AutoCAD vs. Inventor

[NextPerception]

The way I see it is that AutoCAD is to Inventor as Dos is to WIndows XP
AutoCAD gives you more control while it may take you longer where as Inventor looks nicer and takes less time. I wanna here from fellow AutoCAD devotees and the Inventor Buffs about why you like your software better. who knows, mabye you convert me. all I know is i have never once come up against something i can draw in autoCAD's 3D enviroment and why learn a new program if the one i am using works fine. like the old saying goes, why fix what aint broke.

[Rafi Ahmed]

I love both programs but I would lean more toward Inventor. AutoCAD is great because you can design ANYTHING you want to and you have endless possibilities and the program doesnt make your computer lag as much as Inventor but in Inventor you can actually visualize the part or robot right in front of you and you can animate 3D movements demonstrating how the robot works or how its put together.

[Gabe]

I love having the control over AutoCAD as you plot drawings, and the fact that _underscore is very easy to learn and adopt. I tried learning Inventor on 10 but the shock of not using _underscore was a little too much for me, and I've kinda given it up.

Another thing was the other day when our machinist mentor looked at one inventor image and said he didn't like the application. So...if he doesn't want to use it then I probably won't use it very much, either.

On another note, CNC mills, lathes, laser cutters, and waterjet cutters all use AutoCAD because it they are tools that work mostly in two-dimensional motions on an x-y axis.

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Gabe

I love having the control over AutoCAD as you plot drawings, and the fact that _underscore is very easy to learn and adopt. I tried learning Inventor on 10 but the shock of not using _underscore was a little too much for me, and I've kinda given it up.

Another thing was the other day when our machinist mentor looked at one inventor image and said he didn't like the application. So...if he doesn't want to use it then probably neither will I get use it very much.

On another note, CNC mills, lathes, laser cutters, and waterjet cutters all use AutoCAD because it they are tools that work mostly in two-dimensional motions on an x-y axis.

No machining tool I've seen uses AutoCAD -- rather, they typically use GCode. Such code can be written by hand or generated automatically based on drawings created in any number of CAD packages. It is true that most CAM packages can read AutoCAD's DWG format, though it is by no means the only format they'll accept.

In our lab, we use a variety of programs in conjuction with the different machines.

Our CNC mill runs on GCode generated using MasterCAM V. 9, which in turn uses DXF or DWG formatted files that I can export from Solidworks.

Our laser cutter acts similarly to a printer and so we use Microsoft's Visio as a CAD/CAM application. It allows us to draw basic shapes easily, but also can import DXF or DWG formatted files from other CAD packages.

Finally, our plasma cutter is set up to use SheetCAM to generate GCode based on DXF or DWG files.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by M. Krass

No machining tool I've seen uses AutoCAD -- rather, they typically use GCode. Such code can be written by hand or generated automatically based on drawings created in any number of CAD packages. It is true that most CAM packages can read AutoCAD's DWG format, though it is by no means the only format they'll accept.

In our lab, we use a variety of programs in conjuction with the different machines.

Our CNC mill runs on GCode generated using MasterCAM V. 9, which in turn uses DXF or DWG formatted files that I can export from Solidworks.

Our laser cutter acts similarly to a printer and so we use Microsoft's Visio as a CAD/CAM application. It allows us to draw basic shapes easily, but also can import DXF or DWG formatted files from other CAD packages.

Finally, our plasma cutter is set up to use SheetCAM to generate GCode based on DXF or DWG files.

There are some machine tools that have native support for DXF files and can create the g-code for the part themselves, without using a CAM package.

As to the original question, I hate AutoCAD for it's lack of parametrics, liked Inventor, and love Solidworks.

[Arefin Bari]

Autocad - Abosolutely love using it. This is one software that I use on daily basis. Even though inventor is more user friendly, in my opinion autocad is more user friendly (I guess it really depends on the user). Tytus was the first person who got me into Autocad and he showed me few techniques. Overtime I became faster at designing things in Autocad. Since then I have been using it.

Inventor - It's a great tool when it's time to design a robot or small parts. But most of the industrial companies use Pro E or Autocad. If I have to make a small part of something that I want to show students, I use inventor. Even Though I have heard people say that inventor is VERY user friendly and one can design something in it really FAST, I think it really depends on the user and what the user is most comfortable with.

... Have knowledge in all the cad softwares possible, it helps, but use the one that you are most comfortable with.

[Gabe]

Originally Posted by M. Krass

No machining tool I've seen uses AutoCAD -- rather, they typically use GCode. Such code can be written by hand or generated automatically based on drawings created in any number of CAD packages. It is true that most CAM packages can read AutoCAD's DWG format, though it is by no means the only format they'll accept.so can import DXF or DWG formatted files from other CAD packages.

Sorry, that's what I meant. For laser cutters I've used LaserCamm, which comes with its own program that accepts DXF files. The CNC mills used for robot parts use FeatureCAM (at least that's what I'm told).
My main point is that all of these machines work primarily with x and y coordinate motions, where AutoCAD works very well for me. And, as Arefin mentioned above, is the application I am most familiar with.

[Binome]

I like solidworks for making killer assemblies and for general modelling, but for display, inventer is FAR ahead. Solidworks seems to lag on even the most powerful machines I can find.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Binome

I like solidworks for making killer assemblies and for general modelling, but for display, inventer is FAR ahead. Solidworks seems to lag on even the most powerful machines I can find.

I've found the opposite to be true, for me. Solidworks runs faster all around, compared to Inventor. Especially on startup.

[Daniel Brim]

I can't speak for solidworks, as I have never used it. Then again, it's not in the thread title

I cannot stress how much I prefer Inventor, especially for the applications that we are using in FIRST. I have used AutoCAD outside of first (designing test fixtures), and I felt a bit limited because my designs were 3D and lacked the flexibility that sketch constraints in Inventor have. AutoCAD was just not built for assemblies, either. With that said, AutoCAD does do a lot better than some Other CAD programs than what I've used.

[NextPerception]

Originally Posted by raf4far

I love both programs but I would lean more toward Inventor. AutoCAD is great because you can design ANYTHING you want to and you have endless possibilities and the program doesnt make your computer lag as much as Inventor but in Inventor you can actually visualize the part or robot right in front of you and you can animate 3D movements demonstrating how the robot works or how its put together.

OH! BELIEVE ME!!! Autocad can lag! even on my home computer that is running a amd64 3200 with a quadro FX 1000 graphics card and 2 gb of memory. (i built this computer specifically to run CAD) once you get up to 27,000 KB Autocad Drawings with 2000+ 3D objects, each detailed down to the threads on the bolts and the individual links of chains, your computer will lag with AutoCAD. it can take up to 3 minutes to just load it into autoCAD not to mention the 3-5 second lag in between EVERY frame when rotating it.

[JD Mather]

AutoCAD is obsolete technology. Period!

AutoCAD users are a dime-a-dozen. Literally. Prepare yourself for the future by learning the next generation of tools.

http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/content..._Tutorials.htm

[Molten]

I am better at modeling with Inventor however I prefer AutoCAD. I generally use autoCAD for the geometry solving and Inventor for visualizing new ideas.

[Tytus Gerrish]

Like with any program people will use what they are most skilled at. and companies will use what will fit their needs. I use autocad all day at work and am congenly refered to as the "MASTER MODELER" because i can model very quivkley and know lots of tricks to get the geometry and features you want for most given projects. as such i say autocad modeling is much quicker for me than inventor. however. with inventor once the parametric parameters are steup changes beciome easer.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by Tytus Gerrish

Like with any program people will use what they are most skilled at. and companies will use what will fit their needs. I use autocad all day at work and am congenly refered to as the "MASTER MODELER" because i can model very quivkley and know lots of tricks to get the geometry and features you want for most given projects. as such i say autocad modeling is much quicker for me than inventor. however. with inventor once the parametric parameters are steup changes beciome easer.

I disagree. I am much better at Inventor and can make most anything on there with enough time. I do not even know how to use the 3-D capabilites of AutoCAD yet I still prefer it over Inventor. Why do I prefer it? It has nothing to do with what I am better at. All that matters is the way you think and process. I prefer AutoCAD because I am more into the certainty and set numbers. However, my friends prefer Inventor because it is flexible and enjoy being able to make things without knowing dimensions.

FYI: I am known here as the "Inventor Guru".