To improve the efficiency and naturalness of computer-aided design (CAD), this paper introduces a new design paradigm in which a highly interactive sketch-based user interface and a design-knowledge reuse based on retrieval are combined seamlessly. Freehand sketching serves as a cognitive tool to support users' intuitive abilities by exploring the visual components of a design. Design knowledge reuse is achieved by searching for similar designs in an existing library. To demonstrate the validity of this design paradigm, we have implemented two prototype systems aimed at 2D and 3D design, respectively. They both use the same key components: sketch beautification module, a constraint solver, a 2D&3D search engine, and a sketch-based user interface. The preliminary usability evaluation shows that our proposed design paradigm is more natural for usage and has higher efficiency than the traditional CAD systems.
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