Right, but it’s the difference between using a beat up old hand saw and hammer vs selection of high end power tools to build a house. Either will get the job done, but one is significantly faster and less effort. There are also things that aren’t feasible using just hand tools.
Solidworks has insane simulation capabilities and it’s used in aerospace for that reason. AutoCAD has extensive, mature, specialized toolsets. Fusion 360’s ease of use is unmatched and its built in CAM tools are phenomenal.
I’ve used AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Rhinoceros 3D, and currently use FreeCAD. FreeCAD feels like a buggier early 2000s AutoCAD in an alternate timeline that went with parametric modeling from the start. I often have to use weird workarounds to get the geometry I want – particularly to maintain absolute and relative dimensions on parts I want to scale. The dimension reference system is clunky, the toolset is limited, and the simulation capabilities are … primative.
I put up with it because I’m a FOSS fanatic and I’m not designing fighter jets or spacecraft. If I had to pick a CAD suite for a critical or complex project FreeCAD (as it is now) wouldn’t be a contender. I do think that will change and look forward to it.
Actually, I’m gonna give you a bit of an orientation. AutoCAD sucks big time for anything other than whatever people think that thing is any good at. Fusion 360 is a desperate attempt to get users to purchase cad software without giving you much for it except for all the risk of one day disappearing like all the other packages and along all your time spent. Pro/E, Wildfire, Cro/E is a total heap of garbage along with its FEA package. And Solid works should be renamed to Solidoesntwork because its always been a wannabe ProE/inventor. All of these are garbage and I hate them dearly but I used them none the less because that’s part of how I feed my family. If you really wanna brag about good CAD software with none piece of shit FEA garbage that solid works has, say UGNX, Ansys workbench and COMSOL. Those are holygrail can-do prerty much anything. With the solid works FEA, you can pretend that you know what you’re doing. But with comsol you pretty much need a PhD or a good amount of exmerience or both. But like I said, a good engineer doesn’t blame the tools. Good example… Microsoft office… What a piece of junk. Yet every idiotic company out there uses it! Why? Beats me! LOL. But have you tried saving? And it gives you that first entry field, so you carefully fill it out with your new file name and you go find a good place to save the file…only to find a new field to fill with the name of the file! Somehow thru a good 10 years nobody at Microsoft has ever though to fix that! They’re focused on making the work area a little smaller. Specially when you’re presenting… Hey can you guys see my desktop? Nahhhh! But you can see everybody’s dumb face looking at you!!! Yet, I get to use that heap of junk every god damn day. I’m surprised they can sell this junk legally.
Right, but it’s the difference between using a beat up old hand saw and hammer vs selection of high end power tools to build a house. Either will get the job done, but one is significantly faster and less effort. There are also things that aren’t feasible using just hand tools.
Solidworks has insane simulation capabilities and it’s used in aerospace for that reason. AutoCAD has extensive, mature, specialized toolsets. Fusion 360’s ease of use is unmatched and its built in CAM tools are phenomenal.
I’ve used AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Rhinoceros 3D, and currently use FreeCAD. FreeCAD feels like a buggier early 2000s AutoCAD in an alternate timeline that went with parametric modeling from the start. I often have to use weird workarounds to get the geometry I want – particularly to maintain absolute and relative dimensions on parts I want to scale. The dimension reference system is clunky, the toolset is limited, and the simulation capabilities are … primative.
I put up with it because I’m a FOSS fanatic and I’m not designing fighter jets or spacecraft. If I had to pick a CAD suite for a critical or complex project FreeCAD (as it is now) wouldn’t be a contender. I do think that will change and look forward to it.
Actually, I’m gonna give you a bit of an orientation. AutoCAD sucks big time for anything other than whatever people think that thing is any good at. Fusion 360 is a desperate attempt to get users to purchase cad software without giving you much for it except for all the risk of one day disappearing like all the other packages and along all your time spent. Pro/E, Wildfire, Cro/E is a total heap of garbage along with its FEA package. And Solid works should be renamed to Solidoesntwork because its always been a wannabe ProE/inventor. All of these are garbage and I hate them dearly but I used them none the less because that’s part of how I feed my family. If you really wanna brag about good CAD software with none piece of shit FEA garbage that solid works has, say UGNX, Ansys workbench and COMSOL. Those are holygrail can-do prerty much anything. With the solid works FEA, you can pretend that you know what you’re doing. But with comsol you pretty much need a PhD or a good amount of exmerience or both. But like I said, a good engineer doesn’t blame the tools. Good example… Microsoft office… What a piece of junk. Yet every idiotic company out there uses it! Why? Beats me! LOL. But have you tried saving? And it gives you that first entry field, so you carefully fill it out with your new file name and you go find a good place to save the file…only to find a new field to fill with the name of the file! Somehow thru a good 10 years nobody at Microsoft has ever though to fix that! They’re focused on making the work area a little smaller. Specially when you’re presenting… Hey can you guys see my desktop? Nahhhh! But you can see everybody’s dumb face looking at you!!! Yet, I get to use that heap of junk every god damn day. I’m surprised they can sell this junk legally.