Autodesk Inventor 3D CAD software offers professional-grade 3D mechanical design, documentation, and product simulation tools. These blend parametric, direct, freeform, and rules-based design capabilities. Inventor includes integrated tools for sheet metal, frame design, tube and pipe, cable & harness, presentations, rendering, simulation, and machine design. It also features TrustedDWG® compatibility and Model-Based Definition capabilities for embedding manufacturing information directly in…
$300
12 days over 1 year via Flex pricing 100 tokens
CATIA
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
CATIA from Dassault Systemes is a 3D product modeling and design tool used across multiple industries.
N/A
Pricing
Autodesk Inventor
CATIA
Editions & Modules
Subscription - Monthly
$305
per month per user
Subscription - Yearly
$2440
per year per user
Subscription - 3 Years
$7320
3 years per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk Inventor
CATIA
Free Trial
Yes
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
Also available for limited use through tokens on a Flex plan.
—
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk Inventor
CATIA
Considered Both Products
Autodesk Inventor
Verified User
Technician
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk inventor has a free trial, and CATIA doesn’t.
When it comes to solid modeling, the bad choices died out years ago. So we looked at the total ecosystem and chose Autodesk Inventor because of the integration with Nastran, HSM (machining), Autodesk CFD, MoldFlow, and AutoCAD. This means our legacy data (2D) is still a valid …
We chose Inventor because the team had some historic experience with older versions of AutoCAD. Our market services primarily building engineers, so to export directly to a REVIT file was critical.
Autodesk Inventor is a great tool for students and faculty for engineering areas that don't require great precision or development of more thorough scientific results. Is you are conducting research, or deal with very intricate and complex systems I would recommend a more robust platform that complies more to industry standards.
When it comes to modelling a product using multiple parts, CATIA becomes tedious. One need someone to sit with and learn with the experience from a frequent user. If switching from any other software to CATIA, it can be intimidating as learning curve is lengthy. For example, when working with complex shape in a knuckle joint, more steps are needed in part modelling. This cause part modelling lengthier and consume time more time, in comparison to SOLIDWORKS. However, CATIA is tremendously helpful in generating really complex features. Surface modelling is way easier when one know how to use it. It becomes really handy to make changes to the design later as well. The design history tree is also very well organized, which save time in later modifications
The program is very good at simplicity. Each of the buttons, menus, and options has an explanation of exactly what the feature does, and even a more advanced description if you desire to learn more about what each one does.
Autodesk Inventor is a very fast program. Everything renders extremely quickly and there are no delays when examining a 3D model, part, or assembly. This is especially useful when giving a presentation about a product or design, and you need to be able to show a concept to an audience in real time.
The software has an extremely accurate simulation feature that lets users do stress analysis on a 3D model. It can calculate precisely where the stress concentrations are going to be in a particular model and even give you an accurate depiction of where the part could likely fracture and/or fracture during loading.
Inventor demonstrates a lack of fluidity in the process of transferring data between programs.
Inventor shows some lack of sophistication that certain features that are readily available in other design software packages are limited in use in Inventor.
Inventor can often have difficulty in creating models that show true color, as in blacks can come out as dark grays in certain renders, even when the material and appearance settings are the same from part to part.
The software is pretty heavy, even with computers designed for heavy-duty loads, resulting in long wait times to load files and make changes, reducing productivity.
I'm giving the overall support rating a 5 only because I rarely have to use it. Trying to find the answer on the help pages hardly ever helps me because any problem I have is usually too deep for what the help offers. Given the popularity of Autodesk, I have always been able to find an answer online after doing enough looking!
We got frequent updates on CATIA. There are lots of update notes. Also, there are lots of lots of videos online to solve the issues that you can stumble upon. It also has a built-in help manual, which helps occasionally. I have gotten my education through a physical class on CATIA, so there are opportunities like that as well.
When it comes to solid modeling, the bad choices died out years ago. So we looked at the total ecosystem and chose Autodesk Inventor because of the integration with Nastran, HSM (machining), Autodesk CFD, MoldFlow, and AutoCAD. This means our legacy data (2D) is still a valid part of our design methodologies going forward, and we have the full breadth of engineering tools at our disposal. Other solutions in this space have similar offerings but not nearly as potent of a portfolio in total. It's worth saying that we do not consider Inventor in the same space as CATIA or NX, but that the entire Autodesk portfolio (e.g. Alias, PowerMill, etc) includes a total toolset that exceeds these industry giants.
You can create solid or 3D figures more easily and efficiently using Catia than in other programs or in specific AutoCAD. You can also create different pieces to later assemble them and thus create figures even more complex or in greater detail. In the same way, you can make 2D drawings without much complication.
Working on a project designed with Inventor provides a modular design platform that can quickly be configured or changed as required. This allows for the quick turn around time for the design and revision of drawings.
We've used Inventor over the years (since 2013) and the updates and newly released versions of Inventor do not require re-training or restrict use.
Autodesk follows an intuitive approach and users or designers who have worked on other design platforms like SolidWorks can transition easily to Inventor.