Computer-altered minds at work

As single-skill-set engineers become an endangered professional and as confirmation-only physical prototypes become an industry norm, the 21^st century way of engineering a vehicle from idea through production resides in a virtual product development world teeming with simulation and analysis tools.

In an age of computer-aided everything, automotive engineers can buckle up for several software rides through a virtual world of multiple design, build, and test events faster than they can unbuckle from a single physical design, build, and test cycle. In short, engineers are cruising in a whole new work world.

“Historically, the design engineer has been someone who's a draftsman, doing CAD, who may have an associate's degree or a high school diploma,” said Steve Rohde, General Motors Corp. Technical Director for Vehicle Synthesis, Analysis, and Simulation at the Global Process Center in Warren, MI. “As we bring in new people to the design arena-and at the same time retrain some of the ones we have-they are degreed engineers. What that means is that these guys [and gals] can do not only CAD, but they can use some of the mathematical analysis tools.”