I graduated in Industrial Design in 1990, just late enough to catch the tail end of rooms filled with orderly rows of drafting tables and the pencil-wielding designers and engineers. I started with the brand new technology of 3D modelling with Pro Engineer and later Solidworks. I don't miss the ties and jackets...
I started doing paper-and-pencil drafting in 1984, but within a couple of years was one of the first half-dozen engineers at my company to use CAD.
ReplyDeleteWe used Unigraphics, which was developed by McDonnell Douglas to design aircraft and ran on an IBM mainframe. (We were NOT designing aircraft!)
I don't miss the neckties either.
One contract I had in the early 90s was at an old major industrial company. I was on a last gasp new-tech project. The drafting room was in serious decline with the remaining dozen or so old school draftsmen huddled together in a corner by the windows as the company moved production to Taiwan. I was over near the drawing cabinets that contained all the hand done part drawings. I would pull the odd one out and copy their format and protocols as I had to convert the 3D part files into drawings for the underworked lone checking woman. A couple of years later I saw the building was empty. I think almost every company I've worked for is gone.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean "A couple of years later I looked up from my work to see that the building was empty"?
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't think so, really.
I had carte blanche on overtime, as many hours as I could stand. I worked hard and very focused. There were lots of DAYs that I would look up and find everyone gone:-)
ReplyDelete