- #1
lnicks
- 3
- 0
Hello all,
I am looking for some advice choosing a CAD software package. I work for a very small company that uses SolidWorks, and we've run into some trouble with their licensing scheme. It's a long, complicated story, but basically we're being forced into upgrading to their new version. Since this involves dropping a good deal of money relative to our bank account, we figure we should take the decision seriously and consider switching to a different program completely. We are such a small company that the "we" basically turns into "I"- the decision has fallen pretty much on me.
I'm primarily considering SolidWorks, Inventor, proE, and SolidEdge and trying to find as much information about each as possible so I can compare them in terms of price, licensing, features, compatibility, etc. With the exception of proE, I've actually used all of the above, but mostly in academic settings, which means I didn't use them anywhere near the limits of their capabilities where any weaknesses would be apparent, and I didn't have to worry about prices or licensing before.
I'd love to hear anyone's opinion on the subject, especially if you've used more than one of the above and can offer a relevant comparison. I've tried searching for consumer review websites but there's not much in the area of software, unfortunately. (That's somewhat paradoxical...hmmm.)
We do consumer product design, so good 3D modeling and assembly is our basic need; things like FEA are less important. Our biggest concern is probably price, but we also worry about compatibility (i.e. sending out a Solid Edge file to a manufacturer will probably induce more headaches than the equivalent proE file).
Thanks!
I am looking for some advice choosing a CAD software package. I work for a very small company that uses SolidWorks, and we've run into some trouble with their licensing scheme. It's a long, complicated story, but basically we're being forced into upgrading to their new version. Since this involves dropping a good deal of money relative to our bank account, we figure we should take the decision seriously and consider switching to a different program completely. We are such a small company that the "we" basically turns into "I"- the decision has fallen pretty much on me.
I'm primarily considering SolidWorks, Inventor, proE, and SolidEdge and trying to find as much information about each as possible so I can compare them in terms of price, licensing, features, compatibility, etc. With the exception of proE, I've actually used all of the above, but mostly in academic settings, which means I didn't use them anywhere near the limits of their capabilities where any weaknesses would be apparent, and I didn't have to worry about prices or licensing before.
I'd love to hear anyone's opinion on the subject, especially if you've used more than one of the above and can offer a relevant comparison. I've tried searching for consumer review websites but there's not much in the area of software, unfortunately. (That's somewhat paradoxical...hmmm.)
We do consumer product design, so good 3D modeling and assembly is our basic need; things like FEA are less important. Our biggest concern is probably price, but we also worry about compatibility (i.e. sending out a Solid Edge file to a manufacturer will probably induce more headaches than the equivalent proE file).
Thanks!