CAD allows for sophisticated, innovative jewelry design
Computer-aided design (CAD) has had innumerable effects on a wide variety of industries. SolidWorks CAD software, for example, is regularly used in fields as diverse as aeronautics, construction and energy, as well as consumer products.
One particular consumer product that is being positively impacted by CAD technology is jewelry, as The Upcoming's Pooja Sahny recently highlighted. With CAD, jewelers can improve their processes while increasing innovation.
Upgrading the process
As Sahny noted, traditionally, a jeweler needs to develop multiple sketches of any given piece of jewelry. A ring, for example, must be drawn to demonstrate its top, front and side view. This can provide the client with an idea of how the final product will look, but it is obviously lacking in certain regards. It is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately render the colors and reflectiveness of a precious stone or metal in a simple sketch, yet these are critical elements to determining the quality of a given piece of jewelry.
Perhaps more notably, if the client is curious to see how the ring would appear with a variation, such as a different type or cut of diamond in around its edges, the jeweler will need to create a new series of sketches.
Viewing possibilities
Such is not the case with 3D CAD software. Sahny wrote that a jeweler can instead simply upload his or her sketches into the CAD program, which will then transform the drawings into a 3D rendering of the jewelry.
Now, the jeweler can easily adjust any detail, providing his or her client with a clearer impression of what the final product will look like. With a few clicks, stones can be swapped out, angles altered and more.
Additionally, this flexibility lets the jeweler experiment more easily, encouraging innovative designs.