[moto52000]

Hi all, I'm excited I finally got PE 2013 and am going through through the tutorials which are helpful but I'm concerned they are limited. Any good free sources for learning or should I just save up the funds and get a contract and tutorials (which would be double what the software cost)?
I'm all in now, just want to become proficient so I can spend time modeling and not learning to model.

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[johnyac]

Ask a question for an answer?
I intend to step up and buy the new version of PE 2012. So far finding prices at 189.00 through authorized re-sellers. No prices found on their web page(?). Did you get your copy through Alibre/Geomajic or from another seller? How much did you pay? How was your buying experience?


Alibre/Geo has a active user forum available through their web page Geomagic ? Index page

I picked up the basics of Alibre from a video blog by Tom Meeks. He is running a stripped down version of PE 2012 called Cubify Invent: Cubify 3D Printing Fans & Fun My first time actually understanding a CAD program. Meeks made it very easy for me to follow along and understand.

[moto52000]

I called the sales number on their website. It was $ 210 with tax. Only concern is the training is limited and I found out today they don't have a user guide for the new version yet. Ill likely just purchase some of the videos to get going. I can't complain to much, its good software for a inexpensive price I just think they will hurt themselves in the long run by making even basic support cost more than the software.

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[MichaelHenry]

I seem to remember reading that the tutorials are a version or two behind 2013 and that the product formerly known as Alibre would have new tutorials available fairly soon. Keep in mind though, that some of the tutorials may focus on features that are only available in the more advanced versions, like Pro and Expert.

A search through the forum in the link that johnyac provided should turn up some 3rd party tutorials, mostly available for free on the web. There was also a book published back around Alibre 8 that is now out of print and sometimes can be found on Ebay. While pretty much out of date, many of the essentials will be covered there. The workflow you use for a product like 3D CAD can make a huge difference in how easy it is to design all but the simplest parts and assemblies and even that out of date book would be much better than randomly learning how to get started.

Mike

[moto52000]

Those videos by Tom Meeks are very helpful, really helped me get going. Alibre should hire him to create training videos for them. Thanks for the help guys.

[johnyac]

Glad they helped,
I just took the plunge and bought 2013.
Tom needs to upgrade from the "Cubify" version, I need some lessons on assemblies.

[Robin Hewitt]

I have paid for but not taken the 2013 upgrade yet.

I didn't see any remarkable improvement to fill me with the pioneering spirit.

Is it safe?

[MichaelHenry]

Is it safe?

Check out the Alibre forum at Geomagic - Professional 3D Design to Manufacturing Solutions and browse threads for the past 2-3 weeks, then judge for yourself. It looks like they have added some nice features, but there are a few problems as with any upgrade. The most serious seems to be a possible slowdown with how quickly the program works, but that doesn't seem to affect all users to the same extent so it might not be a problem for you. I'm probably going to wait for the 1st service patch.

Mike

[moto52000]

I didn't pay the extra 100 for maintenance but I probably will just so I can get updates. The sales guy stopped responding after I got a little crabby when he told me they didn't have a 2013 user guide and to just use the 2012 guide "it's close enough". I am having fun with the software just disappointed in the company. I know it's inexpensive software at the PE level but charging extra for things that are normally included with software seems petty to me, I'm probably expecting too much. I wouldn't be surprised to see them gone in a few years based on how fast the FREE 3D software is being developed, especially at the hobby level.

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[nautomation]

See in updates :
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you can find the 3D Design Projects and Training manual all free . The updates are changing frequently .

[MichaelHenry]

I know it's inexpensive software at the PE level but charging extra for things that are normally included with software seems petty to me, I'm probably expecting too much. I wouldn't be surprised to see them gone in a few years based on how fast the FREE 3D software is being developed, especially at the hobby level.

IMHO, you *are* expecting too much, at least for software such as this that has a limited market. Companies like Microsoft or Adobe can afford to provide extensive support for products that have sales in the hundreds of millions even at a few hundred dollars per copy. That just isn't practical for a product that sells for $100 in the 10s of thousands or less.

Did you check the Alibre forum? That may be all the help you need.

Mike