Investigating and Characterising Variability in CAD Modelling and its Potential Impact on Editability: An Exploratory Study

This paper introduces the concept of usability in the context of CAD modelling and editing, in particular, what is referred to as editability. Considering CAD models as a product, which often need to be reused, it is important to generate CAD models that are more usable in order to reduce editing time and errors and thereby accelerate product development. Analysing CAD construction process (a form of CAD modelling) as logged in [11] it was possible to characterise the variability in CAD models, their building process and consequentially, their editability. These findings and in particular, the observed variability in CAD modelling suggest that through improved training, guidance and best practice, it is possible to improve the editability of CAD models, potentially reducing future editing times, cost, and enabling easier transitions between engineers.