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The engineering design process has evolved rapidly as new technology has evolved from drawing boards to electronic drawings to 3D modelling and digital prototyping.
What we have recognised in our evolution is that the power of 3D modelling can actually inhibit the design process, especially during the creative stages of the process. While we are heavy users of 3D software (in particular Autodesk Inventor) we have taken a step back with our conceptual work and use a number of ‘lower end tools’ such as Google Sketchup and AutoCAD LT along with our pens and notepads more suitable to free form thinking.
So it was with interest that this morning I saw the release of Project Cooper from Autodesk, a light easy to use 2D sketching tool. It appears that the CAD marketplace is experiencing Clayton Christensen’s idea of ‘disruptive innovation’ where a product fulfills an unsatisfied market demand where consumers don’t require the full feature set or performance of currently avaliable products.
Posted October 22, 2009 by by Mike Percy