The History of CAD
History of CAD explores the untold stories behind the tools that shaped modern engineering and design. Each episode features conversations with the pioneers of computer-aided design, the innovators who built the software, and those who worked alongside them. Listeners will hear first-hand accounts of breakthrough ideas, legendary products, and the people who changed how we create everything from airplanes to smartphones. More than a chronicle of technology, this podcast is a living oral history—capturing the personalities, struggles, and triumphs behind CAD’s evolution. If you’ve ever used design software, you’ll want to know how it all began.
Episodes
6 episodes
Anthony Frausto-Robledo, Publisher Architect
CAD has spent decades teaching us to speak its language: commands, shortcuts, rigid workflows, and tool specific habits that make switching painful and training slow. We want the reverse. We want design software to understand us. That’s where t...
Mickey Mantle (the other one) on Developing for the First Engineering Workstations
We catch up with Mickey W. Mantle and trace how early computer graphics hardware and software paved the way for modern CAD workstations, 3D visualization, and engineering design tools. Along the way, we talk candidly about chaotic product cultu...
S1 Ep 4 - Biplab Sarkar on Vectorworks Growth and the Mac Question
We catch up with Biplab Sarkar on his path from IIT Kharagpur to the helm of Vectorworks, tracing how reverse engineering and solid modeling informed bold moves in growth, acquisitions, and product focus. He shares candid takes on Autodesk’s do...
S 1 Ep 3 - Grant Rochelle: HP had CAD. Who Knew?
We trace a living history of CAD through Grant Rochelle’s 30 year career: HP’s software origins, CoCreate’s direct modeling, PTC’s Creo synthesis, Autodesk’s PLM tensions, and Siemens’ push into subscriptions and cloud. The throughline is simpl...
S1 Ep 1 - Mike Payne, Sailing from PTC to SolidWorks and Beyond
Mike Payne, the celebrated serial founder behind PTC, SolidWorks and SpaceClaim, shares his journey through the evolution of computer-aided design from punch cards to cloud computing. His candid insights reveal how identifying technological shi...
