[AT] tractor hauler a pain to install headlights.

[James Peck]

When vehicles were designed on the board, they drew in 1/2 scale. You could look at a drawing and relate it to reality. If you taped a drawing to a wall, you could get a sense of the vehicle size.  If a designer had a full size or 1/2 size CAD screen, those inaccessible places would be much more noticeable. People doing 3D solid modelling sometimes have multiple screens, one for each view. It would be difficult to design anything on a smart phone screen. It is not much easier on a small monitor. Monitors do continually get larger, just like TV screens.

Some years ago I read some issues of a then DaimlerChrysler employee newsletter. One article covered a group that real world verified that all maintenance operations could be performed on a new model. If the maintenance could not be performed, the group would have to design a specialized tool or get a tool manufacturer to design the tool and offer it for sale.

They did all this after the vehicle had been designed and production was imminent. I am guessing that moving heaven and earth would be easier than getting the product design changed.

Toyota which emphasizes production efficiency not product design may not do it any differently.

Cecil Bearden AT List member, Oklahoma farmer, and Professional Engineer (crbearden at copper.net); <snap> This is the problem of designing with AutoCAD and those other computer drafting programs. The designer has no idea of the clearance in the finished product. <snip>