Since Apple released the original iPad we have seen the device used for a number of different uses that have even included the increasing popularity of the device as an educational tool inside schools. Now a recently awarded patent looks to bring iPad virtual drafting CAD like tools for pros to the market.
Apple was yesterday awarded a new patent for an app and GUI that relates to multitouch virtual tools such as rulers and protractors, which can be added to mobile devices such as the iPad. The patent was titled “Virtual drafting tools” and was originally filed in 2010 and company outlines how a multitouch interface can help with tasks such as drawing a straight line.
The patent goes into certain techniques for using virtual drawing tools and even gives one example of what is needed to draw a straight line in CAD compared to a multitouch device. CAD users will have to go into a menu to select a tool before returning to the screen to indicate the start and stop points.
This compares to the iPad that will only need two touches with one at the start point and the other on the end of the line, and the app will then work out that the user wants to draw a line so will display a ruler.
By the time we reach 2016 the CAD market is believed to be worth over $8.2 billion with the Asia Pacific and European markets leading the way.
Source: AppleInsider.