Computer-aided design, CAD, changed the world in several ways. In the early days of blueprinting, professionals had to rely on physical drafting tables as a workspace, using pens, rulers and stencils to make ideas come to life.
As decades passed, CAD evolved and became digitized, however, each seat was hundreds of thousands of dollars and very limited in capability and accessibility. Although the 90s brought a more versatile era of CAD, the systems remained costly and only accessible through certain PCs and stations. Today, CAD software has reached unimaginable heights, now able to be accessed from a laptop or on the go. It can be used to make nearly anything, from larger pieces of machinery to the smallest items in our everyday lives. This has also opened up the possibilities for recreational creatives to use the software as well. Anyone from seasoned professionals to children to DIY enthusiasts can use CAD as a creative outlet.
Not only has CAD attracted a community made up of interest groups around the world, but it also continues to evolve. Experts predict in the coming years that new AI technology will be integrated with CAD software, once again taking this omnipresent software to new heights.
Source: SolidWorks
