SW Guy on Inventor, MDT or Catia?

Discussion in 'CATIA' started by Robin, May 13, 2004.

  1. Robin

    Robin Guest

    I'm a self employed that just became an employe of a company. I am used
    SolidWorks as a self employed but the new companyi using something else.

    They are using MDT 6, claiming that MDT 8 is not stable (is the 6 stable??).
    They have licenses of Inventor 6 but claim that this is not stable and they
    should better stay with MDT 6 rather than moving to Inventor 6. They have
    there licenses of Inventor 8 but did not tested it.

    They are in the aerospace industry and could buy Catia too. Catia is more
    appealing for potential clients but cost much more. They could just afford
    one eventually and whould have to deal with the fact that we could be a
    couple of staff using cad system which could be a problem with just one
    Catia license.

    This is a big problem. Stayong on MDT is an advantage because the structure
    and templates are already working. However, they are pain slow and it
    sounds not realy appealing to client.

    Moving on Inventor could be a nice move but they claim it is not stable.

    Moving to SW is easy to me (I do support and training on it) and I can
    manage every aspect of it (including FEA analysis that we plan to do).
    Morehover, SW is a property of Catia and I know it can handle the job well.

    Question: Can Inventor 8 handle the job as good as SW2004? (stability and
    features)

    Question: is Catia as fast as Inventor or SW on modeling and drafting? (I'm
    not talking about power but basing prismatic modeling)

    Question: Is Catia FEA module as fast and easy as add-in in Inventor or SW?

    If anybody can help me in part of this big problem, I don't expect anyone to
    help me in all these area. I am just an expert on SW and cosmosworks.

    Robin
    mech eng
    tmhcanada
     
    Robin, May 13, 2004
    #1
  2. I have the latest version of MDT 2004 DX (version 8 of Autodesk's Inventor
    Series) and it is very stable. I recently analyzed the mid-ranged modelers
    (SE, MDT, SW) and SW was the clear choice. MDT is dead! The sooner the
    switch over to a robust modeler, the better your project history will be,
    reducing legacy data conversions. The big thing which sold me on SW was
    "configurations", the other packages required an add-on to perform this
    functionality (SE may or may not, but 2 years ago I was told "UG and
    "Fusion" was their solution). The positive switch over from MDT to whatever
    will become apparent when the old MDT ways of thinking are quickly and
    easily dropped. Using the interlinking of features and variables is a
    blessing.


    --
    Keith Streich
    Pflow Industries, Inc
    5045 North 35th Street
    Milwaukee, WI 53209

    (414) 462-8810
    (414) 535-2195 x124 Direct
    (414) 462-2673 FAX

     
    Keith Streich, May 13, 2004
    #2
  3. Robin

    clay Guest

    Robin,

    Good luck. In 18 years I have never been sucessfull in converting am
    ACAD/MDT group to anything else no matter how superior it was. Unless
    there was an influential manager (that actually had some cad experience)
    that saw the pitfalls of the old system, and had the motivation to carry
    the ball for switching to a new/better system. So go find that guy and
    get behind him.

    ca
     
    clay, May 13, 2004
    #3
  4. Robin

    Rocko Guest

    Robin,
    I would get trial of SW in order to check it out. Then you could use
    XchangeWorks which is free for you. This allows you to load in a plug in for
    autocad or MDT. This will allow you to bring in SW files, Pro-E files and
    Unigraphic part files into MDT.
     
    Rocko, May 13, 2004
    #4
  5. Robin

    PellaKen Guest

    Keith,

    Apparently YOU did not evaluate Solid Edge as it does have configurations,
    and you apparently talked to the UG sales group.

    Ken
     
    PellaKen, May 14, 2004
    #5
  6. At the Engineering and Design Show in Chicago! I told them want I wanted to
    do (automatically suppress or swap components based on dimensional or load
    conditions) and they stated SE couldn't do it, but UG could, but only with a
    add-on called "Fusion" or "Fission".

    Keith
     
    Keith Streich, May 14, 2004
    #6
  7. Robin

    hoser_71 Guest

    To answer a couple of your questions:

    Inventor 8 is lacking in configurations, e-drawings, and surfacing in
    comparison to SW. But Inventor can handle prismatic parts as well as
    SW. From what I've been told Inventor takes less clicks to get the
    job done, has an easier interface to learn, and is slightly better in
    the detailing department. I would suggest using SW for consumer
    products, and IV for machinery. We use Inventor 8 here along with a
    couple of other programs and it's been a very stable release. I
    suggest talking to a VAR of both and have them set up your computer
    for a demo. Both SW and IV are very picky on the computer systems and
    that could be leading to the stability problems they're seeing.

    Catia V5 has a clean interface and should be easy to learn to use and
    make prismatic shapes if you've used SW. I would be wary of the price
    of Catia. The basic package for Catia is slightly over SW and IV, but
    the add-on modules get pricey.
     
    hoser_71, May 14, 2004
    #7
  8. Robin

    Michael Guest

    They both have strengths and weaknesses, but Inventor & SW are both pretty
    capable programs. MDT, on the other hand, deserves to be taken out behind a
    building a put out of it's misery.

    If I were starting from scratch my preference would be for SW, but....

    If I were managing the department, and you offered me a choice of SW at $5k+
    per seat or Inventor at $0 per seat (since it's already paid for), you'd
    have an awful hard time convincing me to spend the money...
     
    Michael, May 14, 2004
    #8
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