What is the difference between CAD and CAE software?
Understanding this distinction ensures you have the right tool for both creation and validation.
To understand the full spectrum of the best software tools for mechanical engineering design, one must distinguish between CAD and CAE. CAD is your digital drafting board. It's where you define shapes, dimensions, and assemblies. Tools like SolidWorks or Rhino fall primarily into this category.
CAE, on the other hand, is your digital testing lab. It takes the geometry created in CAD and applies physics to it. This includes Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to test strength, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to test airflow, and thermal analysis. Software like ANSYS or Abaqus are dedicated CAE tools. However, modern packages often blur the line, with CAD tools including basic CAE features to let designers test as they build.