Company or school CADD standards should follow appropri- ate national industry standards

whenever possible. Chapter 1, Introduction to Engineering Drawing and Design, introduces

ASME, ISO, AWS, CADD skills standards and NCS drafting standards. CADD software
offers the flexibility to adhere to these and other standards. Most drafting standards are
universal to any method of design and drafting, including CADD. Some standards such as
ASME Y14.41, Digital Product Definition Data Practices, CADD skills standards, and NCS
focus specifically on standards for CADD applications.

United States National CAD Standard

A group of agencies, including the CADD/GIS Technology Center (CGTC), the American
Institute of Architects (AIA), the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), the US Coast
Guard, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA),
and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), developed the United States National
CAD Standard (NCS) in 1997. The NCS primarily applies to architectural and construction-
related disciplines and includes the following three documents:

• The American Institute of Architects (AIA) CAD Layer

Guidelines.

• The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Uniform

Drawing System, Modules 1–8.

• The CSI Plotting Guidelines.

PRODUCTIVITY WITH CADD

CADD software continues to improve in a variety of ways. CADD programs are easier to use
than ever before and con- tain multiple tools and options, allowing you to produce better-
quality and more-accurate drawings in less time. For many duties, CADD multiplies
productivity several times, espe- cially for multiple and time-consuming tasks. A great
advantage of CADD is that it increases the time available to designers and drafters for
creativity by reducing the time they spend on the actual preparation of drawings.

Er gonomic W orkstations

Figure 3.59 shows an ergonomically designed workstation. In general, a workstation should

be designed so you sit with your feet flat on the floor, your calves perpendicular to the floor
and your thighs parallel to the floor. Your back should be straight, your forearms should be
parallel to the floor, and your wrists should be straight. For some people, the keyboard
should be ei- ther adjustable or separate from the computer to provide more flexibility. The
keyboard should be positioned, and arm or wrist supports can be used, to reduce elbow and
wrist tension. In addition, when the keys are depressed, a slight sound should be heard to
ensure the key has made contact. Ergonomically designed keyboards are available.
 FIGURE 3.59 An ergonomically designed workstation

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Sustainable design is the concept of developing products, structures, and services that are
environmentally and socially responsible but economically practical. Sustainable design is a
broad topic also known by terms such as green design, environmental design, and
environmentally sustainable design. Sustainability refers to something that can last or is able
to be maintained for long periods without damaging the environment or depleting a resource.
An environmentally re- sponsible design causes minimal harm to, or even benefits, the
environment. A socially responsible design benefits ev- eryone involved in the life cycle of
the design, including pro- duction, use, and reuse or disposal. An economically practical
design is viable in the marketplace.

SUSTAINABLE CAD

CAD offers tools that significantly improve the ability to apply sustainable-design practices.
Software is available that assists all elements of sustainable design from manufacturing
mate- rial selection and usage to product life cycle assessment. A powerful example of
sustainable design with CAD is devel- oping a digital prototype of a product as a 3-D solid
model. Digital prototyping was described in the Prototyping section earlier in this chapter.
Digital prototyping can support sus- tainable design by leading to lower costs, reduced
material consumption, and optimized use of energy. CAD allows the design process to occur
in significantly less time, using fewer engineers and technicians, and reducing physical
prototypes, which are expensive and time consuming to create and test. The following
information describes how Utility Scale Solar, Inc. (USS; http://www.utilityscalesolar.com)
uses CAD tech- nology to optimize the cost and material use in solar energy production.

PROFESSIONAL

A wide variety of jobs are available for qualified CADD pro- fessionals. Keep in mind that the
kinds of tasks may not al- ways be traditional drafting functions. In addition to creating
drawings, you can be responsible for working in some of the following areas:

• Preparing freehand sketches on the shop floor or at a job site and then converting the
sketch to a finished CADD drawing.

• Digital image creation and editing.

• Text documents such as reports, proposals, and studies.

• Incorporation of CADD drawings and images into text documents.

• Conducting research for job proposals, feasibility studies, or purchasing specifications.

• Evaluating and testing new software.

• Training staff members in the use of new software or procedures.

• Collecting vendor product information for new projects.

• Speaking on the phone and dealing personally with ven- dors, clients, contractors, and
engineers.

• Checking drawings and designs created by others for accuracy.

• Researching computer equipment and preparing bid speci- fications for purchase.

Human-resource directors who most often hire employees agree that persons who possess
a set of good general skills usually become good employees. The best jobs are found by
those students who have developed a good working under- standing of the project-planning
process and can apply it to any situation. The foundation on which this process is based
rests on the person's ability to communicate well orally, apply solid math skills (through
trigonometry), write clearly, ex- hibit good problem-solving skills, and know how to use re-
sources to conduct research and find information.

Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) Test

To access the Chapter 3 test, go to the StudentCD, select Chapter Tests and Problems, and
then Chapter 3. Answer the questions with short, complete statements, sketches, or
drawings as needed. Confirm the preferred submittal process with your instructor.

Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) Problems

INSTRUCTIONS
Select one or more of the following problem topic areas as de-
termined by your instructor or course guidelines and write a
300- to 500-word report on the selected topic or topics. Pre- pare each report using a word
processor. Use double spacing, proper grammar and spelling, and illustrative examples
where appropriate. Use, but do not copy, the information found in this chapter and additional
research information.

Part 1: Problems 3.1 Through 3.25

PROBLEM 3.1 Use of CADD in the engineering design process.

PROBLEM 3.2 CADD workstation and computer equipment.

PROBLEM 3.3 Specific CADD software product.

PROBLEM 3.4 Two-dimensional CADD applications.

PROBLEM 3.5 Three-dimensional surface model applications.

PROBLEM 3.6 Three-dimensional solid model applications.

PROBLEM 3.7 Product life cycle management (PLM)

software.

PROBLEM 3.8 Web-based design and drafting collaboration.

PROBLEM 3.9 Digital prototyping of a specific product or as used by a specific company.

PROBLEM 3.10 Rapid prototyping (RP) applications.

PROBLEM 3.11 Rapid injection modeling of a specific product or as used by a specific

company.