Inventor vs. SOLIDWORKS: Which is right for you?

inventor vs solidworks
  • Mar 09, 2021
  • Posted By: Robert Jordan
  • Category: Computer-Aided Design

The 3D CAD software market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 6.2% from 2019 to 2025.

This is an interesting statistic in the current scenario, just as when the economy is opening up and many automobile companies, manufacturing industries, real estate businesses look to improve their revenue.

But, how is CAD related to these industries?

Well, the technology is highly useful for designing purposes in these industries. A well-laid-out design streamlines the process in these industries, or you can say it is the bread and butter of these organizations.

What is CAD designing?

3d cad modelling

CAD or the computer-aided design drives the process where different functionalities are used to visualize a virtual construction site, designing in plant site and others. It entirely eliminates the drawing process on paper. With extra features, professionals can design a better draft and later re-draft it whenever required.

It significantly helps engineers and other executives on ground zero to execute each action step-by-step. It facilitates the construction managers, architects to carry out their work efficiently. If they have created a 2D shape of the object, the software can help them expand into a 3D model. This way, it becomes easier to visualize the actual project and know whether the process is going in the right direction. If not, they can fix it at the right time.

Why is designing needed?

Most of the engineers know how essential it is to, envision a specific project. It lets them understand whether it would look the same way as they thought it to be in real-time.

The 2-D format can’t give a precise and clear idea about a project just as 3-D does. This type of visualization is highly needed in any construction project or wherever a good number of blue-collar resources are working. It helps engineers or other tech professionals to guide them in the construction sites, or other works in the real estate industry.

And, how it helps organizations?

When professionals could get the job done at the right time, it becomes easier for organizations to achieve the results on time. Already industries such as shipbuilding, piping design, oil and gas sector, plant engineering sites, aerospace, automotive industries, and others are significantly integrating the CAD software at a rapid pace. They want to envision the prototype of the project before it becomes a reality on the ground.

If you’re working in any of these industries, or are decision-makers in these organizations, looking for the right CAD software, you’re at the right place. The CAD software that we would talk about is Inventor and SolidWorks. By going in-depth, you can then shortlist which of the software is best for your organization.

How do you choose which is the best software?

Organizations invest a lot in a specific technology or service to get the desired results. And if the software doesn’t give the results they aim for, the entire effort goes down the drain.

This is why, it is necessary to have the right software by your side to make life easier. Let’s talk about:

Inventor CAD:

inventor

The Inventor CAD allows the 3D and 2D integration in a single environment, creating a virtual representation of the final product. It includes parametric, free form and direct edit modeling tools. The various features of Inventor CAD are tube and pipe design, mechanical concept and layout design, calculators and component generators. It has a user-friendly interface, significantly helping users.

The latest Autodesk Inventor products are Autodesk Inventor Professional 2021, Autodesk Inventor LT 2021. The software helps design rapid assembly re-configurations, and even uses elements such as bolted connections, gears, cams from Autodesk’s library. The software reduces the lead time in engineering and design by almost 20%.

With the help of this software, the user can execute the crucial activities such as designing molds for the prototypes, designing advanced 3D mechanical objects, analyzing the finite element method, managing the data and others. The software has different tools such as documentation and simulation tools.

SOLIDWORKS:

solidworks

This is a computer-aided design by the Dassault Systems. It is easy to run SolidWorks on an Intel-based Mac. The software offers add-ins such as CircuitWorks, SOLIDWORKS design checker, PhotoView 360 and others. The software can help transfer new ideas to great work.

The software is used to develop the mechatronic systems from the starting till the end. It has a wide selection of simulation tools that help users measure the impact of designs on a real-time basis, such as the environmental impact. This tool is used in various industries such as electronics, packaging, aerospace, defense and others.

The assembly inspection in SOLIDWORKS are clearance verification, hole alignment and interference detection. The load modes in SOLIDWORKS are large design review, large assembly mode, and lightweight.

The various features of SOLIDWORKS are 2D drawings, 3D solid modeling, large assembly design, mold design, bill of materials (BOM), sheet metal, configurations, collaborate and communicate.

The benefits of using SOLIDWORKS are after sales support, customer compatibility, built-in applications, short-learning curve, offering a high level of accuracy, initiating the teamwork with innovative solutions. It delivers robust 3D designs to help building owners, structural engineering process, operators, managers, and other professionals working in the industry.

Comparing pricing of SOLIDWORKS and Inventor CAD:

SOLIDWORKS cost around $3,995 for the one-time license fee and $1,295 every year for the tech support and the upgrades.

Inventor costs around $1,985 for the one-year subscription, and around $5,360 for around three years.

Just as you see, the software has different features, so you should check which of them meets your requirements and align with your budget.

Conclusion:

3-D designing is necessary for optimizing the operational efficiency and making organizations work the right way. And if you’re in the real-estate business, it is crucial to have the best CAD software. The popular computer-aided design software is SOLIDWORKS and Inventor CAD.

In this blog, you can find a detailed explanation of SOLIDWORKS and Inventor so that you can choose the best one to integrate in your process.

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