In the machinery industry or automation industry, CAD, CAE, and CAM complement each other. Design with CAD and then manufacture with CAM. CAD is the design process using computer technology, CAE is the use of computer simulation to analyze physical problems, and CAM is the use of computers and computer software to control machines for manufacturing, usually suitable for mass-produced parts.

Reverse engineering is a technical process used to analyze and research a target product. It is used to deduce and obtain the products design elements such as the product's processing flow, organizational structure, functional performance specifications, etc., to produce products with similar functions.

Today we are talking about CAD. Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or workstations) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design.