Computer Aided Design

Acronym: CAD.
The use of computer software to assist in the creation and revision of engineering drawings. Some programs aren't much better than an old-style drafting board, while others can completely reshape the engineering design process.

25 years ago, nearly every drawing produced in the world was done with pencil or ink on paper. Minor changes meant erasing and redrawing while major changes often meant recreating the drawing from the scratch. If a change to one drawing affected other documents you were dependent upon having someone manually recognize the need to make the changes to the other drawings and to do so. CAD has fundamentally changed the way design is done.

History of Computer Aided Design:
- Before 1970
- 1970-1979
- 1980-1989
- 1990-1991
- 1992-1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 1996
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000