Assignment 3 - Mechanix Usage and Analysis

Overview
For the third course assignment, you are asked to do problems 1 through 11 of the TAMU Mechanix Tutorial and then write about the experience.  Mechanix is one of the largest projects in the Sketch Recognition Lab, and it uses  a combination of many recognition algorithms to automatically evaluate student truss drawings.  Truss analysis is important in several areas of engineering, like civil engineering, and Mechanix aims to be a personal tutor as it teaches these concepts to students.

While most of you probably do not have a background in civil engineering, the Mechanix tutorial you have been assigned should be very easy to follow.  Ultimately, the goal is that this assignment be a good learning experience while providing you with an introduction to the state of current sketch recognition software.

Instructions
First, you should complete the steps below to gain some experience using Mechanix.

1. Go to http://faculty.cs.tamu.edu/hammond/mechanix.php and download Mechanix Student Version from the links on the lower right side (Direct Download Link).  Note: If you're having trouble downloading, try connecting from campus or through the VPN.
2. Ensure you have Java installed, either the JRE or the JDK; you should have version 7 or greater.
3. Once you have Java installed and have downloaded the Mechanix application, double-click it to run the installer.  This will download the latest version directly from our servers for you.
4. Now, with Java and Mechanix ready to go, you should see a login screen to Mechanix.  Login with the user name given to you from this spreadsheet.  Note: The password and user name are the same.
5. Select the TAMU Mechanix Tutorial; there should be only one.
6. Step through problems 1 to 11, reading the instructions and submitting until you receive a "Correct" response each time.  Mechanix provides a checklist and specific responses at each stage of the submission, so feel free to submit as often as possible until you get the correct solution.
7. Problem 12 requires extra knowledge not well explained in the text.  This part of the tutorial is more a demonstration of the types of problems which Mechanix can handle in different contexts.  However, because it is only for demonstrative purposes and not well suited to this course, you do not need to complete problem 12.  You may if you wish, but it will not be counted.

Next, based on your experience using Mechanix, you must write a short post on your blog about the "Do's and Don'ts of Sketch Recognition Systems".  Specifically, list at least 5 aspects of Mechanix which you liked as the "Do's" and list at least 5 aspects of Mechanix which you disliked as the "Don'ts".  These aspects may refer to the usability of the system, design of the interface, or any other observation relevant to sketch recognition software in some way.  You may present the lists as bullets or paragraphs, but there should be 10 distinct observations clearly contributed in the post.

Obtaining Credit

Your submissions will automatically be visible to us on the instructor side, so you do not need to submit any certificate or problem solutions to show that you completed the tutorial.  However, we need to know who is who, so you must use the user name provided in the spreadsheet.  Remember the user name and passwords are the same.

To obtain credit for the "Do's and Don'ts of Sketch Recognition Systems", ensure you have posted your 10 observations (5 do's and 5 don'ts) to your blog.  This should be the same blog you provided a link to on the spreadsheet provided with Assignment 2.

Due Date
This assignment should be submitted in two parts.  It should be completely finished by Monday Sep. 5, but the Mechanix tutorial itself should be done by class on Friday Sep. 2.

Mechanix Tutorial
Sep. 2, Friday @ 11:30 AM
Only excused late submission (e.g. late enrollment)
Consider this as a sort of "checkpoint" so that we can ensure everyone has gained familiarity with Mechanix and address any problems that arise before the blog assignment is due Monday.

"Do's and Don'ts of Sketch Recognition Systems" Blog Post
Sep. 5, Monday @ Midnight
25% deducted per day late
This is when the "Do's and Don'ts" list should be posted on your blog.