary information.

Nevertheless, these applications generally do not

allow a realistic display to be generated by assigning

cameras and adding textures and lighting to the scene.

The application chosen for this purpose was Blender

(www.blender.org), a freeware modelling tool that

was chosen for the following reasons:

* It is a high performance application under

General Public License (GPL), which not only

Figure 3 3-D models of fulling mill.

NEW COMPUTER-AIDED MODELLING TECHNOLOGIES 459

means that it is free, but also that it benefits from

the support of a large community of user who

promote its development.* Blender offers the possibility of selecting differ-

ent types of rendering algorithms in order to

choose the ones best adapted to the quality

requirements demanded.* It is a multiplatform program, which guarantees

that it can be used with almost any operating

system and therefore facilitates the portability of

the information.

The STL interchange format, a specification

much used between CAD applications, to import the

geometric model into Blender with STL. The textures

were taken from photographs showing details of the

materials used in the fulling mill that had previously

been processed, filtered and standardised with the help

of Adobe Photoshop, a program for touching up

photographs. The simulation of the roughness of the

wood was accentuated through the incorporation of

bump-type surface relief maps.

The lighting effect of the display was achieved

with a local lighting model based on natural light; it is

capable of providing uniform lighting intensity and

can simultaneously calculate realistic shadows. In

order to highlight some aspects of the mechanism, the

details have been reinforced with omni-directional

spotlight illumination (Fig. 4).

The simulation of the surroundings was con-

structed using a spherical projection map around the

scene to accentuate the sensation of immersivity and

to recreate the surrounding natural space. The realistic

finish was completed with the addition of atmospheric

effects (fog) and systems of particles to represent the

flow of water.

GENERATION OF AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL

The target material is an audiovisual resource on DVD

support with an educational orientation. The efficacy

and training value of resources of this type have been

discussed by various authors [18,19]. The contents

have been structured in five chapters to enhance their

integration with the requirements and schedule of the

learning process. The titles of these chapters together

with a brief description are listed below:

* History: An analysis is made of the historical

context of fulling mills and the social aspects

associated with the community use of these

devices (people in charge of the machine,

organisation of shifts, distribution of profits).* Parts: A functional description is given of the

component parts of the fulling mill and of the

starting and maintenance processes, using the

geometric model as a guide.* The fulling process: This chapter provides

detailed information on the special characteristics

of this process used to strengthen and matt the

cloth before it was used for making garments, etc.* Water: One chapter of the DVD is devoted to the

fundamental role played by this source of energy

in devices of this type.* Interview with Gonzalo Morıs Menendez-

Valdes, professor of the University of Oviedo

and specialist in the study of the Asturian

industrial heritage, who provided significant data

based on the results of his research made over

several decades.

This audiovisual resource is intended to provide

not only historical information of the preindustrial

reality in the region, based on the use of water as a

source of energy, but also the analysis of these devices

from an engineering point of view, which can be used

to strengthen basic concepts in such varied fields as

physics, fluid mechanics or the theory of structures.

The Final Cut Pro application on the Macintosh

platform was used to generate the video scenes, while

the sound track was recorded using the freeware

program Audacity. The program chosen to structure

the DVD in chapters and for the final stamping of the

disk was DVD Studio (Fig. 5).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHINGIN ENGINEERING SCHOOLS

The motivation behind the creation of this teaching

resource was based on two working hypotheses:

Figure 4 Model of fulling mill with realistic details

added. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue,

which is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

460 SUAREZ ET AL.

* The lack of knowledge of the students in

engineering schools about the region’s industrial

heritage and about the decisive influence it

exercised for centuries on the economic develop-

ment of the region.* The proven superiority of audiovisual media over

other media for reinforcing the teaching-learning

process.

In order to verify the validity of the hypotheses,

the research group proposed two independent tests.

The first test is focused on checking the level of prior

knowledge about the industrial heritage; to this end, a

series of surveys of the students in the University

School of Industrial Engineering (EUITIG) were

drawn up. The purpose was to corroborate the first

of these hypotheses. The second step is intended to

compare the level of knowledge obtained through the

use of two different educational resources (text vs.

video), in order to demonstrate the validity of

the second hypothesis.

To carry out the first test, the forms were posted at

web page on Engineering Graphics of the Engineering

School (EUITIG) (http://aegi.euitig.uniovi.es). Over

one hundred replies were received (Fig. 6).

The first question tries to assess the level of

knowledge about the historical item in question. To

the question ‘what is a fulling mill?’, a large majority

(84%) confessed they did not know. Much lower

percentages say that they have head something about

it or have even visited one (8% in both cases). The

conclusion is obvious: there is a great lack of

knowledge regarding the existence of these ancient

machines (Fig. 7).

The second question tries to corroborate if the

traditional museums, in their role of making media

accessible for the transmission of information, are

visited by our students (Fig. 8). The percentages of the

replies received are pretty similar, but those who

have never visited one form the majority (52%).

Frequently, these visits take place in the framework of

the activities organised in the pre-University teaching

cycles (such as secondary education).

It was very revealing to receive the opinion of the

students on the inclusion of the study of the industrial

heritage in the teaching programs of engineering

schools, as almost 75% are in favour of this proposal.

Thirty percent considered that the machines used

today are based on them, which would justify their

analysis, while 27% give them a more secondary role

and state that, even though they are in favour of the

proposal, such devices should not be studied in any

great depth (Fig. 9).

Figure 5 DVD main menu. [Color figure can be viewed in

the online issue, which is available at www.interscience.

wiley.com.]

Figure 6 Graphic expression in Engineering web page.

[Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is

available at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

Figure 7 Results of the survey (question 1). [Color figure

can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at

www.interscience.wiley.com.]

NEW COMPUTER-AIDED MODELLING TECHNOLOGIES 461

Then the students surveyed were asked about the

current situation in University schools regarding this

issue. In clear contrast with the majority feeling that

the analysis of such devices would be positive for their

education, only 30% admit having had contact with

this subject through the current school syllabus

(Fig. 10).

To try to mitigate this situation, the students were

asked to give their opinion regarding the most

appropriate initiatives to promote knowledge about

the industrial heritage. Almost half the students

surveyed considered that the use of New Technologies

to create virtual models of these machines would be

an attractive option. A lower percentage chose other

options such as the implementation of alternative

training programs (29%), organising conferences on

this subject (11%). The number choosing the

inclusion of the study in the syllabus hardly reached

10% of the replies received, which suggests that

students prefer to undertake the study of the industrial

heritage from a less rigid standpoint than that offered

by the official syllabus, perhaps considering it as a

supplement to their training as engineers (Fig. 11).

The second test, aimed at demonstrating the

validity of audiovisual media in the educational

context, was carried out with 202 students divided

into two equal groups called A & B. The students in

group A read a text called ‘Traditional fulling mills’,

taken from Ref. [12], which, after a brief introduction,

summarises the history of these devices and describes

their main parts. This 6-page document includes a

series of illustration of the fulling mill. The students in

group B viewed the target material obtained and

included in chapters ‘History’ and ‘Parts’ of the DVD.

Both chapters lasted around 5 min. Following that, all

the students took a single test with 16 questions

relating to the device. Each question has four possible

replies, of which only one is correct. The results of the

test are shown in the Table 1.

It is significant that in the questions relating to

the system of operation of the fulling mill or to

the processes involved (questions 2, 8 or 14), the

percentage of correct answers is greater among the

students that viewed the DVD. The inclusion of

animations and videos showing the fulling mill in

action seems to contribute to fix with more success

concepts where the dynamic aspect prevails, and

demonstrates greater efficacy than the mere verbal

description, even though the description is accom-

panied with static explanatory illustrations.

Figure 8 Results of the survey (question 2). [Color figure

can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at

www.interscience.wiley.com.]

Figure 9 Results of the survey (question 3). [Color figure can be viewed in the online

issue, which is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

Figure 10 Results of the survey (question 4). [Color

figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available

at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

462 SUAREZ ET AL.

The greater efficacy of graphic resources over

text is also clear in questions 10 and 12, where a larger

number of correct answers were given by the students

who had viewed the DVD. In this case, geographical

maps were used to illustrate the regions together with

a timeline to indicate the historical eras (images that

were not included in the text), which demonstrates

that the use of graphic information is critical for

reinforcing the learning process.

In the case of questions for which there was no

explicit visual reference, the students that had read the

text tended to give a larger percentage of correct

answers (questions 7 and 16). These questions refer to

definitions of certain concepts or to the search for

synonyms, aspects that seem to be fixed more clearly

through reading a structured written text.

To complete the information gathering process,

the students in group B were asked, at the end of the

test, about the aspects of the audiovisual resource

viewed that they liked most and least. Figures 12

and 13 summarise the results obtained.

It clearly demonstrates how students value very

positively (33%) the efficacy of audiovisual resources

to illustrate the mechanism and the principles

governing its operation. Seventeen percent consider

it a suitable media to acquire an overview of the

situation of the industrial heritage. The students also

valued the technical quality of the resource (15%) and

Figure 11 Results of the survey (question 5). [Color figure can be viewed in the online

issue, which is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

Table 1 Questionnaire

# Question

Correct answers

(video)

Correct

answers (text)

1 What is a fulling mill used for? 93% 98%

2 How does the fulling mill operate? 35% 21%

3 Why is oak used in the construction of fulling mills? 96% 100%

4 What is the purpose of the fulling process? 84% 89%

5 What parameters determine the quality of the fulling process? 39% 38%

6 On average, how long does the fulling process take? 46% 69%

7 Do you know any synonym for the word ‘fulling’? 8% 32%

8 What other processes are performed at the same time? 75% 54%

9 What other names are give to a fulling mill in Spain? 78% 75%

10 In what era did fulling mills appear in Europe? 69% 50%

11 What machines inspired the fulling mills? 53% 56%

12 In which region of Spain are the most ancient fulling mills located? 66% 49%

13 How can the power of the flow of water on the fulling mill wheel be increased? 73% 73%

14 Can the flowrate to the water wheel driving the fulling mill be regulated? 85% 70%

15 What is the name given to the container where the cloth is laid for the fulling process? 64% 56%

16 What is the name given to the parts that directly hit the cloth? 79% 93%

NEW COMPUTER-AIDED MODELLING TECHNOLOGIES 463

the ease with which they were able to understand the

concepts shown (14%).

The aspects that were least appreciated were

mainly the background music and the soundtrack

(30%) followed by the duration of the resource (25%).

Twenty three percent had no objection worth

mentioning.

CONCLUSIONS

Multimedia technology has become an essential ally

for the diffusion of the historical and industrial

heritage because this technology allows a virtual

recreation of the devices to be made with a fidelity

validated by documentary as regards sources not only

their appearance but also their operation. In order to

carry out this process, it is necessary to follow a

methodology that identifies, defines, and systematises

all the procedures involved and that can be applied

to historical artefacts of different types. This work

proposes a methodology that was used successfully in

the virtual reconstruction of a traditional hydraulic

machine used in Asturias, using data the scarce

documentary sources that had been preserved as input.

The interest aroused by these technologies with

regard to the analysis and understanding of the

mechanisms modelled has a positive effect on the

teaching activity in the context of engineering.

Knowledge about the preindustrial heritage provides

a new approach of an integrating nature to the basic

principles of physics, mechanics and hydraulics. At

the same time, the tools and multimedia distribution

channels used in this task give the students an insight

into a new technological panorama that will be very

useful for their future professional activity, improving

their capacities to manage and transmit information.

Finally, the study of the industrial heritage adds

a social and cultural component to the teaching-

learning process, a component that is unfortunately

lacking in the current syllabuses and that helps

strengthen the global training of our technicians.

Figure 12 Evaluation of the video (I). [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue,

which is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

Figure 13 Evaluation of the video (II). [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue,

which is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.]

464 SUAREZ ET AL.

REFERENCES

[1] R. E. Mayer, W. Bove, A. Bryman, R. Mars, and L.

Tapangco, When less is more: Meaningful learning

from visual and verbal summaries of science textbook

lessons, J Educ Psych 88 (1996), 64�73.

[2] R. E. Mayer and J. K. Gallini, When is an illustration

worth ten thousand words? J Educ Psych 82 (1990),

715�726.

[3] R. E. Mayer and R. B. Anderson, Animations need

narrations: An experimental test of a dual-coding

hypothesis, J Educ Psych 83 (1991), 484�490.

[4] R. E. Mayer and V. K. Sims, For whom is a picture

worth a thousand words? Extensions of a dual-coding

theory of multimedia learning, J Educ Psych 86 (1994),

389�401.

[5] A. Paivio, Mental representations, Oxford University

Press, Oxford, 1986.

[6] A. Baddeley, Is working memory working? The

fifteenth Bartlett lecture, Quart J Educ Psych 44

(1992), 1�31.

[7] P. Chandler and J. Sweller, Cognitive load theory and

the format of instruction, Cogn Instruct 8 (1991),

293�332.

[8] J. Sweller and P. Chandler, Why some material is

difficult to learn, Cogn Instruct 12 (1994), 185�233.

[9] M. C. Wittrock, Generative processes of comprehen-

sion, Educ Psychol 24 (1989), 345�376.

[10] R. B. Kozma, Learning with media, Rev Educ Res

61 (1991), 179�211.

[11] R. B. Kozma, Will media influence learning? Refram-

ing the debate, Educ Technol Res Develop 42 (1994),

7�19.

[12] G. Morıs Menendez-Valdes, Ingenios Hidraulicos

Historicos: Molinos, batanes y ferrerıas, Servicio de

Publicaciones de la Universidad de Oviedo, Gijon,

1997.

[13] J. I. Rojas-Sola, Ancient Technology and computer

aided design: Olive oil production in southern Spain,

Interdiscipl Sci Rev 30 (2005), 59�67.

[14] J. I. Rojas-Sola and J. M. Amezcua-Ogayar, Technical

and graphical study of windmills in Spain, Interciencia

30 (2005), 339�346.

[15] J. I. Rojas-Sola and R. Lopez-Garcıa, Computer-aided

design in the recovery and analysis of industrial

heritage: Application to a watermill, Int J Eng Educ

23 (2007), 192�198.

[16] Web Project Manager (2005) Research Project—

University Oviedo- Omicron-Amepro, code FUO-

EM-071-05.

[17] J. Suarez-Quiros, R. Rubio-Garcıa, R. Gallego-Santos,

S. Moran-Fernandez, and S. Martın-Gonzalez, Diseno

e Ingenierıa con Autodesk Inventor, Pearson Educa-

cion, Madrid, 2006.

[18] P. Semrau and B. A. Boyer, Using interactive video in

education, Allyn and Bacon, Virginia, 1994.

[19] C. D. Wetzel, P. H. Radtke, and H. W.

Stern, Instructional effectiveness of video media,

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale (NJ),

1994.

BIOGRAPHIES

Javier Suarez (quiros@uniovi.es) obtained

his PhD in Industrial Engineering from the

University of Oviedo in 1997, where he is

currently an associate professor of Para-

metric Computer Assisted Design, Technical

Drawing and Computer Graphics. He has

worked in geometrical modelling and com-

putational geometry, mainly in terrain repre-

sentations and biomedicine applications.

Nowadays, his major field of research interests is focused in the

design and implementation of collaborative virtual environments to

improve and innovate the learning process with new technologies.

Founding member of I3G research group (Investigation and

Innovation in Graphics Engineering), he has authored numerous

articles and papers about these subjects, including referee journal

publications. Actually he leads several projects in the field of

innovative learning.

Jose Ignacio Rojas-Sola (jirojas@ujaen.es)

is an associate professor of engineering

graphics at the University of Jaen, Spain.

He received an MS (1991) in chemical

engineering at the University of Seville and

PhD (1995) degree in mechanical engineer-

ing at the UNED. He joined the Department

of Engineering Graphics, Design and Proj-

ects of University of Jaen in 1992, where he

has been associate professor since 1996. Therefore, he is the head of

the research group Engineering Graphics and Industrial Archae-

ology from 1996 funded by autonomous government of Andalusia,

Spain. He teaches undergraduate students and also at the graduate

(doctorate) level, and he is the author of more than 85 research

papers including 10 referee journal publications, several books and

numerous lectures. His research interest focuses on technical

drawing, descriptive geometry, computer-aided design, computer

graphics, industrial archaeology, history of technology and

engineering graphics applied to product design.

Ramon Rubio (rrubio@uniovi.es) received

his PhD in Industrial Engineering from the

University of Oviedo in 2003, where he is

currently associate professor of several sub-

jects related with computer assisted design.

Dr. Rubio is a specialist in computers and

education, CAD and applied uses of vectorial

design. He has been accumulating experience

in developing educational software for engi-

neering teaching and over the last years has published papers and

works on those subjects. His major field of research (as member of

the I3G group) is interactive multimedia systems, specifically

innovative ways to teach engineering concepts with multimedia

software and to improve the spatial perception.

NEW COMPUTER-AIDED MODELLING TECHNOLOGIES 465

Santiago Martin (martinsantiago@uniovi.

es) received his MS in Industrial Engineering

by the University of Oviedo in 1995 and PhD

in Environment Technologies by the Univer-

sity of Oviedo in 1997. He is assistant

professor in the Area of Graphic Expression

in the Engineering of the University of

Oviedo since 2003. Founding member of

I3G group, Investigation and Innovation on

Graphics Engineering. He is specialized in geographic information

systems and stereoscopic technologies.

Samuel Moran (samuelm@uniovi.es)

obtained his title in Industrial Technical

Engineering from the University of Oviedo

in 2004, actually he continues his studies in

Industrial Engineering. Since 2004 has been

working as Project Manager and Electrical

Engineer for different companies. Actually

he is working at University of Oviedo as

associate professor of subjects related with

Computer Aided Drawing. His major field of research interests is

focused in CAD tools and innovation in teaching engineering

concepts to improve the learning experience.

466 SUAREZ ET AL.