Eng6202-Computer-Aided Drafting

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Week 7: Computer Aided Design

Module 07: Computer Aided Design

Objectives
After completing this chapter, students will be able to:
1. Have an idea on computer aided design concept.
2. Understand that the computer is not only a visualization tool but
also a tool for design.
3. Know computer aided design concept is not limited to computer
programs.
4. Differentiate the manual drafting and the computer aided
drafting

Introduction

CAD (Computer Aided Design) is the use of computer software to design and document a
product’s design process.
Engineering drawing entails the use of graphical symbols such as points, lines, curves, planes
and shapes. Essentially, it gives detailed description about any component in a graphical
form.
CAD, or computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), is technology for design and technical
documentation, which replaces manual drafting with an automated process.

Background

Engineering drawings have been in use for more than 2000 years. However, the use of
orthographic projections was formally introduced by the French mathematician Gaspard
Monge in the eighteenth century.
Since visual objects transcend languages, engineering drawings have evolved and become
popular over the years. While earlier engineering drawings were handmade, studies have
shown that engineering designs are quite complicated. A solution to many engineering
problems requires a combination of organization, analysis, problem solving principles and a
graphical representation of the problem. Objects in engineering are represented by a
technical drawing (also called as drafting) that represents designs and specifications of the
physical object and data relationships. Since a technical drawing is precise and
communicates all information of the object clearly, it has to be precise. This is where CAD
comes to the fore.

Computer Aided Drafting

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CAD stands for Computer Aided Design. CAD is used to design, develop and optimize
products. While it is very versatile, CAD is extensively used in the design of tools and
equipment required in the manufacturing process as well as in the construction domain. CAD
enables design engineers to layout and to develop their work on a computer screen, print
and save it for future editing.

When it was introduced first, CAD was not exactly an economic proposition because the
machines at those times were very costly. The increasing computer power in the later part
of the twentieth century, with the arrival of minicomputer and subsequently the
microprocessor, has allowed engineers to use CAD files that are an accurate representation
of the dimensions / properties of the object.

Use of CAD

CAD is used to accomplish preliminary design and layouts, design details and calculations,
creating 3-D models, creating and releasing drawings, as well as interfacing with analysis,
marketing, manufacturing, and end-user personnel.
CAD facilitates the manufacturing process by transferring detailed information about a
product in an automated form that can be universally interpreted by trained personnel. It
can be used to produce either two-dimensional or three-dimensional diagrams. The use of
CAD software tools allow the object to be viewed from any angle, even from the inside
looking out. One of the main advantages of a CAD drawing is that the editing is a fast process
as compared to manual method. Apart from detailed engineering of 2D or 3D models, CAD is
widely used from conceptual design and layout of products to definition of manufacturing of
components. CAD reduces design time by allowing precise simulation rather than build and
test physical prototypes. Integrating CAD with CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing)
streamlines the product development even more.
CAD is currently widely used for industrial products, animated movies and other
applications. A special printer or plotter is usually required for printing professional design
renderings. CAD programs use either vector-based graphics or raster graphics that show
how an object will look.

CAD software enables

 Efficiency in the quality of design
 Increase in the Engineer’s productivity
 Improve record keeping through better documentation and communication

Today, the use of CAD has permeated almost all industries. From aerospace, electronics to
manufacturing, CAD is used in all industry verticals. Since CAD encourages creativity and
speeds up productivity, it is becoming more and more useful as an important tool for
visualization before actually implementing a manufacturing process. That is also one of the
reasons CAD training is gaining more and more importance.
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Types of CAD Software

Since its introduction in late 1960’s, CAD software has improved by leaps and bounds. A
broad classification of CAD is:
 2D CAD
 3D CAD
 3D Wireframe and Surface Modelling
 Solid Modelling

With more and more companies (if not all) turning to CAD / CAE / CAM to achieve efficiency,
accuracy and reduced time-to-market of products, there is a growing demand for CAD
software. The industry leaders in this space include AutoCAD, Dassault Systems and Altair.

Types of CAD Software

CAD or Computer Aided Design software was introduced in the late 1960's to expedite
engineering drawing process. While CAD is used mainly in engineering drawing and
construction architecture, it can also use for other purposes.

There are various flavours of CAD available today and there are different methods of
classifying them.

 2 Dimensional CAD (2D CAD)

2D CAD is the pioneer of CAD software, and was developed in the early 70s. At that time,
major automobile, aerospace and other engineering companies developed in-house tools to
automate repetitive drafting requirements. 2D CAD relies on basic geometric shapes like
lines, rectangles, circles, etc. to produce flat drawings. These types of software have been
first developed way back in 1970’s.
AutoDesk is one of the pioneering companies that has played a significant role in developing
CAD software.

 3 Dimensional CAD (3D CAD)

3D CAD is a step up from the 2D CAD software of yesteryears. As the processing power of
computers increased and the graphic display capabilities improved, 3D CAD has become an
increasingly popular design tool. 3D CAD allows creation of 3D images that are realistic.
These images are called 3D models as they can be viewed and rotated in any direction – X, Y
or Z. You can also display views from a 3D model, such as isometrics or perspectives, from
any angle using 3D CAD. 3D CAD tools were introduced in 1980’s by a partnership between
IBM-Dassults. 3D CAD quickly became popular because of enhanced visual capability.

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The rapid advancement of 3D software today has helped quick turnaround in product design,
giving birth to the concept for product lifecycle management (PLM). A few of today’s leading
3D CAD software includes SolidEdge and SolidWorks. Of course, with the vast array of tools,
professional training is needed to master these tools.

There is yet another way of classifying CAD software - in terms of their operating parameters.
Once you understand these parameters, you can optimize the CAD software properly. A little
training should help you go a long way!

 Single-file-mode systems - This type of CAD software allows only a single user to work
on a single file at a time.

 Referenced-file-mode systems - In this type of CAD software, users can work on their
own files with the files of other users attached as a background. This enables users to
levergae other users' work as background data.

 Collaborative-mode systems - These CAD systems take the referenced-mode system to

the next level. They allow a team of users to collaboratively work with each other's data and
see the changes other users make to the data as they go. And of course, the giants in this field
(for example AutoCAD) can be used in different modes of a operation.

3D CAD can be further classified as:

 Wire-frame models – they create skeleton like models with lines and arcs. Since they
appear to be made of wires, and everything in the background is visible, they are called wire-
frame models. They are not very popular anymore.

 Surface models – unlike wire frames, these models are created by joining 3D surfaces.
Since nothing in the background is visible, the surface models are quite realistic.

 Solid models – they are considered to be the most useful CAD models. Although they
appear to be the same as surface models, they also have additional properties like weight,
volume and density, just like actual physical objects. These models are commonly used as
prototypes to study engineering designs.

CAD Training
There are many types of software available for CAD like AutoCAD, CATIA, etc. However, it is
not merely sufficient to learn CAD from colleges. The main problem with learning CAD from
such institutes, especially in India, is that there is no real practical training that is given to
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students. Most of the times, when students graduate, they have only superficial knowledge
of the subject. Of course, it is not the educational institutes that should be blamed. With a
vast syllabus, they just cannot give thorough training to students.

There is another scenario. Most of the companies have now realized the importance of CAD
in increasing their productivity. They buy complex CAD software and expect their employees
to utilize the software effectively. However, sans training, even professionals cannot fully
explore the potential of CAD. This creates an irony – companies spend a lot of money to
ensure they have advanced designing tools, yet their most well trained engineers / drafters
struggle to use the software to its full potential.

The Solution

Increasingly, there is a gap between the design prowess of new CAD software – be it
CAD, CATIA, Pro-E, Solid Edge, HyperMesh, Ansys etc. – and the students / professionals that
are expected to use them. Yes, these software come with elaborate ‘help’ and ‘tutorials’, but
as companies know by now, they just do not suffice. For them to gain maximize mileage from
the expensive CAD software they have purchased, it is imperative to give CAD training to
their employees. Training that is practical and utilitarian.
This is the main reason why there is a need of a CAD training academy that imparts hands
on training to students and professionals alike. In India, there are very few training institutes
(like DesignTech CAD Academy) that have the know-how and years of relevant experience
to really bridge the gap between demand and supply of CAD professionals.

Choosing a CAD Training Institute

It is important to understand what constitutes a good CAD training institute. Apart from
skilled and experience staff, it is important that a proper CAD institute should have:

1. Approval from leading CAD software companies

An approval from the people who have actually developed the CAD software establishes a
trust factor. Their seal of approval is an important factor in establishing your career as a CAD
professional
2. Licensed Software
Good training institutes always purchase licensed CAD software. This not only signifies their
intent, but also ensures authentic support in case of any snags.
3. Trained Instructors
As it has been repeatedly mentioned, today’s CAD / CAM software is complex, and mastering
them takes years of training. Good CAD training institutes have certified and experienced
instructors.
4. Placement Assistance

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Once the training is complete, good training institutes render all feasible assistance to help
you secure a job.

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Frederick E. Giesecke, Alva Mitchell, et al. ,Technical Drawing with Engineering
Graphics (15th Edition) 2016, Peachpit Press
2. Clifford T Smyth,Functional Design for 3D Printing: Designing 3d printed things for
everyday use - 3rd edition, 2017, Clifford Smyth; 3 edition
3. K Venkata Reddy, Textbook of Engineering Drawing 2nd Edition, 4-4-309,Giriraj Lane,
Sultan Bazar,Hyderabad -500 095-A.P,BS Publications
4. David A Madsen,David P. Madsen, Engineering Drawing & Design Fifth Edition
5. N.D. Bhatt,Engineering Drawing,Plane and Solid Geometry, Fiftieth Revised and
Enlarged Edition: 2011,Charotar Publishing HousePVT.LTD

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. Computer-Aided Drafting and Design Certification;
https://www.bccc.edu/domain/2145; November 29, 2019
2. Computer-Aided Drafting; https://www.bestcolleges.com/features/best-online-
drafting-programs/; November 29,2019
3. The advantages and disadvantges of CAD/CAM;
https://bizfluent.com/12750555/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cadcam;
November 29,2019