Computer-aided Design
CAD is the use of computer systems to draw up designs and create technical drawing; more specifically, it is a tool for supporting such functions. It is used for design tasks in fields such as manufacturing of machine parts, construction of buildings, and design of electrical circuits. Since CAD makes it possible to copy parts of features and automatically calculate their dimensions, it allows designers to perform precise work more efficiently than possible by hand.
Although the data treated by CAD was initially in a two-dimensional (2D) form, such as front views, side views, and plan views, since the 1980s, it has been possible to handle three-dimensional (3D) data with CAD. As a result, it has become possible to design complicated shapes with copious use of curved lines. CAD that can represent data in 3D—known as "3D-CAD"—is being increasingly used by manufacturing industries.
