Conversely, this same technology has led to some pitfalls. Some of the most brilliant ideas did not emerge from an office cubicle while hunched over a keyboard. Ideas come from manipulating items in hands, building rough prototypes, looking from every angle possible in this world to see what can be improved. The greatest downfall in engineering comes when technology is becoming more of a crutch and less of an aid. Technology is meant to supplement, not to be all. All engineers feel at some time or another the desire to express an idea or to come up with a new one, and the greatest block comes from what may be seen as needed most. .
Complicated computations and drafting once done by hand can now be done in mere seconds by computers and sent around the world with the push of a button. That is an incredible concept. Now, engineers can work in ways never before conceived at rates and with accuracy like no other time in history. Computer software would enable someone working for a car company to build an exact replica of a new model, design how everything will work, test the vehicle for stress, aerodynamics, and a whole host of other parameters, all without leaving the keyboard. Also, more accurate and detailed information comes from those tests, more so than making a model by hand and testing it in a traditional wind tunnel. Despite these advances, sometimes the advantages of simply handling a model cannot be surpassed. New strides in this area in past years have been made thanks to the advancing of three dimensional printing technology. This does not discount the importance of computerized design, but rather builds on it. A drafted model can be sent to a 3-D printer and made exactly as it exists on the computer screen, with moving parts and all. Forbes.com contains many articles on this topic, but one in particular sticks out. Making the point that 3-D printing is essentially the next medium for sales, a revolutionary idea appears.