Functional design capabilities help engineers make the right decisions the first time, without having to focus on geometry. A functional representation has the added benefit of instant utility as a virtual prototype. Some examples of functional design capabilities users are starting to see in software now on the market include:

     Conceptual design tool: When trying to solve a design problem, designers want to lay out their ideas in 2D or quickly create a 3D representation without worrying about abstract modeling commands such as sketch, extrude, and cut. In a functional design system, simple layouts are the foundation for complex 3D models, and basic shapes can be used to quickly define a complex part.

     Intelligent libraries: Instead of lines, arcs, circles, extrusions, and patterns, functional libraries represent the design requirements of, say, a gear and how much torque it can support. While traditional modeling tools can describe the geometry of a gear, they don’t give any indication of how the gear will or should perform. Software with functional design capabilities enables components to “understand” how they need to respond within the context of a design.

     Relationships and connections: Today’s modeling systems rely on geometric relationships (flush, concentric, joined, and so forth) to describe how a model fits together. A functional design system performs in terms of joints, pivots, and sliders –—the mechanical relationships and connections that drive how a design functions.