Cloud Computing for Computer Aided Design

Abstract

Cloud computing is a growing segment of information technology and finds new areas of application every day. One of the areas that has long resisted this technology is CAD (Computer-Aided Design), as it implies the need to transfer a large amount of graphic data. In the last few years, all leading manufacturers of CAD software have offered solutions based on cloud computing in their product range. It started with the concept of IaaS (Infrastructure as a service) by enabling access to common repositories for CAD files in the cloud, followed by moving to the concept of PaaS (Platform as a service) through collaborative work and connection with PDM/PLM systems. The modern concept includes SaaS (Software as a service), i.e. launching applications, processing and storing data through an internet browser or through a dedicated mobile application. This paper provides an overview of the current SaaS solutions of the leading CAD software manufacturers.