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Chapter 10: CADD Industry Resources

Contents:

About this Chapter

CADD Industry Terms

Product Selection Criteria

Leading CADD Products

Architectural Engineering Construction (AEC)
General Purpose
Mechanical CADD
Solid Modeling
Visualization and Rendering
Facility Management CADD
CAD/CAM/CAE

Important CADD Resources on the Internet

Organizations associated with CADD
CADD magazines and journals
CADD Industry Directories and Resource Centers
Sites for rankings of CADD
CADD academic sites
CADD vendors

About this Chapter Implementing CADD is a big expense. It is worth the extra effort to take the time you need to select the right CADD program. With so many programs available, it is likely to get confusing. Each CADD vendor claims his or her product to be superior. The best answer may come if you review each program in light of your requirements.

This chapter describes the general criteria for selecting a CADD program and lists a number of leading CADD products and resources. Note that most companies offer more than one CADD program and may be able to customize the program with add-on programs.

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CADD Industry Terms

Term	Description
AEC	Architecture, engineering and construction application.
ANSI	American National Standards Institute
Boolean modeling	A modeling technique that allows to add or subtract 3D shapes from one model to another.
CAE	Computer aided engineering.
CAFM	Computer aided facility management
CAM	Computer aided manufacturing
CGM	Computer graphics metafile
DXF	Data exchange format - A standard format commonly used to exchange drawings from one application to another
EDM	Engineering document management
GIS	Geographic Information System
IGES	International Graphics Exchange Specification - A standard format used to exchange drawing data between one application and another
ISO	International Standards Organization
MCAD	Mechanical CAD
Parametric modeling	An ability of CADD to link geometry with the calculations.
PDM	Product Data Management

Product Selection Criteria

The following criteria may help you make a CADD program selection:

Is CADD intended for personal use or professional? A low-end product may be accepted for personal use, but for professional use, you may want to consider a high-end product.

Select a program compatible with the programs used by your clients and consultants. It makes sharing drawings much easier. Although you will often hear from the CADD vendors that their programs are 100% compatible with other programs, it may not be the case. Ask for a trial version of the program and confirm it.

Review how many customization features a CADD program offers. Customization plays a major role in making CADD more productive.

Decide whether you need to buy a brand name product or any workable CADD program. Both may provide the same capabilities, but a brand name may cost twice as much. Selecting a brand name program may give you certain advantages such as finding add-on programs and experienced users.

Find out if the dealer offers technical support. In the beginning you may have a lot of questions about the program. Without technical support, you may have to pay hourly charges to a consultant.

Ask if the dealer offers free or low-cost updates of the program. Most CADD programs get revised every year. You may have to pay double in four or five years to get all the updates.

New technology advancements are taking place everyday. CADD programs are getting highly specialized to meet the needs of specific professionals. With some research you may be able to find exactly what you need and you may not have to spend a bundle.

Leading CADD Products Today’s CADD market has become highly specialized. Most CADD programs as designed to meet the needs of a specific industry. CADD companies offer different varieties of their basic program to target a specific market.

The CADD programs may be divided into the following categories: