I’ve just started a basic intro college course for 3D modeling using Solidworks, because this is one of the major CAD packages locally that I would need to enter a job designing.
I’ve been using Shapr3D for 4 years and really enjoy it.
I had my first lesson yesterday on Solidworks and enjoyed it, but it felt “old school” technology, very clunky and mouse based. I obviously compare all the moves with Shapr3D, and so far think Shapr3D is so much easier. However, Solidworks is a £10k/year package and so it must have so much more in its arsenal, so please tell me why Solidworks is such a popular, expensive and widely used “defacto” package please?
I’m a retired tech guy, working with CAD systems since 1979. SolidWorks has had a long developing run, and has incorporated many engineering functions into it. There are too many to mention here, but SolidWorks sets the bar for what is needed for corporate development and manufacturing needs. Fortunately Shapr3D uses the same “engine” as SolidWorks and gives us a better UI. I’m certain Shapr3D’s ultimate goal is to become common place in the corporate world, but it is a long and challenging road. I tried introducing Shapr3D to a $26B tech company before I retired. A few engineers adopted it for personal reasons, but there weren’t any engineering functions to get a serious evaluation done. The lack of tolerance interference analysis killed the consideration for evaluation right up front. So we wait…!
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Thanks McD, I guessed there’s much more to it. Tolerance evaluation for one. I think for the small workshop/Engineering department Shapr3D it’s a must.
Best wishes, Richard.
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I purchased a copy of SolidWorks years ago, but have only used it once or twice since Shapr3D came along. Shapr3D is perfect for small shops, where the engineering is still done by humans.