Initiation to Reverse Engineering by Using Activities Based on Photogrammetry as New Teaching Method in University Technical Studies

© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Nowadays, reverse engineering is used in multiple professional fields that impel to develop different processes for obtaining virtual objects from real objects. Moreover, the importance of providing students with basic knowledge in this type of data collection processes increases, but sometimes the most sophisticated tools are not available because of their high cost and level of knowledge. Among the types of scans that can be found for three-dimensional reconstruction, there is an alternative based on the photogrammetry whose method is denominated Image-based 3D Modeling and Rendering (IB3DMR), which uses a set of photographs in 2D to generate a three-dimensional digital model. With the aim of students learning the basics of scanning and three-dimensional reconstruction of objects, point clouds or mesh of an object, reverse engineering, exportation to other CAD formats and preparation of models for 3D printing, a series of activities with tools of low cost related to photogrammetry are proposed in this communication. This study was performed among students from three different subjects taught at the Technical University of Cartagena during the first term of the 2017/18 course: `Industrial Design¿ and `Graphic Expression¿ (both from the Degree in Mechanical Engineering), and `Graphic Expression¿ (Degree in Industrial Technologies Engineering). The obtained results demonstrate a high level of satisfaction and interest in this type of methodologies during the academic education of the students. Using this type of tools prepares students in new technologies and applications that are increasingly being implemented in all professional fields of society. Universities must be prepared for these new challenges and offer them as a complement to their academic education.