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Alibre Design

Alibre Design

Overview

What is Alibre Design?

Alibre Design is a 3D CAD software designed for mechanical design, prototyping, and manufacturing. According to the vendor, it caters to businesses of various sizes, from startups to large enterprises, as well as individual hobbyists and home shop users. Alibre Design is commonly used by professionals...

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Users of Alibre Design have found the software to be a capable and affordable solution for their design needs. With over 10 years of …
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Pricing

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Basic

$999

Cloud
one-time fee

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Details

What is Alibre Design?

Alibre Design is a 3D CAD software designed for mechanical design, prototyping, and manufacturing. According to the vendor, it caters to businesses of various sizes, from startups to large enterprises, as well as individual hobbyists and home shop users. Alibre Design is commonly used by professionals in mechanical engineering, industrial design, product design, architecture, and manufacturing companies.

Key Features

Workholding: Alibre Design offers workholding features that, according to the vendor, allow users to securely hold and position their designs during the modeling process. Users can utilize various workholding options such as clamps, vices, and fixtures for stability and accuracy.

Assembly Design: Alibre Design includes powerful assembly design capabilities that, according to the vendor, enable users to create complex assemblies of multiple parts. Users can easily assemble and position parts, define relationships between components, and simulate the movement and interaction of parts.

Parametric Modeling: Alibre Design utilizes parametric modeling techniques, allowing users to create intelligent 3D models that, according to the vendor, can be easily modified and updated. Users can define parameters and constraints to control the dimensions, shape, and behavior of their models.

Sheet Metal Design: Alibre Design offers specialized tools for designing sheet metal parts, including the ability to create flat patterns, bend features, and flanges. Users can define material thickness, bend radii, and other sheet metal parameters to accurately represent real-world manufacturing processes.

2D Drafting and Detailing: Alibre Design includes comprehensive 2D drafting and detailing capabilities for creating precise technical drawings. Users can generate orthographic views, section views, and detailed views of their 3D models.

Direct Editing: Alibre Design allows users to make direct edits to their 3D models, enabling quick modifications without the need to go back to the original feature history. Users can easily push, pull, move, or delete geometry, making it convenient to make design changes on the fly.

Visualization and Rendering: Alibre Design offers visualization and rendering features that, according to the vendor, allow users to create realistic and high-quality renderings of their designs. Users can apply materials, textures, and lighting effects to enhance the visual appearance of their models.

Simulation and Analysis: Alibre Design provides simulation and analysis tools to evaluate the performance and behavior of designs under various conditions. Users can perform stress analysis, motion analysis, and thermal analysis to validate and optimize their designs.

Collaboration and Documentation: Alibre Design offers features for collaboration and documentation, allowing users to share their designs with team members and stakeholders. Users can export their designs in various file formats for compatibility with other CAD software and manufacturing processes.

Integration with Manufacturing Processes: Alibre Design seamlessly integrates with manufacturing processes, enabling users to generate machine-ready toolpaths and G-code for CNC machining. Users can export their designs to CAM software for further processing and manufacturing.

Alibre Design Features

  • Supported: 2D Drawing
  • Supported: 3D Design & Modeling
  • Supported: Animation
  • Supported: Annotations
  • Supported: Bill of Materials Management
  • Supported: Component Library
  • Supported: Data Import/Export
  • Supported: Design Management
  • Supported: For 3D Printing
  • Supported: For Manufacturers
  • Supported: Modeling & Simulation
  • Supported: Reference Management
  • Supported: Reporting/Analytics
  • Supported: Sketching and Annotation Tools
  • Supported: Third Party Integrations
  • Supported: 3D Imaging
  • Supported: CAD Tools
  • Supported: Design Analysis
  • Supported: Manufacturing Design Data
  • Supported: Mechanical

Alibre Design Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows
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Comparisons

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Reviews

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Users of Alibre Design have found the software to be a capable and affordable solution for their design needs. With over 10 years of usage, customers value its ease of use and intuitive commands that allow them to quickly turn their ideas into 2D and 3D models. The ability to design complex assemblies and reduce time to market has been instrumental for many users, who appreciate the software's time-saving capabilities.

Alibre Design has been successfully used in a variety of applications, including mechanical design, music venue stage layouts, and checking fitment of products in different installation environments. Users praise its compatibility with 3D printing and its collaboration capabilities with customers. The parametric modeling and sheet metal features are highlighted as beneficial and easy to use, enabling users to create parts, designs, drill templates, photorealistic renders, and fabricate sheet metal parts. Overall, customers have had positive experiences with Alibre Design, finding it functional, easy to learn, and a great value for money alternative to more expensive CAD programs.

Affordable Pricing: Many users have praised the affordable pricing of Alibre Design, stating that it offers a great value for money. Numerous reviewers have mentioned that the software provides all the necessary features and capabilities at a reasonable price point compared to other CAD software on the market.

Ease of Use: The ease of use is another commonly mentioned pro of Alibre Design. Users appreciate how easy it is to learn and operate the software, making it accessible to both experienced and novice users alike. Several reviewers have specifically highlighted that they were able to start designing right away with Alibre Design, even with limited system configurations.

Robust Features: A significant number of reviewers have commended Alibre Design's feature-richness and capability, especially considering its price point. Users find the software exceptionally capable in carrying out complex 3D modeling tasks, even on less powerful computers. Additionally, many users appreciate the generous modeling tools and seamless transition from 3D to 2D offered by Alibre Design.

Lack of Advanced Features: Several users have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of advanced features in Alibre Design. Some reviewers have mentioned specific tools that are missing, such as a thread generator and surface modeling tools, which they find time-consuming to work around. Users have also noted the absence of basic functionalities like direct sketch scaling and integration with other design software.

Difficulty with 2D Drawing Management: A number of users have found managing 2D drawings in Alibre Design to be challenging. They have mentioned difficulties with hidden line management, setting annotation text colors, and adding hatching to enclosed areas. Some users have also experienced glitches that prevent drawings from being reprojected, requiring them to be recreated.

Stability Issues and Limited Support: A significant number of reviewers have reported stability issues with Alibre Design, noting regular software crashes. These crashes occur even on new laptops with up-to-date specifications. Additionally, some users have found navigating the software's quirks and procedural oddities challenging due to what they perceive as a relatively small support team.

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