RWP said:
Thanks -- this is terrific!
mclovin said:
Personally I use Inventor...
If there is good OS software then by all means...but I am getting that while there are a number of packages none immediately jumps to the top of the list, except perhaps Blender.
So what commercial MCAD do you personally use?
Roy
Roy,
That's very understandable that no particular software jumps to the top of the list. That's because there is no BEST software. It ALL depends on what your particular needs are. I feel very confident in stating this as I was an AE (Applications Engineer) for an Autodesk VAR for several years. I don't know how much your are willling to spend (if at all) but that is probably the first question to ask yourself (we live in a coin operated world). The next question to ask is what you can get for that amount of dough. That may take a fair amount of searching if you intend on conducting an exhaustive search. I would suggest that you start with the mainstream midrange (mid price range) modelers (Inventor, Solidworks, Solid Edge). These are purpose built MCAD design tools intended for serious machine/mechanical design for the manufacturing industry and their file formats play very well with modern CAM software. Finding an open source MCAD software may be a bit daunting as companies pour 10s of millions of dollars to develop and maintain their products and are unlikely to let anyone but themselves to get at the source code but I encourage you to look (Sketch up comes to mind but it's not manufacturing oriented). I believe they all have an API (Application Programming Interface) that you could use to program macros using VBA but they are not open source. Let me know if you find any OS stuff. I would be very interested. The next question to ask yourself is what do you want to do with the software. This can be a tough question to answer if you do not have a manufacturing backgroud/experience. But allow me to offer a few suggestions.
You'll need 3D (as you have already noted). You could go 2D but that's like opting for a conventional bike over an ebike.
Now, if all you really want is some 3D solid models that you can give to a machine shop then vanilla AutoCAD may be your ticket (about $4K for a new seat). It is not user friendly or parametric but you can make great 3D solids and whatnot and that's about it. You can buy that online from the ADSK (Autodesk) website I believe. Or if you look around you may find someone (or a company that's going out of business) to sell you their seat. As a side note here, you don't ever really BUY software these days. What you buy is a license to use it (i.e. an activation code). It is possible to get a license transfer if you go with an ADSK product but you will have to deal with a seller and a VAR to make that happen (more leg work on your part). Don't buy software "used." It's probably a licensing violation and may not activate for use.
If you really want to do more serious mechanical design (assemblies, kinematic motion studies, interference detection, bill of materials, design automation, hard core production drawings) then the three programs I listed earlier is the place to start. If I remember right you are based in the US so you'll be able to find a VAR in your area rather easily. Also the user base (other users) for these porducts is very large in the States so that will up your chances of finding a UG to help you out. I would recommend that you not try to use the other types of modelers (non-MCAD) out their like 3DS Max or Viz or Maya etc. These are not really MCAD programs and do not apply well to manufacturing. They are great for their intended purposes but not for engineering.
I assume that you will be designing on your own (no collaboration) so you really won't have a need for a data/file management system so if someone tries to sell you that you can politely (and safely) ignore it.
If this beyond your budget then I encourage you to look into your local community/technical college. It is quite common for them to offer training courses in MCAD software. So, you could get trained and have access to the software at (hopefully) a reasonable tuition. They may even give you a student version to take home!
To answer your question directly: I use Inventor by Autodesk. I have used Solidworks too but I prefer IV. Many people I know prefer SW...half empty or half full? Take your pick. Since you are not (I believe) in a production environment (this is not for your job) you could use
any of the midrange modelers and do just fine. It sounds like Alibre is worth a look too.
I hope that helps.
Cheers!