Quote:
Originally Posted by kgargiulo
I am not seeking to start a posting war over which CAD is better. OK, I will say that if SolidWorks is actually charging FIRST teams for their licenses (I've read posts that say they do, and others that say they don't) then I don't understand why there isn't a mass revolt against them (we'll welcome you to Creo any time!). In any case, our team is very confident in our decision and the benefits we get from it every day. Your mileage may vary. I hope the information here helps, whether anyone chooses PTC / Creo or not.
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Just to put this part to rest, 3506 has had 30 seats of SOLIDWORKS Student Edition for 5 years straight now and we have not paid a dime. SW is free for all FRC teams so do not discount it as an option.
As for version control and external references, using a data management software such as (free) GrabCAD Workbench would alleviate a lot of those grievances. I am hoping that EPDM will be included in the next license handout from FIRST and SOLIDWORKS because that would be even better.
As for CAD platforms I found that functionally CREO and SOLIDWORKS are very comparable while Inventor does not quite have as many features. SOLIDWORKS of course boasts ease-of-use more than anything else which I found much easier to teach to high school students. I work in the CAD industry and I can say there is no such thing as an unbiased opinion on these programs and that any head to head comparison is biased.
My bias lies with SOLIDWORKS but with that being said you can always change programs and learn something new. I would use the resources at your disposal and make the software decision based on what mentors are available that know the programs, what teaching resources you have access to on the web, and any literature such as a CAD manual from a course.