CAD users
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CAD users To all CAD users I have a few questions.
Which program do you prefer, AutoCAd or Solidworks
Are you self taught or did you take classes
How long did it take you to get proficient
What do you think or do you recommend any online courses
Ive been wanting to learn this for awhile so now is the time. Any info you have would be appreciated. I wish I had a copy to play around with.(hint)
Which program do you prefer, AutoCAd or Solidworks
Are you self taught or did you take classes
How long did it take you to get proficient
What do you think or do you recommend any online courses
Ive been wanting to learn this for awhile so now is the time. Any info you have would be appreciated. I wish I had a copy to play around with.(hint)
Dassault was sending out free DraftSight offers which is
a CAD similar to AutoCAD, will import / export to it and
seems full featured (beyond my ability to tell, I have not
used AutoCAD myself). It may not have the same look/
feel, don't know. But I've used it to do some drawings
and it seems solid. Check it out, free is good.
a CAD similar to AutoCAD, will import / export to it and
seems full featured (beyond my ability to tell, I have not
used AutoCAD myself). It may not have the same look/
feel, don't know. But I've used it to do some drawings
and it seems solid. Check it out, free is good.
Solidworks vs Autocad? Solidworks hands down.
The world in 2D is a pretty flat place
Ive used:
Autocad
Microstation
Solidworks
Pro/E
Inventor
AutoCAD is probably the most common CAD Program and I would reccomend learning it. Out of the 3D Modeling programs, Solidworks & Inventor are the most user friendly. Pro/E was more difficult to learn. Using the same modeling tools in Solidworks or Inventor is alot easier than using them in Pro/E.
Pro/E is best for Extreme Complex designs. CAD jobs that require Pro/E experience seem to have better pay on average also.
I learned all the CAD programs in the classroom. However they just teach you the basic's. On the job is where you really start learning. I learn something new everyday at work using Solidworks.
The world in 2D is a pretty flat place
Ive used:
Autocad
Microstation
Solidworks
Pro/E
Inventor
AutoCAD is probably the most common CAD Program and I would reccomend learning it. Out of the 3D Modeling programs, Solidworks & Inventor are the most user friendly. Pro/E was more difficult to learn. Using the same modeling tools in Solidworks or Inventor is alot easier than using them in Pro/E.
Pro/E is best for Extreme Complex designs. CAD jobs that require Pro/E experience seem to have better pay on average also.
I learned all the CAD programs in the classroom. However they just teach you the basic's. On the job is where you really start learning. I learn something new everyday at work using Solidworks.
Last edited by 30th t/a; Oct 8, 2011 at 04:18 PM.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 374
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They're not really comparable products... AutoCAD used to be the standard, but kind of lost some traction with more processing power and better 3d, autocad is very 2d oriented, solidworks is 3d oriented.
what are you looking to do? If you're just getting started have you played with something like sketchup?
what are you looking to do? If you're just getting started have you played with something like sketchup?
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local college here (Parkland College) teaches autocad and solidworks (when you take the solidworks class you get a copy that works for close to a year)
the UofI uses pro-e in the engineering dept (or did as recent as couple years)
solidworks will do 2d work just fine
going back several years I really liked Catia (by IBM)
the UofI uses pro-e in the engineering dept (or did as recent as couple years)
solidworks will do 2d work just fine
going back several years I really liked Catia (by IBM)
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 314
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From: Land of the Mormon's although I'm not one of them
AutoCAD is great for 2D work, house layouts, landscaping layouts; simple 2D stuff.
Solidworks is pretty much the common standard in industry for CAD. For the price and features it can't be beat.
Pro/E; now Creo Elements is a great software package as well. Has lost some serious market share to SW due to cost and being slightly less user-friendly.
Inventor I don't deal with much in industry, I know it's used, just personally haven't run-across it in the Aerospace/Medical world.
CATIA - is still the powerhouse for the large international/super-complex stuff. This is what GM, Boeing, Lockheed-Martian, Airbus, Ford, etc all use. SUPER powerful software but takes some training to become proficient at it at all. (Whereas SW or AutoCAD you can pretty much teach yourself).
Solidworks is pretty much the common standard in industry for CAD. For the price and features it can't be beat.
Pro/E; now Creo Elements is a great software package as well. Has lost some serious market share to SW due to cost and being slightly less user-friendly.
Inventor I don't deal with much in industry, I know it's used, just personally haven't run-across it in the Aerospace/Medical world.
CATIA - is still the powerhouse for the large international/super-complex stuff. This is what GM, Boeing, Lockheed-Martian, Airbus, Ford, etc all use. SUPER powerful software but takes some training to become proficient at it at all. (Whereas SW or AutoCAD you can pretty much teach yourself).
AutoCAD is great for 2D work, house layouts, landscaping layouts; simple 2D stuff.
Solidworks is pretty much the common standard in industry for CAD. For the price and features it can't be beat.
Pro/E; now Creo Elements is a great software package as well. Has lost some serious market share to SW due to cost and being slightly less user-friendly.
Inventor I don't deal with much in industry, I know it's used, just personally haven't run-across it in the Aerospace/Medical world.
CATIA - is still the powerhouse for the large international/super-complex stuff. This is what GM, Boeing, Lockheed-Martian, Airbus, Ford, etc all use. SUPER powerful software but takes some training to become proficient at it at all. (Whereas SW or AutoCAD you can pretty much teach yourself).
Solidworks is pretty much the common standard in industry for CAD. For the price and features it can't be beat.
Pro/E; now Creo Elements is a great software package as well. Has lost some serious market share to SW due to cost and being slightly less user-friendly.
Inventor I don't deal with much in industry, I know it's used, just personally haven't run-across it in the Aerospace/Medical world.
CATIA - is still the powerhouse for the large international/super-complex stuff. This is what GM, Boeing, Lockheed-Martian, Airbus, Ford, etc all use. SUPER powerful software but takes some training to become proficient at it at all. (Whereas SW or AutoCAD you can pretty much teach yourself).
Uno momento por favor.
GM's major CAD system is NX, and has been for years. Same with most of their suppliers. Pretty sure Boeing uses NX. Chrysler has just decided to switch from Catia to NX, as well as some of the major military ship builders have decided to switch from Catia to NX.
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 314
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From: Land of the Mormon's although I'm not one of them
Wow... didn't know the mass-exodous from CATIA was happening. I know back when I was playing a CAD jockey all those places were looking for CATIA personal (Then again that was 4-5 years ago).
I can't comment on the CATIA software itself, all I have used has been Unigraphics/NX since 1992. I think catia has some things that work a little better, but overall I think NX is better. Our data management I believe works MUCH better than that from Desault. Ours manages all kinds of data, not just CAD files from NX. Obviously I have NX on my laptop and have designed a few things I have made. Everything from parts for the Monte, 110 and 55 gallon fish tank stands, my kids bunk beds, and even laying out the tile layout for 2 of my bathrooms and the foyer in my house. I have also used it to "route" (our term for our piping package) header tubes. More just for fun than anything, didn't have the frame to use. Even modeled an unusual triveway for a friend to see how much it would take.
I have experience in AutoCAD, Solidworks and Pro-E
Took AutoCAD in highschool because it was the only thing offered. After 3 classes I considered myself proficient at 2D. About 2 year of teaching myself 3D I consider myself competent to modeling anything 3D. Now I do models of parts others wouldnt dream of doing in more powerful modeling programs while using AutoCAD
Did some work with Solidworks in college. Not a huge fan of the program, but the COSMOS simulation package was very helpful. For those, I found it faster to draw in AutoCAD then import to SW for the testing
Im getting some seat time with Pro-E for engineering. Still takes forever to get the smallest details done, but I can see it being useful later
Took AutoCAD in highschool because it was the only thing offered. After 3 classes I considered myself proficient at 2D. About 2 year of teaching myself 3D I consider myself competent to modeling anything 3D. Now I do models of parts others wouldnt dream of doing in more powerful modeling programs while using AutoCAD
Did some work with Solidworks in college. Not a huge fan of the program, but the COSMOS simulation package was very helpful. For those, I found it faster to draw in AutoCAD then import to SW for the testing
Im getting some seat time with Pro-E for engineering. Still takes forever to get the smallest details done, but I can see it being useful later
Between the two you will find that SolidWorks will be much more useful in the future.
I learned AutoCAD through high school, so I like it just because I was used to it. I haven't used it for years, though. I use CADKey for 2d work and am still learning SolidWorks now.
I learned AutoCAD through high school, so I like it just because I was used to it. I haven't used it for years, though. I use CADKey for 2d work and am still learning SolidWorks now.
