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IndustryArena Forum > Events, Product Announcements Etc > Polls > What is your Favorite 3D CAD Program

View Poll Results: What is your favorite 3D CAD software

Voters
647. You may not vote on this poll
  • Solidworks

    369 57.03%
  • Alibre Design

    46 7.11%
  • Inventor

    94 14.53%
  • Sketchup

    59 9.12%
  • Rhino 3D

    75 11.59%
  • Ashlar Vellum

    4 0.62%
Page 3 of 5 12345
Results 41 to 60 of 93
  1. #41
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    47
    Solidworks but their website support sucks!

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by ididntdoit99 View Post
    Dabbled in a few other programs... but have mostly used solidworks.

    Took 6 years to finally realize that every seat my company has purchased also came with a free home seat.... apparently the IT department never bothered to ask, or just kept it a secret. So I just recently got hooked up at home to play with my OWN projects
    is this always the case?

  3. #43
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Posts
    34
    I see I'm in the minority here
    I've used inventor and Alibre Design.

    I really like Alibre Design Pro/ Expert and the integrated Visual Mill package for CAM. I dont do CAD for a living so I'm definitely no expert at either. I find Alibre to be VERY different from Autocad. Once the Alibre sketch basics are learned; it is intuitive and work flow is logical.

    anyway....my .02 worth

  4. #44
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    28

    Alibre

    I have tried a number of cad packages, home user, not pro. I started with easy cad, then moved up to Turbo Cad. I designed and built my first Hot Shot Truck bed with that, I have tried Rhino, and currently have Bob Cad, that I never use. I got a smokin deal from the folks at Alibre, and have been hooked ever since. It is fairly intuitve, and I don't do many complex parts. The standard version with it's assembly feature is very nice for the price, I can get basic constraints to check for clearence even of moving parts. I have to export the drawing in dxf and then use vectric for my cam but for the home enthusiast I can't think of a better or more cost effective way to go. Remeber I still want to be married in the morning.

  5. #45
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    0
    Ciao,
    ho problemi con un centro di lavoro brother tc-201 del 1994 , qualcuno mi puo' aiutare
    per la vonversione dati da g code al linguaggio brother ?

    Grazie

  6. #46
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    0
    Hello, I have problems with a work center brother tc-201 of 1994, someone I can 'help programs for the conversion from g to the language code brother? thanksAnnulla modifiche

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    0
    catia

  8. #48
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    0
    Grazie,
    Provo subito !

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    0
    I use the Solidworks, Alibre design and Rhinoceros with RhinoCAM

  10. #50
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    2100
    One thing I think you are going to run into is that many of us can't afford to compare high end (or even free) CAD software. I'm running ViaCad because its what I could afford personally. I can make it do what I need, but I don't think its great. I've played with FreeCad and I couldn't get upto speed fast enough to mess with it. By default I went back to ViaCad not because I thought it was better, but because I already knew how to do the things I needed to do with it. Same goes for Sketchup.

    Sounds great. Low cost. LEARNING CURVE.

    As an HSM I don't have the option of buying half a dozen to high end packages and comparing them. The cost is out of my range, and the time is totally out of my range. I really don't see how more than a handful of people (relative handful) can truly make a decent comparison and voice an opinion other than...

    This is what I have...
    __ I like it.
    __ I don't like it.

    Heck, back when I just had Corel Draw I managed to get fair 2D work out of it once I figured out how to increase the resolution beyond the default 2 decimal places. Nobody really thinks of Corel Draw as CAD. LOL.

    I'm afraid that to a great degree the voters here are voting for what they have if they like it and can get it to do what they want most of the time. Some lucky ones may have a couple higher end CAD progrms to play with. The rest of us are struggling to create with what we have and can afford... both in cost and in time.

    The other thing I have noticed is that folks tend to say whatever they have is better... Hence the knee jerk fanboy responses you often receive to any critique in vender specific forums. It just makes it more diffcult to evaluate postitives and negatives.
    Bob La Londe
    http://www.YumaBassMan.com

  11. #51
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    0
    Since I'm newbie as first Greetings to everyone.
    I'm using Inventor 2012, and Acad for living.
    Thank You.

  12. #52
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    0
    Hello, I have problems with a work center brother tc-201 of 1994, someone I can 'help programs for the conversion from g to the language code brother? thanksAnnulla modifiche

  13. #53
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    5

    SolidWorks!!!

    I've been a SolidWorks user since 1998. Best durn design software out there:
    1. shortish learning curve
    2. great assembly features
    3. easy to create 2d drawings
    4. I feel this program mimics reality well.

    Drawbacks:
    1. needs to use a hot computer
    2. Haven't crashed or locked up 2012 version....yet
    3. backwards compatibility for opening, but not saving.
    4. not the cheapest program to buy.

    All of the above being said; I also have available to me Acad inventor, nx 6 thru 7 (huge learning curve with nx) and don't like them. Acad does 3D like a steam engine, they just bolted a turbocharger to it. I have an ancient seat of LT97 that works ok for 2D work.
    NX is so full of tools it's like a kennedy box the size of a warehouse wall, you can never find what tool you need or even what it's called.

    it's SolidWorks for me.

  14. #54
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Posts
    86
    Quote Originally Posted by Spinnetti View Post
    The question is not that simple. From a professional standpoint, you need to look at the total art-to-part cost and efficiency. On the CAD side, Inventor was awesome to learn on, but not very stable, so after some years I moved to Solidworks which I really like, but getting my 3d model to a cuttable part is a total PITA. May as well just do in autocad and dump to master cam or just use master cam end-to-end... That said, I still do my full design in solid works, then spend way too much time re-doing and editing g-code in master cam, finally tweaking in NC (Mach3)

    I'd like to find an affordable integrated cam solution that works out of the box with solid works that doesn't totally suck - Most are either way more than I need, or missing basic functionality. If I could find a good solution, then I'd be a happy camper.
    have you ever played with FeatureCAM? i import solidworks models into FeatureCAM every day, and it is extremely seamless and simple. rediculously fast. almost to the point of boring LOL.

  15. #55
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    28
    I use Solidworks alongside Solidcam and everything works really well.It all flows from model to cutting metal as simple as I am describing it.The only draw back I have found is that the poeple at Solidcam are a right bunch of self satisfied smug money grabbing un-helpful telephone ignoring people I have
    ever had the misfortune to meet.

  16. #56
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    2100
    Quote Originally Posted by SOLIDCAMSTEVE View Post
    I use Solidworks alongside Solidcam and everything works really well.It all flows from model to cutting metal as simple as I am describing it.The only draw back I have found is that the poeple at Solidcam are a right bunch of self satisfied smug money grabbing un-helpful telephone ignoring people I have
    ever had the misfortune to meet.
    LOL. Yeah, but you aren't allowed to judge a company by its personnel, tech support, or sales style in this group. You have to judge just the product, and then only if you are an expert with it who has forgotten how long it took to become an expert. ROFL.
    Bob La Londe
    http://www.YumaBassMan.com

  17. #57
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Posts
    7
    I preffer to use Inventor professional, because offer an environment easy to use.
    Offer excellent tools to development very good design and analisis.
    The best thing that inventor have is the "Content center" There are standard parts as bolts, nuts, bearings, etc. You don't have to drawn nothing to represent in an assembly.
    You would to test this software, You'll like it.

    Sorry, i have'n good english.

  18. #58
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    28

    SOZ

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob La Londe View Post
    LOL. Yeah, but you aren't allowed to judge a company by its personnel, tech support, or sales style in this group. You have to judge just the product, and then only if you are an expert with it who has forgotten how long it took to become an expert. ROFL.
    You are right Bob and I offer my apologies to everyone. Sorry.:nono:

  19. #59
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    0
    I use solidworks for design and protoolmaker for machining
    protoolmaker is very good for 3d machining very twitchy on drilling etc protoolmaker will automatically update a program when changed in solidworks. just purchased onecncxr5
    mill expert so i hope it will be better drilling etc

  20. #60
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    180
    Quote Originally Posted by johnreeddesign View Post
    I've been a SolidWorks user since 1998. Best durn design software out there:
    1. shortish learning curve
    2. great assembly features
    3. easy to create 2d drawings
    4. I feel this program mimics reality well.

    Drawbacks:
    1. needs to use a hot computer
    2. Haven't crashed or locked up 2012 version....yet
    3. backwards compatibility for opening, but not saving.
    4. not the cheapest program to buy.

    All of the above being said; I also have available to me Acad inventor, nx 6 thru 7 (huge learning curve with nx) and don't like them. Acad does 3D like a steam engine, they just bolted a turbocharger to it. I have an ancient seat of LT97 that works ok for 2D work.
    NX is so full of tools it's like a kennedy box the size of a warehouse wall, you can never find what tool you need or even what it's called.

    it's SolidWorks for me.
    Have you ever tried KeyCreator? I'm running 2012 version with KeyMachinist and have not found any drawbacks.

    KeyCreator 2012 - The Most Complete Direct Modeler Available - YouTube

    I never tried SolidWorks, so I can not do a comparison of the 2, but Cadkey was the first 3D cad program to run on a PC. With that being said, why is Cadkey/KeyCreator not in the poll??? :stickpoke

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