Question about CAD software

Have questions or comments about Simplify3D, Slic3r, Cura, Reptier, etc? Or wondering about which CAD software to use...discuss it here...
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GlennK
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2018 5:51 pm

Question about CAD software

Post by GlennK » Tue May 28, 2019 10:57 am

Does anyone have any experience with Solidworks? I'm looking for a powerful CAD software mostly for reverse engineering compatible with Artec Studio. Never tried Solidworks or any other paid software. Basically, I am familiar with AutoCAD and OpenSCAD.
Any help would be appreciated.

Gwhite
Posts: 372
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2017 3:38 pm

Re: Question about CAD software

Post by Gwhite » Tue May 28, 2019 1:34 pm

I've been using Fusion360. I used to have a paid copy of Alibre/Geomagic, and it was very buggy. Fusion has had a few quirks, but they are very responsive to bug reports and the latest version is very stable.

I can get Fusion for free because I work part-time at a university. The regular licensing fees are a LOT less than SolidWorks, and they often have "sales" with deep discounts. It's free for hobbyists, and they have a deal for startups as well.

thunderbt3
Posts: 105
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 11:36 pm

Re: Question about CAD software

Post by thunderbt3 » Tue May 28, 2019 3:36 pm

I have some experience with scanning software and Solidworks. Solidworks scan data manipulation capability is pretty poor and half-baked (ScanTo3D). Our Solidworks rep admitted this when we were evaluating scanners and reverse engineering software.

In general, there are a couple stages to the process: capturing data using the scanner software, cleaning/manipulating the data, plane/feature identification/measurement/cross-sectioning/surface extraction, export to CAD for full reverse engineering. I use Creaform's software for everything except modeling the reverse engineered part. I export the scan data and features created in Creaform's software over to Solidworks for modeling. Reverse engineering with an exported scan is no different than modeling a part from a blank slate, but with planes and features already in the model. Creaform will also allow me to export to Inventor. You may want to check if Artec will let you export to other formats as well.

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