What is AutoCAD?

 

AutoCAD is a commercial, computer-aided design software application that lets users create 2D and 3D models and drawings. Look around your space. Most of the objects you see were likely designed and manufactured with the help of technical drawings. Until around 25-30 years ago these would have been created with pen and ink on a large drawing board. 

History of AutoCAD

During the 1990s the rise of technology in the industrial design workplace saw the drawing board and drafting pen replaced with a computer screen and mouse. Computer software applications enabled drafters to draw lines on a screen just as they had done with a pen and ruler. This type of drafting became known as computer-aided design or CAD. Over the next few years, CAD programs largely replaced physical drawing boards and drafting pens. 

The most popular CAD software to emerge from this digital switch was AutoCAD, produced by Autodesk. Though the software originally debuted in 1982, early versions required large, expensive mainframe computers to run. With the introduction of smaller desktop systems, AutoCAD’s popularity grew.

What is AutoCAD?

AutoCAD was created to replicate the use of a pen and drawing board used by drafters in the late 20th century. Drafters would draw lines and shapes of various thicknesses to accurately plot shapes to scale on a sheet of paper. As computer technology evolved, software like AutoCAD not only could mimic this plotting work through 3D capabilities, it also offered photorealistic rendering. This led to the very complex 3D simulation software in use today.