What's hot and what's not

Abstract

Software is becoming the tail that's wagging the dog in the CAD/CAM market. New features are showing up in mechanical CAD software at an ever increasing clip. The reason is that the power/cost relationship of desktop computers has changed the market dynamics. Workstations and PCs are the platforms of choice. In fact, mainframe-based CAD/CAM systems are expected to disappear in a few years, wiped out by packages for the desktop that are as good or better. There is a trend toward integrating the numerous functions associated with CAD, such as finite element analysis, numerical control and database management, into a single seamless package. This is one reason why CAD/CAM systems are increasingly providing more of a technical information management solution, rather than being a purely technical tool. CAD packages are assuming the role of a complete product definition database, not just serving as a repository of geometry and manufacturing data.