Imagine all the decisions that go into designing a new automobile such as determining body shape, engine size, suspension configuration, steering linkages, tire type and size, legroom, and type of transmission. As mechanical engineers we make many decisions as ideas are realized in new products.

Engineering design can be described as the set of decision-making processes and activities used to determine the form of a product given a customer's desired function. Parametric design is one phase in the development of a product, including perhaps: formulation, concept design, configuration design, parametric design, and detail design. What makes parametric design special and particularly challenging is that we employ analytical and experimental methods to predict and evaluate the behavior of each design candidate. For example we use Newton's laws of motion and the conservation of energy principle to predict the acceleration of an automobile design as we increase or decrease engine horsepower.

Let's briefly examine a five phase design process and how parametric design fits into the big picture. Then we will examine a parametric design example and conclude with a discussion of the steps in systematic parametric design. .

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