Evolutionary CAD applications:

Evolutionary CAD applications supporting design can be categorized into three types -traditional, knowledge based, and immersive. The present day traditional CAD system grew out of a need to automate drafting. These systems provide comprehensive tools for generating geometric forms, which encourages designers to come up with a form first and think about function later (i.e., form-to-function transformation). Knowledge-based tools that help a designer think in terms of function are now starting to evolve. In this paradigm, form results from function (i.e., function-to-form transformation). In immersive CAD applications, the human being becomes part of the design by using various immersive interfaces, including visual, speech, and haptic (special mechanical gloves, boots, etc.) devices. This evolutionary CAD development path will make great strides toward design optimization.

Interoperability among these evolving CAD systems, however, will continue to be an issue in our competitive free market environment that rapidly generates proprietary solutions. But, the most significant contribution STEP will provide is a bridge between the old and the new. Knowledge- based design tools concentrate on the generation of a symbolic structure, using various types of objects and relationships. Mapping from this symbolic structure to traditional CAD requires appropriate interface specifications. Immersive CAD systems generate certain process constraints such as trajectory and assembly mating constraints. The interface between immersive CAD and traditional CAD systems requires extensions to AP 203 and other STEP standards.