CAD (Computer-Aided Design)
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is software used to create, modify, and document 2D drawings and 3D models of physical products. CAD is the primary authoring tool in engineering — the place where geometry is defined, tolerances are set, and part structure is first established. Modern CAD systems (CATIA, NX, Creo, SolidWorks, Onshape) produce the geometry files and assembly models that PLM systems manage as the starting artifact of the product lifecycle.
In context
An aerospace tier-1 supplier creates a bracket in CATIA V5, releases the geometry into Windchill PLM, and the CAD file becomes the authoritative geometric definition driving the downstream CNC machining program, FEA analysis, and technical data package submitted to the OEM. The CAD tool selection — SolidWorks, CATIA, NX, or Creo — largely determines which PLM platform can integrate natively and which file translation standards are required for supply chain data exchange.
Why it matters
CAD is where the product is born digitally. Every downstream system — PDM, PLM, simulation, manufacturing, quality — depends on a governed, versioned record of what the CAD model says. PLM's job starts the moment a CAD file is checked in: maintaining the relationship between the geometry, the BOM, the change history, and the configuration state. CAD-PLM integration is the most critical and most frequently broken interface in manufacturing IT.
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External References
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Cite this definition
Finocchiaro, Michael. “CAD (Computer-Aided Design).” DemystifyingPLM PLM Glossary, 2026, https://www.demystifyingplm.com/glossary/cad-computer-aided-design