Who's using solidcam?

[kujirasan]

Hi Crab, the analogy of the cars is irrelevant, SOLIWORKS is far more sophisticate and has options that INVENTOR lacks , and accuracy never been its forte, I had to use version 9, and design a a gadget to measure angles , it monotonously use to crash as the graduation for the degrees were etched in, Hope things have improved, and not make more preposterous with porting MAYA Animation software!
Personal opinion is INVENTOR is a Scooter compared with solidworks!
Not to mention the extensive COSMOS analysis and Mould software etc.
Inventor is Ideal to use it for teaching at Technical College , as an introduction to solid modeling and assembly beyond that, if you are making shopping trolleys or simple designs for CAm etc go for it!
Yours

[crabbass]

I have used both, with much sucess.
You should do your homework, not tell your one sided story.
Tell your story to our countrys top aerospace and defense industries who are using the autodesk products.

[kujirasan]

your impression of success may turned out to be different than others! The leading light of US aerospace is Boeing and they ditched Unigraphics 2 years ago for CATIA! Most AUTO makers are heading that way! Toyota already has completely switched to CATIA!
If you are enamored with INVENTOR wish you the best! If you receive incentive from AUTODESK wish you good luck, but these forums are not for street fighting or vehicle for marketing and propaganda! Each to his own! what ever turn you on!
Just wonder which aerospace uses INVENTOR!
Cheers!

[JerryFlyGuy]

Easy guy's [gal's?] We all have our vested and emotional interest's in what we've picked to be the supreme software. The reality is it's different strokes for different folks.

This is a discussion which will never ever reach a marked conclusion until one of the companies is no longer [and then there will be someone else to step in their shoes ]

Easy does it

Jerry

[cam1]

Just my 2 cents.
I worked with Autodesk Inventor up to R10, excellent software for general mechanical design. Where SolidWorks really shines is in 3D sketching, and complex surfaces, and of course in moldmaking. SolidWorks readily supports .dxf and .dwg formats, and let's face it .dwg files are still the standard drawing exchange format for 2.5 axis CAM toolpaths in job shops. The key in this "argument" is to recognize that SolidWorks and Catia are cousins, and are used extensively in the Aerospace business. SW was created to offer small and midsized companies the power of Catia, at competitive prices. I work in Aerospace (Gas Turbine engine environmental certification), and still use both Inventor and SW (whatever software is required) to design components. Some of our suppliers use Inventor, and I see no drawback in their choice.


PS

I use SolidCam and am satisfied with the product when I consider what I paid... (8k CDN for SW 2005 Office Pro and SolidCam)

regards

[plcamp]

Originally Posted by cam1 Just my 2 cents. I worked with Autodesk Inventor up to R10, excellent software for general mechanical design. Where SolidWorks really shines is in 3D sketching, and complex surfaces, and of course in moldmaking. SolidWorks readily supports .dxf and .dwg formats, and let's face it .dwg files are still the standard drawing exchange format for 2.5 axis CAM toolpaths in job shops. The key in this "argument" is to recognize that SolidWorks and Catia are cousins, and are used extensively in the Aerospace business. SW was created to offer small and midsized companies the power of Catia, at competitive prices. I work in Aerospace (Gas Turbine engine environmental certification), and still use both Inventor and SW (whatever software is required) to design components. Some of our suppliers use Inventor, and I see no drawback in their choice. PS I use SolidCam and am satisfied with the product when I consider what I paid... (8k CDN for SW 2005 Office Pro and SolidCam) regards

Please note that SolidWorks was developed as a standalone software and was aqquired by Dassault Systems in July 1997. This acquisition gave Dassualt an instant gain in the Windows based CAD market in a time when their Catia V5 was stumbling. Of course please remember that there was and still is a big disparity in cost between the 2 design programs and each functions well in their intended use.

[kujirasan]

SILIDWORKS is an American product the CATIA one is French!
The acquired it after UNIGRAPHICS took over Solid Edge! so the story goes!
It is always horse for courses!

[kujirasan]

Originally Posted by brianklein Is SolidCAM 2008 compatible with Solidworks 2007???

NO! and dont try it!

[plcamp]

Originally Posted by kujirasan SILIDWORKS is an American product the CATIA one is French! The acquired it after UNIGRAPHICS took over Solid Edge! so the story goes! It is always horse for courses!

You are correct about the products origins -- here is some additional history

Company History

Before SolidWorks, the industry was starved for a comprehensive software package that married 3D solid modeling with a desktop program’s ease of use. SolidWorks met that need.


It all began in 1993, when SolidWorks founder Jon Hirschtick recruited a team of engineers to build a company that developed 3D CAD software that was easy to use. Since then the team’s startup became the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, which gives teams intuitive, high-performing tools to design better products.


They did it by developing the first 3D CAD technology that ran on an intuitive Windows platform, didn’t require expensive hardware and software to operate, and didn’t cost a fortune.

In 1995, the first release of SolidWorks® software was ready for the market. Within two months, it was already winning industry-wide accolades for establishing a new benchmark for ease of use. As sales began to soar, Hirschtick brought on longtime mechanical engineering industry veteran John McEleney to usher the company into Asian markets in 1996. McEleney established SolidWorks in Asia and spearheaded the company’s Solution Partner Program, which has grown to include more than 700 partners worldwide.

The company’s rapidly growing customer base and continuous product innovation quickly established it as a strong competitor in the CAD market. The market noticed, and global product lifecycle technology giant Dassault Systèmes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) acquired SolidWorks for $310 million in stock in June of 1997.

Dassault Systèmes’ (DS) formula for SolidWorks’ continued success is to let it maintain the strategy and the momentum that built the company. As CEO from 2001 through June of 2007, McEleney kept the company and its products on a meteoric path. SolidWorks has become the fastest growing company in the DS family, having grown from two percent of DS’ revenue at the time of the acquisition to more than 20 percent today.

Current CEO Jeff Ray joined the company in 2003 as COO to help expand SolidWorks’ sales, distribution, and marketing infrastructure. In four years, Ray saw sales and global licenses reach all-time highs, and the products became even more intelligent, enabling customers to push the limits of conventional design.

[kujirasan]

PLCAMP
Thanks for the in put! Man you must be well into it!