Posted by Usarian Skiff on March 18, 2004 at 16:29:11:In Reply to: 3D CAD software comparisons posted by Gonçalo Pereira on March 16, 2004 at 07:31:40:
I have been undergoing the same comparison. Honestly pro/E is out of my reach, but I have used Solidworks, Inventor, Alibre, Rhino, etc. I have come to the conclusion that Solidworks is the best, if you're looking for the best. When I was in their training, half the class was switching to it from pro/e, so I assume it's better than pro/e for most applications.
Recently though, while seeking to purchase a package for my own home use, I have really fallen in love with Alibre. I downloaded the full working demo from their site (http://www.alibre.com), and i swear it's identical to Solidworks from a couple years ago. They are coming out with a new version this summer, which is going to make it even more like solidworks, but the price is staying the same.
The price is the kicker. Solidworks: $5000/seat
Alibre Design ranges from $595 to about $1500I highly recommend trying out the demo. (The solidworks demo is I think around $100, Alibre is a free 40 meg download).
Rhino is yucky. I found it lacking in the user interface. Too close to Autocad IMHO.
Usarian M. Skiff
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