Commentary: January 2006

By John J. McEleney, SolidWorks Corp.

I was contemplating the future of 3D CAD technology the other night when the first of three ghosts visited me in my slumber.

“I am the Spirit of CAD Past,” the frightful 2D apparition said. “Come! We go to see the CAD that was.”

It was a painful journey, watching all those design engineers typing cryptic commands into their keyboards and tilting their heads to the left and right as they tried to ascertain what the jumble of 2D lines on their computer terminals represented.

“Dread spirit, please help those poor souls who must type, re-key,  or scan in order to digitize 2D data,” I pleaded. Just when I thought I would remain imprisoned in the slow, tedious nightmare of early 2D CAD, I was whisked to a happier time. The engineers I now beheld continued to use 2D CAD, but their tools had improved substantially—as had the state of 2D data, which exploded with the introduction of digital cameras. They now discussed a new kind of CAD:  production-quality 3D solid modeling on Windows-based desktop PCs.

“You must fulfill the vision for 3D CAD,” the spirit instructed me. “It must be fast, easy to use, powerful, integrated, and portable so manufacturers can accelerate time to market, compress design cycles, cut development costs, and improve product quality.”
I was about to tell the spirit that this very vision for 3D CAD was currently being fulfilled when I found myself back in bed, immediately confronted by an unusual specter that was half-2D and half-3D.

“I am the Spirit of CAD Present,” the strange 2D-3D hybrid said. “Come! We go to see the CAD that is.”

This trip was less harrowing than my excursion into the past because the advances made in 3D CAD technology in the last decade are dramatic. Engineers quickly and easily build, visualize, and manipulate 3D solid models. CAD systems added integrated applications for handling 3D data for other purposes. The integrated COSMOSWorks analysis, PDMWorks data management, and eDrawings communications capabilities included in SolidWorks 2006 Office Premium software are applicable examples. Designers use the Internet to download product and component models,  which are available through services such as 3D ContentCentral (3dcontentcentral.com), for import into final designs.

I was about to tell this ghost how wonderful 3D CAD had become when it showed me an engineer struggling to convert a 2D drawing into a 3D solid model, designers checking IGES and STEP conversion settings, and one engineer laboriously going back and forth between a physical prototype and his 3D CAD system as he worked to digitize a 3D object.

“Interoperability. Standard file formats that automate 2D-to-3D file conversions without loss of feature information. Automated digitization of physical objects,” the flat-extruded abomination thundered before dropping me back into my bed.

Having read A Christmas Carol, I cowered at the thought that the Grim Reaper would be the next CAD ghost at my bedside, ready to reveal my demise for not entirely fulfilling the vision for 3D CAD. I ventured a peek from beneath my blanket and beheld my third and final visitor. Relief flooded over me as I realized this specter was nothing like the dark, hooded ghost of Charles Dickens’ imagination.

“I am the Spirit of CAD Future,” the colorful, animated apparition proclaimed. “Come! We go to see the CAD that will be.”

This ghost showed me a rich, exciting 3D world where standard,  feature-rich 3D file formats support data use across different CAD systems, where 2D drawings are accurately extruded into 3D models at the touch of a button, and where actual 3D objects automatically become digitized models via advanced optical scanning technologies. There were no tombstones, no dire consequences, only opportunities for improving the utility of 3D CAD technology for 3D designers and developing 3D applications for the public good.

On awakening the next morning, I knew all would be well with the world of design. Improved productivity would be the greatest gift to engineers everywhere.

John J. McEleney is the President and CEO of SolidWorks Corp. (Concord, MA). Send your comments via e-mail by clicking here.