autodesk changing their pricing?

Technical CAD
1

I just recieved a note from our vendor of autodesk software… looks like changes are on the way… which couldnt have come at a worse time for our school (or most schools)

what options Do we have (outside of autodesk?) for a similar drawing package… we have been teaching inventor, autocadd, and some revit within our school technology education programs…
I am aware that PRO E would likely easily replace inventor, but I am not current on the competition from autocadd and REvit?

any ideas?

2

From my experience ProEwould not be a suitable replacement for Inventor. It’s rather different, and I don’t care for it. However, it is free for schools.

You may look into SolidWorks.

3

Revit is for architecture, and PTC and SolidWorks don’t really do things for that market. AutoCAD is for 2-D (its 3-D mode is not worth using as part of an ordinary curriculum, when fully parametric software is available), and SolidWorks comes with an equivalent utility; the new PTC equivalent is Creo Elements/Direct.

As far as 3-D parametric software, FRC teams get Inventor, SolidWorks and Creo Elements/Pro (i.e. the new name for Pro/ENGINEER) for free. It would be worth checking with representatives from each of those companies whether they intend for those packages to be used in non-FIRST classrooms. (ChiefDelphi users mplanchard and PTC_FRC would be the people to talk to; presumably Autodesk has someone as well.)

4

Autodesk is free for educational use. http://students.autodesk.com/

Anyone that has a .edu email can get their products just by registering.

Autodesk also gives its products to FIRST teams, but the registration process is slightly longer. http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=form__240

5

Yes, but this is only on an individual basis. To legally be used in a non-FIRST classroom it has to be purchased. I recently received Autodesk Inventor Professional pricing for a middle school from our local Autodesk reseller/rep. PM me for numbers and details. Roughly speaking, it’s either about $5,000 per year or $12,000 up front and $1,000 per year (roughly). This would be for a 30 or 125 seat license. There are some small differences in pricing between the two options.