CADD SOFTWARE - Types of CADD Software and Advantages using CADD

Types of CADD Software

There are many types of CADD software available.  You can get CADD software from computer centers or install them from CADD CDs.

Some of the CADD software are AutoCAD, IntelliCAD, AutoCAD LT, Catiar, MarterCAM, Pspice, Autosketch and others. Among the many types of CADD software, the most common commonly used is  AutoCAD.

Advantages of using CADD

Although there are other methods used to design and draft activities, CADD offers the following advantages over other methods in many cases :

*    Accuracy   
*    Productivity for repetitive operations
*    Sharing the CADD file with other software programs


Accuracy

Since CADD technology is based on computers, it offers great accuracy as compared to older "manual" methods of drafting and design. When you draw with a CADD system, the graphical elements, such as lines, arcs, and circles, are stored in the CADD file as numeric data. CADD systems store that numeric data with great precision. For example, AutoCAD stores values with fourteen significant digits. The value l, for example, is stored in scientific notation as the equivalent of 1.0000000000000. This precision provides you with the ability to create designs and drawings that are 100% accurate for almost every case.

Productivity for Repetitive Operations

It may be faster to create a simple "rough" drawing, such as a sketch by hand (pencil and paper), than it would by using a CADD system. However, for larger and more complex drawings, particularly those involving similar shapes or repetitive operations, CADD methods are very efficient. Any kind of shape or operation accomplished with the CADD system can be easily duplicated since it is stored in a CADD file. In short, it may take some time to set up the first drawing and create some of the initial geometry, but any of the existing geometry or drawing setups can be each duplicated in the current drawing or for new drawing.

Likewise, making changes to a CADD file (known as editing) is generally much faster than making changes to a traditional manual drawing. Since all the graphical elements in a CADD drawing are stored, only the affected components of the design or drawing need to be altered, and the drawing can be plotted or printed again or converted to other formats.

As CADD and the associated technology advance and software becomes more interconnected, more pro¬ductive developments are available. For example, it is possible to make a change to a 2-dimensional model that automatically causes a related change in the linked 2-dimensional engineering drawing. One of the main advantages of these technological advances is productivity.

Sharing the CADD File with Other Software Programs

CADD is not the only form of industrial activity that makes technological advances. Most industries use computer software to increase capability and productivity. Since software is written using digital information and may be written for the same or similar computer operating systems, it is possible and desirable to make software programs with the ability to share data or even inter-connect, possibly appearing simultaneously on one screen. Another advance in CADD technology is the automatic creation and inter-connectivity of a 2-dimensional drawing and a 3-dimensional model in one CADD file.

CADD however may not be the best tool for every design related activity. For example, CADD may help develop ideas but probably will not replace the idea sketch, at least not with present technology. A 3¬-dimensional CADD model can save much time and expense for some analysis and testing but cannot replace the "feel" of an actual model, at least not until virtual reality technology is developed and refined.

With everything considered, CADD offers many opportunities for increased accuracy, productivity, and inter-connectivity. Considering the speed at which this technology is advancing, many more opportuni¬ties are rapidly obtainable. However, we need to start with the basics. Beginning by learning to create an AutoCAD drawing is a good start.

CADD SOFTWARE - Application of CADD in Industries

Application of CADD in Industries

The number of CADD users in Malaysia grew as  a result of the construction boom in the 1990s. Ten of millions of Ringgit were spent in foreign exchange buying CADD software. Globally, this industry may have resulted in a cumulated amount of billions of ASD in the last 20 years.

CADD is a tool that can be used to design and draft activities. CADD can be used to make "rough" idea drawings, although it is more suited to create accurate finished drawings and renderings. CADD can be used to create a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional computer model of the product or system for further analysis and testing by other computer programs.

In addition, CADD can be used to supply manufactur¬ing equipment such as lathes, mills, laser cutters, or rapid prototyping equipment with numerical data to manufacture a product. CADD is also used to create the 2-dimensional documentation drawings for com¬municating and archiving the design

CADD - INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

CADD is an acronym for Computer-Aided Design Drawing or Computer-Aided Drafting Drawing. CADD allows you to accomplish design and draf activities using a computer. A CADD software package, such as AutoCAD, enables you to create designs and generate drawings to documents designed.

Design is a broad field involving the process of making an idea into a real product or system. The design process requires repeated refinement of an idea or ideas until a solution results-a manufactured product or constructed system.

Traditionally, design involves the use of sketches, drawings, renderings, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional models, prototypes, testing, analysis and documentation. Drafting is generally known as the production of drawings that are used to document a design for manufacturing or construction or to archive the design.