CAD vs SolidWorks

[Nick.kremer]

Originally Posted by Madison

CAD is an acronym that describes a type of software. Perhaps you mean AutoCAD, a particular CAD product?

I cant speak for O.P. but I think this is what they meant.

In any case I will weigh in on Autocad vs. SolidWorks.

Autocad:

In my opinion, if you are new to CAD this is the way to go. Students should get a good handle on 2-D visualization of parts, and the basic drafting techniques before moving on to 3-D parts and assemblies. Similarly, they will be dimensioning in 2-D (for any CAD program), so I believe introducing them to dimensioning initially is better in 2-D.

SolidWorks:

Solidworks is of course much better for assemblies, and visualizing the overall size of a bot, and how parts interact with each-other. You can weld parts together, limit how they move, and this really helps the design process to make sure appendages both fit in frame perimeter, but extend out the proper distance.
My problem with SolidWorks (for students who start learning CAD with it) is that it automatically generates 2-D views for you when you make drawings from assemblies, which does save time, but limits the amount of time students think about how the part looks. It also seems that dimensioning becomes almost an afterthought, which should never be the case.