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The Indian PLM market has established players. What kind of growth are you witnessing in the 3D CAD market in India?
SolidWorks's growth in India was 100% last year. The reasons behind the quick growth in the Indian market are our expertise in 3D CAD solutions specific to the needs of industry segments, ease of use which contributes to a faster learning curve for design engineers, better productivity for manufacturers and our extensive distribution and reseller network located in all major cities in India. Recent market reports highlight tremendous opportunities in India's engineering services market. Currently pegged at $3.5 bn, outsourcing in engineering services has the potential to grow to $10-$20 bn in three to five years. India has a highly established engineering industry. SolidWorks's will help our customers realize the goal of having a label on their products that says 'Designed in India.'

-Jeff Ray, COO, SolidWorks

As a tool to develop applications, how is CAD software picking up?
CAD or computer-aided design is used for a wide variety of products in such fields as machinery, electronics and automotive engineering. Although CAD systems originally automated drafting merely, they now include three-dimensional modeling and computer-simulated operation of the model. Rather than having to build prototypes and change components to determine the effects of tolerance ranges, engineers can use computers to simulate operation to determine loads and stress. In microelectronics, as devices have become smaller and more complex, CAD has become an especially important technology. Among the benefits of such systems are lower product-development costs and a greatly shortened design cycle.

While less expensive CAD systems running on personal computers have become available for do-it-yourself home remodeling and simple drafting, state-of-the-art CAD systems running on workstations and mainframe computers are increasingly integrated with computer-aided manufacturing systems. Electronic design automation (EDA) includes PCB design, intelligent wiring diagrams (routing) and component connection management.

It is said today's CAD is venturing into many more 'intellectual' areas of a designer's expertise. What are the usage and capabilities of CAD extending?
The ability to visualize and think in three dimensions is one of the most important requisites, indeed an essential skill, for the successful scientist and engineer. To the designer, it means the ability to form a mental picture before the object even exists and the ability to express this image in terms of views. To create a technical drawing requires spatial visualization skills. Visualization in this context is the process of creating a 3D image of an object in a person's mind, using the evidence and clues provided by multi-view drawings (2D) or other presentations. Formalizing quality systems and procedures in the project-oriented, one-of-a-kind world of tooling is not traditional. Today's world-class casting specifications dictate breaking through the barriers of tradition, into the realities of tomorrow. Gone are the days where 'close enough' was acceptable. Today's tool builders are routinely required to hold tolerances of plus/minus 0.002 while constructing tools. This is not a simple task. To do so goes beyond the traditional skill level of a qualified mold builder, and focuses equally on the importance of well-maintained, very precise machines and equipment, and proper, well-documented procedures. Additionally, significant improvement to this end is also realized by the tremendous dimensional precision made available through CAD/CAM-generated data. CAD/CAM technologies increase the speed, accuracy and repeatability of production. These days, customers demand that 'perfectly built guitar' or that 'laser that stays aligned' regardless of where it is installed, and we are meeting those demands with the help of CAD/CAM technology. It also reduces the cost of production and product development in the long term.

The capabilities of modern CAD systems include: 3D parametric feature based modeling, Solid modeling, automated design of assemblies, which are collections of parts and/or other assemblies, create engineering drawings from the solid models, reuse of design components, ease of modification of design of model and the production of multiple versions, automatic generation of standard components of the design, validation/verification of designs against specifications and design rules, simulation of designs without building a physical prototype etc.

-Goutam Das,

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