More engineers are bidding 2D goodbye and embracing 3D solid modeling. But some think that engineering’s switch to solids is too slow, considering the many benefits. Find out what hurdles remain:

An increasing number of engineers are making the switch from the ol’ reliable—2D software—to the cutting edge—3D solid modeling—which depicts product designs via electronic 3D solid models rather than 2D drawings. And the reasons are obvious. Not only do solids give engineers more design flexibility, they also offer realistic images of products and allow the easy integration of downstream tasks, such as analysis.

What’s more, solid modeling supports a decades-long push by the CAD/CAM industry to give manufacturing customers “art-to-part” capabilities—bringing a design from the concept to the tooling stage in a completely digital world. By implementing a purely digital process, manufacturers can foster more effective communication between departments, make better products and enjoy greater profits because of a speedier time to market. And to make “art-to-part” product development work, you need solid modeling.

Aside from enabling “art-to-part,” solid modeling offers a dazzling list of benefits, including: