Al-Azhar University

Faculty Of Engineering & Information Technology

Mechatronics Engineering (ME)

ITME4339 / Computer Aided Engineering (CAE)

ITCS4324 / Modelling & Simulation

‫الهندسة بمساعدة الحاسوب‬

‫النمذجة والمحاكاة‬
Chapter 1
Part 3
What is CAD?
Engineers and designers use computer-aided design (CAD) software to create
illustrations or 3D models. While most engineers should be proficient with CAD,
the amount of time they spend using it may depend on their specific role and
level of experience.

For example, in some environments, designers may be responsible for creating

the initial design in a CAD program, while analysis and release engineers will
review and analyze it to make sure there are no errors.

Best CAD Software for Engineers

A few of the popular CAD tools for professional engineers include:

• AutoCAD
• CATIA
• Fusion 360
• NX
• SolidWorks
2
What is CAE?
Computer-aided engineering refers to the use of software to simulate the
effects of different conditions on the design of a product or structure using
simulated loads and constraints.

CAE tools are often used to analyze and optimize the designs created within CAD
software.
Major categories of CAE tools include finite element analysis (FEA),
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multi-disciplinary design optimization
(MDO).
These tools are used to perform design iterations using virtual prototypes
(sometimes called “digital twins”) prior to building physical prototypes.

This saves companies significant time and money in product development while
often yielding higher quality designs that meet multi-disciplinary and multi-
functional requirements.

For example, in some environments, designers may be responsible for creating

the initial design in a CAD program, while analysis and release engineers will
review and analyze it to make sure there are no errors. 3
Best CAE Software Leaders for Engineers
There are a lot of CAE software tools used within the field of engineering.

A few of the leaders include:

• Abaqus
• Ansys
• CFX
• Comsol
• Excel
• Fluent
• HEEDS
• HyperWorks
• LS-DYNA
• Matlab
• Nastran
• Simulink
• STAR-CCM+

4
Introduction
In general, there are three phases in any computer-aided
engineering task:
• Pre-processing – defining the geometry model, the physical
model and the boundary conditions

• Computing (usually performed on high powered computers

(HPC))

• Post-processing of results (using scientific visualization

tools & techniques)

This cycle is iterated, often many times, either manually or with

the use of automation techniques or using optimization software.

5
Computer Aided Engineering

6
Engineering tools:
Experimental & Numerical
• Wind-tunnel
• Towing tank
• Biological systems

Wind tunnels are large tubes with air moving inside. The tunnels
are used to copy the actions of an object in flight.
Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft
will fly. NASA uses wind tunnels to test scale models of aircraft
and spacecraft. Some wind tunnels are big enough to hold full-
size versions of vehicles. The wind tunnel moves air around an
object, making it seem like the object is really flying.