I use the SolidWorks API all of the time. The documentation leaves a bit to be desired (not enough samples and some errors), but most of the functionality is there. I have no idea about Inventor.
I may be able to provide some more insight if you gave us some more details about what you design and what you plan to do with the API.
Good Luck. DimensionalSolutions@Core.com
While I welcome e-mail messages, please post all thread activity in these forums for the benefit of all members.
We push the API to the limit. We wrote our own home grown PDM system which takes PDM further than most of the solution partners, Title Program, etc. I personally do not deal much with the API but the gentleman here that does, has had a great deal of success. Sorry, but I can not share these programs with anybody. Company rules.
The way I see it if there is a will there is a way. If for some reason the API does not have a call that we need SW API department has added them in for us. They also have an awesome API training class that they offer at SW corporate office.
Also if you do a search on API in this forum, I am guessing, that you will find tons of questions that almost all have solution.
BBJT CSWP
First, I'm a Senior Design Engineer with an interesting CAD background.
I was "born and raised" on Autodesk products from 1983, when AutoCAD was less than one year old!
For many years, I was a CAD manager who managed over 100 users of AutoCAD at a time. I've trained countless users and wrote hundreds of LISP routines, many of them still invaluable for editing drawings. I have all the desire in the world to WANT to like and use Autodesk products. I used MDT off and on for several years when it first came out. I now have Inventor 5, which is an impressive improvement for design work over MDT, although file management is a little more convoluted.
That being said, I started using SolidWorks in October of '96. I could not believe how easy and intuitive it was to model with. I learned it and became proficient with it much quicker than with the Autodesk counterparts.
For designing, modeling and creating drawings from my models, I find SolidWorks much more enjoyable to use than Inventor, so I'm getting a lot more practice with SW. Unlike the guy above, I do NOT find Inventor to be intuitive at all!
If you have a large database of 2D AutoCAD drawings and think Inventor will make it easier to migrate to 3D by using that legacy data, think again. We find that it is ALWAYS faster and cleaner to start a model from scratch than to import the 2D data and try to massage it into sketches for 3D features. We want to have more control over how imported 2D sketches are constrained.
I've also got to say that SolidWorks as a company is much quicker to respond to users needs than Autodesk. They consider their customers to be an investment, not a captive audience. You also won't lose the equity you have in SolidWorks like we did with a couple licenses we had of AutoCAD R14.
I just found this link on the comp.cad.solidworks newsgroup. I think the top two wishes are enough to show you how far behind Inventor is to SW. The rest of the wishes that follow just supports it.
Wow, that's pretty basic stuff they are asking for. Good find, Scott! DimensionalSolutions@Core.com
While I welcome e-mail messages, please post all thread activity in these forums for the benefit of all members.
It is dangerous making decisions ona wishlist of a product that is two releases old. Get the trials,a nd answer the question yourself. If this thread proves anything it is that each person has personal baises based on past experiances and possible misinformation. Solidworks is Ahead of inventor, but not as far as they should be with a three year head start. I use both products and will not reneder any opinion here other than they both work. Pick the product you like best and consider it a personal choice of a tool, not a religion.
I agree it is up to the user or users who are going to use the software. That is why it is best to test-drive all software before buying it.
But...
If someone comes to this forum (Solidworks), you can bet my opinion is going to be biased and completely in favor of SW. After all that is what my career is riding on right now, besides my knowledge, experience, and education etc...
I would expect this from the AutoCAD\Inventor forum as well. Scott Baugh, CSWP
credence69@REMOVEhotmail.com
Actually, the link Scott provided was to a wishlist for I4. I5 has addressed many of these issues.
As far as the three-year headstart that SolidWorks has, it's no surprise that AutoCAD is not three years behind. They've had SolidWorks, among many others, to lead by example which SHOULD speed up their learning curve.
I can't believe they haven't got configurations figured out yet, however! Also, they could really learn from some usability studies to be more intuitive to those who use umpteen Windows applications.
Our company is looking right now at changing over from Solid Edge to SolidWorks. The simple fact it Solid Edge is just way to tedious at doing simple things. My favorite example of this is the dimensioning tool. I still can't figure out why you must change between liner and anguler in SE. If I pick two lines that are on an angle to each other why would I want a distance? My second favorite is when you go to type in a dimention and SE shows the dim you typed in, but underlines it and does actually change the dim. What use is this? Why not say the entity you are tring to change is fully defined (hmmm, like SW?) I could go on, but Like eveyone else has said it should be up to the users. I just can't wait till we get our SW software!!
We are long time users of AutoCad, and very satisified with it. We have been transitioning to Solidworks for the last couple years. We had a Inventor Demo last week to see what all the hub-ub was about...what a joke. Couldn't import 2D geometry (from AutoCad) correctly, problems mating, just didn't seem to have as much functionality. Altho they can NOW parametrically define one circle to be equal in diameter to another circle. WOW! <--Sarcasim in case you didn't catch it.
Overall, not impressed by Inventor at all. SW is the clear choice.
SteveMS,
Who was the campaison done by? Do not get me wrong, I think SolidWorks is the best mid-range package out there. There are comparisons on SW website with SolidWorks comming out ahead and there are comparisons on AutoDesk showing AutoDesk coming out ahead. The only true comparison that anyone can beleave is the one they do for themselves. BBJT CSWP
Less than two weeks ago I read about a "shootout" between Inventor and SolidWorks that was sponsered by Autodesk. Of course, SW declined to participate (since Autodesk was defining the racecourse), but these guys found some poor soul to run the SW software who was obviously not as well trained on SW as the Inventor guy was on Inventor. Needless to say, Inventor comes out looking like the cat's meow and SolidWorks looks lame.
Funny, but isn't it interesting that it's always the little kid on the block who's envious of the big guy and is always making up some kind of contest he can win?
Yes it was a lopsided "shoot-out" but that is SolidWorks own fault. They chose not to attend for what ever reason they gave.
I am sure the reason was not because they thought that they would loose to IV. I would venture a guess it was more in fear that people would see for themselves that all these mid-range packages do pretty much the same thing. Each does something a little better than the other.
I have said it a million times. Get a trial copy of each and test them yourself.
One thing that I can brag about as far as SolidWorks goes is that our VAR, and SolidWorks themselves, have always been there for us when we needed support and direction. BBJT CSWP
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