The History of CAD

CAD has spent decades teaching us to speak its language: commands, shortcuts, rigid workflows, and tool specific habits that make switching painful and training slow. We want the reverse. We want design software to understand us. That’s where this conversation goes, fast: from the daily reality of producing architecture and publishing product coverage, to the next wave of AI in CAD that could turn...

We catch up with Mickey W. Mantle and trace how early computer graphics hardware and software paved the way for modern CAD workstations, 3D visualization, and engineering design tools. Along the way, we talk candidly about chaotic product cultures, what good engineering management looks like, and how AI is changing both code and careers faster than most teams can track.  • Mickey and I at IMSI. He...

We catch up with Biplab Sarkar on his path from IIT Kharagpur to the helm of Vectorworks, tracing how reverse engineering and solid modeling informed bold moves in growth, acquisitions, and product focus. He shares candid takes on Autodesk’s dominance, Mac vs Windows tradeoffs, AI’s promise, and digital twin reality. • IIT roots shaping a career in CAD  • Mechanical engineering to point clouds and...

We trace a living history of CAD through Grant Rochelle’s 30 year career: HP’s software origins, CoCreate’s direct modeling, PTC’s Creo synthesis, Autodesk’s PLM tensions, and Siemens’ push into subscriptions and cloud. The throughline is simple: data, process, and change control decide winners. • HP’s early CAD stack and life inside a hardware-first culture • Direct modeling’s value for late-stag...

Mike Payne, the celebrated serial founder behind PTC, SolidWorks and SpaceClaim, shares his journey through the evolution of computer-aided design from punch cards to cloud computing. His candid insights reveal how identifying technological shifts and understanding real engineering needs led to revolutionary CAD innovations that democratized design tools. • Started career studying physics when com...