Best modelling sodtware

Inventor is very helpful for my business as I want to create the solid models of my new product ideas. Inventor allowa me to modell those ideas with perfect finishing. I can use these modells to express my ideas to my workers and customers. Though there are many modelling softwares, surface finishing in Inventor is exceptional. The modells look very attractive, colourful and realistic. I recommend Inventor for any solid modelling purpose.

Pros

Finishing Tools User interface Reliability

Cons

Nothing. This is the best modelling software with best finished look of the models.

Inventor is Decent

I feel 80% is enjoyable. I can build structures or components. It’s getting better every time, the other 20% is just basic frustration not being able to mirror components in assemblies and keep them linked, and not being able to copy mates on assemblies is just a big time waster.

Pros

I love the rendering and Frame generator! Frame Generator is freaking Awsome! Literally allows you to build a complex frame out of a sketch or a simple extrusion. The frame members can be trimmed and you can create your own profiles! Also ipart creation make things easy.

Cons

This is a real great software, but I must be honest at 2 Major weak points that are deal breakers for me and maybe others. There is no “copy with mates” like others softwares have. So if you insert 100 Identical components, it’s gonna take you forever to constrain them in your assembly. Also there is no assembly mirror that associative! You have to use pattern, if you can! These are basic standards in even older softwares! How can Inventor not have these Basic staples! Weak points for sure.

One of the best option for solid modelling

I do most of my CAD design in inventor and I've become so comfortable using it.

Pros

Easy to use. 3D modelling can be done so easily and nicely. It has great user interface and so many features.Frame generator is so cool.

Cons

There are some drawbacks while using assembly features like mirror assembly , copy with mates. It crashes sometimes while using. It is a bit expensive for students like me.

Frequent crashes, printer problems, network headaches, too expensive, funcionality middle grade.

A number of irritating problems functionally have prevented us from integrating Inventor fully into our systems. We used it mainly for R&D, in which we find it usable with some features earning a 'good' and even a 'very good'. Inventor and Networks are not good bedfellows, however, and why must the damn Downloading and Licensing be such a theater?

Pros

Once you get used to using it, it is generally a good 3D creator and the standard libraries provide a relatively wide selection of parts. 2D operations are sufficient for sketches and model work. Large assemblies and projects are usually no great problem. Many early problems have been solved and local network use has improved.

Cons

Continual crashes, printer problems at almost every update (Inventor and Windows), networks, both local and external, with the usual Autodesk problems (We are Inventor users since version R3), bloatware starting to creep in, and too expensive.

A very good solid modeling and simulation choice

The annual subscription is a good value for the money

Pros

The subscription-based price model and great customer support. Much better than Solidworks in this regard.

Cons

Hole feature does not have the robustness of SolidWorks. It is not possible to mate to planes and other non-model features.

3D Modeling Awesome

Inventor allows me to do my job, mechanical engineering, I use it daily to design, analyze and draw components we make.

Pros

Inventor is used in everything we do. We need to accurately model things in 3d and create the fabrication and shop drawings. Since it is an Autodesk product it integrates easily with our use of AutoCAD too, with easy output to 2D cad formats as well.

Cons

It can be challenging to learn at first but it is easy if you know another 3D modeling program. The one thing I think the competition does better is exploded views, I dislike the exploded view functionality.

Very powerful for "Free" software.

After students learn the basics of software they become very proficient users and have a head start in most college classes.

Pros

Very powerful program and most universities and companies in field have heard of.

Cons

Step by step tutorials could be better. Premade projects are difficult to introduce to beginner students. Having to send all part files with assembly makes sharing assemblies between teacher and students very difficult.

Inventor for Millwork and Tradeshow Documents

Inventor is a great tool and easy to learn and be productive with. It is not a direct solution for any specific trade other than Sheet Metal, but can be tailored to fit.

Pros

Inventor is very easy to use to create realistic, solid designs for cabinetry and millwork. I have tailored the software to streamline my creation of repetitive tasks, and it allows me to effectively document my designs quickly and easily. The software allows you to design and see where problems are in real time. My absolute favorite thing is that the drawings created, are always 100% exactly what you've modeled. It is impossible to have a view that does not dimensionally match another view. My experience with CAD systems in the past, is when drawings get revised, if not checked carefully, views can get out of sync with each other and when something is manufactured, the fabricator undoubtedly will ALWAYS pick the incorrect view as the one to follow. Inventor completely eliminates this problem. Last but not least, is that after being an Engineer / Drafter / Project Manager for almost 30 years, learning and using inventor has made designing and drafting fun for me again.

Cons

If there's anything I dislike, is that the software could be more cabinet and millwork friendly without having to purchase an add-on. The drawing sizes and model file sizes can get very large, in some cases I have drawings over 200mb, which can be painfully slow when loading over a network

Excellent mechanical design software, extremely efficient and practical.

It has allowed me to quickly design metal structures in 3D from your library, which has saved me time, in addition to an impeccable finish. Therefore, I consider that it has given effectiveness to my work and my professional life.

Pros

Mainly it has allowed me to design pieces, machineries, structures and endless figures, creating parameters that streamline the assembly of the models that I have created, since it has a complete library of structural elements that facilitate the task of designing from the elements of the library and can easily be modeled, it is also very easy to create parametric drawings without the need of being an expert in the software, therefore its ease of use unlike other similar packages places it among my favorites when creating my digital prototypes. On the other hand, this software can design metal sheets that meet the most stringent quality standards. I find it interesting that it allows you to create 3D models from DWG files directly from Inventor. In addition to all the advantages I have mentioned, it allows you to export 3D designs to PDF formats, which facilitates printing and displaying them on any computer.

Cons

The main disadvantage that I find to this software is that it requires a very powerful equipment and with certain specific characteristics to be able to use it, since in a conventional machine its use is impossible.

Fairly Intuitive

Pros

I found this software easy to learn the basics and not too difficult to learn the advanced features. I would however strongly recommend that you buy a learning inventor tutorial book and work your way through it. Once the basics drawing concept is understood, it’s easy to draw 3D components and assemble them as parts. I think this software works for both the amateur and professional designer. I use it for designing my woodworking projects and it’s made my life much easier having cutting diagrams for each part and confirming that there will be no interference in parts when assembled. I have tried SketchUp, and found Inventor to be much more intuitive to use.

Cons

There does not seem to be an existing user community library of parts. In this regard, SketchUp is superior.

Basically Required for PLTW's IED

Inventor is meant to be used to design parts of a mechanical machine. It is really good at that and not much else. It makes parts, assemblies, and drawings well. While it has animation tools, they're not great. Because of the detail and accuracy in the renderings, it goes through a lot more RAM, but makes great images and working drawings.

Pros

Inventor is good if you are rendering parts to a small product. You would not want to design a house or perform city planning on it. It is also not meant for animation, so being good at Inventor probably wouldn't get you a job with Pixar or Dreamworks. If, on the other hand, you want to 3D a missing keyboard key or the insert to your tape dispenser, then Inventor is for you. I am an engineering teacher and my students use this program for the entire second-half of the school year. I have a feeling that students using Inventor in their Introduction to Engineering Design class is a huge majority of where Autodesk Inventor is used. Inventor is very good at turning a part file into both assembiles and working drawings. The images it makes is just as good as anything you would find in IKEA assembly instructions. This works out well because I tell my students that by the end of the class I teach, they will be able to create an assembly instruction book that is just as good as anything IKEA would give their customers.

Cons

I already know that I don't use even a small fraction of what Inventor is capable of and that I can only review the limited number of tools I have used. But, based on what I have used Inventor for during the better part of a decade... Google SketchUp doesn't require that you place a sketch, then draw, and then extrude the sketch, and it works just fine. Inventor works fine for small simple projects, but it's slow-going to make something in it. Because it uses true curves, Inventor uses a lot of RAM and can crash when you are assembling complicated parts. It won't curve labels in 2 directions, it doesn't have a parabola, catenary, or hyperbola tools. I have struggled a lot with making their parts semitransparent like being able to see a ship inside of a bottle.

Inventor...only 10 years behind

Pros

I like that it's fairly quick to rebuild parts after changing a feature early on in the tree. I like the view cube in the upper right hand corner, very easy to reorient the view any way I want. The measure tool is very useful and easy to use. I really like how easy it is to start and orient a sketch, super simple and intuitive. The hole tool is nice and easy to use, good GUI.

Cons

I don't like: 1. I can't measure between the edges of sketched circles without putting points there to measure from. Why shouldn't I be able to measure the web thickness or specify that as my measurable value? If that's something that's a CTC on my print, then let me spec it, don't tell me it's not "good engineering". 2. Why can't I split/trim projected geometry? You make me import it as a line, so let me trim it like one. 3. When using a feature in a subsequent sketch, why does it make me import that line geometry into my current sketch? Just reference it. 4. If I add a constraint, why not tell me what conflicts and let me delete the conflicting constraint (a la Creo). It's great that you tell me it's overconstraining it, but tell me what the conflicts are. 5. Why do I have to edit a sketch/feature to edit a dimension? I've been able to double click a dimension and edit that dimension in SW and Creo for years. 6. Why do I have to go into the View tab to change the visual style? Make that a floating toolbar in the viewable area (a la Creo). 7. Why don't all circular features, i.e. circles, holes, etc., automatically have an axis that's accessible to later features? It's dumb that I have to insert them...

It is a 3D solid parametric modeling program produced by the software company Autodesk

In my case being a professional of iNGENIERIA IS OF GREAT BENEFIT BECAUSE Inventor is updated (with the help of users in Inventor Ideas) and improves with each new version It keeps the user competitive by accessing our latest innovations at the time they are available, along with the previous versions you need Configure your products more easily with new functions for assemblies and autocomplete in the rules editor. Work with data from any 3D CAD system while maintaining an associative link

Pros

It has many tools that are very useful not only in the mechanical area, but also in the design of circuits, in the design of pipelines, etc., that's why I like SW. However, what I like about inventor is that besides being a program where you can make designs (CAD), you can also manufacture them (CAM) and do not need an interface like solidworks to recognize it in a cnc. Moldflow analysis: because it shows the quality of the pieces during the preliminary design phases and avoids the problems of higher level. Family mold: this allows the administration of family molds. You can alternate between several charged plastic parts to complete the partition plane design of each core and cavity assembly. Feed channel and injection point: provides the means to specify the type and location of the injection points, and allows to define the characteristics of shape, size and sketch of the feed channel. Cooling channel: improves the efficiency of the mold design and simplifies the process of creating complex cooling channels. Core and cavity design: solves the complex problems of defining the partition plane. The combination of these functions allows the closing of the separation, in addition to the automatic creation of revisions of holes and partition surfaces. Standard component library and tools: supports a wide range of components from commercial catalog libraries and a component utility to create custom parts. Automation of the drawing: the automation of the 2D drawing

Cons

Java does not generate code for further deeper developments. It does not handle much flexibility like code does in Java It only works with an Internet connection and it is a great disadvantage when you signal it is bad at home or work It can only be developed for Android The program has a high cost, due to its license. Knowing how to fully use the software requires a lot of time since there are many functions, and even that they are of little application, since they are very specific. It requires a powerful computer to work with processing speed, and a high space on the hard drive

Excellent capability, decent learning curve for existing CAD/CAM users

Being able to flexibly work on design projects for work, hobbies, and STEM Education and Outreach work is incredibly nice, and linking this capability to much more accessible maker tech really opens new doors for rapid prototyping.

Pros

Really powerful software, surprisingly resource efficient for use on laptops, and the de facto standard for many uses. With a dedicated CAD rig (or repurposed gaming PC), performance even when dealing with large and complex models is excellent. The design and portability is really quite good, and when coupled with access to CNC machinery and 3D printing capability makes the prototyping process incredibly quick. Currently experimenting with amateur photogrammetry for metrology and rapid design capability (converting clay models or plastic-printing pens), and the toolset is powerful enough to leverage those capabilities quite well. Easy enough to use that high school students can tap many of the advanced capabilities with even limited background.

Cons

For myself as an old school Autodesk user the added capability is impressive, although the UI updates feel a lot like contemporary changes that fixed things which weren't broken in the first place. The biggest headache I have right now is that the install is tedious to reroute, particularly when repurposing existing computers for STEM outreach projects, anything other than the default installation is hard, and often inconsistent. Interfacing with open source tools is actually quite good, but innate support for that is unsurprisingly limited. Still, a really minor complaint, as properly packaged for export files are handled really well with existing CAM workflow and automation in slicing tools for experienced additive manufacturers.

Inventor 2018 Experience

Overall it's been a positive experience. I will admit I came to Inventor late having stared with competitor products nearly 15 years ago but once you learn the syntax of how the everything is set up it is a smooth transition.

Pros

The software is easy to use and flows fairly well. The real beauty, especially from a hiring standpoint, is that it works very similar to competition so if you know one package you can quickly pick up on this one. the other thing I really like is the Vault that is included. The ability to work locally, but keep everything stored on a server, makes working with larger models much faster. It also allows a team to work together while keeping files safes and tracking revisions and changes.

Cons

Ever since the first time I used the software my main criticism has always been the inability to select a midpoint of a sketch. This drives me mad and many of us have found complex workarounds to what should be a simple problem. I will also say that setting up mates in an assembly is not always that intuitive. It's great to have many different options but when %100 of the time I only use this specific one it would be great if it would learn that, or allow me to change the default.

Very helpful tool to model components and help visualize real world assemblies.

AutoDesk included a modelling and drawing software, as well as a simulation aspect. We use other softwares for other applications so this is the extent of my knowledge with autocad.

Pros

I have used this product for over 3 years now and couldn't be more satisfied with the product. My team and I use Inventor to model assemblies to be used in real life to help us visualize any potential flaws regarding manufacturing and assembly. The gear tool has allowed us to construct complex gear trains within minutes and simulating the motion has never been easier. To add to that, being able to visualize the motion of the gears through simulation has helped us fix several overlooked flaws in the design, including improper teeth meshing distance and collision with the frame.

Cons

My one complaint with AutoDesk is the pack and go feature. Once, I used it to export my assembly and various part files into a compressed zip file, checking all the correct boxes, and my zip folder was later corrupted. It has only happened once but it cost me a lot of time. It could have been a user error on my part but I have packed and gone since and it has worked fine every other time.

Great software, unmatched design automation!

Model MASSIVE assemblies on not very powerful computers, design and process automation with iLogic.

Pros

If you have massive assemblies and love to automate processes, inventor is the ticket! This software runs well on computers that would barely be able to open SolidWorks. Huge assemblies (30,000 parts) open and are easily worked on. I can't imagine doing anything if this magnitude in any other software. I regularly use Solidworks, inventor and Pro-E (Creo), and inventor is my go to software for large machines. It's the best feature is iLogic which is a user-friendly programming interface to help you automate simple or complex tasks to save time and reduce errors. It is very similar to Visual Basic for applications, but you do not need to be a programmer to figure this out!

Cons

There is no global sheet scale in drawings and therefor no way to link a view scale to the title block in a drawing. It must be filled out manually.

Solid 3d CAD platform with an entourage of compatible software

We left Pro/E Wildfire 4.0 in 2013 as Creo originally wasn't all that stellar. We switched to Inventor and all-in-all have been pretty satisfied. Performance was an issue early on, but this has been addressed with multi-core support.

Pros

That drawings are DWG file formats, so no conversions necessary to open in AutoCAD. The ability to customize with marking menus, keyboard shortcuts, rearranging ribbons, and macros with VBA.

Cons

It acts up sometimes with sketch references (even when limited to one part), but there has been continuous improvements in this area. Edits to parts can take time as the workflow is to either open part up and make changes, or edit in place but still open up feature to make changes. However, I created a VBA form and macro that allows me to see relative parameters to a feature to make quick changes at the assembly level. Multi-core support took too long to be offered, but thankfully it now is utilized.

Inventor 19

My experience with Inventor has been very good from a modeling perspective. I have not found anything our company designs that could not model.

Pros

Inventor is easy to use with plenty of modeling power to do most any job a company has. I have not found any parts our company uses that Inventor could not model quickly and accurately.

Cons

Random crashes doing normal activities. Some functionality can be a little difficult to figure out why the feature fails to modify. Especially when you can create the feature from scratch successfully. Seems to be missing some functionality I was used to with SolidWorks especially in the assembly constraints but that may be due to lack of training. BOM control can be tricky I found out recently. Again this may be caused by a lack of training.

Reduces electro-mechanical system design

It has helped to collaborate with the engineering teams effectively in the system design process. For more complicated systems that have inter-dependency on mechanical and electrical domains, it has helped.

Pros

Autodesk Inventor integrates really well with other Autodesk products that provide collaboration to a deeper extent between various engineering disciplines that include mechanical, electrical and civil. Whenever a mechanical assembly is updated it automatically notifies and updates the electrical wiring. Autodesk rendering of the assembly and components helps to visualize things effectively.

Cons

The user interface is not friendly as compared to Solidworks. The amount of time taken to design a mechanical part in Solidworks is much faster compared to Autodesk Inventor.

My love for Autodesk Inventor

Most of my CAD designs are done in Autodesk Inventor and I've become so comfortable with it. The data management in Inventor is just top notch with easy switching from one project to the other without crash.

Pros

The fact that Inventor is easy to use is a huge plus. As compared to other 3D modeling softwares available in the market, Autodesk Inventor is relatively one of the easiest to navigate with beautiful and simple interface, as well as huge support from Autodesk Forum and way cheaper than most of it's competitions.

Cons

I think rendering is one part that should be worked on. More IBL environments could be added and better material texture. Surface modelling could be better and as well, sculpting (form).

BEST MODELING SOFTWARE I HAVE USED

It makes showing a customer exactly what their final product will look like and function like, very easy for them to understand. Customers are more easily put at ease when they can see exactly what their final product will look like and not just a rendering.

Pros

It is so user friendly and seems to be made by people who do things logically. You can teach someone the basics in a couple of hours and be very proficient in a couple of weeks.

Cons

If you can't find what you're looking for online or in the help files it can be hard to make changes easily. They can still be made just not automatically if you can't figure out the default setting to change. If it had a way to add custom textures and styles to the appearance menu for original styles that would be helpful.

3D Parts Creation with Logic

Pros

The software is easy to use and is made extremely powerful with iLogic. iLogic enables you to create multiple variations of a part with programming logic and variables. Objects are created based on dimensions so, if you change the width, everything based on the width changes to accommodate the new width. So if you have several parts that are basically the same with small variations, you can create a bunch of different parts by simply changing the variables.

Cons

The one thing I don't like about the software is that in order to reference the midpoint of a line in sketch mode, you have to place a point on the midpoint. Then you can use the midpoint as a basis for other dimensions.

Perfect for Manufacturing Company..

CAM integration, data management and option for Macro development.

Pros

Ease of use and Vault integration. Makes file management easy.

Cons

Some features can be improved to be in line with other CAD softwares in some aspects.

I've been using 3d software since 2001

Being able to re-use existing 3d parts in new projects without having to re-make the part every time.

Pros

I use this software for creating custom-made equipment that is unique to each customer. The ability to store a single part with multiple configurations built into the part's file saves me considerable time. I also use the pipe routing part of the software and have had very little issues when using it.

Cons

Every time I have to migrate the Vault part of the software, I have to pay my distributor come set it up for me, because YOU ALWAYS have some type of issue when migrating the vault. This wouldn't be too bad if my distributor was close, but when they are over 200 miles away it becomes costly. I also have a gripe with having to pay my distributor an additional cost to support the Autodesk software. Not sure if the other 3d software companies have the same support setup, but in my mind, if your paying this kind of money for software shouldn't you have access to the software developer itself?

Why I like Inventor

I work in for a process engineering company, so it helps to be able when building my Plant 3D drawings to be able to design the specialty equipment in Inventor to import into Plant to be able to visualize how it will actually look in the facilities we build.

Pros

The thing I like most about Inventor is the ease of use. I came from a SolidWorks background and was able to jump right in and start working with Inventor with very little instruction. The interface is easy to understand and there is plenty of help videos and white papers on the Autodesk website to help you out if you get stuck.

Cons

Inventor has crashed on me a couple of times, but that was remedied with a patch.

A great but expensive tool

It's easier to create the piping system in Inventor than it is to create it in Solidworks. The rules-based routing tools allow to select the correct fittings and helps ensure that they comply with the industry standards. I can also import it to other files easily if I need it.

Pros

I use this to create elements for 3D models of marketing activations activations. This is a simple and user friendly 3D modeling tool. to add, once you learn this tool it the interface carries throughout other autodesk programs.

Cons

The price of it is a bit expensive. A single license can cost about 7,000. Regardless of cost, the Inventor doesn't have symmetry check. The symmetry would also the user to find whether the part is symmetric at all or the axis in which it is symmetric about. This would be helpful for users running FEA analysis and want to reduce the run down time.

Fundamental for my carpentry business, it is the best 3D parametric design program

In the carpentry we design in 3d before proceeding to the making of furniture which saves us money and materials because we can correct any detail before making the furniture

Pros

It allows me to represent solids such as wood, I can do from simulations of opening and closing drawers, to schematizations of installation plans, which I can represent as 3d solids, this helps me visualize how the design of the furniture will be before build them.

Cons

When you start using the program you need to document a lot and see many tutorials, because you have many tools that you should know to get the most out of the software.

Inventor is a very powerful 3d design tool. In comparison to Solidworks tool, it is friendlier.

The Mechanical Design is an iterative process with many interactive phases. You can improve the design and making it efficient. I think this software, Inventor, allows me as a mechanical engineer to apply my knowledge and do my work under a specific methodology that leads me to a quality design. It is a powerful mechanical design tool.

Pros

Have the opportunity to do each of the design of your pieces and then assemble them. It allows you to evaluate every detail in the design process. The 3D design allows you to be focused on what is really important, the design. Every year the tool innovates and introduces you to new functions that make your work a little easier. Once your designs are ready, you can use the 3D printer and manufacture a particular piece. So it allows you a quick "design-fabrication" process.

Cons

The more pieces you add to your assembly, the computer gets a little slow. In that sense, a large capacity team is required.

Excellent CAD program

Inventor is a robust CAD package with all of the bells and whistles one needs to design parts whether it be modeling, sheet metal, or for additive manufacturing.

Pros

As a heavy user of Solidworks by Dassault, I was a bit hesitant when my new employer said they used Autodesk's Inventor solely. However, I was suprised, after I got used to the nuances of the system, how much I liked working with it. Some features, such as the quick dimensioning in sketches, I liked more than its Solidworks' equivalent.

Cons

There were some "getting used to" features such as mouse commands and on-screen maneuvering techniques. But, all in all, Inventor is an easy to used CAD package.

Usage of Inventor

Overall I can recommend that this the best software for designers to make their work easy.

Pros

As an engineering student this is very useful software to me in my designing projects.There are lot of features include with this software.Due to that we can get better outcome by using this software. Inventor has very friendly and smooth 3D interface as well.

Cons

The only problem that I can see in this software is it takes some considerable time to load.

Inventor 2019

I've been using Inventor professionally for 7 years now. The software has made my job much simpler as a machine designer.

Pros

Overall design environment. BOM features are very nice. iLogic is a very useful feature

Cons

A dark mode option would be very nice. Staring at the white menus all day can create some eye strain. AutoCAD has a nice dark theme. The iLogic event triggers need to include "print" Chamfer tools can act a little funny at times when dealing with complex geometry

Inventor is the most intuitive CAD software that I have ever used. Almost everything is visual

Beautifully rendered complex models

Pros

I have used mostly inventor and and Solidworks. Inventor is a lot more closely linked to the visual environment. The "snap-to's" are stronger (eg they suck in your cursor more easily) and I really like that. Also I found that it was a lot easier to design parts into assemblies. ABOVE ALL I like the Grip-Snap feature for moving parts in the assembly. I also love how you can animate the assemblies. I haven't seen other CAD Programs that can do that. The material renderings also look a lot better in Inventor.

Cons

It is really hard to import things into inventor (eg. STL files and other CAD file types. I would often use Solidworks to do my importing and save it as a file type that works better in Inventor. I also really like the mechanical mates that you can do In solidworks. It was harder to do those mates in Inventor assemblies. I also found that Inventor was more likely to crash my computer than Solidworks.

CAD Manager

We use our models for everything from prototyping 3D printe models to rendering for marketing. Love the software and it's many uses

Pros

User friendliness. Easy to train employees on the many different features Inventor has, from modeling to documenting the models with drawings, and rendering for our parts catalog to rendering hi-resolution files for offset printng.

Cons

Can not export/import custom materials to a spreadsheet to verify the accuracy and make changes

Review Autodesk Inventor

I use Inventor more 4 year. I start in inventor 2016, and I make reinstal to 2018. I'm very satisfied user. All recommended for this software.

Pros

I like this software because is easy to use, user interface is very frendly and most used tool is on front of you.

Cons

All what you need in one product, if you want simulation stres, you have, if you want make simple orcompplicated 3D model some mechanical parts or something, inventor has easy to make thet.

MOST ADAPTIVE CAD SOFTWARE

I have had a extremely positive experience with Inventor, I was originally a solidworks user, but now that I have switched it is difficult to go back!

Pros

The flexibility iLogic gains you in this software is an absolute must when working on bigger assemblies. Also, with a 2D background, adding on the 3rd dimension has a logical flow compared to other programs.

Cons

its not supported by many 3rd party solutions for processing structural steel out of the box

Great software, easy to use and very intuitive.

Pros

Easy to use Interface and button layout. The commands are clearly spelt out and even give you a quick tutorial glimpse of what the command or button does when you hover your mouse arrow over it for a few seconds.

Cons

Like any software, crashes can occur. You have to be sure that you keep up-to-date on all patches and services packs for your Autodesk Products to ensure you have the best experience while using their software.

Inventor

Pros

What Inventor does extremely well is to create a clean space for very detailed assemblies to be shown very simply. In other words, it helps take the complex and break it down to where a manufacturer can get on board easily and quickly. I use it for my visualization projects because of the clean geometry it makes as opposed to other modeling software. It creates cleaner lightmaps for objects than many other programs and the built-in render engine is actually surprisingly good, negating the need to export and render elsewhere, saving time.

Cons

Some of the mouse controls are different than other Autodesk products, so if you're using muscle menmory, it can trip you up when switching to inventor for a little while until you get the hang of it.

Best 3-d Drawing software

love it, works for 2-d and 3-d very well, and looking forward to trying to use the machining part of it as it updates as well

Pros

very friendly to use can fix a dimension and whole drawing updates has a mastercam version i have yet to use

Cons

if one link in broken, you have to go step by step afterwards to ensure drawing updates correctly

Great design and 3D model generation software, especially for mechanical design

helped in easy creation of assemblies, bill of materials and ease of sharing professional looking layouts of plant design.

Pros

User Interface is quite easy to work with. I also like the button layout although i started as a new user. The tutorial tells you of what the command or button does when you hover your mouse arrow above it for a little bit. Usually it takes a second or two to appear. I had used this more while I was at penn state as a graduate student. At my current workplace I used a server version which was more complicated to use in terms of software accessibility but the commands and other things are same.

Cons

Occasionally it crashes or sort of freezes. This may have been a computer issue. The issue is with transferring files colleagues and have them continue the work. if the exact folder arrangement etc is not copied then some of the 3D parts show an error to be missing and the assembly rebuild is complicated.

Autodesk Part Modeling Software is Very Powerful!

We have been able to offer Revit files to some of our customers who ask for them. We also are able to show them what their product will look like after it is done.

Pros

I liked that this software works with all the other pieces of software you can use as tools in Autodesk's line of products. It is very easy to sketch and draw just about anything. You also have a lot of control over the parameters that dictate the shape, size and area of the part you are creating. I also like the ease with which it works with other software data. You can open just about any file from any other software company.

Cons

I didn't like how some features like decals don't transcend down from a part variation to an assembly. Also, in oder to make a part adjustable and controllable in size you have to design it from the beginning as an iPart, which means that when it is in an assembly, all the constraints will break when it becomes an iPart. Sometimes playing with geometry is tricky because of constraints, but also because you can't always tell if a chain is fully connected to be able to extrude.

The best engineering software out there

I use Inventor with my students for modeling many different projects. Inventor allows us to quickly draft a model, create drawings and create assemblies all in a single program.

Pros

Students have no problem picking up difficult concepts in Inventor. It is easy to use if you haven't done engineering before.

Cons

The interface seems outdated. Certain menus seem like they haven't been changed in decades.

Fantastic Educational Tool For Young Engineers!

I used a competing product while I worked in industry. However, Inventor quickly became my favorite design software when I saw its simplicity and efficiency.

Pros

Autodesk Inventor manages to be simple for students, but more advanced features can easily be turned on as needed. Great learning environment versus other engineering-design products.

Cons

The customization menu seemed pretty disorganized.

Excellent 3D modeling software

Pros

Inventor makes 3D modeling very easy to learn and use. The commands are simple to follow and the help files can be very helpful if you know what you are looking for. I have been using Inventor for 3-4 years now and I am still learning new and better ways to do certain things. Autodesk releases a new version every year with added functionality, which makes using the software easier.

Cons

Inventor can sometimes be a memory hog, if you have a model open with 100's of parts it can take 10-15GB of memory. Which slows down the computer and can make creating drawings slow and painful. Also the software sometimes can do things which you don't intend. This can get irritating and cause some delays in design.

Once you learn to use it, it is a powerful tool.

The biggest benefit that I brought to the company where I work, and what is related to my area of expertise was the general decrease in the time the products were obtained, especially if a person who already had some time using the program was hired.

Pros

Although I do not use the program directly, I have directed tests on my work site to compare software with each other. One of them was to design a piece using solid Works and Inventor on the other hand, since they wanted to introduce this software in the office and I was not convinced. Mandéa to make 3 different pieces, with 3 different pairs of people who used the 2 programs. The result was that those who used the Inventor always did it faster than those who used solid Works. That, in addition to Inventor being associated with Autodesk, made me decide to replace the use of Solid Work by Inventor.

Cons

Especially when you start using the program, you have to spend a lot of time to familiarize yourself with the available tools (because they are many and very varied), in addition to needing a powerful machine, especially if you want to do simulations.

Great engineering CAD platform

Used for 3D modeling and simulations of NPD products.

Pros

Has a great deal of value in using all inventor products. The PLM system integrated with engineer works great. Also the CFD simulations work excellent in this package.

Cons

Modeling in 3D deals just a little weird if you are used to Creo or solid works. Once you use it a lot it becomes much more intuitive.

3d Parametrics

I have used 3 or 4 other parametric design software packages and Inventor is by far the best experience. Also able to export and import from other softwares.

Pros

Parametric design and functionality is second to none! FEA analysis is very helpful.

Cons

A bit pricey, but inline with other comparable software! It has the ability to do more than most individuals are capable of learning!

Reliable and easy-to-use 3D modeling software

Pros

Inventor has a very intuitive user interface. Not as pricey as other top-tier packages and provides a great bang for your buck.

Cons

Not as revolutionary or powerful as other packages but seems to be a great middle-of-the-road option with plenty of features for most industry needs. Automation & analysis features had been lacking in past releases but are starting to catch up.

Inventor Review

Pros

Very easy and powerful software to use. One of the better parametric modelers out there and I have used just about all of them. The stress analysis is very handy and the constraints are intuitive and powerful.

Cons

Wish there was a plugin for featurecam into inventor. I know there is inventor HSM but its not as easy to use as featurecam.

One of the best

I worked on NX, Catia, Solidworks, AutoCad- Inventor is my favorite CAD software.

Pros

Very friendly interface, real life looks, stable, capable for very large assembly. Excellent API and PLM. 3D PDF. I worked on NX, Catia, Solidworks, AutoCad- Inventor is my favorite CAD software.

Cons

Development for creating drawing is slow. (Like most software packages)