The topic of greatest engine designers came up the other day, and the one common denominator that all these pioneers shared was the drawing board. No one on the list had access to computer design or simulation programs to assist them in mapping out the dimensions or contemplating the dynamics of airflow choices.

Today’s future engine designers not only have immense computing power available to them, but there are decades of knowledge being passed down to help make their jobs easier. One of the bonuses from computer design is that it’s so easy to share work, especially if one takes the time to make a video. Browse through YouTube and it’s easy to find dozens of students from all over the world posting examples of their CAD drawings and 3D modeling that involve engine design.

One of the more eye-catching videos we’ve seen lately is from Said Ibrahim, a designer and CAD instructor based in Egypt. He added music and explanations to his video production. While Said is obviously a talented designer, he’s got a different understanding of crankshafts than we have. He mislabeled the project as a “crossplane” V8 when the crank is definitely a flat-plane configuration. Still, it’s an interesting showcase of drawing skills using advanced tools and an engine as the subject.