2D and less is what design is all about. 3D CAD has improved our ability to get ideas to market, but certainly 3D is not the the only design tool. There is a great post at Solidsmack about the tools used by industrial designers. 2D is still an essential part of conceiving a concept. Sketching as a means of deciding what to model will never die. Before you model, the team, big or small, must discuss the elements of the product and you just can’t question the value of napkins, whiteboards, paper, conversations and emails as essential product development tools used before and during 2D and/or 3D modeling. Googling napkin sketch will produce some interesting reading, take a look at catia & gizmo.
Certainly CAD does allow someone to workout a concept, but this process is more about converting an idea into something that can be made. But the real elements of a product are decided through design discussions and sketching and CAD implements them.
The list of tools used by designers covers email under MS Office. But the list is missing a key element of a successful designer, the ability to communicate. The design process requires a huge amount of communication. Team members communicate all day using simple tools like email to gain insight and make decisions. While this is very effective for those involved, it results in other team members sitting in design review meetings say “I wish I knew that, now I have to redo my work”. Email is useful to only those in the discussion and does nothing for those who are affected by the discussion!
I beleive the email based design discussions can be harnessed and improved…
