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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    COMPRESS

    Score9.5 out of 10
    N/ACodeware, headquartered in Sarasota, offers COMPRESS, a pressure vessel design application.N/A

    FreeCAD

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AFreeCAD is an open-source CAD software that specialized in 3D design. New features are added to FreeCAD by an active community of developers.N/A
    Pricing
    COMPRESSFreeCAD
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    COMPRESSFreeCAD
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    COMPRESSFreeCAD
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Codeware COMPRESS and FreeCAD
    Feature
    Codeware COMPRESS
    -
    Ratings
    FreeCAD
    7.4
    1 Ratings
    1% below category average
    3D Modeling00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    2D Drafting00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Parametric Design00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Assembly Design00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    COMPRESSFreeCAD
    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
    COMPRESSFreeCAD
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    COMPRESSFreeCAD
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Codeware
    Codeware Compress is a very powerful ASME design tool. It is very intuitive and easy to learn. Anyone engaged in ASME related design projects will greatly benefit from investing in this software. It has tools for all types of ASME code products (pressure vessels, heat exchangers & boilers). Codeware is always improving the software. New features are included in almost all new releases. Their customer support is also great. They are quick to respond to questions. The web portal has great support tools. The ability to export the ASME design into 3D CAD formats is a huge time saver. The software can also be very handy for other types of non-ASME tank design work as well. For instance, you can use it to explore leg support structures for elevated tank designs.
    Incentivized
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    Open Source
    I see FreeCad as the perfect solution for a startup with limited resources that want to save as much as possible and doesn't mind using non-standard 3D CAD software, i.e., it's not required by customers to use specific software for compatibility. It's perfect for hobbyist use and makers who don't care about brands and pay monthly fees. I see it as very well suited for small businesses that need FEA (finite element analysis) and can't/don't want to pay huge amounts of money for it, just like us. I see FreeCad as less appropriate for big corporations or well-established businesses that need standardized solutions, compatibility with clients or good version management. Don't get me wrong, it can get the job done, but it will be much slower than state-of-the-art CAD systems.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Codeware
    • Codeware Compress has a great user interface and is a very robust ASME design tool.
    • Compress has a very well built 3D CAD export interface module that works well with SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor.
    • Codeware has a great user support network.
    Incentivized
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    Open Source
    • Importing CAD formats
    • Converting mesh formats to solid and surface objects geometry
    • Fixing errors in geometry cad
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Codeware
    • Add more CAD functionality to create custom support structures and support brackets (clips, ect..)
    • Partner with a major CAD platform (such as Autodesk, SolidWorks) for an "In CAD" solution. Which would allow quick customization of the ASME design model without leaving the native CAD environment.
    Incentivized
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    Open Source
    • Overall, the UI feels very old and non-polished.
    • There are some quirky behaviors, like being unable to select a plane by having the cursor over it; it has to be over the edges of the plane.
    • It's overwhelming having those many modules and options for doing things that appear to be similar.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Codeware
    No answers on this topic
    Open Source
    Usability is awkward. Perhaps if you learn it as your first CAD, it will feel OK. Still, it comes from commercial CAD products like mine (Onshape, Solid Works, Inventor, Solid Edge). You will feel it is less intuitive, with a less polished UI, difficult to customize and, this is a subjective one, less serious. I'd love to see it improve the usability and UI. I believe the engine behind it is powerful, but how you interact with the software is still lacking.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Codeware
    I have only tried a brief tutorial on PV Elite so I can't provide a worthwhile comparison on features.
    Incentivized
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    Open Source
    Freecad is used often when receiving files from multiple sources and the need to work with cad in various forms from meshes to solid cad. Often when receiving scans of 3d objects the format is easy to work with and convert to traditional cad later on. There is no other cad that can bridge the gap between all the cad formats that we found yet.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Codeware
    • Codeware Compress is a huge part of our ability to design and release pressure vessels quickly. It has greatly reduced our engineering design cycle. We have built standards that allow us to release designs to fabrication in hours instead of days.
    • The ability to export the 3D CAD files makes quick work of developing quotes and proposals.
    • Codeware Compress greatly reduces the chances of errors related to meeting ASME code compliance. The software developers keep the software in sync with the current editions of the ASME code. That allows users to focus more time on the design aspects of the project and less time worrying about the actual nuts and bolts of the extensive ASME code rules.
    Incentivized
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    Open Source
    • It has allowed us to do some cad work that no other systems has allowed us to do and is key to getting that done fast
    • It has lots of online support through forums and blogs for trouble shooting
    • It could have an updated interface to make the functionality more user friendly for first time users
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots