Mr. Pickles said:
Depends on what you need a 3D Parametric Solid Modeler for. A conservative
estimate would be that SW does 80% of what Pro/E does, for less than 80% of
the costs. If you are doing really complicated surfaces, I'd sat Pro/E,
otherwise, I'd go with SW.
I've seen certain VARS offer WF2.0 Foundation Advantage for less than
SW05. The only major thing SW has that is lacking in WF are the basic
mold tools, the new weldment tools, and sheet metal. Though Pro/E comes
with a free basic parts library and you have to upgrade to SW Office to
get Toolbox. You can add many more tools to WF at *significant* cost.
I'd say if you're doing simple molds or simple sheet metal SW would be
the definite choice.
SW handles large assemblies fairly well.
I've seen the exact opposite. I would never choose SW to do a large
project. Certainly large is a relative term but in my experience as
long as you have less than say ~1500 parts including all your fasteners
and so on SW will *limp* by. Pro/E has many tools for dealing with
large assemblies (skeletons, zones, shrink wraps, simplified reps, etc.)
and SW has almost none.
Of course, a large computer would
be a very good idea. SW can handle 3gb of RAM if you do some tweaking. More
RAM, more video power, and more processor...seemingly in that order.
A faster computer benefits Pro/E as well. On certain platforms Pro/E
can use a 64-bit memory space (typically limited to something lower than
64-bits by the memory controller/CPU and/or the amount of RAM physically
installed).
One thing I've noticed with SW is that it is a resource hog. A huge
resource hog. It is easily 10 times slower than Pro/E on the same
hardware. SW file sizes are huge, and for no apparent reason. A simple
part with a handful of basic feature is rarely smaller than 500K. The
same part modeled in Pro/E is on the order of 10K. SW is the Microsoft
Office of CAD programs, bloated.
Pro/E user's have been complaining of bloat for a long time and they
typically stop complaining after they've used SW. One thing I like with
Pro/E is that it's very easy to work off a network because of the very
small file size.
As for
PDM, there are many options. SW has their own, and there are thrid parties
that do it too. If you are looking at SW, it might be wise to make sure that
whoever your looking at for PDM is a certified SW partner. Partners can be
Gold or Silver
Pro/Es PDM is very good, very well integrated, it's just expensive.
It's a little easier to get by without PDM on Pro/E though because of
automatic file versioning/revision.
Pro/E is a great product, and for that, you will pay for it. Not as much as
you used to, but it is still exspensive when compared to the middle-tier
products like SW that are out there.
My impression is that SW and Pro/E have been at the same price for a
while. I've recently seen WF2.0 Foundation Advantage for $3200
including first year maintenance (maybe it's a holiday deal?). I've
seen SW05 for $3995 + $1200 maintenance.
Where you really start paying with Pro/E is to add mold tools, advanced
assembly, cable/pipe routing, behavioral modeling, advanced surfacing,
PDM, FEA, etc.
But many of these functions aren't even available in SW yet. Pro/E is
definitely more flexible but if your needs are not met by the basic
package things quickly get expensive.
If you really do high-end complicated stuff, I'd lean
towards Pro/E.
I'd agree.
I've been using SW almost exclusively for the past two years and I've
come to like it very much. It would be my first choice for basic
projects. I've done a lot of injection molded part design and it's
generally a pleasure to use.
One of the worst things you have to deal with when you go with Pro/E is PTC.
That said Pro/E is still the choice if you have serious complicated work
to do (short of the real big boy stuff like designing a car or a plane).
Regards,
