Altair Inspire vs. NX CAD

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Altair Inspire
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Altair Inspire, developed by SolidThinking which was acquired by Altair, is software for Generative Design/Topology Optimization, and rapid simulation solution for design engineers. It is designed to enhance the concept development process by enabling simulation-driven design to increase a product’s efficiency, strength and manufacturability. This can lead to reduced costs, development time, material consumption, and product weight.N/A
NX CAD
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Siemens NX software is an integrated product design solution that helps deliver products faster and more efficiently. NX delivers design, simulation, and manufacturing solutions that enable companies to realize the value of the digital twin.N/A
Pricing
Altair InspireNX CAD
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Altair InspireNX CAD
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Features
Altair InspireNX CAD
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Altair Inspire
-
Ratings
NX CAD
7.7
1 Ratings
0% above category average
3D Modeling00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
2D Drafting00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Parametric Design00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Assembly Design00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Customization and Extensions00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Altair InspireNX CAD
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.0 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.0 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.1 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Altair InspireNX CAD
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(2 ratings)
8.4
(24 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(7 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
6.8
(6 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(3 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.4
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
Altair InspireNX CAD
Likelihood to Recommend
Altair Engineering, Inc.
This software is incredibly intuitive and really does provide a great finished product. The software runs relatively quickly and will usually throw an error right away, which is a nice feature. I didn't use the geometry editing parts of the software, but it looks promising to be able to edit files directly in the program.
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Siemens AG
NX CAD is very good when it comes to three dimensional modelling and rendering and visualization. Furthermore, the export to jt function together with import into other Siemens software packages, such as Teamcenter, is a major reason why I am using NX. However, it can be a little more computationally expensive compare to other CAD packages.
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Pros
Altair Engineering, Inc.
  • Defining the actuators, pin joints, sliding joints is very easy.
  • Defining a motion sequence is straightforward.
  • The UI tends to make you follow a sequence of steps to be successful in doing a motion simulation and finite element analysis study on a design.
  • The motion simulation results are automatically transferred to the FEA solver.
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Siemens AG
  • Seamless interaction across multiple departments.
  • The software allows you to create a very high level of control and organization within your engineering staff. This reduces the companies mistakes and maximizes productivity.
  • The software makes it very easy to track your product through every phase of the production cycle.
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Cons
Altair Engineering, Inc.
  • I think the tools to create CAD are a bit difficult to use. Consequently, it is now easier to develop the part in other software, which is bad since we need to use more than one tool at a time.
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Siemens AG
  • Keeping the colors of surfaces if volume bodies are linked
  • Show and keep symbolic threads
  • For me, I miss more information why a surface can't be deleted or a radius is not possible. And maybe a solution, how could it look like, if NX CAD adds a new surface.
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Likelihood to Renew
Altair Engineering, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Siemens AG
possibility of integration and customization
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Usability
Altair Engineering, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Siemens AG
Siemens NX CAD has been has been simple in design & user interface. It is best among the competitors. It can develop heavy models & designs with very ease. It has Layers options for arranging multiple assemblies in the same file. It does not require heavy system investment & works fine on professional PCs
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Support Rating
Altair Engineering, Inc.
When I needed clarification on how do use a feature or best way to define the constraints for a design problem, the response was quick and solved my needs.
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Siemens AG
NX CAD version is going out of support after only 12 months. Changes will not be implemented after 12 months from prodcution
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Implementation Rating
Altair Engineering, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Siemens AG
the manitenance period is too small for our implementation timeline
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Alternatives Considered
Altair Engineering, Inc.
Working Model, MathCad, Dynamic Designer, Algor, and Mathlab had poor UI's and poor ways to define actuator and motor motion profiles. The force results and vectors were not easy to input into the FEA software. SOLIDWORKS Motion does not have an excellent way to define a linear actuator or its motion profile. Altair provides a UI that guides you through defining your linear actuator or motor's motion profile quickly.
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Siemens AG
The only reason why NX was chosen was due to the process management, and revision control that's built-in. And being able to limit access to files and if they can be modified.
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Return on Investment
Altair Engineering, Inc.
  • In my personal opinion, we think that this product does not have any negative aspect that makes us feel very uncomfortable.
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Siemens AG
  • The software itself is pretty expensive compared to other CAD-systems.
  • Implementation is not out of the box, it requires a lot of consulting and iteration cycles.
  • On the positive side is to mention the seamless of downstream functionalities, from product development to manufacturing and visualization, etc.
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ScreenShots

NX CAD Screenshots

Screenshot of NX technology can generate multiple design options. (It's like having an extra employee dedicated to "trying out" different designs.) Then Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) can be used to generate the part.Screenshot of Studies show an inordinate amount of time can be spent by designers as they look for previous or similar parts. The software can search for similarly-shaped parts.Screenshot of NX has the ability to validate a part (or assembly) and its adherence to standards, collisions, and manufacturability.Screenshot of Virtual inspection and mark up full sized assemblies.Screenshot of a rendering created from the actual product design. Notice the lighting and surface realism.