COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN SOFTWARE

CAD Design

Autodesk makes CAD design software for land surveyors, civil engineers, project managers, and construction professionals.

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What is CAD design?

CAD (computer aided design) design is used in almost every industry, in projects as wide-ranging as landscape design, bridge construction (US Site), office building design, and movie animation (US Site). With 2D or 3D CAD programs, you can perform a variety of tasks: you can create a 3D model of a design, apply material and light effects, and document the design with dimensions and other annotations. With features like point clouds, you can add real-life context to your drawings to create a digital twin or recreate physical objects in your designs

Image courtesy of Insomniac Games

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How is CAD design used?

CAD design is used by architects, construction managers, and engineers, and has replaced manual drafting. It helps users create designs in either 2D or 3D to visualize construction, and enables the development, modification, and optimization of the design process. This helps designers make more accurate representations and modify them more easily to improve design quality.

Types of CAD design

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  • Glumac Joeris construction

    Building design

    Building design is used from concept through completion by professionals working in architecture (US Site), construction, MEP engineering, and structural engineering, and by building owners, operators, and managers.

  • Grigoryev bridge

    Infrastructure design

    Infrastructure engineers and planners use CAD design tools to create intelligent 3D models (US Site) and engineering drawings for land development, transportation (US Site), utilities, water, and wastewater projects.

  • Lightning motorcycle 3D rendering

    Manufacturing design

    CAD design software is used by manufacturers and CAM professionals to machine, fabricate, 3D print (US Site), inspect, and fabricate better quality parts, faster.

  • Designing smart cameras

    Product design

    Throughout the development cycle, from concept to manufacturing, CAD design software is used to create consumer products, industrial machinery, and building products and equipment.

CAD design software

  • Software for 2D and 3D CAD. Subscription includes AutoCAD, specialized toolsets, and apps.

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  • Plan, design, construct, and manage buildings with powerful tools for Building Information Modeling.

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  • Civil engineering design and construction documentation

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  • Cloud-based 3D CAD/CAM/CAE software for product design

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  • Cost-effective 2D CAD software for drafting, drawing, and documentation

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  • Simplified 3D BIM tool for producing 3D architectural designs and documentation

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See how customer are using CAD design software

  • Stratford Festival theatre at night

    Stratford Festival

    Accelerating set design

    By using AutoCAD and experimenting with other technologies such as 3D printing, Andrew Mestern of Stratford Festival delivers incredible set designs.

  • Technica International construction project

    Technica International

    Dramatically improving productivity

    Automated product systems designer Technica International makes big gains in efficiency with Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection.

  • Motor vessel Areti sets sail

    Winch Design

    Luxurious yacht designs set sail with AutoCAD

    Discover how award-winning Winch Design relies on AutoCAD for its yacht designs, including the recent superyacht Areti.

CAD design resources

Learn more about CAD design with these blogs, guides, tips, and tutorials.

CAD design FAQs