DAI in Engineering Design

There are three evolving facets to design: 1) the artifact to be designed, 2) the design process, and 3) the tools available to aid the design process. They are evolving because first, the design process is becoming more complex due to the need to consider the entire product life-cycle—from conception to manufacturing to sales to maintenance. Second, the artifacts of design are changing in that many products that used to be standardized are being specially designed for each customer, and more complicated artifacts, such as space stations and fusion power plants, are being attempted. Third, there are now a plethora of tools for aiding the design process, including tools for simulation, visualization, layout, test, aesthetics, compliance with standards, and manufacturability. In addition, as more and different artifacts are being designed, large amounts of data, knowledge, and experience are being accumulated that can be used to aid future design processes. The overall trend in each of the three facets of design has been towards increasing the complexity of a designer’s task. This is turn has placed additional demands on the computational aids for design, with the foremost demand being for assistance with the increased complexity that has ensued. There are several known ways to deal with complexity, including