Designers need to use paper, pencils and other basic tools in the past to draft their component drawing, with the advent and application of CAD software, changing the manner of design and development in the manufacturing industry, and soon reaching the method of CNC machining, making drafting more automated and precise. You can check each detail of the part using CAD files, even the internal features, allowing the 3D model to be magnified and rotated on either axis to better understand the object. What's more, through CNC manufacturing, CAD makes it possible to simulate the movement of a workpiece.
Difference Between 2D and 3D CAD Drawing
1. 2D CAD is a computer-aided design in two dimensions, and 3D CAD is a computer-aided design in three dimensions.
2. On a plane without depth, 2D is a display of length and height. Whereas 3D is classified as 3-dimensional drawings or models, objects with height, width and depth have been identified.
3. 2D CAD drawing is connected to rectangle, square, triangle, polygon, etc., and cylinder, cube, sphere, pyramid, prism, and more are used in 3D drawing.
4. Usually, 2D drawings are measured in square units such as cm2, while 3D dimensions include cubic units of cm3 and quart liters.
5. Products and engineering design drawings are usually considered in the 2D CAD system as a set of geometric elements depending on geometric models, such as points, lines, circles, arcs, etc. The 3D model of the object, showing the actual form of the product on the screen, is the cornerstone of the 3D CAD system. The model includes different details about the geometry of the product's points, lines, faces, and entities.
6. Designers have to consider how the finished product looks clearly because the 2D CAD drawings are plane, which can be daunting for individuals who do not have a technical background. Although we can see the finished product with the 3D CAD model, most individuals are able to understand the concept. In presentations to customers and staff with a 3D model, it is often easier to display and demonstrate the product.
Benefits of 3D CAD over 2D
The benefits of 3D CAD technology and software over 2D CAD for mechanical design are, in general, as follows:
(1) Improve the quality of goods and technical content
Modern mechanical manufacturing uses advanced design methods with the help of 3D CAD technology to enhance the level of design and ensure the quality of products, including optimization, virtual product design, finite element stress analysis, motion simulation, etc. With information technology, the mechanical product is incorporated. Furthermore, CAD and CIMS are also used to coordinate manufacturing practices that facilitate the modern growth of mechanical product design.
(2) Enabling more simple and intuitive assembly of parts
In 3D modeling, CAD software can illustrate the structural features of components vividly and intuitively. Designers may use 3D entities or even 3D entities with very complex constraints to design, conduct simulation assembly and simulation operations in the design phase while designing components, in order to get the design closer to the actual process.
(3) Reducing time for design and improving performance
Parametric modeling can not be realized by conventional CAD drawing software and existing two-dimensional drawing software. However, in the process of 3D CAD parametric and variable design, sections may be modified to achieve the required effect according to the change in structure size. Similarly, other similar structures will also alter as the size and shape of parts change. In this way, 3D CAD technology will help designers minimize a lot of workloads, decrease working time, and 3-5 times increase work quality.
(4) Facilitate integration with CAD/CAM
In conventional design, CNC machining is based on CAD-designed drawings, so it is likely that there are two sets of data from the same component in CAD and CAM, which can easily lead to misunderstanding in management. Since the incorporation of CAD/CAM can be realized through 3D modeling, it ensures that 3D CAD technology supports the entire product chain from design to production. CAM can directly obtain CAD information for processing through information integration and information flow automation, which can ensure that the products obtained through machining are exactly in line with the design.