Some Computer Aided Engineering System Design Principles

Engineering design is a human activity which is becoming increasingly reliant on computer systems programmed to support design processes. The builders of such Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) Systems have many problems to solve and this paper looks at some of the principles involved. A model capable of describing the work of the designer is proposed and placed in the context of computer systems. This model is then used to classify basic design activities and leads to a set of computer aided engineering system design principles. An application of these principles is illustrated by a description of some of the methods used by the authors in designing computer aided electronic engineering products.