Natural Language Communication for the Engineering Analyst

The development of computer-aided engineering workstations has raised many new issues not previously encountered in design-drafting systems. Consider, for example, mechanical design. Most turnkey mechanical CAD systems simply provide computer-aided artwork. Their success in the marketplace is based on the relatively standardized drafting conventions followed across the industry. Therefore, extensive development efforts are justified because the same software package can be sold to many companies. Unfortunately, engineering analysis software does not offer the same leverage. Analysis software is generally less robust, being built around specific schools of thought. For example, many generic analysis methodologies cannot even agree on a common coordinate system.