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The interface to cad programs is trivial to learn, mechanical design isn't. It's like saying the hardest part about programming is using the IDE.

• grogenaut 10y ago
  To ellaborate, when you're using cad you have to give thought to how the part will be produced as well. There are a lot of shapes that 3d can't build, there are minimum angles, all sorts of restrictions. And there's the nitty gritty of actually fitting real shapes together in the real world, having the right flange sizes for holding screws, nuts, etc. And then you get into wear, balance, etc.
• badsock 10y ago
  You're right. When I wrote the above, what I had in mind was sculpture (what I've mostly see consumer 3D printers making these days - representational things like D&D set pieces, or cosplay props). The interface of programs like Maya, for making very complex 3D shapes, I wouldn't call trivial. But in hindsight the context of the discussion is more about industrial design of functional consumer goods, which I completely agree is a highly skilled trade, and while learning the CAD program is still a lot of work, that's one of the least of the requirements.