DriveWorks vs. Siemens Solid Edge

I would recommend DriveWorks to a college if they have similar needs to those I am personally experiencing at my university. Above all, I would not recommend it if the user needs to allow simultaneous access to a very high number of users (as is my case) since the software does not give this possibility. On the contrary, I would recommend it if a colleague needs to use software that works in the background and generates stand-alone models and prints for time reasons.

Incentivized

Well Suited for:

• Integrated designs performed by multiple designers simultaneously (designs requiring a Product Lifecycle Management system);
• Designs requiring a high degree of parameterisation;
• Large companies where specific standards and best practices are applied to all models and drawings created.

Not Well Suited for:

• Personal use in designing one-off models and drawings;
• Small business use where very few of the expensive features are actually used.

Incentivized

• Integration with other systems.
• Ease of use.
• Automation potential.
• Program UI.

Incentivized

• It has very good user interface in classic or ordered environment.
• In 2D or drafting, you can give any Geometric tolerancing and symbols to any dimension. There is a wide range of options available.
• You can convert any files in step file (.stp) and can open it in other designing applications easily.
• After converting 3D drawings in 2D you can make changes in 2D drawing by converting it in the draft. You can also add details like cross-sections and detailed view.
• You can directly make threads without creating holes.

Incentivized

• In some cases, the exchange of documentation between different users is not so automatic. Some operations still have to be done manually.
• All the variables and design parameters introduced by the user are not always visible and can be analyzed simultaneously. Sometimes changing the parameters related to the characteristics of the products is not so easy.
• DriveWorks allows access to a limited number of users at the same time. This issue sometimes makes the use of the software difficult for many of our students.

Incentivized

• School/university exposure and saturation is low, students getting hired out of school are unaware of Edge.
• Market perception: competitors win the popularity contest in the CAD world. Yet, Edge is by far the functional king of the industry.

The most important aspects are extremely easy to use. The hard to use parts are mostly because I'm not familiar with it yet.

Incentivized

I have never personally had to deal with the support team for Siemens Solid Edge, but I have engaged them through a few colleagues. Any time that I have had a query, or have had to ask for a Home-Use Licence, the response to my query has been forthcoming within 2-3 hours.

Incentivized

DriveWorks is similar to some of its competitors but there are areas where it excels in comparison. For example, DriveWorks has an easier integration with other systems in terms of automation. However, some of its competitors have an easier learning curve than opposed to DriveWorks. If a skilled user has knowledge of DriveWorks then it will not be an issue.

Incentivized

What makes Solid Edge better than any other of the previously mentioned software is the Synchronous technology feature. This is the ability to integrate 2D and 3D sketching. Without planning ahead you can start modeling from a simple sketch. This makes this software a better choice because it means you can directly edit the geometries from your 3D models.

Incentivized

• DriveWorks helped us to increase the efficiency of our work thanks to the possibility to work remotely.
• The easy-to-understand graphical interface has allowed us to increase the interaction between our students.
• The impossibility of having many active users during the same session forced us to work at different times with multiple workgroups.

Incentivized

• Since the version I'm using (2D version) is free, the return on investment is through the roof!
• It has given me another powerful tool for handling DWG files from clients.
• Its quickness and robustness make it a time-saver, since there is less time waiting for the files to open, regenerate, etc.

Incentivized