Introduction Lesson to Visualizing in 3D

Lesson Introduction: The Power of Visualization in Engineering

Lesson Focus: Estimating and visualizing stacked cubes in 3D

Empathetic Collaborator

Effective Communicator

Critical Thinker

“Have you ever had to imagine what something looks like before it’s built — like designing a LEGO creation, rearranging your room, or planning a treehouse in your head?

That skill — visualizing in 3D — is something engineers use every day. Whether they’re building bridges, robots, buildings, or rockets, they need to be able to picture what something will look like before it’s real. And more importantly — they need to know how all the parts fit together, even if they can’t see every piece at once.

Today’s Activity: How Many Cubes?

Engineers and designers often have to work from diagrams, blueprints, or sketches, and figure out how something is built from just one angle or view.

Today, you’ll practice spatial visualization by looking at 3D drawings of cube stacks and asking:
“How many cubes are really there?”

You’ll need to look carefully — some cubes are hidden behind others, and you’ll have to use your brain like an x-ray to “see” what’s not immediately visible.

💬 Why Does This Matter?

• Engineers have to picture how parts connect even when they’re hidden.

• Architects must imagine what a building looks like from all sides.

• Roboticists plan how internal mechanisms fit in tight spaces.

• And even game designers use this skill to build 3D environments!
  
  

👀 Your Goal Today:

• Look at 3D cube diagrams
  
  

• Estimate and count the total cubes
  
  

• Draw and explain your thinking
  
  

• Improve your engineering visualization skills!
  
  

STEP 1: Observe a cube puzzle on the projector screen. Count how many cubes are in it. Do several to practice.

STEP 2: (Do at least two of these) Solve, Then Build (Accuracy & Justification). Hand out click cubes. Partners build the stack that is projected on the screen.

Focus: estimation, error analysis, communication

1. Both partners look at the same diagram and independently guess how many cubes they think are in the stack.

2. They share their guesses and reasoning with each other.

3. Set a timer. Together, they build the structure using the cubes to check and adjust their thinking.
   Reflect: Were any cubes hidden or hard to visualize?
   ➤ "What tricked us?"
   ➤ "Which layer was hardest to visualize?"
   ➤ "Did building it change your answer?"

4. Repeat.

STEP 3: Build & Count (Basic Collaboration)

1. Partner A Looks at a diagram and describes it to Partner B without showing it.

2. Partner B must build the structure using the click cubes based only on the description.

3. Then they compare the original image to the built version.

4. Partners switch roles for the next diagram.