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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    AutoCAD

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/AAutoCAD is a CAD product from Autodesk. It allows designers to work in 2D and 3D, and is available on Windows and Mac, but with extensive online collaboration tools.

    $245

    per month

    Designcenter

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/ADesigncenter™ software (formerly NX™ software) is an integrated product design and engineering solution. The platform supports stages of product development—from concept design and engineering to manufacturing—to optimize design processes and enhance team collaboration.N/A
    Pricing
    AutoCADDesigncenter
    Editions & Modules
    Monthly Subscription
    $245
    per month per user
    Yearly Subscription
    $1975
    per year per user
    3-Year Subscription
    $5925
    3 years per user
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AutoCADDesigncenter
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AutoCADDesigncenter
    Considered Both Products
    Autodesk
    No answer on this topic
    Siemens AG
    Chose Designcenter
    Customer requirement is in NX CAD.
    NX CAD is easy to use.
    NX and TCPLM integration is easy.
    Incentivized
    Chose Designcenter
    I like NX CAD modelling features and drafting tool bars which helps in accomplishing the task in minimum steps. The available tools precisely generate the splines and complex geometries as required. There is perfect integration between NX CAD and NX CAM modules with less data …
    Incentivized
    Chose Designcenter
    The API is more great then by the others. Also the Integration in Teamcenter. This is also leading to collaborative functions.
    Incentivized
    Chose Designcenter
    Integration in TC.
    Incentivized
    Chose Designcenter
    3D modelling
    Incentivized
    Chose Designcenter
    Siemens NX CAD is having very simple layout as compared to other competitors. It supports many numbers of file formats & translation to other software. It supports easy conversion of 3D to 2D. It supports PLM for project & Data Management. It is very versatile & supports Mold …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    96%
    Would buy again
    45 Answers
    96%
    Would buy again
    26 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    38 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    17 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    43 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    27 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    88%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    29 Answers
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    11 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    38 Answers
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    15 Answers
    Features
    AutoCADDesigncenter
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of AutoCAD and Designcenter
    Feature
    AutoCAD
    7.1
    7 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Designcenter
    7.6
    5 Ratings
    2% above category average
    3D Modeling6.17 Ratings8.75 Ratings
    2D Drafting8.77 Ratings8.85 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization6.47 Ratings5.94 Ratings
    Parametric Design7.57 Ratings8.45 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing8.87 Ratings6.54 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats8.87 Ratings7.65 Ratings
    Assembly Design6.77 Ratings8.35 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis4.76 Ratings7.33 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation7.67 Ratings7.15 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions5.37 Ratings7.45 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AutoCADDesigncenter
    Small Businesses
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AutoCADDesigncenter
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.7
    (88 ratings)
    8.1
    (28 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    8.5
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    8.3
    (9 ratings)
    7.3
    (8 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.9
    (13 ratings)
    7.3
    (3 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.4
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AutoCADDesigncenter
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Autodesk
    Once again, for jobs/companies where you are doing a lot of design and modelling of tanks, pipework or filling machine or basic electronics its fantastic as a 3D and 2D modelling tool, however once again when it comes to testing these actual products in the real world, I feel like AutoCAD is let down by its clunky fitting and spec management and also in very limited in-house engineering simulations.
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    There is perfect integration between NX CAD and NX CAM modules with less data loss. Better graphical interface and simplified commands makes NX CAD a better software then others. The tool has scope to develop an algorithm for generating surfaces from the point data. Include of option to convert .STL to any CAD format will be helpful. The connectivity of splines laying in different planes can be improvised.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Autodesk
    • Compatibility of different file formats, and also exports to different file formats.
    • CLI Commands as well as internal functions which are exposed can be used for automation of various tasks.
    • The new 2025 comes with .NET Core support which helps AutoCAD to connect with Cloud based features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Autodesk
    • User Interface Customisation: AutoCAD's user interface could benefit from more robust customisation options. Allowing users to rearrange toolbars, menus, and panels according to their specific workflows and preferences would enhance productivity.
    • Enhanced 3D Modeling Tools: While AutoCAD is capable of 3D modeling, it's not as intuitive or feature-rich as dedicated 3D modeling software. Streamlining the process and adding more advanced modeling tools would be a welcome improvement.
    • Enhanced Collaboration and Version Control: AutoCAD could improve its collaboration tools, such as real-time editing and version tracking, to facilitate smoother teamwork, especially in multi-disciplinary projects.
    • Intelligent Object Libraries: AutoCAD could benefit from an expanded and more intelligent library of standard objects and components. This would save time for designers who often have to create custom components from scratch.
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Autodesk
    Because rarely we [would] rather wait for a whole year to update, sometimes the new updates don't bring many new features and we are still ok with the current version. Also the change of interface is always something that takes time for every partner in the company to get comfortable with. So those are the main reasons we may want to keep the same version.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    possibility of integration and customization
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Autodesk
    It is very usable once you understand the program. I believe there is room for improvement in the 2D to 3D modeling capability. We have to use other apps to 3D model and that can be time consuming and sometimes AutoCAD doesn't transfer work that well between apps. They can improve there.
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Autodesk
    AutoCAD has the issue of crashing or slowing down the design procedure once a heavy design that includes several disciplines or multiple families/blocks is involved. Customer services gets the feedback from the crash reports but this issue seems like it has never been addressed in the software updates past several years.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    NX CAD version is going out of support after only 12 months. Changes will not be implemented after 12 months from prodcution
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Autodesk
    the implementation was realy easy , to set up our workstation we pay for the licenses we are about to use , there was a little bit of delay to get the payment processed to receive the serial but after that the install runs without any problem , so you can fell secure there will be not issue with the implementation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    the manitenance period is too small for our implementation timeline
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Autodesk
    I use Revit far more than I use AutoCAD. AutoCAD is great for simple linework, but even then I will often create the lines in Revit and then export to AutoCAD for final touches and printing. AutoCAD is a bit easier for large-format prints, which is why I almost always end up using it after starting in Revit.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    NX CAD is very good for interoperability between different three dimensional modelling softwares, it can convert to .jt models, from native format such as .CATPart, .CATProduct, and ones from SOLIDWORKS. Also it is integrated to Siemens Teamcenter, which also enables other downstream workflow, such as Tecnomatix Process Simulate. Other software packages would need more integration effort to make this possible
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Autodesk
    • As an educational institute there are no overall business objectives.
    • As a negative, the licensing is expensive and we have to limit the number of computers we put it on.
    • As a positive, many of our students will have a leg up when entering into programs or companies that use this software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Designcenter Screenshots

    Screenshot of Sustainability in Designcenter helps evaluate a product's environmental impact. Analyze material choices and manufacturing processes to create eco-friendly designs that meet global standards and reduce your carbon footprint.Screenshot of the Performance Predictor, used to simulate and forecast operational efficiency. This helps optimize designs and proactively avoid bottlenecks before physical implementation.Screenshot of Immersive Engineering, used to dive deep into manufacturing environments. Viewers can explore and analyze processes virtually to pinpoint potential issues and optimize workflows before they ever reach the factory floor.Screenshot of the Select Similar tool, used to quickly identify and group geometrically identical or parametrically similar components within a design. This streamlines modifications and ensures consistency across an entire project.Screenshot of a rendering created from the actual product design. Notice the lighting and surface realism.