Just started I-deas from Solidworks 1

[arcticcatmatt]

I was a solidworks admin for our company. Took me many years to get to that level.

Now, I was moved and I am using NX I-deas 5. WOW is this different. I can't use my spaceball since I am using a windows PC to dial into a Unix station. There is no feature tree, there are no planes, I had to tape words to keys on my keyboard so I know what does what (f1 is pan f2 is zoom etc), It took me 2 hrs to model a square and has taken me over an hour so far trying to figure out how to modify a dimension to change the size of the square.

Good god am I in for it. This program is far from easy to learn.

 

[SDETERS]

No it is not that hard. All of the functions are there. Extrude Sketch revolve. Once you get used to this program SOlidworks is going to be hard to go back to. Try building a section with interesting lines. You do not have to trim your lines. You can turn on stop at intersection. Remember if you can find it right click. The history tree is different but there is a tree. There is planes coordinate systems make sure you have them displayed in your display filters.
I feel your pain I would be lost going to Solidworks.

 

[arcticcatmatt]

^Thanks. I didn't know anyone still used this section of the forum.

I can say one thing about this software, I can't find an up to date book and siemans doesn't have online training for it unless I fly to MI for a week.

I just purchased the online training and it only has tutorials for version 11 ideas so I hope it works. I am going thru it now.

I can tell you this, I have taught 6 graders how to draw a part and make a drawing from it in just 30 mins. Ideas on the other hand, forget it. The functionality may be there but it is not easy to learn in comparison.

I used autocad for 2 years, UG V18 for 2 years, SW for 5 years, and now this. I was a power user in AC, UGV18, and SW. Out of all of them, SW was the easiest to pick up.

This ideas is the devil

 

[SDETERS]

I have picked up I-Deas with only Autocad background. No formal Training for me. If you need to ask about a simple command or a quick way of doing things just ask. Hint to bring up the side screen menu instead of clicking on the iconns for commands Hit CTRl+m . Once you start using it things will go faster. One question for you, are you using TDM or Teamcenter for your data management

Thanks

 

[arcticcatmatt]

What is TDM?

We have teamcenter.

In solidworks we had no pdm system and 300,000 files.

 

[SDETERS]

TDM Team Data Management It was the "Old" way I-Deas stored the files. Teamcenter Replaces the "Old TDM".

 

[SDETERS]

This Guy has some blogs about going from I-Deas to Solidworks Maybe this will help

http://clingingtoideas.blogspot.com/search/label/ideas

 

[arcticcatmatt]

^ I havn't gotten that far yet to even use that. Right now I am going thru the tutorials and teaching myself how to make parts.

I am shocked we just had to pay 200-300 bucks for the tutorials. Solidworks includes full tutorials with every release for free in the help files.

 

[Lunar7]

A few Key points

1 Start every part with a Coordinate System, search Help for BORN

2 Use sketch in place to select on of the planes of the CS

3 start the line tool, then right click to bring up focus, focus on the 2 of the axis of the plane

4 Draw what ever geometry you want, just remember that dimensioning is always from one object to another, so if you want to dimension a line you need to pick each end not just the line itself

5 start the extrude command, pick the lines in the sketch you want to extrude to fomrn the section, Middle mouse to OK then drag to extrude

6 Use sketches for everything !!!!

 

[fmr110]

I was in a similar boat, going from 4 years of SW in college to I-deas at work. I completely agree that I-Deas is inferior, older, and far uglier than SW. Unfortunately, I was forced to learn this software, I still hate it, but my modeling skills are up to par by now.

The other thing that has kept me going is that we are moving from I-deas to NX 4.0/6.0 within the next year. From what I understand Siemens is phasing out I-deas over time, and they will have a whole few departments dedicated to helping people make the switch.

Any specific questions when it comes to I-deas? I should be able to help you considering I was in your shoes about 9 months ago.

 

[RobLN]

Hi arcticcatmatt

You have my sympathy, I-deas is a truly awful piece of software from a user friendy standpoint, though it is quite powerful in other ways simple animations for example are easy to do in ideas. I changed from Solid Edge to Ideas V9 and that was quite a shock I can tell you. You just need time with I-deas. If you're going to change to NX soon then don't worry too much - that is much better.

 

[WH74]

I have used i-deas for about 10 years and yeah its not the easiest program to learn, but it is very flexible. I have also used SW, UG, Catia and they all use the same basic concepts to do most things. Draw a sketch and then perform a boolean operation.

I have been using using SW for about a year and a half. there are some nice features that is has. But I always feel like my hands are tied, in I-deas there always seemed like there were a few different ways of doing things.

Setting up and installing each has its good points and bad points. I-deas more difficult to install but much easier to set up templates for parts, models, and drawings.

Data management in ideas is much better too (TDM or Teamcenter).

I doubt there is anything that one can do that the other can't, it just what you are used to.

I was just the opposite from you, I used I-DEAS for 10+ years and know it inside and out. I am getting there with SW and still run in to the occasional head-scratcher with SW but usually figure it out.

Bang for the Buck you do get much more for you money in SW.

SW does not seem to handle large assemblies as well or large complex parts as well either. SW is much more of a resource hog.

One thing that may help, generally i used wireframe viewing in ideas more then shaded, and just the opposite for solidworks.

Actually I-DEAS comes with tutorials for most of the basic things (parts, drawings, assemblies etc). They should be accessible from the help, maybe the sample models supplied for the tutorials are not installed but they also come withe it.

Any questions on I-DEAS fell free to ask

 

[arcticcatmatt]

Well I am still working in it. I have got to say this program is the devil.

It is SO Hard to learn coming from a new easy to use cad program like solidworks. I miss automatic rebuilds, mass usage of constraints, SO easy to make a drawing in solidworks with auto generate 3 views.

I hate I-deas and I hate it with a passion. Every single thing that I am used to being automatic is no longer automatic. Heck the other day I needed to put a detail view on a print, I had to draw the circle, line coming from it, and the circle around my detail view. Took me forever!

To make a 3-4 view print in I-deas you have to put the views on the paper and resize borders and move views and yadda yadda. Took me a 50 page tutorial in order to do that. In solidworks.. one button DONE. No tutorial.

I simply cannot wait till this program is phased out for good.

 

[SDETERS]

Come on now. It is not that bad. Lol It is just different strokes for different programs. Hint Use rectangles for your detail views. Since you select with a rectangle it fits around the detail so much better. Try using view origin to align the views up correctly. Two problems solved what else is bugging ya. LOL

I-Deas has a detail command but you do have to draw the lines and label the view correctly. Your telling me Solidworks Labels and makes the views for you in all one click? That would be nice.

 

[arcticcatmatt]

^ One click.. done. Yeah its very nice. Most everything with solidworks is 1 click haha.

It is impossible to compare solidworks to I-deas. I-deas is from 1996 3button mouse stuff. Solidworks is advanced state of the art 2009 spaceball usable awesomeness.

To put in a 1/4-20 tapped hole in solidworks - 3 clicks and it is in AND it calls it out for you on the drawing automatically. I-deas - draw the sketch, extrude it, and type it into your print manually. What a joke.

I-deas doesn't put a dent in solidworks and I wouldnt' expect it to as there is a 12-13 year difference.

I have spent all morning trying to build an assembly. I can't slide stuff on the screen because it won't let me, it doesn't matter if a part has a part number because they are all in different folders (I shouldn't have to call this guy and call that guy!). IN SW to mate two parts.. can be done in ONE CLICK. Hold alt and drag what you want to mate to what you want to mate it too. Or if you want to click more than once use the mate button, then it is 2 clicks HA. It knows what mate to do automatically (smart mate).

In Ideas to copy a part in an assembly and mate it.. many clicks and confusion, hard to learn. In SW.. hold control and drag the part on the screen (that copies it), then hold alt and drag it to your part you want to mate it to (that mates it). 2 clicks to copy AND mate a new part.

2 clicks is a hell of alot easier to learn than a 40 page tutorial and 20 clicks.

Not to mention SW has a feature tree/assembly tree that a 3rd grader could understand.

I will get off my rant. UGHA!

 

[arcticcatmatt]

To insert a component into my assembly.

I-deas - 9 clicks
SW - 2

 

[andrzejls]

arcticcatmatt.
I am with whagen1974. I was on I-DEAS for over 12 years as user and sysadm. I started with I-DEAS MS 1c. that goes a lot of years back. Rigt now for past 3 years I am on SW. Yes, it is a nice software, nice GUI and all that happy razmataz, but when it comes to cabability and flexibility SW is in its infancy in comparison to I-DEAS. It still does not have features in SW 2009 that I had in I-DEAS 9 in 2003. You just do not know this software at all. Transition is always hard.
Wish you good luck.

 

[arcticcatmatt]

^ Or you don't know SW well enough haha.

I am sure both programs have features the other one does not have. But things in ideas are not automatic and take many clicks and a huge learning curve.

I do enjoy a constructive conversation however.

What are you finding that SW will not do that I-deas did do.

 

[WH74]

you can extrude and draft at the same time, with different drafts on each edge.

 

[arcticcatmatt]

^ You are correct. SW does cut with a draft but not a different draft for each edge. I have never had to do that but if I did I would just perform a swept cut from sketches.

Why does ideas call a cut an extrude? Confuses new learners.

Why did it just take me a bunch of work to create a drawing and its 3 views when in SW it is just one click to create my drawing with 3-4 views right on it, aligned, and ready to go along with the title block automatically filled out.

I just got 2 step files I need to open. I-deas is giving me an error that some environment orbit or whatever needs to be installed. I had to make a call for us to pay a contractor to come in and fix the issue. SW opens a huge amount of different softwares without any translators installed.

I taught a class of 6 graders to model and detail parts in less than a couple hours. The next day I taught 3 72 year old men how to do the same. We had 72 year old men and 6 graders exchanging files working on a project for a high school robot thing for donation. SW of course. I-deas.. forget it haha.

Here is a question.
In solidworks you have a square block model and its drawing done. But you want to make the same thing just with a hole in it (different part number). Just do a "pack and go", type in the new part number and it creates the new part and drawing automatically. Open the new part number and put the hole thru it, add that dimension to the new print.. done. New part and model created in just a couple clicks and seconds.

How do I do that in I-deas? Will it do it? I am not there yet but will be in the next couple days.