Solidworks Subscription/Maintenance & Simulation

[CR100]

We are currently using Solidworks in a networked license arrangement (5 seats). Our maintence contract has come up for renewel. I am looking at around $14,000. Are their any legit methods of reducing this fee?

1 seat of SW Pro
2 seats of SW Pre
1 seat of SW Pre/Sim
1 Seat of Flow Simulation

I though of not renewing Flow Simulation. But the nightmare of have a older version of SW floating around just for Flow Simulation is troublesome.

I have heard that some people only renew one of the seats for maintenance and thereby all of them get upadte....

 

[kellnerp]

Look at the ROI of paying the fee vs not paying it.

Because you are using Simulation you are caught in a trap. Standalone simulation software like NENastran would allow you to keep the two separate.

The ROI of renewing is composed of:

1. Cost of relearning the interface/features
2. Cost of documenting bugs in new software vs a stable SP4 or greater release.
3. Benefits of any new features (typically small in terms of time spent)
4. Cost of renewing all the other software that is tied into SW
5. Cost of reworking macros and other API code.
6. Upgrading hardware to keep up with slower rebuilds new releases typically have (avg. 4% slower each new release)
7. Cost of installation of new release.
8. Cost of the renewal fee.

So let's say you are going to spend $1,000 per seat for #1 and #2, $2,000 for #5 and $14,000 for the renewal. That comes to $21,000 of cost which has to be balanced by a greater than $21,000 benefit. If your people have a burden rate of $50/hr then you need to see a time savings of 84 hours per year in increased productivity due to the upgrade just to break even.

If you are loading the last SP of the current release when you upgraded last time and in general, then there is no benefit from support or service packs.

I don't think you can get away with upgrading just one license, especially with a network license. Among other things, it is unethical and probably illegal.

I would look more at configuring the network license so you need maybe one seat of Premium and have the rest Standard and share the Premium. Get a standalone FEA and CFD package that isn't tied into the core CAD software with the $14,000. That would save you a ton on maintenance.

Just my two cents and don't forget to support eng-tips with the money you save.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport

Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

 

[CR100]

kellnerp, I have voice my displeasure with reseller about feeling locked in with my simulation.

I will look at 3rd party sources.

Thanks

 

[gwubs]

I would personally not consider a standalone FEA package. We tried ANSYS, and it was a nightmare. Consider staggering you maintenance payment dates, it helps with the "sticker shock"

 

[kellnerp]

There is a downside to the tight integration of non-CAD applications within SW. It reduces your ROI down the road as you are finding. That is why I favor not upgrading every year.

I used to run DesignStar instead of CosmosWorks, but DStar has been dropped. Being an FEA guy, having that separate from the CAD has a lot of pluses and not many minuses. Especially when documenting the effects of changing geometry, having an integrated FEA package can lead to problems. NENastran gives you a human readable text file for every run for both their high end package and their SW add-in. You need only keep that to document what you did and the files compress nicely. Simulation won't even inter-operate with other versions of SW.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport

Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

 

[ctopher]

Talk to your VAR about the cost. Maybe they can work with you.
If all 5 seats are not used concurrently every day, maybe switch to a floating license?

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP5.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[kellnerp]

@Ctopher
I think they are already on a floater. By definition network licensing allows floating. You have to work to make specific licenses work on specific machines.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport

Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

 

[CR100]

Yes throughout the day 4 of the licenses are being used by 5 people.

2012 SW has one feature that we would use all the time so I am wanting to upgrade. The advice to skip maintenace packages to every other year is what I think I will be doing, as we skipped over 2011 altogether.

 

[kellnerp]

I see some things in 2012 I like. Still on 2009 though. I figure about every four or five years has a payback.

Will the thing in 2012 be worth $21,000 in improved performance.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport

Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."