PDMS or SmartPlant 3D

[zeney]

I am in the process of selecting a plant design software for my company and have narrowed down to PDMS or SmartPlant 3D. I am in contact with both the parties and both say we cannot give you any demo version to try my hands on because you cannot get any good idea of software with out the training!!!!#$@%.
Now the idea of getting training of both the software and then making decision seems rather awkward. The other way is to buy the software blindly and be stuck with it for ever, good or bad. I have seen PDMS and it seems not so user friendly like most of the software which migrated to Windows environment rather late (no Undo most of the part and etc…). SmartPlant superlative description at Intergraph site seems very enticing and it seems to be user friendly and powerful. But I have not seen any one working on it so cannot be sure what it is like in reality.

Any feed back from the users of the two would be highly helpful.

Thanks.

Zen

 

[jonesey]

SmartPlant 3D is the next generation af PDS. We have been using PDS for years. PDS has no undo (like PDMS) so we are eagerly awaiting SmartPlant 3D. Like with most Intergraph products, if you can stay away from the first few releases, v1.0, v2.0 etc then all the better. We could change from PDS v7.0 now, but have chosen not to until SmartPlant 3D has evolved a bit and all the bugs from migrating to another system are ironed out. But if you are starting from scratch this probably won't be a problem for you. You mention nothing of how many liceses you require ? It's true there is no such thing as a demo version, but both concerned parties will be happy to give you a demonstration either at your company or theirs. If you can get to the Intergraph P2C2 conference whenever it is in your area (look on the intergraph website) you will be able to get a good idea of what SmartPlant can do and hear experiences from other users. Having never used PDMS or Autopipe i can only relay what i've heard from other useers. Both PDMS and Autopipe are cheaper than SmartPlant (PDS) but PDS/SmartPlant allows better editing i.e you can rmodel a line size change on a line at the click of a button without deleting components and placing them again in the new size - very handy at the project start phase when everything keeps changing !! Hope this helps you. Don't buy until each company has come to your company and shown you what they have to offer. 3D piping is an expensive lifetime investment, so make sure it can do all you want it to do.

 

[zeney]

Thanks Jonesey for the reply. So the demo by both the companies is a must.

 

[PDSS]

I am a mechanical engineer, working on PDS/PDMS projects for more than 12 years. Until about a year ago, I would have considered PDMS over all the other options. The graphics, the ease in producing reports, the user interface (undo included) are unbeatable, but... PDMS is almost dead on this continent (I have first hand info on both Canadian and American markets).
PDS would be your only option until SmartPlant 3D gets here. After that, SmartPlant 3D is a must.

By the way, the next Intergraph P2C2 conference is in New Orleans (20-23 August). I will be there.

pdss

 

[foresthills]

If you have seen anyone using PDMS11.6, you would love its windows style GUIs, Undo/Redos, etc....

http://www.pdms-forum.co.uk