Many tools that are essential to everyday life go unnoticed by the public at large, and that is the case with CADD, a very important instrument in the field of engineering design and manufacture.
This post will allow you to learn more about CADD and appreciate its relevance in today’s industry.
What is CADD?
CADD stands for Computer-aided Design and Drafting and can be defined as the process of creating computer models established by geometrical parameters.
Simply put, CADD helps convert designs into technical drawings, and it is used to build everything from manufactured products to large structures such as buildings, pipelines and freeways. With this information in mind, it is easy to realize why CADD is so relevant and why its importance cannot be overstated.
A Brief History of CADD
Patrick Hanratty, an American computer scientist, is considered to be the father of CADD/CAM (Computer-aided Manufacturing) for his pioneering work in computer-aided design. In 1957 Hanratty created Pronto, the first numerical-control programming system, and over the next 50 years CAD programs evolved and became an indispensable tool in engineering design and manufacture.
The first iterations of CADD software were typically two-dimensional, and were mainly intended to automate repetitive drafting chores.
Due to the high cost of early computers, aerospace and automotive companies were among the first to adopt CADD. During the 1980’s personal computers became widespread, and as a consequence CADD applications gained a larger consumer base.
It was during the 1980’s that two types of CADD programs emerged: entity-based and object-based. Entity-based applications use vectors graphics, while its object-oriented counterparts use complete parametric objects. However, it was only until the late 1990’s that improvements in the graphic cards of personal computers allowed users to properly visualize object-oriented CADD.
An Unsung Hero of Our Times
Nowadays CADD is instrumental in maintaining our standard of living, an unsung hero of our times that has helped to lower production costs and to reduce the time it takes to develop a product.
Darnell Technical Services performs Production CADD Projects partnering on project services in civil and structural industries of federal, state, county and local municipalities.
Our experts have the knowledge and background required to tackle large projects such as design and production plans of subway stations, roadway and drain improvement plans and traffic engineering.
Get in touch with us using our contact form or through our social media accounts for more information about the wide range of solutions with which Darnell Technical Services can contribute to realize the vision of your company.
