How CAD Became Universal

From its origins in the 1960s, CAD that employed interactive graphics was initially developed by airplane and automobile manufacturers to solve tough problems. In 1969, entrepreneurs raised venture capital to begin development of commercial CAD systems to be sold to firms that couldn’t afford to write their own software. These systems cost about $150,000 per work station. Most companies in manufacturing and construction industries couldn’t afford these prices. This paper traces the history of how CAD systems evolved from their high-priced origins to become universal across all industries that employ design engineers. The dramatic drop in the cost of computing made possible by large-scale integrated circuits largely drove this change.