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Central Dauphin High School

437 Piketown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Phone: (717) 703-5360

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Our Philosophy and Courses

Technical drawing is a basic communication skill used by all technical fields. It is necessary for the creation of all technical items. The Technology Education Department at Central Dauphin feels that technical knowledge and understanding is an important general education requirement for ALL students since technology affects everyone and every aspect of life. It is closely tied to the math and science fields, as well as all other disciplines.

In the drafting lab, we believe that table drawing is still an important skill that provides students with valuable experiences that are difficult to teach on the computer and are still requested by employers and colleges. Although a computer sits at every desk, students still spend a portion of their time on the table. For the students' CADD (Computer Aided Drafting and Design) experience, we are currently utilizing AutoCAD lt 2004 and ProgeCAD 2009 for 2D needs, SolidWorks for our 3D drawing, SoftPlan for architectural applications and Blender for 3D rendering and animation. Blender is a freeware program which allows us to import 3D material from SolidWorks and Softplan for rendering purposes. Blender is also capable of creating "real-time" animations for architectural walk-throughs and 3D games! See the Technical Downloadspage for site information.

Technical Drawing 1 (56418):

In Tech Draw 1, students learn the basics of drafting standards. They are introduced to AutoCAD and ProgeCAD early on and create 2D drawings throughout the year as well as table drawings. We cover areas in geometric construction, orthographic (multiview) drawing, isometric drawing, sectionals, basic perspectives, and developments. The last quarter of the year is highlighted by group and independent projects where students get the opportunity to pursue a project of their choice in any software area.

Design and Automation (formerly Technical Drawing 2) (56426):

How does industry develop and test new products? How do we use computers to control machines and other devices? This class is developed for students planning to enter a technical or engineering career or those that just like computers and have an interest in "how do they do it?". Topics covered include a brief history of automation, careers in automation, portfolio development, 3D computer modeling, computer simulation, computer controlled manufacturing, robotics and presentations. 

Architectural Drawing (56508):

In Arch draw, we create a complete set of working drawings for a ranch style house. Students work in teams to generate site plans, sectional views, floor plans with electrical symbols and furnishings, foundation plans, elevations, schedules and lists, and perspectives. Time is also available to create 3D animated walk-throughs or build models of their homes. We discuss planning considerations and structural calculations throughout the year.

Advanced CADD (56606):

This course is available to students with at least 2 years of drafting experience. In this class, students will experience more advanced program options along with emphasis on 3D creation and presentation skills. Computer-numeric-control (CNC) can also be examined. Long-term independent projects are the emphasis of this class with possible projects in site or house development in 3D, mechanical applications, furniture design, automotive engineering and ergonomics.

Computer Animation (56706):

As we enter the 21^st century, the use of the computer as a tool for precise computer applications will continue to evolve. Computer Animation (also known as Computer-Generated Imagery or CGI) utilizes 3D and 2D computer graphics in a variety of applications including films, advertisements and computer games. This course will examine the basics of 2D and 3D scene development, key frame animation, real-time animation, computer game logic and multimedia portfolios. Computer Animation is specifically related to computer arts, graphic design, technical and architectural design, historical re-creation, computer game development, multimedia presentations, animated films and commercial advertising.