Fifty years of CAD: FROM WOOD BOARDS TO 4D FLY-THROUGHS

The history of CAD is largely one of visualization, creating better, faster, more accurate ways ofenvisioning designed constructs

By Viktor von Buchstab

I n 1955, Design Engineering advertisements for engi-

neering finery consisted largely of better wooden

drafting tables and associated pen-and-ruler para-

phernalia. The high-tech bauble of the day was

the electric eraser, which at the time seemed

like the ultimate in productivity

improvement.

Meanwhile, computers languished in the

dark ages during much of the 1950s. Few had visual displays, and the

input was much the same as the output – 80-column punched cards,

machine-read to decipher their content, although some hardy types

learned to read the rows and columns of rectangular holes in the

otherwise illiterate bits of cardboard.

These, then, were the platforms on which the enormous enabling

technology of computer-aided design (CAD) was built – from its

crude, mainframe-attached, often frustrating beginnings, through

computer-aided drafting, computer-numerical-control (and comput-

er-aided manufacturing) and improved 2D and 3D visualizations, to

the present divergence with increasingly true-to-life solid models.

Today there are even “4D” fly-throughs and motion simulations with

nauseatingly accurate representations, inducing a form of “space sick-

ness” as the visual sense disagrees with kinetic inputs. To help make

sense of the complex path of CAD development over the past 50 years,

Design Engineering presents a chronology of the companies, software

and programs involved in making CAD technology what it is today.

1950S: THE DARK AGES

Computer-aided design began with the emergence of real-time displays,

enabling computer operators to see their creations on screen. By 1955 U.S.

military visionaries were hooking up then-avant-garde CRTs to their main-

frames. At the time, CAD was a hypothetical application for the comput-

er. It wasn’t until 1957 that mathematical genius Dr. Patrick J. Hanratty,

reputed father of computer-aided design and drafting, wrote the code that

enabled engineers, as opposed to computer

experts, to “do CADD.” For much of the

20th century, CAD power remained largely

limited by hardware. At the time of the

Apollo 13 mission, for instance, NASA had

the computer power of an Intel 386. Long

before, a way around the expen-

sive CRT displays was the clas-

sic flatbed plotter, introduced by

CalComp in 1959.

1960S: REAL-TIME IMAGES

Much of the CAD/CAM developments for the next two or three

decades were hardware-related, paving the way for the “connected”

era that arrived with Unix, then DOS/Windows. In 1962, Denver-

based CAD entrepreneur William Barnes began marketing his bun-

dled hardware and CAD code, automated control, as Auto-trol. It was

a quick success in CAD, whose proprietary operating system was

eventually eclipsed by “open” systems based on Unix, and later by

more universal operating systems from Microsoft. “Regarding the

switch to Unix, Auto-trol Technology, Calma and Mentor Graphics

began shipping Apollo systems [eventually acquired by Hewlett-

Packard] that used a Unix-like operating system <HP-UX> in 1982

and 1983,” says David Weisberg, chief industry strategist for Cyon

Research, and publisher emeritus of Engineering Automation Report

and A-E-C Automation Newsletter. “Sun Microsystems and other

‘pure’ Unix systems [arrived] more like 1984 and 1985.” To put this

design-engineering.com

CAD HistoryA29

An avant-garde Moen faucet was created on a current-generation PTC system.

Photo courtesy of PTC.

The past 20 years has

seen a phenomenal

advancement in

CAD capabilities

DSEN07_A029-A034 9/29/05 9:40 AM Page A29

october 2005

CAD History A30

in context, consider that the world’s first

microprocessor, the Intel 4004, debuted in

late 1971, followed 10 years later by IBM’s

introduction of the first personal computer.

Meanwhile, other changes were happen-

ing to CAD. In 1963 John Wright founded

United Computing, which would later

become Unigraphics (now UGS) and a lead-

ing name in CAD/CAM. While Auto-trol

was still in its infancy, United Computing

had begun work on the first coherent CAM

tool, UniAPT, a minicomputer-based version

of an Automatic Programmed Tool (APT)

that computed tool-paths. APT came to the attention of airplane

manufacturer McDonnell Douglas, which brought the code in-house

along with United Computing. The firm also bought into Dr.

Hanratty’s ADAM design-visualization code, and soon became a

leader in CAD and CAM.

1970S AND ’80S: REAL CAD/CAM DEVELOPS

According to John Baker, UGS product evangelist, NX Product Line,

“Unigraphics (now NX) actually predates McDonnell Douglas,

although they were an early adopter of both UniAPT and

Unigraphics. It was originally developed by United Computing, and

Profile of a ProgramThe following is a timeline of IBM and Dassault’s CATIA (Computer-Aided

Three-Dimensional Interactive Application) evolution:

1976: IBM sells, markets and supports Cadam.

1977: AMD tasks its internal engineering team with creating a 3D

interactive program. This is the forerunner of CATIA.

1981: AMD markets CATIA to other companies and industries.

1982: CATIA V1 is announced as an add-on to Cadam, and as an add-on

product for 3D design, surface modelling and NC programming.

1984: Dassault Systèmes (DS) introduces CATIA Version 2, which

integrates 2D and 3D functions. CATIA becomes the world’s leading

application for aeronautical design.

1984: CATIA is able to function independently of Cadam.

1985: Launches CATIA V2.

1986: DS secures Boeing as a CATIA user.

1988: Launches CATIA V3. With AEC functionality on Unix and main-

frame platforms, CATIA becomes the world’s leading application for

automotive design.

1992: DS purchases CADAM from IBM (which purchased the system

from Lockheed).

1993: Launches CATIA V4 (Unix-based).

1996: CATIA-CADAM Solutions V4 is available on multiple platforms

(Hewlett-Packard, Silicon Graphics, Inc. and Sun Microsystems).

1997: DS acquires SolidWorks.

1997: DS acquires Deneb Robotics, signalling the start of its digital

manufacturing strategy.

1998: DS acquires IBM Product Data Management solution, IBM’s

internally developed PDM system.

1998: DS launches Version 5 of CATIA for native Windows NT and Unix

platforms, purchases IBM PDM assets and establishes Enovia Corp.

1998: DS, IBM and Matra Datavision announce a new co-operation.

First DS acquires key Euclid Matra Datavision software products, while

Matra Datavision becomes a service company supporting DS’s CATIA

and Enovia products and the migration of Euclid to CATIA. Finally,

Matra Datavision becomes an international business partner of IBM to

market, sell and support CATIA, Enovia and IBM e-business solutions.

Matra also takes over marketing, selling and supporting the Deneb

solutions not distributed by IBM.

1999: DS purchases Matra Datavision’s development laboratory and

acquires a majority interest in Smart Solutions Ltd. (formerly SmarTeam

Corp. Ltd.) to strengthen product data management (PDM) capabilities.

1999: DS invests in Invention Machines, a knowledge management

software company, and takes a 75-per-cent interest in Smart Solutions,

a PDM provider at the lower end of the market. It also acquires

Safework, a human modelling software provider. This signals a second

step in the company’s digital manufacturing strategy.

2000: DS and Intergraph announce a strategic alliance around the ship-

building industry. The company then acquires EAI Delta, to provide

digital manufacturing software focused on factory floor layout. LMS

selects the DS V5 platform to build its next generation of virtual pro-

totyping and physical testing software solutions. DS then creates

Delmia digital manufacturing, consolidating Deneb, Safework and EAI

Delta products. DS also acquires the 3D software component business

of Spatial (the ACIS solid modelling kernel rivaling EDS/UGS’ Parasolid).

2001: DS acquires SRAC, an analysis software company focused on

design-centric markets, and Alliance Commerciale Technologique

(ACT), a Canadian-based PLM service company.

AutoCAD was the original PC-based CAD program.

DSEN07_A029-A034 9/29/05 9:41 AM Page A30

CCUUTTTTIINNGG--EEDDGGEESOLUTIONSFFOORR YYOOUURR UUNNIIQQUUEEAAPPPPLLIICCAATTIIOONNSS..

CUTTING-EDGESOLUTIONSFOR YOUR UNIQUEAPPLICATIONS.

WWW.BIMBA.COM 1-800-44-BIMBA

SINGLE BLOCK ACTUATOR A manufacturer of small electronicswas looking for a way to hit tightercenters within a specific geometry.Bimba thought inside the block topackage five single-acting cylinders,with integral manifolding for the valves,into one single block.

MOLD LOCK ACTUATOR In a molding application, a customer needed tighter tolerance for the lockingassembly. Bimba developed a unique actuator designed to lock onto a mating lug and hold the two halves ofa mold together.

RATE CONTROL ACTUATOR Developed for a company in the food service industry, this fluid-filled cylinder delivered what the competitioncouldn’t—smooth, consistent velocitycontrol for a spring-loaded cover.

We’re ready for your toughest application challenges—so bring it on.Visit the new Solutions Shop™ website at www.bimba.com/solutionsshop to

view more unique solutions. Search by industry or type of application to see how anything is possible at Bimba.

Reader Service #106

BIMBA

DSEN07_A031 9/29/05 11:17 AM Page A33

october 2005

CAD History A32

first delivered as a com-

mercial product in 1974,”

says Baker. “In 1976

United was acquired by

MDC and operated as a

wholly owned subsidiary

until 1979, when it was

merged into MDC’s

automation division,

McAuto.” Much later, in

1991, EDS (formerly

Electronic Data Systems)

bought Unigraphics.

But by the mid-70s com-

petition had come to CAD.

In 1974, Lockheed devel-

oped Cadam (Computer-

Augmented Drafting and

Manufacturing) a 2D

CAD/CAM system. A

young Frenchman, Marcel

Dassault, then formed

Avions Marcel Dassault

(AMD) and bought a

Cadam license from

Lockheed, becoming the first

Cadam customer.

1990S: MID-SIZE CAD TAKES HOLD

As CAD giants grew and acquired both major and minor players,

“compact” CAD suites emerged to fill the gap between “kitchen CAD”

and the five-to-six-figure CAD suites. The giants also shrank from the

Big Five to the Big Three, as Matra Datavision was acquired by

Dassault Systèmes and SDRC was absorbed by UGS. While Autodesk

dominated the low-end (casually spinning off CadKey via its former

employees’ entrepreneurial imperatives) it gradually grew into the mid-

size market through its in-house developed Mechanical Desktop, and

by acquiring the more popular Inventor series.

During the 1990s Bentley Systems developed its MicroStation,

Parametric RelationsMuch of the history of CAD seems punctuated by Patrick Hanratty,

whose work continues half a century later, defining and refining CAD

algorithms. However, some three decades after his seminal work, in

May 1985, Russian mathematician Samuel P. Geisberg divined the con-

cept of relating the various components of a subassembly parametri-

cally, allowing designers to change components without having to

recreate the whole enchilada. Geisberg changed the name to

Parametric Technology Corp. in 1987, based on an idea for mechanical

computer-aided design software that would revolutionize the industry.

Geisberg’s company would grow to swallow Computervision in

1997, and introduce a succession of successful programs. Highlights

include the launch of Windchill PDMLink and ProjectLink as “pure

architectural solutions” for PDM and project collaboration in 2000;

the launch of Pro/Engineer Wildfire in 2002, with improved GUI (in

MS Windows motif) and full web-orientation; and the introduction

of its Product Development System as an integrated PLM solution in

2003. In 2004 Parametric acquired Ohio Design Automation for elec-

trical CAD (ECAD) integration, and this year acquired Arbortext for

“dynamic enterprise publishing” and Polyplan Technologies for

MPM, plus Aptavis Technologies for footwear and apparel design.

UGS’ overall

structure,

including its key

acquisitions.

Algor's 2003 InCAD technology for

direct CAD/CAE data exchange added

full associativity with each design

change for Autodesk Inventor,

Pro/Engineer, Solid Edge and

SolidWorks. Full associativity enables

changes to CAD geometry to be

reflected in the associated FEA model

for each design iteration. Now, when

engineers make geometry changes in

the CAD solid modeller, a new mesh

is created and any surface-based

loads or constraints, element types,

material properties and analysis

parameters are automatically updated

with each change. Associating the

FEA data directly with the CAD geom-

etry saves engineers time doing multi-

ple design and analysis iterations.

DSEN07_A029-A034 9/29/05 9:36 AM Page A32

Like falling behind schedule. Again.

Moving to 3D with SolidWorks is easier than a lot of moves you already make.

Like falling behind schedule. Again.

Moving to 3D with SolidWorks is easier than a lot of moves you already make.

*For details, visit www.solidworks.com/n1in3d. SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. SolidWorks Corporation is a Dassault Systèmes company. ©2004 SolidWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

JK Mold Design went 3D. And kicked their business into high gear.

“My company was facing stiff competition from high-end complex moldsand needed to make the transition to 3D,” says John Kreutzberger, owner ofJK Mold Design. “It only took a couple of weeks to get up to speed withSolidWorks. It didn’t take long for me to cut design time by 50% and reinventmyself as a mold designer. Now I can give my customers a greater rangeof services and output to any file format they need. SolidWorks has notonly kept my company ahead of schedule – it’s kept me ahead of the game.”

Take the SolidWorks Online Tour, learn more about moving from 2D to 3D with the company that’s #1 in production, customer service, and sales*. Visit solidworks.com/tour

John KreutzbergerOwner

JK Mold Design

Reader Service #139

DSEN07_A033 9/29/05 9:39 AM Page A33

october 2005

CAD History A34

which became far more popular in the AEC market even as

Intergraph, by 1990, was noted for bundled systems in integrated

CAD/CAM/CAE systems. In October 1997, EDS (which now owned

by UGS) integrated its UGS software with Intergraph’s Solid Edge –

an agreement that eventually led to the latter’s total acquisition. The

history of Solid Edge, sharing its Parasolid core with full-size (NX)

UGS, closely tracks that company’s story.

Meanwhile, ex-Computervision’s John Kirschtick was devising

more efficient ways of doing business, particularly when it came to

designing CAD user-interfaces that embraced the fast-growing

popularity of the Microsoft Windows GUI. The company is most

well-known for SolidWorks 95, the first true Windows-based solid

modelling software on the market, released in 1995. In 1997 Dessault

Systèmes acquired the company, despite the fact that SolidWorks

shares few characteristics with

CATIA, having a different solid

modelling kernel, limited inter-

operability and a different market

than its full-size sibling/parent.

Nevertheless, the company con-

tinued innovating, introducing

eDrawings, an e-mail-enabled

design tool, in 1997, and

SolidWorks 2006 this year.

According to SolidWorks CEO

John McEleney, the machine

design sector currently represents

the largest portion of SolidWorks’

business, noting that, “In any one

day, we have 3.2 million hours of

usage – 430,000 users designing

products eight hours a day.” If

you compare those numbers

with CAD’s obscure beginnings

you have some indication of just

how significant the technology

has become to today’s design

engineers. de

For more information on CAD’sfirst five decades, see earlier storiesin December 2002 andAugust/September 2005 Design Engineering.

The Autodesk RevolutionIn 1982 John Walker co-authored AutoCAD and founded San Rafael, Calif.-based Autodesk, Inc. The

brand eventually grew to uncontested first-place, claiming the largest number of seats of any CAD pro-

gram, excluding the myriad unlicensed “pirate” seats, which continue to be a thorn in the company’s side.

In 2004 company sales topped US$1.23 billion. Following is a quick look at the company’s milestones.

1982: Autodesk is founded and introduces AutoCAD. The company goes public with an IPO of 1.6 million

shares at $11 per share.

1992: Carol Bartz is named chairman, president and CEO.

1994: The same year as the company ships its 1,000,000th copy of AutoCAD it acquires Softdesk, and

delivers multiple products for vertical market segments. Autodesk also acquires Genius CAD Software

and Discreet Logic, and launches Autodesk Inventor for feature-based solid modelling.

2001: Launches Location Services; acquires Buzzsaw.com; launches Subscription; acquires Media 100

and Gentry Systems.

2002: Acquires Revit Technology (the parametric building modeller for AEC) and CAiCE Software.

2003: Acquires truEInnovations, Inc., Linius Technologies and VIA Development.

2004: Acquires MechSoft Technology and Unreal Pictures. Later that year, at Autodesk University, the

firm unveils its next CAD strategic initiative, “smart components,” in which mechanical design con-

structs are specified by functional specifications rather than physical dimensions. This means a shaft

could now be defined in terms of torque or horsepower spec, rather than shaft diameter.

Autodesk recently acquired Compass and exceeds $1 billion in revenue. This August the company

announced the acquisition of Solid Dynamics, SA, a French company whose kinematics/dynamics

technology allows designers in manufacturing markets to simulate, analyze, test and optimize physical

motion and loading in mechanical assemblies.

Current generation CATIA VS embraces the now-familiar Windows look and feel, leading to significant shortening of new operator training

and better universal document interchange.

DSEN07_A029-A034 9/29/05 9:35 AM Page A34