ABOUT AUTOCAD

ABOUT AUTOCAD:

• What is CAD?

CAD is the acronym for Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drawing. In their book CAD/CAM: Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing the authors Mikell Groover and Emory Zimmers have defined CAD as, “the use of computer systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design."

                                        To perform the CAD operations the computer systems comprise of the software and the hardware. The hardware consists of all the visible components of the computer like processor, motherboard, mouse, keyboard, graphics card etc. The software consists of the program that can implement computer graphics on the computer system and also carry out a number of engineering functions on the computers.

The CAD software can carry out a number of engineering functions like analysis of stress-strain subjected on the components, dynamics response of the mechanisms, heat-transfer calculations, etc. Not all the CAD software will perform all the functions. Each CAD software is programmed to carry out specific function. Depending upon the type of the firm or the company, they will choose the CAD software that can perform particular application.

                                                              However, the most popular CAD software are the ones that can perform design and drawing operations. These CAD software can perform all the designing operations like making various calculations, performing simulations of the designed components, checking them for stress etc. The drawings of these designed components can also be drawn using the CAD software, which help avoiding long and cumbersome process of making the drawings on the drawing board.

• What is AUTOCAD?

AutoCAD is a commercial computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting software application. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first released in December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphics controllers. Before AutoCAD was introduced, most commercial CAD programs ran on mainframe computers or minicomputers, with each CAD operator (user) working at a separate graphics terminal. Since 2010, AutoCAD was released as a mobile- and web app as well, marketed as AutoCAD 360.

                                                                                                                                                                     AutoCAD is used in the industry, by architects, project managers, engineers, graphic designers, city planners and other professionals. It was supported by 750 training centers worldwide in 1994.