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brianlynn1-Visitor
1-Visitor
February 23, 2009
Question

Who is using both SolidWorks and Pro/Engineer? (I will not post a summary on this.)

  • February 23, 2009
  • 7 replies
  • 1613 views
Who is using both SolidWorks and Pro/Engineer? I will NOT post a summary
on this for those who want to stay anonymous reply only to me. If you
want the world to know you use both reply to the group.

Brian S. Lynn
Technical Coordinator, Product Engineering

    7 replies

    A
    Anonymous
    February 23, 2009
    Brian,

    Other than a summary, it would be useful to know the statistics, such as
    the number of responses you get.

    We've been using Pro/E successfully for 15+ years.
    However, out management is intrigued at the apparent lower costs of
    SolidWorks.
    But is the total cost of ownership lower than Pro/E?
    That remains to be seen.
    And we don't even know if SolidWorks can do everything that we do in
    Pro/E today.

    Gerry Champoux Williams International
    Lead Engineer 2280 E. West Maple Road
    Information Technology Walled Lake, MI 48390
    ' (248) 960-2816 7 (248) 960-2607
    * - <">mailto:-> *
    www.williams-int.com
    P
    ptc-7261111-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    February 23, 2009
    Brian,



    I use both and the selection depends on the customer requirements, and
    primarily which CAD system the client is using. Currently, I receive more
    requests for project assistance from smaller companies using SW than the
    larger companies that use Pro-E.



    However, I do have more tools available with my current license of
    SolidWorks, such as ScanTo3D, Routing, static FEA, Motion, etc. May I ask
    why you are interested in who is using both?



    Regards,



    Chris Thompson

    Appian Way Technologies LLC

    Powell, Ohio 43065

    www.appianwaytech.com

    (614) 595-3751



    Pro/Engineer Wildfire 2.0 & 3.0 (including ISDX)

    SolidWorks Office Premium 2007 & 2009

    MathCAD 14.0


    P
    patharris1-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    February 23, 2009
    We use both to suit client preference.

    Regards,

    Pat Harris
    Principal Engineer
    Product Design, Inc.
    5133 Washington St., Suite 9
    Downers Grove, IL 60515
    P
    ptc-832931-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    February 23, 2009
    Ditto.

    ... Chris

    Christopher J. Welcher
    Director of Engineering Services

    Valley Engineering Group, Inc.
    1729 Rutan Drive
    Livermore, CA 94551
    925.371.5015 (Phone)
    925.371.5013 (Fax)
    925.525.4095 (Mobile)
    chris.welcher@vegonline.com
    www.vegonline.com
    K
    kbrault11-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    February 24, 2009
    Brian,



    I agree with Gerry. Please send out a summary. One thing I do like about the
    ProE community is I see more posted questions that receive good answers and
    summaries than in the SW community. Let?s not reverse that.



    We use both here. Several years ago we did a comprehensive comparison of the
    two (base packages of both ProE 2001 and SW 2005) and determined that an
    experienced user in ProE was more productive than an experienced user in SW
    and the productivity difference outweighed the difference in maintenance
    costs. The balance may have tipped since then but would not think so
    (actually our in SW guru will choose ProE for projects that are fixed bid).



    Kevin




    M
    mark_keevy1-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    February 24, 2009
    I use Pro/Engineer, all day for all tasks.

    However, when receiving exported data from other CAD Packages.
    I ask the Customer for the original CAD and open it with SolidWorks first
    and then save it to STEP etc.

    Works Great for translation.

    _____
    Patriot_1776
    Patriot_177622-Sapphire II
    22-Sapphire II
    February 26, 2009

    I've used Pro/E for over 12 years and am a very advanced user, especially with advanced geometry. Of necessity, in a previous job they pushed me to become proficient in SW 2004. I hated it and am glad I don't use it anymore, and did NOT see anything but an initial and some yearly cost reduction because of the maintenance fee PTC charges. There are things SW simply will not do, especially with regards to controlling surface boundary conditions on complex (i.e. IM plastic) surfaces. Plus, it does not lend itself to top-down design as Pro/E does. I did not find the interface easier, quite the contrary in fact, but then again I HATE icon-based interfaces and actually hate the WF interface. Give me words, not some stupid cryptic, indecipherable icon designed by and for retards.

    I DO agree having a copy of SW around is great for translating data. It's data import and repair is far superior to Pro/E, and if I have problems importig directly into Pro/E, I'll do it in SW first, then STEP it into Pro/E and it usually works great. Hnestly, that's the only use I have for SW.








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