What is CAD?
Posted on Jul 10, 2009 under Architecture Lesson, Architecture software, Home design software | No CommentDefinition:
“Computer-Aided Design (CAD), also known as Computer-Aided Drafting, is the use of computer software and systems to design and create 2D and 3D virtual models of goods and products for the purposes of testing. It is also sometimes referred to as computer assisted drafting”.
Before the age of computers, drawings and blueprints were drafted by hand. CAD is more efficient because the software records lines as vectors based on mathematical equations. Portions of a drawing can be twisted, stretched, or moved. The picture as a whole will automatically adjust.
CAD Software will let the designer:
* Switch between two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) views.
* Zoom in and out for close-up and distant views.
* Rotate images to view them from different perspectives.
* Change the scale of images: When one value changes, related values are automatically adjusted.
* Manipulate the shape of images: Changing one portion of an image automatically changes the entire picture.
Popular CAD programs used by architects and engineers include:
* AutoCAD
* TurboCAD
* Vectorworks
For more professional CAD Programs, visit CAD and CAM Software.
Simplified versions of CAD tools can be found in home design software tailored for non-professionals.