Why Switch From 2D to 3D Engineering and Drafting Software?
If it’s not broken, why fix it? That’s the question I hear from engineers, designers, draftsmen, and managers utilizing 2D CAD software in Oklahoma and throughout the Midwest. Everyone has their own way of doing things, so why switch? As an Oklahoma engineer, I once asked the same question. When I first tried SolidWorks 3D CAD Software, I was working for a company that did tooling for parts. We always ran into trouble with the fit of the end part. Even with a simple design, we usually ran through at least three prototypes. With 2D design, I could only see limited views of how the parts should fit together. With the information available, I tried to predict and correct any potential problems. Yet somehow each time the product went to assembly, the prototype didn’t line up as perfectly as the 2D design said it should. To solve that problem, I began working in SolidWorks with the engineers from EngATech. We were able to do a tolerance analysis and fit both the parts together in 3D before
