Computer Aided Design

By

Brian Nettleton

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0402616. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the

author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Computer Aided DesignComputer Aided Design (CAD) has taken the place of drafting boards and pencils. CAD software is many times faster than traditional drafting methods. Mistakes can be fixed and changes can be made quickly and easily instead of starting from scratch. CAD software enables a designer to design in 3-D and make virtual prototypes. Parts can be assembled and tests can be made on the computer instead of testing costly prototypes. CAD is a very useful tool for communicating ideas to people. Designs can be e-mailed to clients or other members of a design team. Prototypes can be easily made by sending the designs to a CNC machine or a Rapid Prototyping machine. Many different job fields use Computer Aided Design. The following slides show some examples.

Mechanical Engineering

Cartography(Map Making)

Marine Engineering

Interior Design

Electrical Engineering

Aviation

Automotive

Architecture

Standards and Benchmarks

Standard 17: Students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use information and communication technologies.

D. The processing of information through the use of technology can be used to help humans make decisions and solve problems.