Before recent technical developments any new product or invention would have to be hand drawn on paper using a drawing board. Equipped with a pencil, eraser, ruler, set square and any other tools, the time consuming task would be to set about creating an accurate design blueprint.
For design engineers operating in this era, the process could be hampered even further if the design needed changing, so back to the drawing board they would go to start over.
It’s not surprising then that around the mid-20th century; the first computer aided design (CAD) systems were developed and marketed. We have the ‘Fathers of CAD’ [Link] to thank for developing this technology, which since its release, has continued to evolve.
Where would we be today without the breakthrough in this area, this ability to produce a model in 2D or 3D in a fraction of the time, compared with our industrial revolution counterparts for example? I for one, appreciate how the latest CAD technology helps me do my job. Next time I’m asked to make an alteration to a design, I’ll be glad that I’m not literally going back to the drawing board to do it.
