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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    SOLIDWORKS

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/ADassault Systemes offers SOLIDWORKS, a computer-aided design (CAD) system for education and manufacturing supporting 2D or 3D design, electrical design, simulations, and product development with collaboration tools.

    $1,295

    per year

    Pricing
    SimScaleSOLIDWORKS
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Solidworks Annual Subscription
    1,295
    per year
    Solidworks Standard
    3,996
    per standalone license
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    SimScaleSOLIDWORKS
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    SimScaleSOLIDWORKS
    Considered Both Products
    SimScale GmbH
    Chose SimScale
    We chose to go with SimScale based mostly on capital cost. Competitors have a large upfront cost and also require expensive hardware to properly run them. Even their subscription cost is competitive with the annual cost of others.
    Incentivized
    Dassault Systemes
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Would buy again
    32 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    30 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    32 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    24 Answers
    Features
    SimScaleSOLIDWORKS
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of SimScale and SOLIDWORKS
    Feature
    SimScale
    -
    Ratings
    SOLIDWORKS
    8.8
    3 Ratings
    16% above category average
    3D Modeling00 Ratings9.83 Ratings
    2D Drafting00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings7.93 Ratings
    Parametric Design00 Ratings7.62 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings9.62 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings9.83 Ratings
    Assembly Design00 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings6.22 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings9.42 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    SimScaleSOLIDWORKS
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    SimScaleSOLIDWORKS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.5
    (4 ratings)
    9.7
    (58 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.2
    (16 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    SimScaleSOLIDWORKS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    Dassault Systemes
    As a mechanical engineer, it is one of the best tools to just start modeling and engineering with. The UI tools are intuitive and engineering analysis such Mold Analysis, FEA, are great! Other 3D CAD modeling tools have a longer learning curve to master. All in all, if you're not planning to design an entire airplane with large assembly files, then Solidworks is your tool!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    SimScale GmbH
    • Material non-linear analysis.
    • Geometric non-linear analysis.
    • Meshing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    • The collaborative work environment is a cool and useful feature where groups of people can work on the same model at the same time, and SOLIDWORKS ensures that you don't overwrite each other's work.
    • The ease and amount of customization options are very useful for creating a personalized and intuitive user interface, whether SOLIDWORKS is your native CAD package or not.
    • It is very easy to quickly edit a model you have already created. The software allows sketch and feature editing without having to take the time to actually enter the sketch/feature environment.
    • The use of configurations and configurations-specific dimensions in the same sketch is very useful for creating different forms of the same part
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    Dassault Systemes
    • Save DWG 2D files in inches or metric easily, defaults to metric and has to be manually converted to inches
    • When using the sketch feature, the ability to disable ALL references. If I don't know the exact shape and I want to draw/adapt my design, it harshly interprets the references which have no value to me. The easiest exact is to think about when you have a Microsoft Word document that has a lot of formatting, photos, tabs, etc. If you accidentally hit the "enter" key, you can explode the formatting and everything goes crazy. SW does this to me, I just want to "doodle" my sketches, edit/delete/etc and not be bound by arbitrary references.
    • For the sketch feature, ability to use a DraftSight plugin of some sort. I'm super fast in DS, if I could draw using the commands in SW then I would probably never open DS again and convert to SW full time. Currently, I only use SW as a way to convert 3D files so I can build everything in DraftSight.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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
    Dassault Systemes
    We have absolutely no reasons to not keep with SolidWorks for the foreseeable future.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    SimScale GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    Dassault Systemes
    I have been using SOLIDWORKS for around 12 years as of writing this review, so have learned where most things are and how they work. When first starting out it was quite daunting, but the interface is well laid out with like functions near each other which made finding new functions relatively easy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    SimScale GmbH
    No answers on this topic
    Dassault Systemes
    We have an unusual arrangement. We don’t pay for support, but we’re partnered with a VAR for second-tier support.
    I work with other users if I have questions but when we’ve had to ask the VAR, they always have answers. It appears that all of the VARs have access to a support platform from DS SOLIDWORKS that helps them answer most questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    Onshape is a direct competitor. It has great entry level pricing and it is easy to access with no installation required. Being a web based app there is sometime some lag being based in NZ. Management also have concerns over where the data is stored on the cloud. With SW we can control where it is stored
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    SimScale GmbH
    • It has allowed us to increase our service offering which has lead to additional work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    • Creation of small 3D pieces to generate cash flow.
    • Not being able to create 3D sculptures with this tool, and not being able to fulfill the client's requirements.
    • To be able to sell high visual quality simulations for companies that hire the service.
    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