Glossary
Our software bridges the gap between software and hardware engineering, but the gap in how these two groups speak is large. So we've gathered a list of terms that are normal in either or both of those domains, so that we can start building a shared understanding of software for hardware design.
Subject domains
Software Engineering
- API - An interface from one program to another.
- Client - A computer or piece of software making requests
- Cookie - Data stored by a website in your browser
- Endpoint - A single callable service within an API.
- Host - A computer or piece of software allowing others to make requests of it.
- Memory - Holds programs or files that your computer is actively using.
- Storage - Stores programs and files, forever (or until you delete them).
Hardware Engineering
- Arrangement - A specific layout of an assembly to convey an idea or concept in CAD
- Assembly - A collection of individual parts or components that are brought together to form a larger, more complex object or system.
- CAD - The use of computer software to create, modify, analyze, or optimize designs.
- Drawing - 2D representation of a 3D object to be manufactured
- Model - The digital representation of a physical object.
- Modeling - Creating a digital representation of a physical object.
- One-off - A component intended only for a single project.
- Parametric Modeling - A modeling method in which objects are defined by a set of parameters
- Part - An individual component of a design.
- Scale - The proportional relationship between the dimensions of the drawing and the real-world size of the objects or components being represented.
- Scene Editing - Editing scene settings lighting for rendering and exported image generation
- Sketching - 2D editing
- View - A visual perspective of the model
- Wireframe - A skeletal representation of a 3D object that consists of lines and curves connecting points.