The term CAD is an abbreviation of Computer Aided Design and refers to the use of a wide range of computer-based tools used by engineers, architects and other design specialists. Computer Aided Design involves both software applications, ranging from 2-dimensional vector-based drafting tools through to highly sophisticated 3D modelling systems, and specialist hardware tools including ‘wide-format’ print systems.

For some years now CAD systems have been replacing the traditional manual drawing and design process, allowing designers to work completely in the electronic realm. Highly sophisticated CAD software enables designers to make changes and see the effects in real time, allowing problems to be identified and rectified in the virtual realm before the design is committed to production, thus reducing significantly the time and cost of development. ‘Wide format’ printing

Although with the advent of CAD systems the design cycle is now largely electronic rather than paper based, the ability to effectively print electronic drawings onto ‘wide format’ paper (i.e. paper up to 36”or 841 mm wide) is still a vital factor. Paper prints are still the norm for checking, approval and sign-off of designs and plans; also the architectural, construction, manufacturing and engineering industries are still absolutely reliant on paper drawings at the point of use – and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

With the shift from paper to electronic design in recent years, the nature of ‘wide format’ reprographics has changed radically. Analogue wide format copiers, traditionally used to reproduce manually created drawings, have been replaced with a range of highly sophisticated digital scan, copy and print systems, often connected to local and wide area networks and offering a choice of print volume capabilities to suit differing needs.

While a great emphasis is naturally placed on the quality, speed and cost effectiveness of the print hardware, the ‘software’ side of wide format imaging is now absolutely crucial: systems integration, networking, file format support, electronic file distribution, user access control and cost-tracking facilities are now essential factors in the wide format print market.

A quick guide to common CAD systems
The leading suppliers in the CAD software market are:
AutoDESK, creators of the market leading AutoCAD software. AutoCAD has more installs than all other CAD systems combined and is a general purpose CAD tool with modules for specific industries, e.g. “Architectural Desktop” for Architects and “Mechanical Desktop” for engineers. Autodesk also own the DWF format (see next page)

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