CAD

Use of computers in creating and editing design drawings. CAD also allows such things as automatic testing of designs and multiple or animated three-dimensional views of designs. CAD systems are widely used in architecture, electronics, and engineering, for example in the motor-vehicle industry, where cars designed with the assistance of computers are now commonplace. With a CAD system, picture components are accurately positioned using grid lines. Pictures can be resized, rotated, or mirrored without loss of quality or proportion.

Powerful CAD software allows designers to build virtual designs and manipulate them on screen. For example, an architect can use CAD combined with virtual reality and other graphics programmes to ‘walk’ people through a virtual model of a planned building. A related development is CAM (computer-aided manufacturing).