CAD Models, Simulations, And Digital Twins – The Evolution and Value Addition
                     CAD Models, Simulations, And Digital Twins – The Evolution and 
Value Addition
Satya Vivek
Writes for Gadgeon.com, a technology partner 
providing offshore IT outsourcing services. 
Gadgeon's sensor integration services specializes in 
sensor selection & consulting, IoT connectivity, and 
digital transformation.
Engineering professionals at the best companies have worked with models for 
designing, testing, and improving the quality of products. Modelling tools have 
made it easier for the industry to innovate initially with hand-drawn blueprints 
and later by using computer-driven systems. 
Digital Twins have lately taken over the engineering world by storm, but to 
understand why they are so powerful, we must first look back to the days when 
we used CAD models and simulations to achieve the same goals. Only then can 
we realize how these intelligent, data-driven virtual replicas have changed the 
scope of model making.
From CAD Models to Smarter Design
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) first came into being during the 1960s and then 
earned mainstream popularity in the 1980s, thus transforming the scope of 
engineering forever. It is being replaced with the practice of manual drafting 
using particular and repeatable 2D and 3D digital drawings.
By using 3D CAD models, engineers can easily visualise the products they 
create from every angle, evaluate their assembly fits, and come up with 
new digital prototypes. Such an evolution minimized design cycles by about 
30% to 50% compared to the previous manual methods. They also 
accelerated the time-to-market quotient and reduced costly human errors 
throughout industries like automotive, aerospace, and construction.
However, CAD models ultimately remained static in their functionality. 
Although they defined the appearance of products, they could not 
determine their behaviour in the real world.
The Leap into Simulation
Even as early as the 1990s, digital simulations were used by engineers to 
create models that were closer to reality. By using mathematical models 
and physics engines, these professionals could virtually test performance 
before even developing a single physical prototype.
Simulations allowed carrying out stress analysis, thermal modelling, fluid 
dynamics, and motion studies. For instance, aerospace companies reduced 
the need for wind-tunnel testing significantly by adopting Computational 
Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and saved millions in research and development 
costs.
According to NAFEMS reports, simulation adopters have reduced overall 
development costs by about 20% and achieved around 15% faster time-to-
market. However, simulations were still very predictive and not related to 
live data, and their accuracy rested almost wholly on input parameters and 
assumptions.
The Current Rise of Digital Twins
The digital twins are structures that are dynamic, data-driven models of the 
real products, processes, or systems. Digital Twins were first propagated by 
NASA. It dates to the early 2000s when they were used to monitor 
spacecraft systems. Unlike the old-style CAD models or simulations, a 
digital twin incessantly updates itself using IoT sensors, AI, and analytics, 
reflecting its physical counterpart in real time. The global market for digital 
twins was worth around $12.9 billion in 2022 and is expected to go beyond 
$110 billion by 2028.
Value across the Product Lifecycle
Digital twins offer numerous benefits apart from design efficiency:
Smarter Design Decisions: Continuous feedback allows easy design 
refinement and performance optimization.
Efficient Manufacturing: Virtual production line twins lessen interruption and 
boost efficiency by up to 25%.
Predictive Maintenance: Live data permits engineers to envisage fiascos, 
thus saving millions in unforeseen downtime.
Enhancing Sustainability: Digital Twins enable the creation of greener, 
regulation-compliant products.
The world of engineering has evolved over time, from CAD’s precision to 
simulation’s predictive power, and now to digital twins’ real-time intelligence. 
Digital twins offer a major competitive advantage to business leaders when 
they want to save costs and design innovative products.
Thank you for time in reading this article!