SW on a Mac . . . again
SW on a Mac . . . again
(OP)
Hello, I've looked at a few threads on here already - all of them closed, and all of them over two years old - regarding what seems to be a taboo subject. But my boss wants me to research buying SW2010 and running it on a Mac Pro quad-core with Fusion 3 and Windows 7. He already has everyone else on a MacBook so it seems a natural to him to keep things in the family. I'm currently using SW2008 on an old PC that was kept around just for CAD use. If anyone has any experience with this it would be appreciated. Also, SW's graphics card certifications don't jive with Apple's installation of an NVIDIA GeForce GT 120. Any help here is also welcome. Thanks!






RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
Matt Lorono
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group
and Mechnical.Engineering Yahoo! Group
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
http://www
Have him decide based on what the software needs to properly function.
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
If you and your boss are comfortable without a net, go for it. Hopefully, the potential headaches will be worth "keeping it in the family".
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP, Certified DriveWorks AE
CAD Administrator, Ultimate Survival Technologies
My Blog
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of these Forums?
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
Mechancical CAD is just about the worst thing you can do to your computer. If you are installing SolidWorks for the first time, you need a new computer. The computer should be configured and set up the way SolidWorks recommends you configure it and set it up.
SolidWorks puts a lot of stress on your CPU, RAM and your video card. If you install SolidWorks on a non-Windows machine, Linux or Mac, you are putting even more stress on it. Even if you get it running, there is no guarantee that your emulator will support the next version of SolidWorks.
Email SolidWorks and tell them you want a version to run on Linux and Mac. Maybe they will get the hint.
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
Engineering isn't about perfect solutions; it's about doing the best you can with limited resources. - Randy Pausch
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
...Or at least a mouse with a plurality of buttons! (I think my MX Revolution has ten or more button functions.)
Plenty of debate over Mac merit at Matt's blog, such as this example, if you're into that sort of thing. (I'm guessing you won't need much guesswork to figure out what Matt thinks.):
http://www.dezignstuff.com/blog/?p=2912
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
A people governed by fear cannot value freedom.
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
Engineering isn't about perfect solutions; it's about doing the best you can with limited resources. - Randy Pausch
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
http:
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
a) Solidworks runs like ass under Parallels / Fusion, but *hey* it works.
b) Solidworks runs fine under BootCamp, but you can't get a Mac with a SW recommended video card (the Quadro FX for Mac apparently isn't supported either). The NVidia chipsets will still do some hardware acceleration and *hey* it works (although it won't be the fastest SW machine for the money.)
I plan on running SW under bootcamp when I get a new macbook this year. Despite what the haters upthread say, I use my machine for more than one task - I'm willing to sacrifice some Solidworks speed so that I can work in my preferred OS the rest of the time.
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP, Certified DriveWorks AE
CAD Administrator, Ultimate Survival Technologies
My Blog
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
I am a Linux geek. I want a Linux version of SolidWorks. A Mac version would be a good idea too.
We are not talking speed. We are talking stability. We are talking about having your primary application work even after an OS update. We are talking about the vendor supporting you when (not if) you have a problem.
RE: SW on a Mac . . . again
The sole reason SolidWorks was originally created and what made it what it is was being created for Windows. That was the driving factor, customers wanted a main stream CAD system that operated on what was then and is now the most main stream OS. Windows.
Cole M
CSWP, CSWST, CSWI, CPDM
Certified DriveWorks AE
HP XW4300, 3.4g proc, 2.5g RAM, ATI Fire GL 3100
Dell M90, Core 2 Duo, 4g RAM, Nvidia Quadra FX2500M
Equus (custom), P4, 3.4g proc, 3g RAM, Nvidia Quadro FX3400