time for a change

Our company are figuring a switch to a 3D CAD program, I were wondering
how solidworks copes with PLM and raytracing?

Wev'e also considered solidedge and inventor.......

 

PLM - In short yes they are available and they can be implemented using
the API. If you get more specific as to which PLM you may be able to
get a more indepth answer.

RayTracing - this is also kindof a generic question. PhotoWorks uses
Mental Ray as it's rendering engine so......whatever that means for
you.

Directly from the MentalImages web site


"mental ray is the world leading, Academy Award® winning, high
performance, photorealistic rendering software. It produces images of
unsurpassed realism for digital content creation and design in the
areas of entertainment, product design and data visualization,
including such applications as visual effects for motion pictures,
full-length feature animations, content creation for computer games,
Computer Aided Design (CAD), product design and styling, architectural
design, lighting design, fluid flow simulation, seismic data studies
and medical imaging.

mental ray features the most advanced, patented and proprietary ray
tracing and rasterizer algorithms. It supports 32-bit and 64-bit CPUs
and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and parallel computer
architectures, including networks of computers, for maximum
performance. mental ray is the first rendering software that combines
the physically correct simulation of the behavior of light with full
programmability for the creation of any imaginable visual phenomenon.

mental ray is available as a standalone product and in the form of a
library for integration into software
products.....................................
mental ray has been integrated into Softimage|3D and Softimage|XSI,
Autodesk 3ds max and VIZ, Alias Maya, Side Effects Software's Houdini
5, SolidWorks PhotoWorks 2, and Dassault Système's CATIA V4 and V5
products. A number of translators and translator plug-ins allow for
using mental ray in conjuction with various 3D modeling and animation
front-end systems.
"

The last paragraph prettymuch puts most cad systems on the same playing
field.

and some examples

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/products/solutions/photoworks.html


any questions?

Corey

 

Hi Paul
As another UK based engineer I can understand your problem, i went
through the same process back in 1997.
Now i am Solidworks user of getting on for 10 years so i suppose I'm a
little biased but this is what I did back then to evaluate new CAD
systems.
1.Get the backing of your management. Seems obvious but some CAD
sellers will try and go directly to your directors with finicial
incentivies about their software, but the software might not address
your organisations needs.
2.Get a team together consisting of a number of design engineers ,
production engineering, IT and accounts.
Write a specification of what your company wants NOW from a CAD
software and where it expects to be in 5 years bearing in mind the IT
requirements, any downstream systems your trying to communicate with
CAM, MRP, long term finicial commitments (annual maintenance contracts
are normally approx £1000 per seat, this is why you need accounts on
the team).
3.Come up with a test which involves a typical design problem for your
company. Use one you've already done so you can see the time reduction.
Come up with a score sheet which covers all aspects of what you require
the software to do.
4.Goto an exhibition get contact details for your CAD seller and
contact them telling them your requirments and give them a copy of the
test in advance and the criteria they will be working to. DO NOT be
swayed by a CAD reseller that just wants to do their standard demo,
some will try!
5.Arrange dates for the trials, but dont have all the different CAD
resellers come in on the same day. Show them around your organisation,
explain what you manufacture, you'll soon work out if they have any
engineering knowledge or if they are just salesman. Then get them to do
the their presentation of how their software will address the test you
have given them and then allow them to do their standard presentation
in front of your team. Get each member of your team to mark the
software and then dont discuss the presentations amongst yourselves
until you've seen all of them.
6.Once you've seen all the presentations get your team back together
and go through the results. Remember your looking for the best CAD
programme for your company not who did the slickest presentation.
7.Choose a system. Now you need to check you've got the best reseller
for the product. You will need some after sales service like training,
upgrade support, consultancy ensure the reseller can offer these
services. Get your reseller to give you the numbers of some companies
they have already sold to and ring them, even go and visit their sites.
8.Finally present your proposal to your board and cross your fingers.

I would strongly urge you to include a PDM system in with your CAD
choice. 3D modellers create a lot of files. Now at the beginning it
seems like a lot of money to get a PDM system as well, but in 5 years
time trying to find that file you did 5 years back can be a nightmare
if you dont.
Once you have a sytem you'll be looking at 3 months to be up and
running 110%. Now this includes all the IT infrastucture, training,
file transfer etc. If you want it quicker you'll have to pay for the
reseller to put an engineer onto your site to go through the process.
If your looking at more than 6 seats I'd strongly recomend getting
some consultancy advice here. Its true that most of the products like
Solidworks, Solidedge, Inventor will work straight out of the box but
they will need setting up to work the way your organisation does.

For a list of Solidworks users I've found in the UK see
http://kenneth.carpenter.googlepages.com/solidworksusersuk
and please contact me if you need any further help.
regards
Ken

 

What does your company do? That has a lot to do with how we answer.