AutoCAD is a past generation modeler. For electrical wiring or floor plans it's ok. When there is nothing better AutoCAD is great, but Solidworks/Inventor/Alibre,etc. offer a HUGE benefit in productivity and usefulness for doing anything 3D. Even sketches in these programs are parametric, so testing out a TON of designs is very easy. You can even check linkages for interference and move them around on the screen in real time. This type of interactivity allows a closer understanding of your machine that a drafting program can only hint at. Parametric associative contraint based modelers are the future. IMO, AutoCAD should only be marketed at 2D applications, and even then its limited.
Last edited by CNCAddict; 03-02-2006 at 12:24 PM.
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