Impact of CAD development ( evolution ) on Architecture Term Paper

Impact of CAD development ( evolution ) on Architecture - Term Paper Example The evolution and development of CAD has significantly impacted on architectural design. Some of the potential impacts of CAD development (Evolution) on Architecture include reduced design mistakes, time saving and design efficiency, and clear communication of architectural details among others. This paper highlights the evolution as well as the transformational impact of computer aided design on the architectural design process. Impact of CAD development (Evolution) on Architecture Introduction Computer aided design (CAD) is the concept of using computerized systems to help in the technical creation, analysis, modification and optimization of technical designs. Prior to the evolution and development of CAD, architectural design was primarily a hands-on process that involved a variety of manual and physical media tasks. However, the introduction of computer aided design in the 1980s completely revolutionized architecture particularly in the filed of design. According to Tai (103), mo dern architectural designs employ a number of CAD software to enhance to improve the design quality, improve the productivity of designers and enhance communication through documentation. ... The CAD software system normally increases the architectural productivity and design. This system as well improves the communication system through the documentation and the creation of a database used for manufacturing. Most of the CAD software often works like a large database with numerous geometric information points, curves and lines that can easily translate into imagery visible through the graphical user interface (Robertson 144). Despite a few limitations, there a number of enormous and obvious potential impacts of CAD evolution on architecture. This paper seeks to critically investigate the development of computer aided design in the architectural field. The paper, in addition explores the development of digital technology and it impact to the architectural subject. Chronology of the Development of CAD The evolution and development of CAD had its beginnings in the early 1960s and 1970s after various automotive and aerospace companies began to independently develop the first CAD systems. The real breakthrough point was particularly witnessed in 1963 after SKETCHPAD computer aided design program was developed at MIT. One of the main beneficial features of the program was that it allowed architectural designers to effectively use a light pen to draw on the computer screen. Essentially this was the first known graphic user interface (GUI) which is currently one of the most important features of CAD. However, the initial CAD programs were expensive and as a result were only available to large corporations in the aerospace, automotive and electronic industries such as Renault, GM and Lockheed among others. Throughout the 1970s, CAD programs were only capable of helping in the creation of 2D drawings