Summary and Reflection of Using Visual Basics

The article mainly talks about how Mechanical engineering students at California State University use various tools such as SolidWorks and CosmosWorks to complete classroom learning and how communication could be enhanced by Application Programme Interface (API). The whole article is divided into six parts: Introduction, Understanding Visual Basic, SolidWorks and the Design Suit, SolidWorks API, Microsoft Excel API, and conclusions.

Visual Basic for Application (VBA) provides an efficient way for students in the Mechanical Engineering Department of California State University to analyze, design and optimize engineering system. The Visual Basic programming language which is based on Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instructions language provides an integrating computing environment for students to design and optimize. Visual Basic language has lots of characteristics including keywords. Students who learn to use Visual Basic language at first could utilize keywords in the engineering curriculum. Many tools such as Microsoft Windows-based ones support the use of Visual Basic language. The API offers students a chance to use Visual Basics when they are using the other applications inside.

It is quite common for engineering students to use Visual Basic because it is quite easy to create programs and to solve problems, the most fundamental part of which is the form. The Visual Basic code could be added to the form and into a module. There are three steps to create a typical program. In the first step, based on a set of inputs such as say and force, students could make a hypothesis that the purpose of the program is to calculate output values such as stress and create a form of textbooks, labels, and buttons. After that, the events that activate the calculation subroutine could be created. Third, after students create a program, they could directly run it from the IDE which serves as an inteprete program or standalone program.

Besides, the SolidWorks which supports API could be applied in Computer Aided Programs and offers unique objects which are adopted to perform simple tasks such as data manipulation. The main use of the software is to create a modeling program, and the tool reduces students’ time to learn the Cosmos analysis packages. After using Solid Works in modeling, students could detect a series of default features which are visible in feature manager window. After creating a simple sketch onto planes available, students could create the solid. After the model is complete, students could add materials.

As it is mentioned, Solid Works support Visual Basic, which allows students to create programs to simplify and automatic operations within the suit, to perform preliminary analysis prior and during model creation and to share programs outside the suit that support API. Usually, getobject methods would be applied in a Visual Basic Program.

Microsoft Excel also adopts API to open other applications and pass data in a comparably much easy way. In order to easily communicate with the applications’object library, students should activate SolidWorks references first. Because of the common use of API, students could also run the macro without activating the external application.

In short, there are lots of functions of Visual Basic and application which supports the use of API. For example, it could be used to minimize the number of software interfaces, to provide continuity by which application could be passed from one to the other and to provide an integrated computing environment for designing and optimization.

In the following part, I would analyze how Solidworks is used in the future career for engineering students related to engineering design, communication, and professionalism as follows.

Solidworks that is one of the CAD tools is a useful and powerful tool for engineering students to conduct designing in the future work. In other words, it helps students or graduates to explore design concepts, create product designs, carry out simulation and analysis as well as performing engineering calculations (Bob 2008). One of the biggest advantages of SolidWorks is that students of mechanical engineering could learn to use and master it quickly. Solid Works has a particular designing module, which allows users adopt different designing methods based on the characteristics of components. Based on the function of drafting, students could design lots of complicated process of designing components with different shapes, and it helps students to transfer the shapes between 2D with 3D easily. Usually, the design by SolidWorks is based on the parameters which are defined by correlated mathematics formulas. In this way, SolidWorks is quick to be used in designing and changing design correctly. As it is mentioned above, the design library of SolidWorks offers designing data and space of storage, inquiry for users. In this way, it increases the efficiency of designing and reduces the repetition rate for engineering students. Hence, it is a fundamental tool for mechanical engineering students in the field of designing. SolidWorks could be used in various industries of mechanical engineering. For example, it could be used in designing components and to designing assembling, which means that mechanical engineering graduates have lots choices for the future career. For example, in the aspect of designing assemblings, the user could make lots of designings based on different assembling via SolidWorks. SolidWorks may reduce the designing cycle and increase designing efficiency for designers.

From the perspective of professionalism, it is essential for mechanical engineering students to master the use of SolidWorks. Usually, students are required to learn how to use SolidWorks or other CAD tools to build structure and to make draft if they want to do the work related to mechanical engineering. But it should be noticed that the software is just an assistant tool which helps engineering students to design and draw pictures. The future work depends on the professional knowledge of engineering students. Hence, if an engineering student wants to become an expert in the field of mechanical engineering, he or she has put more efforts on the study of professional knowledge instead of spending time more time on how to use SolidWorks and other software professionally. For example, in some industries of mechanical engineering, graduates are only required to know the basic function of using SolidWorks such as drawing basic components and assemblings and learn to analyze the devices and components from pictures. Except in the field of doing researches, it is rare to require graduates to use SolidWorks in analyzing parameters. Hence

In conclusion, the article mainly gives the information for mechanical students of how to use Visual Basics and tools which usually support API. Visual Basics is a powerful and useful tool for mechanical students to analyze, design and optimize. There are various tools support API such as SolidWorks and MicrosoftExcel. SolidWorks is usually used in designing components and assemblings. It increases students’ efficiency and reduces the time for graduates to design. However, it is just a tool. In order to become experts for engineering students, it is more crucial for mechanical engineering students to master professional knowledge.