Knowledge about the preferred way to improve geometry from CAE and CAM results and collaborative work will shorten overall product design cycles. Because of differences in user preferences, fundamental capabilities, and salesman moxie, multiple incompatible CAD systems will continue to exist. However, moving data from one CAD application to another will continue to be a problem as long as there are different geometry algorithm implementations. Data volume increases substantially for new versions because one change in geometry can cause significant redesign and re-analysis. Technology like data warehouses and product data managers treat geometry as blobs.
Finer granularity is needed to improve searching for shape characteristics.
Scaleable solutions must handle the hundreds of terabytes that store multiple versions of CAD, CAE, and CAM data. The longevity of geometry data is the most underappreciated CAD problem. As digitally defined products age, the data that defines them must age gracefully. Imagine a product with a 30-year life expectancy. Computing technology produces new software and hardware products yearly.