If Solid Works is so good...
If Solid Works is so good...
(OP)
Why isn't everyone using it??
I see this issue hashed out quite a bit and people always say to go with SWX.....HOWEVER....
A great many people still use autocad.
If I was going to purchase a design package for plastic injection molds and sheet metal dies, which one should I go with?? SWX or Acad?
I see this issue hashed out quite a bit and people always say to go with SWX.....HOWEVER....
A great many people still use autocad.
If I was going to purchase a design package for plastic injection molds and sheet metal dies, which one should I go with?? SWX or Acad?






RE: If Solid Works is so good...
Do you do the finished part design and the molds and dies or are you only designing and building the tooling?
If only the tooling, What design package is used to design the finished parts?
If you are doing the machining on the tooling, Do you want a single vendor for CAD and CAM or separate vendors? Separate vendors can lead to finger pointing when something goes wrong.
As for the company I work for, we don't use either Acad or SWX, we are split between Pro/E and Unigraphics by corporate business sectors. Some are all Pro/E and the others are all UG.
Ben Loosli
CAD/CAM System Analyst
Ingersoll-Rand
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
The second consideration is what your customers and suppliers are using. Sort of pointless to have the best software package that no one else is using and have to fight conversion errors.
TTFN
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
Kind of like cars. A Geo Metro is going to get you from point A to point B just as well as a BMW 540i. For some, the Metro is all they need, for others they prefer the BMW. And there are still others that prefer motorcycles, and other that need the capabilities of a SUV.
As you know your needs, the best thing to do is to get the vendors of the software you are considering to come into your place of business and give you a demo. Be prepared to ask them though questions, and have them work with your data (very important). After you do this, you should be able to distill your choices down to 2 products. At this time you'll want to get 30-day trails of the software and test drive it yourself. Then you can safely make the right choice for the way that your company works.
"The attempt and not the deed confounds us."
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
But lately several customers are pushing hard for SWX. On one hand it sounds like SWX is the only game in town...On the other hand ppl say to use what works best..
IRstuff sez, "Backward compatibility is sometimes more important than a number of operational improvements."
I tend to agree with him.
Owners and operators of 3D programs tend to be smug.
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
You can get into 3D CAD without spending too much money, you know, just to test the waters. I would suggest that you look into Alibre Design. It goes for $495USD, and from what I have heard, it is every bit worth the price.
http://www.alibre.com/
Depending on the size of your company, you should be able to swing the cost ($500 is our bi-monthly Office Depot bill). If you get it, you could then work with your customers to see what neutral file format (.IGS, .SAT, etc)translates the best between their system and Alibre. Then, after you begin to see some ROI, you might consider moving up to a more mid-range 3D CAD program ($3k-$4k price range).
"The attempt and not the deed confounds us."
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
Easy there pal, I use Solidworks daily for "agricultural mechanism" and have upgraded from "simpler soft". What "soft" do you use and what to you design with that "soft".
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
The one thing that really sticks out is the fact that your customers are requesting the SolidWorks format. It seems pretty obvious that both applications are suitable for your product since you are using AutoCAD and some of your clients are using SolidWorks. From this, I can only suggest that you take a look at this situtation from a business/sales point of view. The question you really need to ask yourself:
If your clients really want the SolidWorks format, what is the cost of not providing them with what they want?
Can they find another supplier that can give them the format they desire? If they spend time converting the AutoCAD drawings to SolidWorks for their use, it is costing them extra money. If they can find a supplier that gives them SolidWorks models, they may decide to go with a competitor, even if it costs them a little more.
Happy hunting...
DimensionalSolutions@Core.com
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RE: If Solid Works is so good...
I have used a lot ProE and I think that SW his a very good challenger.
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
I got the Alibre site up and even got some dialoge going with their home office..This looks like a pretty good program alright.
It runs almost exactly like SWX at 500 bux. What it will NOT do is split the part for mold design.
Without that capability, a mold designer is SOL I'm afraid..
But then maybe there is a way to "fool" it on the splits..possibly make 2 different parts. One core and one cav, then do extrudes to surrounding steel??
Doe this sound doable?
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
"The attempt and not the deed confounds us."
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
Were you able to get the drawing templates to work? I wasn't able to. I understand that the "Pro" version has sheet metal but the web site doesn't seem to mention anything about a "Pro" version. I think it costs +/-$1200 USD.
RE: If Solid Works is so good...
I didn't get the demo. Only studied everything on their site and had dialoge with a rep.
Yes there was an addon for sheet metal.
There is the sacred cow of associativity --- so if the drawing templates don't work then what good is it?
Maybe that's one reason it's only 500 bux instead of 5000?