Reverse engineering (RE) is a powerful tool for generating a CAD model from the 3D scan data of a physical part that lacks documentation or has changed from the original CAD design of the part. The process of digitizing a part and creating a CAD model from 3D scan data is less time consuming and provides greater accuracy than manually measuring the part and designing the part from scratch in CAD. 3D optical scanning technology is one of the measurement methods which have evolved over the last few years and it is used in a wide range of areas from industrial applications to art and cultural heritage. It is also used extensively in the automotive industry for applications such as part inspections, scanning of tools without CAD definition, scanning the casting for definition of the stock (i.e. the amount of material to be removed from the surface of the castings) model for CAM programs and reverse engineering. In this study two scanning experiments of automotive applications are illustrated. The first one examines the processes from scanning to re-manufacturing the damaged sheet metal cutting die, using a 3D scanning technique and the second study compares the scanned point clouds data to 3D CAD data for inspection purposes. Furthermore, the deviations of the part holes are determined by using different lenses and scanning parameters.

Computer-Aided Design and Applications is an international journal on the applications of CAD and CAM. It publishes papers in the general domain of CAD plus in emerging fields like bio-CAD, nano-CAD, soft-CAD, garment-CAD, PLM, PDM, CAD data mining, CAD and the internet, CAD education, genetic algorithms and CAD engines. The journal is aimed at all developers and users of CAD technology to ptovide CAD solutions for various stages of design and manufacturing. The journal publishes all about Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided technologies.

There are concerns from Higher Education (HE) institutions and industry about the decline in standards of Technical Drawings (TD) due to the lack of understanding of basic principles and conventions that underpin the best practices. There is growing evidence that simulations/animations along with augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies can improve learners’ engagement, competence, and skills; especially when compared to traditional didactic methods. The purpose of this work is to develop and examine the overall effect as well as the impact of virtual and augmented reality -based methods and tools on the teaching and learning experience of technical drawing principles in the context of higher education settings. The development of tools and methods is based on the findings of a previous international study in three different categories covering the perception of TD education, assessing of TD knowledge and ability, and expectations of TD education.