SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
(OP)
People please help.
I've got a very attractive suggestion from Inventor. Currently I'm working with SW2007 (basic edition) and I must do my decision to continue to SW2008 (professional) or to switch to Inventor 2008 (professional). I'm starting a new project anyway, so i don't care about the parts, I've built in SW. In my design I have to perform a lot of static and dynamic simulations, my assembly has about 600-800 unique parts and many parts are from standard libraries (fasteners, bearings etc.)
Please help me with decision
I've got a very attractive suggestion from Inventor. Currently I'm working with SW2007 (basic edition) and I must do my decision to continue to SW2008 (professional) or to switch to Inventor 2008 (professional). I'm starting a new project anyway, so i don't care about the parts, I've built in SW. In my design I have to perform a lot of static and dynamic simulations, my assembly has about 600-800 unique parts and many parts are from standard libraries (fasteners, bearings etc.)
Please help me with decision






RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Advanced Robotics & Automation Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
Stefan Hamminga
EngIT Solutions
CSWP/Mechanical designer
Searching Eng-Tips forums
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
I suggest you talk to your SolidWorks VAR. The improvements that SolidWorks has done in '08 are numerous. There's also 3DContent Central, which has thousands of parts, there's DimXpert, which will auto dimension your parts to ASME Y14 standards. There's a ton of designer assistance in '08, not the least of which is Instant 3D.
As for analysis, again talk to your VAR. I think you'll be duly impressed with all the COSMOS has to offer.
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
As a beta user, I found one important area of improvement: flexible subassemblies... they are faster and better working in 2008. But I have not compared to inventor...
Stefan Hamminga
EngIT Solutions
CSWP/Mechanical designer
Searching Eng-Tips forums
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
If you have been using SW and have parts already created, there will be a learning curve and possible problems with parts importing into Inv. A switch like that may hurt your company, or not. Also depends on how many users you have. Personally, I would stay with SW in your case.
Chris
SolidWorks 07 4.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
comp.cad.solidworks on a newsgroup reader
http:/
can probably find them on Yahoo Groups, too
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Advanced Robotics & Automation Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
Chris
SolidWorks 07 4.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
I feel that SW despite its problems is further along than Inventor and that Inventor will need to do some radical reorganisation if it wants to move forward.
Generally then just be sure you can live with the way it works and organises your work
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
Heckler![[americanflag] americanflag](https://www.tipmaster.com/images/americanflag.gif)
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SWx 2007 SP 4.0 & Pro/E 2001
o
_`\(,_
(_)/ (_)
This post contains no political overtones or undertones for that matter and in no way represents the poster's political agenda.
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
What does this mean? Did you get a good offer to switch software?
Are you considering the cost to actually make this switch (i.e. lost time, training, and implementation)?
Is Inventor really going to make you more productive?
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
Jason
SolidWorks 2007 SP4.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2008 SP0.0 on WinXP SP2
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
you get what you pay for.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
That's probably because they are too busy trying to get the job done, whereas with SW we've got it done and are looking for something else to keep us amused and looking busy.
Seriously though, the only one who can fully answer your question is you and whoever else is testing the softwares with your company's products and admin systems. All the main modelling packages are able to model almost anything that's needed. All use different approaches and methods. You have to determine which one best suits your company's products and way of working?
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
Jason
SolidWorks 2007 SP4.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2008 SP0.0 on WinXP SP2
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
Just think--maybe only .5 hours of difference in performance per day between one type of CAD and another. No big deal, right? Add that up over a year's time. How about over five years? I think you just saw not only how CAD can pay for itself, but how one type can pay well beyond, while another can significantly drag into your productivity ($$$).
Suddenly the price of the CAD license itself is totally diminished next to the cost of operating that flavor of CAD over a period of five years or even one year. Sometimes you get what you pay for and sometimes you don't even get that.
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
Heckler![[americanflag] americanflag](https://www.tipmaster.com/images/americanflag.gif)
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SWx 2007 SP 4.0 & Pro/E 2001
o
_`\(,_
(_)/ (_)
This post contains no political overtones or undertones for that matter and in no way represents the poster's political agenda.
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
I overheard a conversation last night (cool gig at ESPN Zone in Denver put on by MCAD--my new VAR) in which a guy said he knew of a company that must have lost something like $700K by investing in the wrong CAD package (happened to be ProE). Add up the amount of time to train each user to use the new software, plus salaries during that time, plus the fact that no production is being done during that time, plus the possibility that training wasn't quite sufficient for all the users to become truly productive, plus failing to meet existing project deadlines as a result, plus, plus, plus. This guy said he thinks this single decision was one of the key factors to the downfall of a company. Compare that to the price tag of the CAD package. Yikes.
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
I agree with all your arguments, but may be I didn't explain my self clear enough in my question. I'm single user of the CAD in my company (start-up) and building of the parts and drawings in the CAD is the minor time spending. What most important to me is the power of simulations and analysis of the program. In demonstration of Inventor it have been seemed that its possibilities of these subjects were much higher of those in SW. Am I right? Does somebody of you familiar with these subjects in both CADs?
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
It's really important to keep an open mind when talking to them or they will feel that you are already sold on something and it will hurt their "performance". And please don't get caught up in the "we are the only ones who can do this" kind of thing, if it happens check carefully if it's true, because you are speaking with salesmen not users.
That my 2 cents
Patrick
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
I would find it hard to believe that Inventor has more in the way of simulation and analysis. For crying out loud Inventor has only recently added a routing add-on!
RE: SolidWorks 2008 vs. Autodesk Inventor 2008
I would strongly suggest against switching to Inventor. I would ask your SolidWorks reseller to give you an example of companies who have switched from Inventor to SolidWorks. I am sure they will be able to provide many. If you ask the same question of the Autodesk Inventor reseller they will struggle to come up with any.