Now that there are electronic software tools for mechanical design, is it still necessary to draw by hand?

Thread Content

When people hear me mention hand drawing, they surely think of painting. Do hand-drawing engineers necessarily have to be good at painting? Do all mechanical engineers have to be able to draw, and do they need to have certain drawing skills? Is this aspect also considered a standard for evaluating whether someone is an excellent mechanical design engineer? As we all know, a good mechanical design engineer must be familiar with computer-aided tools such as Dassault SOLIDWORKS, ProE, ANSYS, Mathcad, and so on. They also need to have a thorough understanding of fundamental theories such as material mechanics, engineering mechanics, mechanical design principles, machining processes, and metalworking techniques. In addition, they should be proficient in basic concepts like tolerance fitting and engineering materials. But is it really necessary to be able to draw by hand? Does the inability to draw well mean that one is not a qualified mechanical design engineer? I hope everyone will share their opinions and discuss this issue together.