SOLIDWORKS is a solid choice for 3D CAD
October 25, 2019

SOLIDWORKS is a solid choice for 3D CAD

Cory Puuri | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with SOLIDWORKS

EAA offers it for free to EAA members but we also use SOLIDWORKS in our Aircraft Maintenance area to draw parts for FAA approval of replacement owner-manufactured parts. The product is a powerful tool from sketch to manufacturing. Even with all this power, it is pretty straightforward to learn how to use it.

Pros

  • Makes changes fast. It adapts the assembly to part modifications and then saves the changes back to the part models.
  • Interface checking and analysis are simple yet effective.
  • Parts and template lists are quick and easy to generate.

Cons

  • CAM is only 2.5 axis.
  • The import of scanned objects should require less work.
  • Adding features could be more intuitive. Tube trims and weldments take too much tinkering.
  • As a member benefit, we’ve been getting huge accolades from members and non-members.
  • The ROI for internal use is great. We can pay off a license in just one part for a part for which there are no longer parts available.
  • The learning curve is a bit high for full adoption at our company.
SOLIDWORKS is a bit more user-friendly than AutoCAD. Since it was designed from the start for 3D, it is a lot more intuitive than AutoCAD. Pricing is comparable to SOLIDWORKS, but SOLIDWORKS is a better value.

SketchUp is a nice tool for quickly sketching something to help visualize an object but it is not practical as a manufacturing design tool. It is, however, the most cost-effective of the three.
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.

Do you think SOLIDWORKS delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with SOLIDWORKS's feature set?

Yes

Did SOLIDWORKS live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of SOLIDWORKS go as expected?

No

Would you buy SOLIDWORKS again?

Yes

SOLIDWORKS does well with complex parts and assemblies. It also works well with iterative development processes and analysis. If you plan to share the assembly with multiple people for manufacturing purposes, I wouldn’t use any other product. Their manufacturing network is extensive.

It is too complicated to learn for simple sketches where precision is not important. For example, I was drawing a stepstool that would fold and it was faster to sketch it out on paper.

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