Arena PLM and QMS vs. NX CAD

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Arena PLM and QMS
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Arena by PTC is a cloud-based PLM and QMS platform. Arena helps product companies that rely on distributed teams and global supply chains to develop products, ensure regulatory compliance, and respond to customer demands.N/A
NX CAD
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Siemens NX software is an integrated product design solution that helps deliver products faster and more efficiently. NX delivers design, simulation, and manufacturing solutions that enable companies to realize the value of the digital twin.N/A
Pricing
Arena PLM and QMSNX CAD
Editions & Modules
Arena PLM Launch
Contact Sales
Arena PLM Enterprise
Contact Sales
Arena QMS
Contact Sales
Arena QMS Enterprise
Contact Sales
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Arena PLM and QMSNX CAD
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsArena's cloud-based PLM and QMS solutions include role-based subscriptions to meet diverse team needs. Their fixed-fee QuickStart™ implementations supports rapid deployment.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Arena PLM and QMSNX CAD
Features
Arena PLM and QMSNX CAD
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Arena PLM and QMS
-
Ratings
NX CAD
7.6
5 Ratings
3% above category average
3D Modeling00 Ratings8.75 Ratings
2D Drafting00 Ratings8.85 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings6.04 Ratings
Parametric Design00 Ratings8.45 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings6.54 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings7.65 Ratings
Assembly Design00 Ratings8.35 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings7.33 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings7.15 Ratings
Customization and Extensions00 Ratings7.35 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Arena PLM and QMSNX CAD
Small Businesses
monday dev
monday dev
Score 8.5 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Teamcenter
Teamcenter
Score 9.0 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Roadmunk
Roadmunk
Score 6.2 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Arena PLM and QMSNX CAD
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(220 ratings)
8.1
(28 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(5 ratings)
8.5
(7 ratings)
Usability
6.5
(17 ratings)
7.3
(8 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.9
(18 ratings)
7.3
(3 ratings)
Online Training
8.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.3
(2 ratings)
7.4
(3 ratings)
Configurability
8.7
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Arena PLM and QMSNX CAD
Likelihood to Recommend
Arena by PTC
Arena PLM is well suited for part number, BOM and file management. Processing changes (ECNs, ACOs, DCO's, etc.) in Arena is very easy to do and provides great visibility on the status of submitted requests. The ability to communicate with Suppliers and grant them access to files in Arena is extremely helpful. Arena does not appear to be the best suited system for managing software
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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.
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Pros
Arena by PTC
  • It provides easy, 'login-anywhere' internet cloud-based access to fundamental PLM functions.
  • It provides secure access control for employees & vendors (but you pay per person for access licenses).
  • Data is effectively 'always backed up' in the internet-cloud.
  • There is an option to attach thumbnail graphics representative of each item and create a Bill of Materials view that also displays the graphics to help provide item recognition for BOM readers.
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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.
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Cons
Arena by PTC
  • In my opinion, the Help Pages clearly do not realize that a picture is worth a 1,000 words; need illustrations and screenshots!
  • I think the 'Save' button when editing Quality Processes needs to "float" on the active page, not lurking at the bottom.
  • In my experience, the Arena PLM and QMS Training programs need to be revamped to include "real-world" examples and working through examples, not simply reading through a training manual.
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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.
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Likelihood to Renew
Arena by PTC
We have so much time and effort invested into Arena. The history of approvals, revisions, etc. are necessary for many of our customers. We also have entire device histories recorded. Having to re-create that on another platform would be a feat requiring years of effort. But mostly, Arena just works. It's transformed our business into a much more streamlined system, resulting in a massive cost and time savings.
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Siemens AG
possibility of integration and customization
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Usability
Arena by PTC
Arena has improved their UI over the years that I've used it to make it more user friendly. Additionally, there is a lot of redundancy within Arena (multiple ways to achieve the same end), which makes it easier to learn.
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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
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Reliability and Availability
Arena by PTC
Seems like when I need to access our workspace for an emergency situation, this is when maintenance is scheduled, just the luck of the draw, I guess, and I just wait until the maintenance is complete, and then can proceed
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Siemens AG
No answers on this topic
Performance
Arena by PTC
We use a few other software or systems (Silicon expert) and it is seamless to us, pages load quickly and efficiently.
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Siemens AG
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Arena by PTC
Upon initial observation, Arena Solution appears to possess a rather intricate nature, yet this complexity was effectively navigated during the initial configuration phase with the invaluable assistance of an expert well-versed in Arena, a factor that greatly contributed to our comprehensive mastery and autonomous handling of Arena Solutions thereafter.
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Siemens AG
NX CAD version is going out of support after only 12 months. Changes will not be implemented after 12 months from prodcution
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Online Training
Arena by PTC
The On line training was easy to understand and was very efficient for most of our users. We used the training tools to make sure we use all of the features to their fullest and correctly! After a few weeks mos of our users were very proficient with ARENA PLM and were able to work on their own and use mos of the sections and PLM capablilities.
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Siemens AG
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Arena by PTC
Pretty straightforward, from OOB
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Siemens AG
the manitenance period is too small for our implementation timeline
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Alternatives Considered
Arena by PTC
Arena is much better than QAD in terms of BOMs and ECOs and Revision Control. We use Arena concurrently with SAP and they integrate very well together, which is nice. The integration team was really helpful in making sure that the SAP to Arena functionality runs smoothly, and when there are any issues, they are very responsive to help make changes to fix the problem that might be there.
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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
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Scalability
Arena by PTC
Arena is easy to customize and therefore easy to scale. Different user groups with access restrictions can be easily created and new training plans can be created to support different user bases. Suppliers can also easily be added or items can be shared with them
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Siemens AG
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Arena by PTC
  • Decreased the company's time to market for release of its second generation flagship product.
  • Decreased the turn around on non-conformance reports (NCRs), supplier corrective action reports (SCARs), and corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs).
  • Better organized the company's process maps, DHF, and other regulatory related information so that major audits are completed faster and with fewer findings.
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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.
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ScreenShots

Arena PLM and QMS Screenshots

Screenshot of Arena Bill of Materials (BOM) Management. Indented BOM displaying "in production" item status.Screenshot of Arena Engineering Change Management.  Engineering Change Order (ECO) approval with redlines.Screenshot of Arena Projects. Project schedule with status and progress.Screenshot of Arena Quality. Quality process showing a Corrective Action Report (CAR) with the issue details, affected items, and resolution progress/status.Screenshot of Arena Requirements. Tracks requirements and related product development issues for a complete product picture.Screenshot of Arena Analytics, Arena's business intelligence (BI) tool

NX CAD Screenshots

Screenshot of NX technology can generate multiple design options. (It's like having an extra employee dedicated to "trying out" different designs.) Then Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) can be used to generate the part.Screenshot of Studies show an inordinate amount of time can be spent by designers as they look for previous or similar parts. The software can search for similarly-shaped parts.Screenshot of NX has the ability to validate a part (or assembly) and its adherence to standards, collisions, and manufacturability.Screenshot of Virtual inspection and mark up full sized assemblies.Screenshot of a rendering created from the actual product design. Notice the lighting and surface realism.