Robert Huot -- Tenxsys Inc.
Tenxsys Inc. is a high-tech, multi-discipline start-up. Although my degree is in mechanical engineering, I have also been doing circuit board design and firmware programming.
I was given the task of determining the CAD software that our company would be using. I have had experience using Pro/E, SolidWorks, Mechanical Desktop and even AutoCAD. I was impressed with the capabilities of Pro/E and always considered it an option despite its reputed cryptic interface. I discovered Pro/Desktop and was quite impressed. It was related to and compatible with my favored Pro/E at a very un-Pro/E price.
I soon began using their "free edition," but there were still some things that I didn't like or couldn't do. The 2D drawings, dimensioning in particular, were weak and I had trouble creating a particular lofted airfoil. I thought that this was just the price I would have to pay for CAD software at an affordable price. So when it came to making a final decision, I was told to go for capability over cost. This got me leaning toward SolidWorks, but it tries to do too much for you and I like to have control over my software, not the other way around.
Then I came across an ad in Mechanical Engineering magazine for Alibre Design. I admit the price had me a little skeptical, especially after my previous searches. After downloading the demo I was pleasantly surprised. The interface was very clean and straightforward, I particularly like the blue icons. I don't know why, I just do. Anyway, I was up and running in no time.
One of my first attempts was to create the aforementioned airfoil. Alibre Design created it perfectly. After gaining that initial confidence, I used the Equation Editor to proportionally change each sketch in the loft based on the root sketch. It worked great. I then imported it to FLUENT to do some CFD work for another project.
The 2D drawings and dimensioning capabilities in Alibre Design are what I would expect from a high-quality package. I tried out the Alibre Assistant to test the quality of tech support and found it to be excellent. It seemed like a dream come true; quality, capability and support -- all at an affordable price. I also like managing my data in the Repository because I have seen the problems that can occur when an older version of a document is used.
Alibre Design is a fantastic product. I was impressed enough to pre-purchase Alibre Design Professional and become a consultant. Alibre Design actually makes CAD a pleasure, not a chore that needs to be done.
Let me know if you need more info.
Keep up the good work,
Robert
|
| " | Alibre Design is a fantastic product… actually makes CAD a pleasure, not a chore." | | |
| " | It seemed like a dream come true -- quality, capability and support, all at an affordable price." | | |
|
