MACHINE DESIGN & CAD-II LAB

Assignment

Touseef Akhtar
2016-ME-78
Literature Review of
CAD Software
 Literature Review of CAD Software
Machine Design and CAD-II Lab
Assignment Report

Submitted by:
2016-ME-78

Supervised by:
Sir Engr. Ahmad Naveed

Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Engineering & Technology Lahore, Pakistan
Machine Design and CAD-II Lab 2016-ME-78

Table of Contents

1.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1

1.2. Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 1
1.3. Historical Background of Computer Aided Design (CAD) ................................................. 1
1.4. Popular CAD software ......................................................................................................... 3
1.5. SolidWorks .......................................................................................................................... 4
1.5.1. Interface ........................................................................................................................ 4
1.5.2. OS compatibility ........................................................................................................... 5
1.5.3. CAD Type..................................................................................................................... 5
1.5.4. Supported Formats ........................................................................................................ 5
1.5.5. Price .............................................................................................................................. 5
1.6. CATIA ................................................................................................................................. 5
1.6.1. Interface ........................................................................................................................ 6
1.6.2. OS compatibility ........................................................................................................... 6
1.6.3. CAD Type..................................................................................................................... 6
1.6.4. Supported Formats ........................................................................................................ 6
1.6.5. Price .............................................................................................................................. 6
1.7. Siemens NX ......................................................................................................................... 7
1.7.1. Interface ........................................................................................................................ 7
1.7.2. OS compatibility ........................................................................................................... 8
1.7.3. CAD Type..................................................................................................................... 8
1.7.4. Supported Formats ........................................................................................................ 8
1.7.5. Price .............................................................................................................................. 8
1.8. AutoCAD ............................................................................................................................. 8
1.8.1. Interface ........................................................................................................................ 9
1.8.2. OS compatibility ........................................................................................................... 9
1.8.3. CAD Type..................................................................................................................... 9
1.8.4. Supported Formats ........................................................................................................ 9
1.8.5. Price ............................................................................................................................ 10
1.9. Solid Edge .......................................................................................................................... 10
1.9.1. Interface ...................................................................................................................... 10

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1.9.2. OS compatibility ......................................................................................................... 11

1.9.3. CAD Type................................................................................................................... 11
1.9.4. Supported Formats ...................................................................................................... 11
1.9.5. Price ............................................................................................................................ 11

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1.1. Introduction
CAD stand for Computer Aided Design, and CAM for Computer Aided Machining. CAD CAM
software has wide applications in the design and development of products in fields like
Mechanical, Product Design, Architecture, etc. There are several CAD CAM software available
in the market, each having its own distinguishing features and target industries.

1.2. Abstract
Computer Aided Design (CAD) started way back in 1957 when PRONTO was developed, first
commercial NC programming system. Then later SKETCHPAD was developed which first time
utilized computer GUI to create objects on the screen. And from than due to extensive research of
many people on CAD enabled the design of more versatile and feature rich CAD system. At that
time CAD systems were very costly and only industrial giants were the mere users. Then in 1982,
a computer CAD program “AutoCAD” was released. Before that CAD systems were proprietary.
And then with passage of time many and many companies has released their variant of CAD
software, each with specific features and industries. Now CAD is so common that a single person
can purchase and use it without any hassle. CAD is extensively utilized in field like Mechanical,
Civil, Architecture, Product Design, Interior Design, Textile Design, Shipbuilding, etc. Today
there are several well-known CAD software tools in the market, each offering their services at
competitive price point.

1.3. Historical Background of Computer Aided Design

(CAD)
The term ‘CAD’ means ‘Computer Aided Design’ software, which refer to a computer program
that is used by designers, engineers, draftsmen and architects to design and manufacture products.
It all started when an American computer scientist Dr. Patrick Hanratty developed ‘PRONTO’ in
1957, the first commercially numerical-control programming system. He is regarded as the “Father
of CAD and CAM”.
In 1960, Ivan Sutherland developed ‘Sketchpad’. He was the first to ever use a total graphic user
interface. User could write with light pen on x-y pointer display, they could constraint properties
in the drawing and could create the use of ‘Object’ and ‘Instances’. At that time, CAD systems
were really costly and beyond the reach of small businesses. Only notable manufacturers of that
that time steps forward towards CAD and started researching on it.
In 1966, “CADD” was developed by McDonell-Douglas which was used for parts layouts and
geometry work. Similarly, In 1967 “PDGS” was developed by Ford. Ford and other manufacturers
started releasing internally developed CAD/CAM systems. In 1967, Itek developed “Digigrphics”,
a first commercial CAD system. It costed $500,000.00 per system and fun fact is that only 6 copies
of this system sold.
As the time passed, CAD was improved and In 1970, “SynthaVision” was developed by MAGI.
It was the first commercially available 3D solid modeling program.

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In 1971, “ADAM’ was created by Patrick Hanratty after many year of research and working. It
was interactive graphic design, drafting and manufacturing system written in Fortran and designed
to work on Virtually every machine. It was huge hit that went on to be updated to work on 16 and
32 Bit computers, today 80% of CAD programs can be traced back to the roots of ADAM.
In 1975, Dr. Kenneth Versprille developed the algorithm for Rational B-spline geometry and added
it to CAD and called it “ComputerVisio”. Now CAD use started to rise as more systems and more
software started to emerge.
In 1978, “Unigraphics” software developed by Siemens NX really took off. It was high and easy
to use software and many corporations started to use it. It set a new gold standard for CAD software
at the time.
In 1980, “MiniCAD” was released for Mac users. It became bestselling CAD software for Mac
computers.
Then in 1982, the infamous “AutoCAD” emerged developed by a company called Autodesk. It
was the first CAD software made for PCs instead of mainframe CAD computers. It opened up new
possibilities, as anyone having a PCs just needed to purchase the software.
In 1987, “PRO/Engineer” was released by company named PTC Creo.
It was the first mainstream CAD program that took the ideas of sketchpad and made it come to
life, based on solid models, history based features, and the use of constraints, this was a huge turn
in CAD history
In 1994, Autodesk released the version 13 of “AutoCAD” which was equipped with 3D modeling
features and tools.
In 1995, “SolidWorks 95” was released by company named Dassault Systemes. It also create much
hype in the market due to its simplicity, ease of use and allowed more engineers then ever to take
advantage of 3D CAD modeling technology.
In the same year, Siemens released “Solid Edge”. It was made as a PLM software, functioned on
Windows, provided solid modeling, assembly modeling and 2D orthographic view features. It was
a response to the success of SolidWorks.
In 1996, “CATIA” was released by same company as of SolidWorks named Dassault Systemes. It
was first to move online, allowing users to review and annotate CATIA models with others over
the internet, quickly followed by others- unigraphic’s iMAN web author and CoCreate’s
openspace web.
After the tremendous success of SolidWorks, Autodesk tried new direction to create software more
intuitive and simple. “Autodesk Inventor” was released in 1999, which allowed the creation of
complex assemblies in record time. This software is still in use. It really upped the upppd in the
CAD world.
In 2012, Autodesk 360 service utilized cloud to make CAD experience more accessible and hassle
free.

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In 2013, first app for 3D CAD manufacturer models became available name “3D CAD App”
developed by CADENAS. And In 2015, “Onshape” was released which was a completely cloud
based CAD program.
And now world is set towards Virtual reality and Augmented reality in which barrier of screen is
removed. A user can use his hand gestures to completely manipulate an object in real space in
Augmented reality. And it is said that future is VR and AR.

1.4. Popular CAD software

CAD modeling software are very common to found these days, as there are several companies
offering there several CAD software solutions in the market. Some well-known CAD software
are mentioned below;
1. SolidWorks
2. CATIA
3. Siemens NX
4. Micro Station
5. Inventor
6. AutoCAD
7. SketchUp
8. TurboCAD
9. TinkerCAD
10. FreeCAD
11. Creo
12. Pro-Engineer
13. Fusion 360
14. SolidEdge
Now we will be discussing separately on some software, their pros and cons, their interface and
features and their cost. So let’s begin with the most popular out there.

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1.5. SolidWorks

Figure 1.5.1.1: SolidWorks Software Banner

SolidWorks is the world leader in 3D CAD CAM, modeling and design. When it was first released
it created so much hype that most CAD users started shifting towards it. It changed the experience
of entire CAD modeling journey, it was easy to learn and use and with small effort a user could
create pretty complex geometries and models.

1.5.1. Interface
A detailed preview of the software is given below.

Figure 1.5.2: SolidWorks software interface

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1.5.2. OS compatibility
It only supports Microsoft Windows.

1.5.3. CAD Type

2D and 3D

1.5.4. Supported Formats

3dm, 3ds, 3dxml, 3mf, amf, obj, pdf, dwg, dxf, idf, ifc, sldprt, stp, STL, vrml

1.5.5. Price
It has not changed since it was released in 1996. Single SolidWorks license costs $4,000.

1.6. CATIA

Figure 1.6.1: CATIA software banner

CATIA software is also developed by the same company as that of SolidWorks, known as Dassault
Systèmes. CATIA stand for ‘Computer Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application’.
CATIA software wears three titles:
 3D CAD Software
 CAM Software
 CAE Software
This software is used in fields like mechanical engineering, product design, industrial design etc.
Particularly It was designed for Automotive industry, Shipbuilding, architecture and industrial
equipment. It has a competitor in market from company Autodesk named as ‘Inventor’. Both are
highly advanced engineering tools and require extensive training and engineering background to
get the maximum output of it.

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1.6.1. Interface
A labeled preview of CATIA V5 is given below.

Figure 1.6.2: CATIA V5 interface

1.6.2. OS compatibility
It only supports Microsoft Windows and Unix (server).

1.6.3. CAD Type

2D and 3D

1.6.4. Supported Formats

3dxml, catpart, igs, pdf, stp, STL, vrml

1.6.5. Price
It is rumored to be the most expensive CAD software on the planet. Different modulus of this
software has their own price. So in a nutshell, its price range from $9,000 to $65,000 per license.

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1.7. Siemens NX

Figure 1.7.1: Siemens NX banner

NX software is developed by the industrial giant Siemens. It is one of the best CAD software tools
in the market. It support best in class parametric and direct (solid/surface) modeling. It also has a-
synchronous modeling feature which allows exciting innovative perspectives in modeling and
design.
Siemens NX is also a best in class PLM software that can cover the entire process of design of a
product from beginning to the end.
It is a highly advanced engineering tools and require extensive training and engineering
background to get the maximum output of it.

1.7.1. Interface
A labeled diagram of NX’s interface is given below.

Figure 1.7.2: Siemens NX interface

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1.7.2. OS compatibility
It supports Microsoft Windows, Apple’s macOS and Linux.

1.7.3. CAD Type

2D and 3D

1.7.4. Supported Formats

sat, 3ds, skp, 3dm, STL, x_t, obj

1.7.5. Price
Cost for this CAD utility starts from $5,900.

1.8. AutoCAD

Figure 1.8.1: AutoDesk AutoCAD Software Banner

AutoCAD was developed and released by Autodesk. This software is considered to be the
grandfather of CAD software as its desktop application was available back in 1982.
This program suite brings bunch of useful and modern techniques and tools to the table and provide
the end user with full control over the design. It is a very popular in the market and has wide
applications in fields like Civil, Architecture, Mechanical, Product Design, Interior Design,
Textile, and many other.
It is easy for beginners to learn and is not that expensive as compared to other industrial CAD
modeling software.
Pros
 It's easy to use and learn.
 It comes with unlimited technical support.

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 It offers impressive photorealistic rendering capabilities.

Cons
 You can only use this software through subscription.
 It might not be a good pick for more complex 3D projects.
 It takes some time to learn how to use the software.

1.8.1. Interface
A detailed Interface screenshot of this software is given below.

Figure 1.8.2: AutoCAD Interface

1.8.2. OS compatibility
It only supports Microsoft Windows and Apples macOS. And on mobile platform, it is available
on both Android and iOS.

1.8.3. CAD Type

2D and 3D

1.8.4. Supported Formats

dwg, dxf, pdf

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1.8.5. Price
Its price range from $360 for AutoCAD LT to $2,100 for AutoCAD Civil 3D on subscription
basis.

1.9. Solid Edge

Figure 1.9.1: Solid Edge banner

Solid Edge is also developed by the same company as NX, that is Siemens. Siemens is a industrial
manufacturing giant and Siemens PLM is a part of it. Term ‘PLM’ stand for product life
management, and is used for a category of software.
Solid Edge has been around for two decades now. It is a very popular among 3D CAD modeling
class software. Its distinguishing feature include Synchronous technology which allow non-history
based modelling techniques.

1.9.1. Interface
A view of Solid Edge interface is provided below.

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Figure 1.9.2: Solid Edge interface

1.9.2. OS compatibility
It only supports Microsoft Windows.

1.9.3. CAD Type

2D and 3D

1.9.4. Supported Formats

.dgn, .dxf, .dwg, .stp, .step, .igs, .prt, .sat, .model, .sldprt, .jt, .ipt

1.9.5. Price
It comes with subscription based service and range from $100/month for basic version to
$420/month for advanced variant.

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