History of the Department – Department of Geometric Modeling and Computer Graphics

The history of the department began with the creation of our university, in 1885, when it was the Kharkiv Practical Technological Institute. At that time, the foundation of engineering education was traditionally laid (to a large extent) in the process of studying graphic disciplines. The subjects “Sketchy Geometry”, “Mechanical Drawing” and “Drawing” were taught from the first days of the institute’s opening. The first lecturer of the course “Sketchy Geometry” was Professor Konstantin Alekseevich Andreev. It is interesting that nine classroom hours per week were then allocated to the study of sketchy geometry, and four to drawing.

At the beginning of the 20th century, these disciplines were taught by professors R. A. Latyshev, N. A. Voskresensky and M. Ya. Dushin, who published a number of textbooks on the sections of the courses.

In 1930, the Department of Descriptive Geometry and Mechanical Engineering Drawing was organized and opened at the institute, the first head of which was Andreev Viktor Lavrentyevich.

In 1936, the textbook “Drawing” was published by them. At that time, the traditional 17 home graphic tasks for the course of descriptive geometry in the volume of 17 A3 formats were performed in ink.

In different years, the department was headed by associate professors A. M. Mazin, N. N. Sokolov, R. V. Pavlovsky, I. B. Krychevsky, V. M. Ryzhenko, V. M. Apukhtin.

After World War II, the department was staffed by qualified teachers K. A. Gurov, Ya. P. Tukhman, A. V. Manin, I. N. Cherepanova, V. D. Kostyuk, F. V. Medvedev, P. N. Demkovsky and others, as well as engineers P. F. Shepelsky, N. L. Lysetsky, V. V. Zherezhon-Zaichenko, who had extensive experience in design and production work.

In 1953-1954. The department created a park of educational models, a room for consultations, for which unique working visual aids and models from all sections of the course of descriptive geometry and mechanical engineering drawing were produced and collected. And later, using the purchased film projector, educational films were shown to students.

From 1954 to 1972, when the department was headed by Associate Professor V. M. Ryzhenko, the efforts of the teachers were aimed at developing and improving the educational process, introducing elements of programmed learning and machine-free control into it. At this time, the “Atlas of Mechanical Engineering Drawings for Detailing” edited by Associate Professors V. M. Ryzhenko and N. L. Lysetsky, and the monograph by V. M. Ryzhenko “Orthogonal and Axonometric Projections” were published.

In 1960, with the arrival of teachers with extensive experience in design work at the department, under the leadership of Associate Professor N. L. Lysetsky, a research group was created in cooperation with the Kharkiv Turbine Plant, which, on a contractual basis, carried out design searches, design developments of experimental units and installations, participated in testing and implementation of research results into production at the turbine plant, CHP No. 3, Kharkivenergo and Nevinnomysskaya GRES. In connection with the 25th anniversary of the group’s work in 1985, an order of the institute for active participation in design and research work was issued, gratitude was declared to all teachers and employees who were part of it and who participated in research and implementation of work results into production.

In 1972-1988, when the department was headed by Associate Professor V. M. Apukhtin, the introduction of computer technology into the educational process continued. At this time, the department moved to a new building – high-rise building U1. All the difficulties associated with moving, placement, installation of new furniture, organization of a new model laboratory and simultaneous classes were overcome quickly and successfully. At this time, Associate Professor A. F. Kirichenko, who studied gear transmissions, defended his candidate’s thesis in 1969, and his doctoral thesis in 1991, and later became a leading specialist in this area, actively participated in scientific research and design developments. He successfully combined teaching with research. Based on the results of his research, more than 200 articles were published and more than 50 reports were made at scientific and technical conferences. He successfully supervised the scientific work of postgraduate and doctoral students, and prepared 1 doctor and 8 candidates of sciences.

The most powerful scientific direction of the Department of NGG was scientific research in the field of applied geometry. A significant breakthrough was the use of R-functions, proposed by Academician of the NAS of Ukraine V.L. Rvachev to solve geometric problems. In 1982, then associate professor, and now professor L.N. Kutsenko, associate professor V.V. Sereda and associate professor I.A. Chermnykh developed a method for describing geometric bodies using R-functions, an algorithm and a Fortran program for visualizing the information obtained – constructing orthogonal and axonometric projections of geometric bodies of complex configuration, as well as projections of their sections.

Since 1988, for almost 20 years, the Department of Geotechnical Engineering was headed by Associate Professor A.M. Krasnokutsky, who closely engaged in the redevelopment and re-equipment of the department’s premises after its move to a high-rise building. Currently, the total area of the department’s premises is 734 sq. m., which houses 6 classrooms, a room for individual work and consultations, a model and teaching room, part of which is equipped with computer equipment. The classrooms are equipped with special tables for drawing, equipped with models and posters.

In 1994, in connection with the start of the recruitment of students to the Faculty of Economics, the department received educational assignments for the development of course programs “Fundamentals of Design, Modeling and Projection”, “Production Design and Ergonomics”, and since 1995 The department began teaching the discipline “Fundamentals of Technical Creativity” for 5th-year students of the specialty “Technology of Refractory Non-Metallic Silicate Materials”.

With the advent of computer technology, descriptive geometry and engineering graphics were “reborn” in the form of applied geometry. Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor L.N. Kutsenko is an active supporter of the development of computer graphics and applied geometry at the departments of the graphic profile. He drew attention to the unique capabilities of R-functions for solving a wide range of problems of applied geometry and under the guidance of the author of the theory of R-functions, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine V.L. Rvachev, he defended his candidate’s thesis.

The ideas of using abstract spaces were taken into account by L.N. Kutsenko in his doctoral dissertation, which he defended in 1992, and in 1995 he was awarded the academic title of Professor of the Department of Descriptive Geometry and Graphics. Since 1996, he has been working at the Kharkiv Institute of Fire Safety (now the National University of Civil Defense of Ukraine) as a Professor of the Department of Engineering and Emergency Rescue Equipment, but continues to train postgraduates at the Department of NGH of NTU “KhPI”. 21 candidate theses have been defended under his leadership. He has trained 2 doctors of science, the first of which was Shoman Olga Viktorovna, who has headed the Department of NGH since 2008.

O.V. Shoman actively organizes teaching and scientific work in the field of applied geometry. In 2004-2006, she conducted research in cooperation with the State Central Institute of Geophysics “UkrVODGEO”, LLC “GRL Plant”, SE “NDTIP”, was the responsible executor, and later – the head of a number of research works, including the research work “Theory of generalized parallel sets as the basis of geometric modeling of heterogeneous processes”, carried out in 2007 with budget funds provided as a grant from the President of Ukraine to support scientific research of young scientists. Currently, O.V. Shoman continues to engage in research work in the field of geometric modeling of physical and physicochemical processes.

In this direction, she has prepared 2 candidates of science, published a monograph. Today, under her leadership, the department conducts research and trains scientific personnel within the framework of cooperation agreements with scientific, industrial institutions and higher educational institutions: Institute of Thermoelectricity of the National Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (Chernivtsi), Uzhgorod National University, Poltava University of Consumer Cooperation of Ukraine, LLC “Ukrainian Research Institute of Light Sources” (Poltava), LLC “Fire-technical enterprise “Brandmaster” (Kharkiv), Kremenchuk State University named after M. Ostrogradsky.

The department is a member of the Ukrainian Association of Applied Geometry, which celebrated its 11th anniversary this year, and cooperates in the field of applied geometry, engineering graphics, and computer technologies with leading departments of higher educational institutions of Ukraine in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Uzhgorod, Rivne, Lutsk, Simferopol, Poltava, Donetsk, Odessa, and Melitopol.

Today, the teaching staff of the department, continuing the best traditions of previous generations, provides general engineering graphics training for students from the 1st to the 5th year. And since 2005, the department, having acquired the status of a department with an open specialization, has been recruiting and training bachelors and specialists in 22 disciplines of the specialization “Computer technologies of graphic information processing.”

The success of the new specialization is explained by the successful combination of three areas that mutually complement and enrich each other: development of geometric models of objects, phenomena and processes; programming; design activities. In accordance with this triad, curricula and programs have been built that meet the requirements of the Bologna education system.