In order to present technological advances (both old and new) to a wider variety of engineers, new methods such as Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) must be adopted. By defining the requirements, design, and implementation of such an environment, the design and product development cycle can be both improved and reduced. The ability to upgrade existing software tools as well as include new tools should be examined.

This thesis presents the design of a general purpose CAE environment for motor drive systems. The development of a CAE package for Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) drive systems is used to illustrate the method. Two existing software packages are modified for inclusion, and the development of a new module for the dynamic analysis of the entire drive system is presented.