The more knowledge that can be brought to the earliest phase of the product development process, the more effective the design engineer will be. As the design process progresses, the freedom to change the design diminishes. If current 3D use numbers are any indication, most still want that. Nonetheless, there is a move toward simulation in the beginning of the design process to take advantage of this high-leverage area. Few users, however, have picked up the tune.
Analysis remains largely a specialist's pursuit.
More than ever, though, the tools are available for designers to take the first crack at a finite-element analysis of a part and then turn it over to the experts. But it's a rare designer who does. In MCAD, nothing moves as fast as software vendors would like it to, or as fast as consultants expect it to. There's a sobering thought for marketers. I want to be polite.