计算机辅助机械设计英文文献和中文翻译(3)
bution, space for heavy machinery and attempt to find ways to
help the client save on expenses over the long term. With a grow-
ing international marketplace that fosters increased competition
among manufacturers, architecture is playing an invaluable role.
Like so many other construction- and manufacturing-oriented
industries, the field of architecture quickly embraced the intro-
duction of CAD technologies due to the fact that it offers
improvement in both the process and product of architectural
design. Additionally, CAD saves on manpower, helping create
designs in an efficient yet comprehensive and accurate manner.
In fact, some argue that CAD’s continuous evolution consistently
offers the architect an opportunity to see design in a whole new
light without compromising his or her creativity.
There is an ongoing issue among architects, however, that places
a question mark on the usefulness of CAD beyond the promise of
time-efficiency and ease of use. For some, there is a concern that
CAD may assist in the creation of extensive design schematics,
but does not necessarily operate in the abstract – for example,
CAD systems may not take into account rooftop structures long-
established in the industry, and others do not include construction
materials in the design process (Lawson, 2002). In the absence
of empirical data that proves or disproves the usefulness of CAD
in architecture, the issue remains a matter of personal opinion.
Nevertheless, CAD use among architects is starting to see an
upward trend. More and more young architects entering the field
have received CAD training in school or have a strong interest in
utilizing the system. This is due to the consumer demand placed
on the 21st century architectural industry – architecture firms are
increasingly recruiting inpiduals with perse backgrounds,
levels of experience and degrees of creativity (Baker, 1998).
Meanwhile, those who consistently avoid the use of such tech-
nology are finding themselves at a competitive disadvantage.
Manufacturing
CAD has proven increasingly useful for fields that require the
creation of models that connect complex systems. The devel-
opment and construction of manufacturing facilities entails the
establishment of a model that blends structural integrity, electri-
cal capacity and other vital yet intricate systems.
The heavy machinery and related systems that are part of a
manufacturing facility require a similar design approach. Such
machines have a wide range of parts, each of which entails care-
ful definition. Many of these parts are geometric in origin; the
design of the overall system involves the modeling of a number
of geometric shapes (Teller, 1996). Computer programs have
increasingly been utilized for the purposes of creating such
models. The 3-D and layering abilities (also known as stere-
olithography) of an ever-increasing myriad of CAD programs
have become central to this endeavor.
However, since CAD’s applications to the manufacturing indus-
try became evident in the 1970s, a persistent problem has arisen.
While computer-aided design software has long been adroit in
reconciling and designing geometric shapes, they are limited to
known geographic shapes, unable to see beyond such contours.
CAD developers have therefore worked to increase the learn-
ing capacity of such programs so that they are able to recognize
shapes beyond their limited caches (Qiang & Marefat, 1997).
Such efforts remain challenging, as it involves programming
computer systems to recognize patterns and features, not just