NX CAD vs. SketchUp

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
SketchUp
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
SketchUp is 3D modeling software with an emphasis on usability. SketchUp is a Trimble product.
$119
per year
Pricing
NX CADSketchUp
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Free
$0.00
per year
For Schools (free with G Suite or Microsoft education account)
$0
For Students
$55.00
per year
For Educators
$55.00
per year
Studio for Students / Educators (Desktop version)
$55
per year
Shop
$119.00
per year
Pro
$299.00
per year
Professional
$299.00
per year
Studio (Windows only)
$699
per year
Studio
$1199.00
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
NX CADSketchUp
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
NX CADSketchUp
Considered Both Products
NX CAD
Chose NX CAD
The only reason why NX was chosen was due to the process management, and revision control that's built-in. And being able to limit access to files and if they can be modified.
SketchUp

No answer on this topic

Features
NX CADSketchUp
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
NX CAD
7.6
5 Ratings
3% above category average
SketchUp
-
Ratings
3D Modeling8.75 Ratings00 Ratings
2D Drafting8.85 Ratings00 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization6.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Parametric Design8.45 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing6.54 Ratings00 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats7.65 Ratings00 Ratings
Assembly Design8.35 Ratings00 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis7.33 Ratings00 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation7.15 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization and Extensions7.35 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
NX CADSketchUp
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.1 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.1 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 8.3 out of 10
Navisworks
Navisworks
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
NX CADSketchUp
Likelihood to Recommend
8.1
(28 ratings)
8.0
(47 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.5
(7 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
7.3
(8 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.3
(3 ratings)
8.5
(14 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.4
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
NX CADSketchUp
Likelihood to Recommend
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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Trimble
SketchUp is great for individually studying options for building design. It is an awesome conceptual tool to be able to quickly model and manipulate a building to study different designs. It is not good for complex geometries, especially curves. Surfaces have a hard time registering and cutting into one another. It also eventually needs to go into Revit to be more realistic as it is not good as a documentation tool
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Pros
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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Trimble
  • Quickly exploring solutions in 3D: We get a lot of "what if" and "what would that look like" questions. While hand-sketching and hand-drafting can be fairly quick, SketchUp allows me to quickly create 3D and 2D views of a detail or solution, change dimensions and materials in a flash, and show a client or installer the plan in minutes.
  • Creating professional design documents in LayOut: Projects of any scale need good documentation. Using a combination of SketchUp and LayOut, I can create a Design Intent Set, plans for permitting, a set for mechanical trades to mark-up, etc. Having clear, appropriately-scaled drawings with dimensions or notations is a must, and we don't always have the time or budget to get an architect involved!
  • Using live files to guide discussions: Not all clients are "visual" people, so opening their model and orbiting around their space in real time has been extremely helpful. Clients and trades enjoy the perspective views so much that we often include them in the full-sized drawing sets to give a good "overall" view of the project intent. For complex or tight spaces, sometimes un-rendered plans and elevations just aren't enough!
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Cons
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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Trimble
  • Ability to import Revit files and libraries.
  • Ability to export true curved vector linework. There are some workarounds, needs to be refined.
  • Create an OPEN MAPS connection. Since the split from Google, the source for high-quality aerials is limited.
  • Ability to dock all menus to the master window on a Mac
  • Ability to develop dockable menu trays on a Mac
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Likelihood to Renew
Siemens AG
possibility of integration and customization
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Trimble
We typically wait a few years in between renewing, as even older versions are powerful tools for modeling, and we make sure the amount of feature changes are worth the re-investment.
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Usability
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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Trimble
It is very user friendly and easy to learn. It's simplicity allows for a low learning curve so more people can learn it faster. The downside is that most schools are no longer teaching it, so many younger professionals come out of school not knowing it and knowing more complex software and they have a hard time "dumbing down" their skillsets
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Support Rating
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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Trimble
Sketchup is so intuitive; I can't recall ever looking for official support. However, there are many user forums online that can answer more questions. The usefulness of the online forums is, however, tempered by the fact that there have been many versions of the software under different ownership and support regimes, and thus finding the right information for the right version of the software can be a challenge.
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Implementation Rating
Siemens AG
the manitenance period is too small for our implementation timeline
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Trimble
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
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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Trimble
We have not evaluated any other competing software to this one. I heard about this software from a friend who teaches how to use it. She showed me in just a few minutes and I was HOOKED. I saw immediately the possible help it would be to my business. Thank you.
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Return on Investment
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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Trimble
  • It's good in the sense that you can quickly make a drawing and speeds up the design process. Not sure how to quantify that from a ROI perspective.
  • Also, good for editing an image after the fact. We can easily add a dimension that was forgotten in the original image.
  • Allows team members to understand a design easier than on other software platforms.
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ScreenShots

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.