Interactive computer graphics which implies a continuous exchange of information between the computer and the user has emerged as a very powerful tool in engineering applications. Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) have found use in electronic circuit design, manufacturing, mapping, and architectural and engineering planning. Using CAD, a machine part, an electric circuit, or a building plan can be drawn and displayed on a video terminal. The product or plan can then be manipulated, rotated, viewed from different angles, or separated into segments. The graphic and attribute information related to the drawing is stored in a data base, and can be retrieved and modified at any time. At a more sophisticated level of CAD, the data base is used to generate input data for a finite element or another analysis program. This paper presents a brief survey of the CAD scene and the hardware and software available and describes the use of interactive graphics in generating data input for analysis.