Interact CAD

Interact CAD. It was a pioneering computer-aided design system developed by Intergraph Corporation in the early 1980s, running on the company's proprietary Clipper platform. The software was instrumental in bringing interactive graphics and digital drafting capabilities to engineering and architectural firms, competing with early systems from Autodesk and IBM. Its development marked a significant phase in the transition from manual drafting boards to digital design workflows within industries like civil engineering and plant design.

Overview

Interact CAD emerged during a period of rapid innovation in the CAD/CAM industry, where companies like Intergraph Corporation were vying for market share against established players such as Applicon and Computervision. The system was built upon Intergraph's Integrated Interactive Imaging and Graphics System (I³GS) architecture, which provided a unified environment for design and data management. It was primarily deployed on Intergraph's own Intergraph Clipper workstations, which were based on Fairchild Semiconductor processors and competed with systems from Digital Equipment Corporation. The software's integration with Intergraph's broader Interactive Graphics Design Software (IGDS) suite allowed for sophisticated applications in mapping and facilities management.

Features

A key feature of Interact CAD was its support for true three-dimensional modeling, which was advanced for its time and competed with capabilities found in CATIA and Unigraphics. The system utilized a database management system to maintain design integrity and enable collaborative work on projects like offshore oil platform designs. Its user interface incorporated menu-driven commands and a digitizing tablet for input, improving efficiency over traditional methods. The software also supported the creation of bill of materials and could interface with analysis software for tasks such as finite element analysis, similar to tools in NASTRAN. For output, it supported a variety of pen plotters from manufacturers like CalComp and Hewlett-Packard.

History

The development of Interact CAD began in the late 1970s at Intergraph Corporation, which had roots in producing systems for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its official release in the early 1980s coincided with major projects like the Alaska Pipeline and the expansion of the Interstate Highway System, which demanded digital design tools. Throughout the 1980s, the software evolved through versions that added support for local area networks and relational database links, influenced by the rise of Oracle Database. The platform faced intense competition from the IBM Personal Computer running AutoCAD, leading to Intergraph's eventual strategic shift. The Clipper-based Interact CAD line was largely superseded by Intergraph's MicroStation software following the company's partnership with Bentley Systems.

Applications

Interact CAD found extensive use in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry for designing complex structures such as power plants and chemical processing facilities. Within civil engineering, it was employed for topographic mapping and designing transportation infrastructure like bridges and tunnels. The oil and gas industry utilized it for planning refinery layouts and piping and instrumentation diagrams, often in conjunction with Intergraph's Plant Design System (PDS). Government agencies, including the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Bureau of Reclamation, adopted the system for large-scale public works projects. It also saw application in electronic design automation for printed circuit board layout before more specialized tools from Mentor Graphics became dominant.

File Format

The native file format for Interact CAD designs was based on the Intergraph Standard File Format (ISFF), a binary format that stored both geometric data and attribute information. These files could be exchanged with other Intergraph systems like Intergraph EMS and were often plotted using the Intergraph Graphics Processing System. For interoperability with competing systems, the software supported conversion through early translators for the Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES), facilitating data exchange with users of CADAM and McDonnell Douglas. Design archives were typically managed within the Intergraph Project Database, a precursor to modern product data management systems. The legacy of this format influenced later ISO 10303 (STEP) standards for engineering data exchange.

Category:Computer-aided design software Category:Intergraph software Category:1980s software