Computer aided design (CAD) emerged in the 1960s out of the growing acceptance of the use of the computer as a design tool for complex systems. As computers have become faster and less expensive while handling an increasing amount of information, their use in machine design has spread from large industrial needs to the small designer.

The late Andrew D. Dimarogonas, widely recognized as a distinguished authority in various specialties of mechanical engineering-especially mechanical design and vibrations- was the W. Palm Professor of Mechanical Design and the Director of the Manufaturing Program in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Washington University, St. Louis. In a career that included expereince in both academic and corporate environments, he was the recipient of numerous patents and the author of more than thirteen books.