Most of today's CAD programs for desktop computers started as electronic versions of the drafting boards, T-squares, scales and pencils that have been used for generations in making technical drawing on paper. 3D features were added to these programs as the power of computers and interest in 3D modeling increased. But since the features were tacked-on piecemeal, their functionality is sometimes not coordinated or even complementary. You can draw a few lines, transform them into a 3D object and then manipulate and modify that 3D object to attain the shape you want. A hardware lock is used to prevent unauthorized use of the program.
Frequent revisions incorporating new features to the program are the norm.
Version 3.0 was released in early 1999 and version 3.1, which is the version this review is based on, was released in mid 1999. It is also well suited for modeling structures, room interiors and furnishings. Computer models are not only more quickly and easily made than the physical models that are often used to represent a design, they are more adaptable, and renderings of them can be both dramatic and highly realistic. It enables them to quickly create a design concept model that can be presented in various ways, easily modified and that can serve as the basis for subsequent design activity. The program has an especially robust set of tools for creating and manipulating meshes and sculpted geometries.