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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Autodesk Inventor

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/AAutodesk 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

    PTC Creo

    Score7.6 out of 10
    N/APTC offers Creo, the company's line of computer-aided design (CAD) products that support the product lifecycle management (PLM) process with 2D and 3D design kits (Creo Elements and Creo Direct), an augmented reality module, Creo Illustrate for technical illustrations, Creo Sketch, Creo Schematics and Creo View for diagramming and sharing information, Creo simulate for running simulations, and other modules.

    $2,480

    SimScale

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ASimScale is an engineering simulation platform that aims to revolutionize the way engineers, designers, scientists, and students design products. The SimScale platform is fully cloud-based and is accessible completely via a standard web browser. The easy-to-use interface supports numerous simulation types including Structural Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Thermodynamics, and more. The vendor says that SimScale eliminates many of the hurdles that accompany traditional simulation tools: high…N/A
    Pricing
    Autodesk InventorPTC CreoSimScale
    Editions & Modules
    Subscription - Monthly
    $305
    per month per user
    Subscription - Yearly
    $2440
    per year per user
    Subscription - 3 Years
    $7320
    3 years per user
    Design Package
    $2,480.00
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Autodesk InventorPTC CreoSimScale
    Free Trial
    YesNoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional DetailsAlso available for limited use through tokens on a Flex plan.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Autodesk InventorPTC CreoSimScale
    Considered Multiple Products
    Autodesk
    Chose Autodesk Inventor
    I've listed SOLIDWORKS, SDRC Ideas and Pro/Engineer as alternative and comparable applications. SDRC Ideas is an extinct product, and Pro/E is available as it's descendent, PTC Creo, I think. Of the two alternatives, SOLIDWORKS is easier for me to use and I can do more with it, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk Inventor
    Autodesk Inventor is by far the best CAD package when it comes to mechanical design. The product development that requires small mechanical details, including electronic components. The user interface is much more intuitive and clean when compared to SOLIDWORKS or PTC Creo. …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk Inventor
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk Inventor
    As previously mentioned in an earlier question, Autodesk Inventor has found the happy middle ground for my 3D CAD needs. Autodesk is easy to pick up but complex enough to allow for all our CAD needs to be filled. I personally didn't select Autodesk Inventor (it was what the …
    Incentivized
    PTC
    Chose PTC Creo
    PTC Creo is much better than other software at allowing collaboration across multiple users, even multiple plants/locations. We went from an older non-parametric industry standard software to PTC Creo because we could save massive amounts of time by using the parametric …
    Incentivized
    Chose PTC Creo
    As a service provider, we provide our services on many platforms. My client is using this software for manufacturing their products and this software helps them a lot.
    Incentivized
    Chose PTC Creo
    PTC Creo has two main advantages. First, large assemblies with lots of different parts files, and its file structure that can handle these large assemblies without bogging the software done. Second, its ability to do advanced simulations without having to export the files to do …
    Incentivized
    SimScale GmbH
    Chose SimScale
    I used this software when it was known as CFDesign and in the first couple of years after it was acquired by Autodesk. I was familiar with the workflow of CFDesign and the user interface, the first couple times using SimScale was a bit of a challenge but I quickly became …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    88%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    90%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    17 Answers
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    10 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    15 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Autodesk InventorPTC CreoSimScale
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Autodesk Inventor and PTC Creo and SimScale
    Feature
    Autodesk Inventor
    7.6
    3 Ratings
    2% above category average
    PTC Creo
    4.0
    1 Ratings
    61% below category average
    SimScale
    -
    Ratings
    3D Modeling8.13 Ratings4.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    2D Drafting7.73 Ratings1.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization7.83 Ratings6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Parametric Design7.93 Ratings8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing4.33 Ratings6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats7.93 Ratings2.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Assembly Design7.83 Ratings3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis8.53 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation7.83 Ratings2.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions7.93 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Autodesk InventorPTC CreoSimScale
    Small Businesses
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    Rhino
    Score8.7 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Autodesk InventorPTC CreoSimScale
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (28 ratings)
    2.2
    (14 ratings)
    8.5
    (4 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.2
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.1
    (12 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Autodesk InventorPTC CreoSimScale
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    PTC Creo is great for assemblies that multiple users are collaborating on. Models can reference other models that someone in another department has released and when those models are changed, the referenced parts and assemblies are changed. These changes are very helpful when working on collaborative machine designs and comparing forging dies with the final parts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SimScale GmbH
    For a small company, SimScale is a great fit. It allows me to gain the use and support of higher-end software analysis on demand without the traditional high cost. This is super convenient for a company that does occasional design and analysis. Since the computing is cloud-based it also allows me to process large and detailed models without the high hardware cost that can be required. One potential drawback is that the design information is stored on someone else's server. For some industries and companies this would be a deal-breaker.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    • PTC Creo contains many advanced tools with better optimization for creating part models and other production related drawings.
    • The initial concept designs can be done more adequately.
    • The parameters of 2D drawings can be changed easily by editing the 3D model.
    • The productivity can be increased by customized tools for modeling.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SimScale GmbH
    • Material non-linear analysis.
    • Geometric non-linear analysis.
    • Meshing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    • No autosave
    • No clear message if it has problems saving the file
    • Not so easy to use
    • In my experience, has a lot of things missing that other CAD already have in years
    • In my experience, it's extremely easy to lose work/time
    Read full review
    SimScale GmbH
    • Learning from tutorials is great, but limiting. The online help is a must.
    • Some simulations take a lot of time, but at least it's not on your PC.
    • Sometimes the software times out due to the server.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Autodesk
    Inventor continues to meet our enterprise needs. I don't see a need to change unless we change our business model significantly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    SimScale GmbH
    I had a great experience with SimScale but we only used the software for a short period of time to complete the current design requirements. It is not a software that we would continually subscribe to. Next subscription event would occur when there is a design requirement to do so.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Autodesk
    It is quite user-friendly as long as you have the computing power to download and use it. However, this makes it quite inconvenient if you are trying to access files on different devices, as Inventor has to be loaded on all of those devices. While the program itself works just fine, it would be much better for my application if it, or a version, were web-based and allowed users to access and modify projects from anywhere.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    SimScale GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    I liked the training manuals I used to learn some, as I didn’t have CAD background in college or before this job. My coworkers were able to share with me what they learned in PTC training and I was able to get support online and through reading.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SimScale GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    In-Person Training
    Autodesk
    I got the training during college, so mostly i learned on my own
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    SimScale GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    Learning curve of SOLIDWORKS is higher compared to Creo, however, stability and more design control is provided by Creo. Creo also have more robust and stable interfaces. For larger assemblies, Creo works better than SOLIDWORKS. New upgrades of Creo has given liberty to open different file data of different software without any file conversion. Creo costs comparable to SOLIDWORKS cost, with more capabilities.
    Incentivized
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    SimScale GmbH
    SimScale is much faster to spin up on than OpenFOAM. Ansys CFD tools are much more expensive! Both tools require expensive computing equipment to run, which SimScale does not!
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    • Having PTC Creo as our primary tool positions us as forward thinking and creative in the eyes of our clients.
    • PTC Creo constantly evolves in the ability to increase our productivity; new capabilities and features are added, which reduce our level of effort for some tasks.
    Incentivized
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    SimScale GmbH
    • It has allowed us to increase our service offering which has lead to additional work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    SimScale Screenshots

    Screenshot of Thermodynamics: Gearbox Thermal SimulationScreenshot of Finite Element Analysis (FEA): Gantry Crane Stress AnalysisScreenshot of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): HVAC Internal Flow Analysis