Autodesk CFD vs. Autodesk Inventor

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Autodesk CFD
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk CFD is a computational fluid dynamics simulation software that engineers and analysts use to intelligently predict how liquids and gases will perform. Autodesk CFD helps to minimize the need for physical prototypes while providing deeper insight into fluid flow design performance.N/A
Autodesk Inventor
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk Inventor 3D CAD software offers professional-grade 3D mechanical design, documentation, and product simulation tools. These blend parametric, direct, freeform, and rules-based design capabilities. Inventor includes integrated tools for sheet metal, frame design, tube and pipe, cable & harness, presentations, rendering, simulation, and machine design. It also features TrustedDWG® compatibility and Model-Based Definition capabilities for embedding manufacturing information directly in…
$300
12 days over 1 year via Flex pricing 100 tokens
Pricing
Autodesk CFDAutodesk Inventor
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Subscription - Monthly
$305
per month per user
Subscription - Yearly
$2440
per year per user
Subscription - 3 Years
$7320
3 years per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk CFDAutodesk Inventor
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAlso available for limited use through tokens on a Flex plan.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk CFDAutodesk Inventor
Considered Both Products
Autodesk CFD
Chose Autodesk CFD
We chose Autodesk CFD as the integration within Autodesk products is great. Also it's price was another element in choosing it. We really like the interface as it's very similar with Inventor and other Autodesk solutions. The mesh capabilities are very powerful and easy to be …
Autodesk Inventor

No answer on this topic

Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Features
Autodesk CFDAutodesk Inventor
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk CFD
-
Ratings
Autodesk Inventor
6.8
2 Ratings
4% below category average
3D Modeling00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
2D Drafting00 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
Parametric Design00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Assembly Design00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
Customization and Extensions00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Autodesk CFDAutodesk Inventor
Small Businesses
SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS
Score 8.4 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Navisworks
Navisworks
Score 9.2 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Navisworks
Navisworks
Score 9.2 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk CFDAutodesk Inventor
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(27 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(12 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk CFDAutodesk Inventor
Likelihood to Recommend
Autodesk
We use a lot of Autodesk software and of course Autodesk CFD package. Integration with Inventor is pretty good. Models can be open right away in Autodesk CFD. The software saved lots of time in testing some glass units so we didn't need to perform too many real tests. Also, we used the software to improve our designs.
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Autodesk
Autodesk Inventor is a great tool for students and faculty for engineering areas that don't require great precision or development of more thorough scientific results. Is you are conducting research, or deal with very intricate and complex systems I would recommend a more robust platform that complies more to industry standards.
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Pros
Autodesk
  • Analyze heat transfer
  • thermal analysis
  • helps minimizing prototyping parts
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Autodesk
  • The program is very good at simplicity. Each of the buttons, menus, and options has an explanation of exactly what the feature does, and even a more advanced description if you desire to learn more about what each one does.
  • Autodesk Inventor is a very fast program. Everything renders extremely quickly and there are no delays when examining a 3D model, part, or assembly. This is especially useful when giving a presentation about a product or design, and you need to be able to show a concept to an audience in real time.
  • The software has an extremely accurate simulation feature that lets users do stress analysis on a 3D model. It can calculate precisely where the stress concentrations are going to be in a particular model and even give you an accurate depiction of where the part could likely fracture and/or fracture during loading.
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Cons
Autodesk
  • more options in the software
  • better reports
  • better interface
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Autodesk
  • most if it still runs on a single core. Please fix this
  • Crashes. In our experience, too many crashes. We have high end machines and crashes are way too common.
  • Autosave. I think it is simply unacceptable that Autodesk Inventor combines common crashes with no autosave functionality. We feel this pain all the time.
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Likelihood to Renew
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
Inventor continues to meet our enterprise needs. I don't see a need to change unless we change our business model significantly.
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Usability
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
It’s easy and very good for mechanical design
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Support Rating
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
I think the support for Autodesk Inventor is very good. The staff at our reseller were very knowledgable and able to walk us through problems pretty easily. The training we received was very good also. I will say that there were a couple of times we reached out to support with a question or challenge we had, and the support agent was not able to resolve our problem, and after touching base back we found out that there was not a solution for the problems we were experiencing. One of them was just how Inventor represents colors inconsistently at times, all things being equal. Another was that Inventor would not let decals on parts transcend to the assembly level. they just would not show up.
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In-Person Training
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
I got the training during college, so mostly i learned on my own
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Alternatives Considered
Autodesk
We chose Autodesk CFD as the integration within Autodesk products is great. Also it's price was another element in choosing it. We really like the interface as it's very similar with Inventor and other Autodesk solutions. The mesh capabilities are very powerful and easy to be refined. Reports provided are easily created
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Autodesk
When it comes to solid modeling, the bad choices died out years ago. So we looked at the total ecosystem and chose Autodesk Inventor because of the integration with Nastran, HSM (machining), Autodesk CFD, MoldFlow, and AutoCAD. This means our legacy data (2D) is still a valid part of our design methodologies going forward, and we have the full breadth of engineering tools at our disposal. Other solutions in this space have similar offerings but not nearly as potent of a portfolio in total. It's worth saying that we do not consider Inventor in the same space as CATIA or NX, but that the entire Autodesk portfolio (e.g. Alias, PowerMill, etc) includes a total toolset that exceeds these industry giants.
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Return on Investment
Autodesk
  • definitely saved money in our design process
  • improved existing 3D models
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Autodesk
  • Working on a project designed with Inventor provides a modular design platform that can quickly be configured or changed as required. This allows for the quick turn around time for the design and revision of drawings.
  • We've used Inventor over the years (since 2013) and the updates and newly released versions of Inventor do not require re-training or restrict use.
  • Autodesk follows an intuitive approach and users or designers who have worked on other design platforms like SolidWorks can transition easily to Inventor.
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ScreenShots