Not too long ago, two main deliverables fully described the design of a part: the drawing and the specification. The drawing provided a geometric representation of the part both nominally and from a manufactured tolerance perspective. The specification was a document that acted almost as a catch-all for everything else.
In the past few decades, the technologies used to create, and even make it obsolete, has changed dramatically. Drafting gave way to 2D and 3D modeling and the drawing almost became an afterthought. Visualization tools have made it easier to go paperless… or at least less paper dependent. Model based initiatives have even let organizations move away from 2D completely.
But what about the specification?
You can read the full post over at ENGINEERING.com