Anybody familiar with it?
I'm considering purchasing, but I want to know just how user friendly it really is.
Also, how versatile is it? What won't it let me do? I understand assemblies may not work so well.
Any feedback is great.
The Works version comes with SW 2005--it's integrated, so there's nothing to purchase. Full Cosmos is a separate module you'd have to pay for.
Works will analyze single bodies--so it has no assembly capacity. Full Cosmos will do all sorts of things, including assemblies. Check out the SolidWorks web site for details.
Remember, with any analysis software, you'll only get results as good as what you tell it. If your assumptions are a tad off, your results could be off exponentially.
I ran a flex study on a nylon clip for the hand held horn on my web site and compared it with the part in reality. Very good results. I got stress point highlights, range of motion with the given forces, displacement of body plots, etc.--all with Cosmos Works. I was impressed. I think you can analyse mold flow with given materials as well.