THE DESIGN WORKSTATION

THE DESIGN WORKSTATION

Many designers use computers to model and analyze their proposed design solutions. However, not all

computers are able to run the types of CAD-modeling, analysis, animation, and visual-simulation

programs used in the design process. Designers today use a powerful desktop computer called a

workstation. Before workstations were developed, designers used less powerful microcomputers. One

drawback of the earlier microcomputers was that they did not have the tremendous amounts of

memory required to display and manipulate CAD-generated models, making the design process slow

and inefficient. Consequently, the full potential of CAD, as a design tool, was not realized until

microcomputers were upgraded (enhanced) to become the powerful workstations that designers use

today.

This chapter discusses the design workstation’s principle components and the specifications of those

components needed to do engineering design work. A designer must be familiar with the components

of a design workstation and understand what the components are used for. A designer must also

understand the differences between comparable workstations to choose which workstation

configuration is best suited to the job.

DESIGN WORKSTATION BASICS

A design workstation (also called an engineering workstation) is a set of integrated computer
components assembled for an individual designer. It is used to perform very fast calculations and to
produce and present information helpful to the designer, such as geometric models, simulations, or
working drawings. Design workstations operate through a combination of hardware and software. A
computer’s hardware is the physical computer equipment. Software is the program that tells the
computer’s hardware what to do and when to do it. Given the right combination of hardware &
software, called the system’s configuration, much of today’s typical information processing work can
be performed by a workstation. Designers can now electronically “sketch”, input 3-D data and
instructions directly at the workstation, and make on the spot changes without having to spend several
day or weeks doing tedious calculations or revising manual drawings. Modern workstations are sold
by many different manufactures including Adage, Apollo, Ardent, control Data, Digital Equipment,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intergraph, Prime, Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems, Stellar computer, and
Tektronix.
Workstations that do not need to be connected to any other computers in order to work are called
standalone workstations. In many applications it is desirable for users to share data, and it is generally
possible to connect many standalone workstations together in a network so that they can communicate
with one another.