SolidWorks on a Mac

[AlliedAuto]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me whether Solidworks will work on a Mac with Windows installed on it? I believe it won't work fullstop on a normal Mac as +Solid Works is only compatible on a Windows system.

I believe Macs are much better but I don't want to go splashing out only to find out I can't use my computer for my main application.

If not can anyone recommend a good laptop roughly between the €1500 to €1800 mark.

God bless,

Phil.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

"Can anyone tell me whether Solidworks will work on a Mac with Windows installed on it?"
Yes, but only on the MacTels using either Parallels or Boot Camp or both.
See thread559-181459
Also

http://www.google.com/custom?domain...000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1;&hl=en

"I believe it won't work fullstop on a normal Mac as +Solid Works is only compatible on a Windows system."
That is correct.

"I believe Macs are much better ..."
That's very debatable. If by "better" you mean;
Faster ... No.
More stable ... Not if both systems are configured and used correctly.
More user friendly ... Depends what you're used to.
As versatile ... No, there is far more software available for the Windows OS.

Don't know about costs in Euro's but the Dell M90, with a suitable nVidia card, is usually recommended as being the best for SW.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

thread559-194791

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/precn_nb?c=ie&cs=iebsdt1&l=en&s=bsd

 

[dezignstuff]

SolidWorks does run on windows on mac hardware, but to the best of my knowledge, the video cards available for the mac make it less than optimal.

If you are only using SW on that machine casually or intermittently, and you don't have high expectations for it, it might not be a disaster. Running SW on a mac is a bad compromise. I run SW from time to time on a tablet PC with a worse video card than the mac comes with, and its ok for now and then use, but I wouldn't want to do it every day.

If it is going to be your primary or full-time CAD box, get something that isn't a compromise. The new Dell M6300 is far better suited to SW.

I'm not sure what you base your "macs are better" assumption on. Macs have never been very well equipped for CAD in general, which is probably the main reason more CAD apps have not been written for mac. They gained a reputation in 2D art applications which does not extend to 3D.

 

[ctopher]

I have heard of users running SW on Macs, but as dezignstuff wrote, watch the video cards.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 4.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog

 

[TheTick]

Even Apple doesn't use Macs for MCAD. Why should you?

 

[looslib]

Wrong. Apple uses UG/NX and since NX4 have been using Macs and Mac OSX. With the release of NX5, all Siemens customers can run NX5 on Macs with OSX in native mode.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

 

[TheTick]

I stand corrected. It's been a few years. My contacts tell me now they run NX4 through XP & Bootcamp.

 

[Heckler]

Even Apple doesn't use Macs for MCAD. Why should you?

Would someone please make a FAQ regarding this topic....it's getting as old as the ACAD save as earlier version topic.

Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SWx 2007 SP 4.0 & Pro/E 2001
o
_`\(,_
(_)/ (_)

This post contains no political overtones or undertones for that matter and in no way represents the poster's political agenda.

 

[TheTick]

Every year it gets longer since I've been there.

Used to be MCAD design was done on Pro/E or UG on HP Unix workstations. ID was done on Alias which also did not run on Macs.

I would actually like to see a good MCAD program that runs on native Mac OS (no Bootcamp, Leopard, etc.). SW broke ground long ago being the first 3D CAD program written to run on native Windows. Couldn't they do that for Mac? At the time (1999-ish) you could only run UG and Pro/E on NT through a Unix emulator.

 

[StefanHamminga]

doh... not again... SolidWorks Forums - Port Solidworks over to MAC!

Please tell my why OSX is any better than XP or Vista?

Stefan Hamminga
EngIT Solutions
CSWP/Mechanical designer
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