[MUSIC] The focus of module three is technologies used in the design process and the insight they bring to the process. We will examine certain tools, their specifics and their usefulness. The first technology up for exploration is Computer-Aided Design or CAD, a widely known digital tool. After this lesson, you'll be able to state at least one limitation of using paper drawings to communicate design intent and annotations. And present an informed, evidence-based case for implementing CAD and maximizing its use. Why use computer tools in the first place? Let's look at two business figures to think this question through. The first figure is committed costs versus incurred costs. This figure shows the relationship between committed costs and the project time span. Even though the costs have not actually been expended, much of a project's costs are typically committed early in the design and manufacturing process. This second figure we'll look at is design freedom versus design knowledge. This figure shows the relationship between knowledge and the project time span. As the figure demonstrates at the beginning of the process when we have the most design freedom we know the least about the performance of the product in question. What those two figures mean together is that the period where we're typically spending or committing the most money is also the period where we know the least about our product. We want to shift the knowledge and design freedom curves by reducing the need to align physical object to learn more about our product. Digital tool enable us to do just that, CAD helps us to do just that. The CAD acronym can mean a few different things depending on who you ask, Computer aided design, computer aided drafting or computer aided drawing just to name a few. For purposes of this course we'll use the following working definition. CAD is the use of computer capabilities to create and edit geometric product models both 2D and 3D. When an idea is formed it exist nowhere but in the mind. That vision needs to be communicated to others in order to solicit input and improve the design and ultimately to produce a product. The communication can be a drawing or a simple sketch, sometimes the proverbial sketch on the back of an envelope. Imagine paper drawings. Now, imagine digital drawings. Compare these approaches as you contemplate storing drawings, reworking drawings, locating specific drawings, repeatedly using drawings for various purposes. Some thoughts that come to mind when contemplating paper might be, lost, damaged, degraded, and incomplete, among others. With the evolution of computing technologies, designers were no longer limited to pen and paper. These sketches could be produced in a computer first in two dimensions, then eventually in three dimensions. Using specialized features, geometries can be generated defining the object as either a cloud of points or the result of some set of equations. In the resources section of this module, we have shared a link to a video that features the transformative potential of CAD from an SME perspective. If you're looking to learn more about commercially available CAD packages, there are many offerings, including AutoCAD for 2-D applications. For three-dimensional modeling, AutoDesk Inventor, SolidEdge, or SolidWorks may be of interest as entry-level solutions for CAD, especially for SMEs. For more capabilities PTC Creo, Deso Catia and Siemens NX are frequently used higher end offerings.