Re: Why Solidworks over Inventor?
 

Well, i'm a Solidworks guy on 469, LasGuerrillas.

I've never used inventor, so I can't say if it's better or not, but Solidworks is a great tool! It's easy to learn (i learned in just a few hours, and was able to model many things for the team the last season). Easy to use, in my oppinion, because it has a user-friendly interface. It looks nice, etc.

I would recomend that all teams who get a chance at least try to use it a few times, and pick which they like more, soldworks or inventor, or something else.

Re: Why Solidworks over Inventor?
 

Actually halk is right, though it's not a standard feature. There is an add on package you can install on top of SolidWorks called CAMWorks. CAMWorks is fully integrated into SolidWorks similar to the way COSMOS and PhotoWorks can be. This way inside SolidWorks you could create all your toolpaths and post process them without having to use multiple programs.

I've never actually used it myself, though I've seen it in action and have heard good and bad reviews of it.

Re: Why Solidworks over Inventor?
 

There's SolidCAM as well, and as you said, there are good and bad reviews of it too (which is true about any CAD/CAM application). If anyone is interested, there's a free trial available at www.solidcam.com. It requires registration, and won't post out g-code, but other than that it's fully functional (I haven't gotten it to actually complete the download, but maybe others might have better luck).