Wildfire 2.0 vs..... Everything else.

[Sorren]

I work for a company that develops audio/video switching systems housed in a sheetmetal chassis. I need a good 3D design platform that's good for sheetmetal and can handle a few hundred parts in an assembly. I need to be able to output a flat pattern and a usable 2D drawing.

We currently have Inventor, but it simply isn't meeting our needs. I saw Wildfire demoed today and it looked MUCH better. However, I'm also looking at Solidworks and Solidedge as well as any other high-end 3D CAD systems.

What do you guys suggest?

 

[PatCouture]

As far as I know, Solid Edge got I very powerful Sheet metal package, but if you are doing some complicated stuff it may get kind of difficult to have what you want rapidly, but when you get to know the software it's very useful and accurate.

Good luck

Patrick

 

[MadMango]

I work primarily in sheet metal and with simple machined components, with many of may projects having well over 600 parts at the assembly level. I've been using SolidWorks for over 7 years, and for the type of work I am involved in, there hasn't been anything I couldn't get accomplished.

I have heard that SolidEdge handles sheet metal well, but I have never used it. I've never had a problem that would force me to abandon SolidWorks.

The best advice is to get demonstrations of the software you are considering in-house at your company. Force the demo-jocks to forget thier canned dog-n-pony shows, and use your real parts and problems. Then evaluate each considered software in-house for at least 30-days. It might sound like a long process, but it sounds like you already rushed into one program, only to find it was inadequate for your needs. No sense making that mistake again.

Some points to consider when selecting a CAD system:
1. What are your competitors using?
2. What are your vendors using?
3. What files types do you need to work with?
4. What training/support is available in your area?
5. What computer upgrades are you going to have to make?
6. What network upgrades are you going to have to make?
7. How will your CAD system intergrate with your ERP/PDM sytem?
8. How long will it take employees to "get up to speed" with the new selection?
9. Will existing programs work in conjunction with the new selection?
10. ect, ect, ect....

Ray Reynolds
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[Guest0527211403]

I would strongly recommend Wildfire 2.0 for Sheetmetal design. It now takes me (no joke) 1/4 of the time to design an enclosure, compared to the time I took when using previous versions of Pro/Engineer. You probably saw the copy-paste functionality, which has proven to be a HUGE time saver for us.

Coupled with Sheetmetal design in Pro/E, we use the NC Sheetmetal package to output code to Turret punches and Laser machines. The great part about this combination is that changes to our design are instantly reflected in the manufacturing sequences.

Pro/E is also great at handling large assemblies and routed systems (cable routing & harness design). I'm not so sure who demonstrated Pro/E WF2 for you but they should have left you with a 60 day trial version (MadMango was right in suggesting that you play with it for a month or so before deciding).

Also- Make sure that if you purchase Pro/E, the license that you get is capable of doing what you need it to do. Be careful if the sales person starts slashing the price to close the deal, because they may be setting you up with a package that is missing modules that you might need.

-Mark