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Easy to use, easy to learn, does the job.
February 10, 2020

Easy to use, easy to learn, does the job.

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with SOLIDWORKS

Our engineering department uses SOLIDWORKS for mechanical design and simulation needs for consumer electronic products. We design components and full assemblies, analyze the parts for manufacturability using inspection tools, and conduct simulation to determine thermal performance of products, which often include both active and passive cooling features (heatsinks and fans) designed as part of the component. We use SOLIDWORKS to communicate with suppliers and some customers within the SOLIDWORKS format.
  • Ease of use.
  • Flexibility.
  • Compatibility for files with annual software versions.
  • Load/startup time.
  • Relatively easy to find experienced SOLIDWORKS engineers.
  • Ease of use for rapid product modelling.
We originally used Autodesk, but we switched to SOLIDWORKS a few years ago primarily because of the slightly better ease of use, more readily available support and training from 3rd party resellers local to us, and what seemed to be more engineers with experience using SOLIDWORKS over Autodesk.
We work with a 3rd party reseller, CATI, who is extremely responsive to our needs, and offers training at a local facility. The service has been great. We have not experienced major technical issues requiring direct support assistance.

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?

Yes

Would you buy SOLIDWORKS again?

Yes

I would recommend SOLIDWORKS for any situation where a company needs to do general product design and modelling, for basic simulation needs. SOLIDWORKS works very well within small businesses where it can be the design tool for these needs in an isolated environment. It is not as well suited for advanced surface modelling in automotive and aerospace markets. This also makes it difficult to work with some external customers, depending on the industry - for example, most of our larger OEM automotive customers use CATIA exclusively, making file transfer more difficult.