Three Industries Where CAD Software Has Changed an Incredible Amount

Computer aided design, or CAD as it is often known, refers to using software to help in the development and design of new products. In some cases, the use of CAD suites has revolutionized whole industries. Almost all of the new products you buy had a CAD element in their creation, even just when it comes to the packaging, and CAD plays a huge role in new innovations, too.

Here are just three of the industries that software with design capabilities has changed for the better:

Electronics

The printed circuit board, or PCB, was invented in the mid 1930s by an engineer who was working on a new kind of radio. It was used in the second world war for military purposes, but only really emerged as a technology that could be used for domestic reasons in the late ’40’s and early ’50s- As you might expect from a technology so old, the PCB and the way it is manufactured has evolved a lot, but it is still something that is found in all but the most basic of electronic devices – including modern essentials like phones and laptops.

The ability to use CAD programs such as Altium to design the schematics for PCBs has had a huge impact on the efficiency of their production, and therefore also made electronics less expensive.

Cars

Cars have been around far longer than CAD, but they have changed a lot since it became possible for designers and engineers to use these tools to design every part of a car as part of a holistic process. Now engineers working on a car’s engine can collaborate easily with designers working on its outer look, and it is even possible to run tests on a car’s design as simulations. This makes cars safer, cheaper to design, and better performing, and also means creative designers can experiment with new aesthetic design ideas.

Film And TV

A third industry where computer aided design has been revolutionary is the media. With CAD, things like 3D animation have become a mainstay of the things we watch. Animation used to be a very long, drawn out process which meant that fans would have to wait a long time for new shows or movies in the series they loved, and also meant that special effects (such as a spaceship or a magical beast) had to be created as some kind of physical thing like a model or puppet. This was time consuming and expensive, and also gave a less convincing result. With modern CAD, whether it’s a space battle or a dragon, it can be created digitally which is faster and opens up more possibilities for storytelling.

As you can see, so many of the things that matter to us in our lives have changed because of computer aided design, and the industry is still growing. From the next blockbuster to the design of the circuits in your new phone, CAD will continue to be involved in the creation of the things you love!