A natural language interpreter for plate girder design

One of the major problems in developing computeraided design software is the establishment of effective man-machine communication. This paper describes a computer-aided plate girder design software package and its man-machine interface using natural language processing techniques. The natural language interpreter takes advantage of the user's communication and technical skills and accepts commands in the user's native language. The user can verify the correct interpretation of the commands from the responsive graphic display of the design.