Motors Blog

The only time CAD is warranted is when sketching has reached it's max, and now numbers have to be decided.

When we list the greatest inventions by man, we usually think of a computer or space travel. However, a simple pencil and paper has spawned more ideas , expanded the mind, and opened more possibilities than anything else! James

And the pencil has got more wax out of more ears than any other invention!!!

all is to pay sweat and hardship

all has to be respected

Old school or new school, pictures are the universal language.

One of my professional "heros" had the ability to graphically convey his ideas in a way that was both informative and beautiful. People wanted to have his maps on their wall because they were truly works of art.

Even for the art-challenged like me, a basic sketch, map, or flow chart can present ideas and promote understanding by combining show-tell-do.

Sketching, combined with the ability to come up with an idea and put it down on paper can be formidable. Although CAD is an essential tool in most design processes, it can become an electronic pencil that requires a hand sketch to fully realize its potential. A skilled cad operator combined with an individual capable of "design" sketching is an impressive combination. The importance of sketching should never be underestimated.

it not old school, I think its very important for either engineers or artists if he hope to express his mind to other, the best way is drawing a picture to illuistrate.

pictiure is always having more useful infomation than words description.

cad is useful, but it has to be drawed by people. if you cann t creat, you have to be a drawer.

on creation, compiuter still cannt match man brain.

I always admire the men who can draw a object in two or three minutes at several lines or curves.

many engineers are not only specialists but artists.

Having been in charge or involved in R&D for the last 10+ years, I would have to agree. On average, we develop over 50 new components or devices a year and always start at the paper level. It's fast, fluid, and easy to have multiple contributors.

There is also a place for 3D cad, which we also use, and some 3D interactions are simply too derned difficult for some of us non-Davinci types to draw.

If I had to give up one, I'd be hard pressed to make a choice because I like all the tools at my disposal and these two compliment each other well. The big problem is many engineering groups treat them as an either/or situation which lacks prudence as well as wisdom.

Young engineers who can't draw with the pen or pencil do themselves a great disservice and in my humble opinion are starting off their careers handicapped, rather than enabled by their education.

Your thoughts mean nothing until they can be communicated properly and timely.

Having been on both sides of the design process, I can say with confidence hand sketching and 3-D cad design go hand in hand. Being able to single handedly propose a concept with a hand sketch and then turn it into a full fledged cad design is the ultimate goal. Not being able to do that results in a team effort that probably surpasses the latter only because two minds working together usually ends up with ideas one individual working alone might never have conceptually come up with.

Old school and new school accelerate the design process. No matter what the age or experience of the sketcher or cad designer, working together to transform paper ideas into an electronic medium is a key concept that should never be overlooked.

Accepting and working with each others strengths is paramount to transforming ideas into working production models. There will never be a doubt that a hand sketch can get the job done on the shop floor, but the combination of both mediums, combined with up to date manufacturing capabilities, results in a successful team effort most people today are unaware of.

To the sketcher, I would say never lose sight of the gift you have for communicating your thoughts, to the cad designer, keep pushing the limits of the software you use to express the ideas both you and the sketcher want the world to know. Together you represent forward progress.

Combined, the two of you are engineering excellence.

Thanks...Steve