US Patent 7761266 Synchronized physical and analytical representations of a CAD model

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for providing a computer aided design (CAD) model comprising a plurality of physical elements. An analytical representation of the plurality of physical elements is generated. The analytical representation comprising a plurality of analytical elements corresponding to the physical elements. An association between each analytical element and corresponding physical element is generated such that a modification to one element can be applied to modify a corresponding other.