PC CAD Past, Present, and Future

Early pc based CAD systems were slow, awkward to use, and minimally functional in comparison with existing systems from major CAD vendors. There were attractive, however, particularly to first time CAD buyers because they were cheaper by an order of magnitude. Over time, the computational horsepower increased and the breath of functionality widened. Today pc CAD systems are viable alternatives to mainframe and workstation based systems. The majority of installed CAD systems are now pc based. This is a tremendous incentitive for companies to develop products for this environment. The challenge for the future is to leverage the potential of this technology beyond productivity gains for the drafting department.