The changing face of CAD

Abstract

In line with the current interest in New Technology and automated manufacturing, an outline of the existing status of CAD systems is given; with attention paid to their path of development, and their applicability to Design and in the Drawing Office. In the process, areas requiring further investigation and development are highlighted. These include the need to take a fundamental look at ways of aiding the designer; the need for a thorough analysis of the total benefits provided by a CAD system and the development of some means of measuring them; and the need for further investigation into the interaction of man and machine. It is concluded that present systems, developed and applied in a piecemeal fashion, are still a long way from achieving the total integration and automation of the design and manufacturing process.