Which 3-D Cad Software is Best? 39

[DGP]

We are a packaging machine builder and are currently using AutoCad 14 (2D). We would like to move into a 3D software package and are looking at either "SolidWorks" or
"SolidEdge". However we have heard rumors that "SolidWorks" has problems with large part assemblies. Could this be a software issue or a hardware issue.
I would greaty appreciate any responses from software users who are familiar with both softwares. And why they would choose one over the other.

Thank You.....DGP [sig][/sig]

 

[MikeMilburn]

Hi DGP, I know it's not one of the packages you mention but have you considered TurboCAD, check out the specs, log on to the forums and have a look at some of the galleries,

http://www.turbocad.com/.

As well, V7 is due to be released in the near future, it'll imprees you I'm sure...Mike [sig][/sig]

 

[metalforming]

We use Cadkey which is designed for mechanical engineering. We use it to design tool and die. You can work in 2D or 3D. It also has solid modeling.

 

[WardHollowayPE]

I also have to agree with the CADKEY choice. I have used many 3d packages (IronCAD, Pro-E, AutoCAD, Cadkey). My opinion is that Cadkey was easy to learn, and very flexible. [sig][/sig]

 

[BandH]

We use SolidWorks for very large assemblies e.g. 200 parts upwards. The only problem we have is with speed, but this would appear to be more of a hardware problem than a software one. We find that SolidWorks 2000 is very stable. A

SolidWors is very easy to use because it has a Windows-like structure.

If you want any further information be sure to contact me.

Regards,

Brian Hurley

brihurley@eircom.net

[sig][/sig]

 

[dom]

Perhaps I've got this wrong but having used AutoCAD 14 I know that it has 3D ability,it's not the easiest to use but it is there. I think you should first make full use of the software you have at present before investing alot of money in a product which is not right for your company.
[sig][/sig]

 

[andym]

Seeing as you are already an AutoCAD user have you looked at Mechanical Desktop or Inventor, both AutoDesk products. The big advantage of Mechanical Desktop to you, would be the easy migration of your legacy data.

Regards

AndyM [sig][/sig]

 

[DangerDog]

I have done a considerable amount of research in this area. This is what I have come up with. There are 3 main contestants in the arena. AutoCAD (Mech. Desktop, Inventor), SolidWorks, and Pro/E. I have checked price and capablility of each system. AutoCAD makes a nice package but they seem to be in some turmoil lately. They have stated that they will be discontiuing the Mechanical Desktop product within two years, I have used Inventor and found that it lacks many of the features that you would expect it to have for $5000. Pro/E is very expensive ($7000) and has a very long learning curve. You need to use it for about 1000 hours before you can be considered proficient. The interface is difficult to manipulate and the program has quite a few problems with it, although I will admit that Pro/E has the biggest Cult following out of any of them. Once you figure out work arounds for the interface it is by far the most powerful system out there. After using AutoCAD for 7 year, and Mechanical Desktop for 2.5 I bought SolidWorks. SolidWorks ($3500) was cheaper for a new licence then the upgrade from ACAD 14 to Inventor. It is by far one of the best systems out there. Rumor has it that a few disgruntled employees of PTC (Pro/E) left the company and started SolidWorks, so there is almost the same functionality but the interface is much better. I have used Cadkey, IDEAS, CADDS 5.X, Aries, SolidEdge, ACAD, Mechanical Desktop, Pro/E, and SolidWorks. Cadkey, Aries, CADDS and IDEAS are dead, some of them may still be for sale but they do not own any significant portion of the design market. ACAD/Mech Desktop lead the market now but they blundered with anouncing the discontinuation of Mech Desktop. Inventor is not completely ready yet. Another thing to remember is that almost every package out there can read/write an ACAD file. I speak from experience, I am a Mechanical Design/ Automation Engineer by day and teach Computer Aided Design on a collegiate level at night at UMass. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
-tim@automationonline.com [sig][/sig]

 

[Dand]

I work with a small company and we are down to SolidWorks or Solid Edge. I have spoken to engineers from both sides and it seems that the only difference that I am concerned with is that SolidWorks might not being able to manipulate large assemblies, i.e. >1000 pieces. SolidEdge "seems" to have a slight edge in that area. From a user point of view they are very similar other than the fact that Edge uses fewer commands/clicks to perform comperable functions. On the side of SolidWorks is the "Gold Partners" they have established that run within Works.

Without actually getting in both software packages and running them side-by-side for a time, which I don't think we have the time or the resources to expend right now, it seems that we could pick either one and be very happy. Everyone we have talked to from both sides seem to be very pleased and feel they made the right decision.

Any thoughts or observations on the speed issue?
[sig][/sig]

 

[dsi]

When we were investigating which package to buy, the feature that really stuck out was the fact that SolidWorks can be automated with VBA. I have already automated much of our product design through VB applications. This has turned 80 hour design projects into 4 hour projects. This not only significantly increased the throughput of the engineering department, but also reduced the amount of errors, not to mention the cost savings on each project. Even if complete automation is not your goal, it will give you the ability to create some useful tools.

Unfortunately, I am not sure how SolidWorks will handle very large assemblies.

Lastly, I do not think that any question, unless inappropriate or offensive, should be banded from these forums. Although the initial question could have rephrased slightly, the post is clearly an inquisition to personal experiences with these packages. [sig][/sig]

 

We have been using Solid Edge for several years. Solid Edge is very stable as, well as easy to learn and use. Our productivity has increased since we began using Solid Edge.

Good Luck

 

[ronhotchkiss]

tclere -

My post was intended to be funny, not serious. Please do not be offended by it.

DGP -

My experience has been with Pro/Engineer. I have used it since Release 18 and now I use 2000i2. I find it extremely powerful, stable and able to handle very large assemblies (300+ parts).

This is not to say that others (SolidWorks, SolidEdge, etc.) are not adequate. But someone asking this question must realize that everyone is going to recommend the package they are currently using.

 

[yanbiao]

OK, OK, I just register and it is my first post. I came to this web coz I want to find some information on Mechanical Desktop customization. In detail, I was asked to develop the mechanical desktop so I can make the 3D process automatically after the ORCAD output .MAX file. U got what I mean? Layout people finish layout out by using ORCAD. I will take adventage of his output----2d ACAD drawing Vs. footprint of components and their exact position.
I have no any experiences on Autodesk Inventor. But I use ACAD and Mechanical Desktop for quite a long time and actually I have done some ACAD customization. Now I work for a small company which has long history using ACAd. I can say, all engineering system is based on this software. We want to develop Mechanical Desktop to make it work easier but it is hard. the root cause is that mechanical desktop is not a real 3D software at all. And now we are entering a 3D engineering time. the deadly point of Mechanical Deskpoints are it can't be editted fully and u can creat or take adventage of the relationship between parts. I am so sorry that I hate it so much but I have to used it even try to customize it at the same time. Let me say, AutoDesk want to be perfect and cover everything, but unfortunately at this software, it deadly lost.

I also have experiences on Solidworks. I start to use it from Solidworks 97. It is powerful and easy-to-learn. 100% editable, really 3D from the core, sheetmetal function, pipes,easy to use the resources of ACAD....cons: surface function. less profile creating tools.

My experiences on SolidEdge is not so much . But I do use it. Comparing to Solidworks, it is a little more powerful on sheetmetal design. don't forget , it is a little bit more expensive than solidworks. not so much.

I tried to used Pro-E, but I gave up. Coz it is too hard to learn( even Pro-E 2000i) and the interface is so hostile....Pro-E is very very powerful----the reason is it has such a long history. there are so much manpower on it----but it is far from easy-to-learn and easy-to-use. I will say, Pro-E is too old . it's market will be covered by solidedge and solidworks in the next few years.

How to choose the 3D software which meet your business/design? If u don't have clear idea or if u didn't let us know clearly, how could we do any good for u?

Does anybody know where I can find some sources on Mechanical Desktop customization? Let me know pls.Haha, I hate it , but I have to be vs it. Coz----it is my job.

Finally, I am trying to convince my management to realize something.


----something wrong, I am a mechanical engineer!!!

 

good little forum for us MEs'.....taking a break from my Pro/E work and found this site while surfing.....ME background, software used: CadKey, TurboCad, AutoCad, SolidEdge, SolidWorks, MicroStation Plus, Pro/E, Think3......of course, most of these i only dabbled in and became fundamentally familiar with,......exception: AutoCad (14/2000), SolidEdge, and Pro/E. Basicly, there are four levels or tiers......
1) CadKey and TurboCad......for the hobbyist/at home/student/small business very basic 2d (some 3d).
2) AutoCad, MicroStation Plus.....powerful, feature enriched 2d & 3d software; very popular (the 2D standard ??!!)
3) SolidWorks, SolidEdge, Think3......the new best of both worlds 2d & 3d, the now & upcomming future (my opinion).
4) Pro/E, SDRC (Ideas), Catia......true parametric 3D modeling software, very powerful and in most cases very expensive.
options (2) & (3) are the best (in my opinion) considering: a) costs, b) maintenance and renewals, c) standardization (market share, present & future), d)learning curve, e)current user share, f) compatability......
...........note there are other packages out there obviously and ultimately what one is familiar with may be all they need.......how much of your software's capability do you really utilize???

 

[hrvat]

My Experience only includes 7 years of Pro/E. It is a very powerful tool for large assemblies, and - when used properly - it can eliminate long regeneration time.

My suggestion would be to research the various sytems, and have reps from your two top picks come in to benchmark their respective sytems on an application you think will represent your needs.....besides it's fun to watch them sweat....

 

[yanbiao]

yes. we all know Pro-e is for large assembly. And the reality is now solidedge/solidworks are trying to fight for high-end market. In my own opinion, they are the future of 3d modeling software. by the way, they are true 3D parameter and relationship.........and 100% editable.

 

[DG]

2 1/2 years ago I did an extensive evaluation of most of the 3D cad packages available at the time. I narrowed it down to and had demos of Mechanical Desktop, Pro E, SolidEdge and SolidWorks. After the demos I received working copies of SolidEdge, Mechanical Desktop and SolidWorks. Pro E was to expensive, had a much longer learning curve and was really more than we needed. I ruled out Mechanical desktop quickly. It was not intuitive or easy to use like SolidEdge and SolidWorks. After narrowing it down to SolidEdge and SolidWorks I made several small parts, assemblies and drawings. Both were easy to use and quick to learn however I had some stability problems with SolidEdge. These may not be a problem now. At the time SolidEdge was a little easier to use, fewer clicks etc. but I was not happy with the support I was receiving or answers to some of my questions. The typical answer I got was “That feature will be in the next version.” At the time of my evaluation you could not move parts in an assembly.

We decided on SolidWorks and have been extremely happy. The service, training and support we have received has been excellent. Given the fact that I saw the two products SolidEdge and SolidWorks as equals the support factor weighed in heavily. As far as SolidWorks not handling large assemblies we have not had a problem. While things may slow down there are all kinds of things you can do to bring them back up to speed.

 

[schmidjo]

A number of people have stated a long learning curve with pro/e. I just recently learned it after being in the Navy for 4 years. It seemed no harder to learn then Autocad R12 7-8 yrs ago. I maybe spent 10 hrs on it.. Of course I am not totally proficient but can do solid models assemblies, drawings etc.

You need to pick a good company and just stay with them. Changing costs a lot of money. Don't forget the data / drawing management side of it too.

 

[BreezerNate]

I have used I-DEAS, Solid Works, and AutoCAD R14 and AutoCAD light.

I do not like AutoCAD 14 because it just seems strange to me. AutoCAD light and AutoCAD may be good for laying out 2D drawings of buildings, etc, but that is not my cup of tea. I understand mechanical desktop is great.

I-DEAS is very powerful and can do FEA and many other things. I-DEAS was hard for me to learn and without using it a lot I forget commands easily. The help files are hard to decipher. I would not recommend this if all you want to do is drawings and solid modeling.

Solid Works 98 was great when I used it. It wasTHE BEST experience I have had with solid modeling and drafting software. We ran it on NT and it did fine. It did get slow when I made assemblies that included over 100 parts. We bumped up the RAM on our computer and took care of a lot of the problem. The help files are great, and the visual commands are intuitive. I recommend Solid Works. I don't know what the capabilities of it are for FEA. Solid Works can easily create drawings directly from the solid models simply by dragging the part over into a drawing view. The drawing is instantly created, hidden lines and dimensions included. To change the drawing all you have to then do is go change the solid model and the drawing is instantly updated on that drawing and also on any related assemblies. Neat stuff.

Nathan Jarboe
NJ@asme.org

 

[sunnyvale]

You can buy a Pro/E Foundation Seat for 5995 + 1500 per year maintenance. Add the Advanced Surface extension for 4995 + 650 per year maintenance and you have a truly powerful full featured solid modeling system. We have one seat just a Foundation and the other seat Foundation + Surface. I tried SolidWorks for about a week a year ago and wasn't able to figure much out. I was probably corrupted by the use of Pro/E for 9 years though.