Now what makes this better than SW

[CNCadmin]

If you are a user of soildedge share what you like and how it compares to SW.

[mjrandle]

In a previous job I used SolidEdge for three years. I changed jobs and have been using Solid Works for about a year. Solid Works rarely crashes, while SolidEdge used to crash regularly, i.e. at least once per day.

The only true comparison is to test a prospective solid modeller package yourself using typical jobs. In SolidEdge's defence, I think that it's sheet metal package and drawing/draft detailing features are superior to Solid Works.


Cheers,

Mike

[runinbymdnt]

I only know Solid Edge. I hired guys that used Solid works and Autocad, looked over thier shoulder, but never learned how to use them. I got tired of this method of product development, got SolidEdge, and a few hundred hours later I was a modeling fool. I love it. I dont have any crashing problems, and also dont have many of the problems that the guys use to have with the other programs.

Sheetmetal is like magic. it still amazes me. Surfaces are very cool also.

When I asked an engineer friend of mine which one to buy, he said SE because its as good or better but much easier to learn and use. So thats what I did.

I highly recomend it.

[jheal]

I am fairly new to the CAD world, starting Mechanical Engineering at college a year ago, with CAD being my favourite part. We used inventor in school, and I had 2 courses on it. I am currently finishing up my first Co-op term in which I am using solid edge. Now I find that either or basically do the same thing in different ways. I have had a lot of problems with Inventor crashing, but solid edge has never crashed on me. I find Solid Edge a friendlier system. From the looks to the ease of making parts, i believe that SE is a superior product in SOME ways, but in some ways inferior.
For Modeling ease... SE
For drawing Ease... Inventor, but not by alot.
For assembly Ease... Inventor.
For Generally moving around in the program... SE.

I personally like Solid Edge better if you dont have to do complex assemblies. Inventor is nice for assemblies, and nicer to do most features in drawings (thread notes, hole notes).

I know I probably contradicted myself many times, and I probably raised more questions than answers, but my final verdict has to be Solid Edge.

[AviatorDave]

Solid Edge was originally a 2D only application, before Solid Works was ever released, so it's drawing package is very good. There are a few other things I like much better in Solid Edge - their sketch constraint system, and their sheet metal.

But they are each extremely capable midrange cad systems. I'm fluent in every major cad system there is, as I make contract machine designs in whatever system the customer happens to own. I work in Pro/E Wildfire, Catia, UGNX, Inventor, SW, SE, and even Alibre. Most of my customers use Inventor, SW, or SE, (and one uses Alibre, which SUCKS for assemblies with more than, say, 100 parts, BTW). They all have some things they do better than the others, but the good news is that once you learn to use one of them, at least with Inv, SW, and SE, you can learn one of the others really quickly. The high-end ones like Catia, Pro/E, and UG are another story. They will require lots of expensive training to get really proficient at. You can't just poke around and find what you want to do without knowing where to look with them.

So which one do I own for personal use? Solid Edge. Especially cool is their new technology, called Synchronous Technology. It takes some getting used to since it's so very different. Instead of creating and dimensioning sketches and extruding geometry, you just freely sketch and extrude as many features as you wish, and then add the dimensions to the solid and can adjust it from there. It's hard to explain without seeing it. Google for it, they have some videos.

The only downside is that they haven't implemented the Sync Tech in sheet metal yet, and 90% of my current contract is sheet metal.

[kujirasan]

I use both of them, SE has Boolean , SW lacks it! Prefer to use and teach in SW, but SE is more cable, especially now with Synchronous,
its drafting is way too superior! There is one Package called TOPSOLID , it is fairly good as well,it is French! I wonder any one uses it out side France?