3D CAD is software used by architects, engineers and other professionals to design 3D objects. It has replaced paper patterns and clay models, increasing productivity and reducing costs. Modern designers require training and practice to master the latest techniques. Virtualization allows for easy modification of designs. The cost of 3D CAD has decreased and can now be run on personal computers.
Three-dimensional computer-aided design, or 3D CAD, is a type of software that helps architects, engineers, and other building professionals design schematics for three-dimensional objects. 3D CAD is commonly used in the design of a variety of objects, including automobiles and other vehicles, industrial, commercial or residential buildings, and virtually every category of device or appliance. 3D CAD is also a crucial tool for creating computer generated animations.
Computer-aided design, or CAD, was developed as a professional field in the 1970s, as a way to reduce the cost and time associated with the design and testing stages of product development. It started out as a replacement for both paper patterns and clay models, but with continued advances in operating systems and computer hardware, it has come a long way towards replacing them as a production tool. That’s not to say that CAD users don’t require more training, however, and modern architects and designers require just as much, if not more training and practice to master the latest computer-aided design techniques.
Many of the concepts involved in 3D CAD are the same as those used in traditional paper or clay modeling CAD. Ideas like geometry, scale, mass, and even biomechanics are all as necessary for modern designers, engineers, and architects to understand as they were for those working in the 1960s. To illustrate this, designing an automobile chassis with 3D CAD could be compared to traditional schematic design in the same way that word processing could be compared to handwriting a letter.
One of the biggest advantages that 3D CAD enjoys over drawing on paper or modeling with clay is the idea of virtualization. That is, a computer model can be changed, adjusted and even completely reworked at no extra cost, apart from the time spent. All work is virtual, dynamically displayed on an electronic screen, and can be infinitely revisited and modified. Modern designers can incorporate new ideas and recommendations much easier than their predecessors, who would literally have to “go back to the drawing board” and start over with any changes.
Modern CAD technology has enabled design firms to increase productivity by reducing manpower, as the time it takes to complete a single project has drastically decreased thanks to computerization. Furthermore, the costs of 3D CAD itself have also dropped considerably over the past three decades. While specially designed computer systems were previously required to run 3D CAD software, relatively complex designs can now be created with fairly simple personal computers. However, professional results require the latest in hardware and software.
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