The evolution of engineering via computer

CAD has come a long way since the 1970s and ′80s. Now with a price tag less than 10% of a 1980 system, CAD and its add-ons can tackle an ever-increasing range of tasks including automated engineering.

Long ago (in computer time terms), CAD was at the center of the spotlight for hot new engineering tools. It was a time when the technology of the drawing board was at its most mature, with draftsmen hunched over drawing boards veneered with crisp new mylar, wielding electric erasers, ingenious color-coded lead holders, and things called drafting machines.

Now that engineers and drafters for the most part peer onto computer screens for their geometry, CAD is almost below the radar. CAD has become but one component in product lifecycle software packages that include FEA, documentation control/product data management (PDM), mathematical analysis-and many, many more technical functionalities.