Company moving from 2D to 3D, help choosing

[christo76]

Hoping this isn't bad to post this here and in Pro/E area... just looking for varied opinions.

We are looking to move from Autocad to a 3D package.

There is no complex geometry. Mainly steel frames, driven&idler rolls will be designed, with belts, pulleys and motors added into assemblies.
Here is a pages with several pics of some of the smaller individual units:

http://www.faustel.com/products.cfm?id=3

We also design our own sheetmetal electrical enclosures.

Hoping some of you can help point out some pros and cons of the packages you have used.

I think the choice is going to come down to Pro/E, SolidWorks, Inventor, or just staying with Autocad.

Any input would be appreciated.

Chris

 

[hippieguy]

Just as my 2 cents, Solidworks has a great sheetmetal interface.
It is easy to use, and very intuitive.
Don't trust any of our opinions on Solidworks though, we are all loyalists ( see also fanatics).

Guy G.
Mechanical Designer/Drafter
Tucson AZ.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Any of the main 3D packages (SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Wildfire, Inventor, etc) would probably handle your products with ease.

Each have their own way off doing things though. I advise having the VARs for each give demos. But don't let them only give their canned demos ... have them create a few of your most complex parts while you watch.

Also obtain the trial versions of each and use as much as you can to see which is the best fit for your company and the potential users.

 

[MadMango]

You should also be able to get 30-day use of each package before you buy. If a seller doesn't grant this, find another seller that will.

Also, be prepared to upgrade your computers, network, etc. The hardware specifications for operating a 3D modeling package at any profitable level are very different than operating a 2D drawing package. Depending on your number of users, you may also want to look into compatible PLM/PDM packages that will help you keep your sanity when you start dealing with thousands of models, drawings and their different configurations and handling all this when it comes time to do product changes.

Good luck, its not an easy choice. Even after you do all your homework, you will still second guess if you made the right one.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[Theophilus]

One other thing--consider what those around you will use. It's no fun getting a decent 3D package, only to learn that nobody can use the file formats that package generates. You'll want decent compatibility among vendors, clients, whatever. (Sort of like using WordPerfect or MS Word these days. Native formats can be especially handy, particularly for more advanced stuff like plastic part design going to the mold shop or sheetmetal parts going to the fab shop--nice to have the ability of making edits on the fly if necessary.)

It seems to me the 3D CAD market is in a great deal of flux right now with company acquisitions, mergers, and software advances generally. Do some homework on market share and ask around with those you need to deal with to find out what they use. Could be well worth your time.



Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.

 

[smcadman]

I hope nobody throws too many tomatoes at me, but there are several threads on this forum about SW not handling large assemblies. Looking at your 2-sided film coater, without the proper workstation, SW would probably choke on it. 2 sided film coater

Not that SW can't handle large assemblies, but you have to learn to model correctly and check out the FAQ's here for tips. If you don't already have a PLM, you might look into PDMWorks or something similar that ties in with SW.

SW07 SP2.0


Flores

 

[christo76]

My current system is running XP on a 2.6GHz PentiumD with 2 gig ram, with ATI Radeon X600 SE for video. I have one of the newer systems. My understanding is we are currently (slowly) bringing up the older computers to this level, regardless of 3D. Is that bit lower then most are going to need? Fine for some?

It is expected that we will have to upgrade, but how much more we have to do for a specific program would likely affect the decision.

 

[josephv]

The ATI Radeon is a good card, but it is designed for multimedia not CAD. You may want to look into an ATI FireGL or nVidia Quadro for better performace and stability.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Check here for recommended system requirements and video cards for SW.

http://solidworks.com/pages/services/SystemRequirements.html?PID=252

http://solidworks.com/pages/services/VideoCardTesting.html?PID=252

 

[Theophilus]

Check reviews/benchmarks online to see where you can get the most bang for the buck--especially if you're buying multiples.



Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.