Comments on: CAD Software Compared: SolidWorks vs Autodesk Inventor

By: Luke

Luke — Mon, 25 May 2020 13:27:33 +0000

In reply to Matt Spooner. Cool - thanks for your input, Mark!

By: Matt Spooner

Matt Spooner — Thu, 21 May 2020 18:27:15 +0000

Good article, having used both extensively (6 yrs Inventor and 8 Solidworks) both systems have good features. I would agree that the learning curve for Solidworks is far better, however the benefits that Inventor gives you in the long term are greater. The graphics are far superior, the drawing sheet quality is excellent, and I could go on. If your a fabricator the ‘Frame builder’ is far superior to Solidworks equivalent. Smart parts and assemblies are also a big reason to choose Inventor.
I would summarise by saying Inventor is the more sophisticated product that takes a little more time to get your head round, but pays you back in the long run.

By: Luke

Luke — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 14:49:39 +0000

In reply to Guido Gerli. Pleased you like it, Guido.

By: Guido Gerli

Guido Gerli — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 15:45:35 +0000

Great article Bethany!

By: Niels r

Niels r — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 07:18:10 +0000

In reply to PAUL DAVIES. Solidworks crashing more then inventor? I have experience the opposite. Inventor keeps dying all the times. in a week i have submitted at least 10 crash reports.

By: Andoni

Andoni — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 01:35:36 +0000

In reply to Nick.

Hi, Nick. It’s just basically because Inventor has more features to get used to than Solid Works. But if you’re looking for more input from other CAD users, I suggest you post your query on https://cadanswers.com/. The community there is helpful and has a lot of good insights.

By: Andoni

Andoni — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 01:25:52 +0000

In reply to Gaetano Caldarola. Those are some good insights, Gaetano. Thanks for sharing!

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:59:33 +0000

I am glad to read the article and the responses. We have both of these softwares and are trying to standardize on one. I am interested to hear more on why in was stated that Inventor has a much steeper learning curve than Solid Works? They seem pretty similar to me but I have been using 3D CAD since SDRC IDEAS in 1996. Please let the group know your thoughts. I want to make sure we make the right decision for younger engineers.

By: Gaetano Caldarola

Gaetano Caldarola — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 15:57:05 +0000

Great Article, I consider myself a seasoned user of both, but Inventor is the absolute package in my opinion. There are some nice tools in Solidworks, but remember the tools are only as good as the user commanding it. A designer/user finds ways to make the tool do the job rather than looking for the “easy button”. Great article, though!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 18:38:04 +0000

In reply to Bogaers. We use the Inventor API to complete almost all of our administration and design automation. Having developed in VB.NET for both INV and SW, the Inventor API is much cleaner and easier to use. Far more reliable as well. I've had us switch from SW to Inventor here for this reason.

By: Bogaers

Bogaers — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 09:50:23 +0000

We have the opposite experience. It is difficult in Autodesk Inventor to use models from previous projects/designs. So we have to start with a lot of administrative work, before we can really start engineering, because you have to rename many files. Also Fault doesn’t solve this problem.
Did someone find a real solution for this problem?

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 15:55:50 +0000

In reply to Jason Vandy Bogurt. Thanks for the input Jason :D

By: Jason Vandy Bogurt

Jason Vandy Bogurt — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 15:54:09 +0000

Thanks for this article. Being a user of both and in a company looking to expand its horizon, this helps me help my company see what works for us. In my mind, I see Solidworks like Comic Sans text in MS word, fun and puts you in a good mood and capable. However, Inventor reminds of times new roman font in MS word, very capable and stoic gets the job done and that’s that. I really enjoy using both softwares, but I do have my favorite to use.

By: Luke

Luke — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 11:45:49 +0000

In reply to PAUL DAVIES. Thanks for sharing your experience with Solidworks and Inventor, Paul :)

By: PAUL DAVIES

PAUL DAVIES — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 00:47:21 +0000

Good article comparing Inventor and Solidworks, Having used both a lot, I can say that Inventor is the best. The biggest problem with Solidworks is how often it crashes and graphics are not in the same league at Inventor