Toward the ideal mechanical engineering design support system

This paper details the progress toward the development of the ideal mechanical engineering design support system. It attempts to look at the gap between the needs of a mechanical engineer and what is currently available on CAD systems. Since the term CAD emphasizes that the computer is an aid to the human designer, this paper is designer-centric. It is based heavily on the activities performed by designers and the types of information developed by them. Seventeen goals for the ideal mechanical design support system are listed. These are directed at the types of information developed during the design process and the activities used to develop them. For each of the seventeen, background information, the current state-of-the-art, and opportunities for future development are itemized.