For all user that are concerned with the future of Geomagic, check out Zw3d (don't be fooled by the name it is former VX). They have a 30 day trial and afterwards you can still open what you have made in those 30 days just not save any more. It takes some time to get use to the all in one file approach but after you understand the concept it is rather refreshing. Speed wise I haven't seen anything like it, it opens massive files in seconds. Just check it out.... I did and bought it..
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- Thread starter Giecon.nl
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laverne3ca
Senior Member
Seems like that might be what is needed after the email announcing Geomagic for Solidworks. It looks like they are just going with the 3D print add-ons. Maybe that's why no one has heard anything from them regarding fixes and improvements, they aren't doing them.
I whole heartedly hope that 3d systems wouldn't leave our precious 'Alibre' die like this but in the meanwhile my work is done with Onshape and to be honest there is no way back to installed cad anymore..
While other cads get updates once/twice a year, Onshape gets new stuff every month without any user action - last update added Feature Script that allows you to code your own features to speed up work (wow!)..
While other cads get updates once/twice a year, Onshape gets new stuff every month without any user action - last update added Feature Script that allows you to code your own features to speed up work (wow!)..
It saddens me immensly to say it, but It is my belief that Alibre was never intended to be more than a glorified 3D Printer Driver to 3DS. They have no interest in developing, improving, supporting or marketing it.
I have seen absolutely nothing from them to suggest anything to the contrary. They have been hiding behind that "no forward looking statements".... SEC violation B.S. ever since they took over the product. In truth, they cant make forward looking statments because there is nothing to look forward to.
jimpulse
user since 2008
I have seen absolutely nothing from them to suggest anything to the contrary. They have been hiding behind that "no forward looking statements".... SEC violation B.S. ever since they took over the product. In truth, they cant make forward looking statments because there is nothing to look forward to.
jimpulse
user since 2008
bigseb
Alibre Super User
Jeepers... what a gloomy bunch. While I also would like more feedback and interaction from Geomagic I'm certainly not gonna jump ship. FWIW (and I have a thread on this) I work on moulds for various big brands (automobile & aerospace) and GD holds its own quite easily. On top of that I work a lot with imported files and we all know the problems that come with that (particularly Catia files) and yet GD holds its own.
Just to bring some balance to the thread...
Just to bring some balance to the thread...
RocketNut
Alibre Super User
bigseb said:Jeepers... what a gloomy bunch. While I also would like more feedback and interaction from Geomagic I'm certainly not gonna jump ship. FWIW (and I have a thread on this) I work on moulds for various big brands (automobile & aerospace) and GD holds its own quite easily. On top of that I work a lot with imported files and we all know the problems that come with that (particularly Catia files) and yet GD holds its own.
Just to bring some balance to the thread...
I agree with you bigseb fully
But I have to ask why is 3DS focusing on SW instead of GM :?:
bigseb
Alibre Super User
Dunno... maybe to bring SW up to speed? :wink:RocketNut said:bigseb said:Jeepers... what a gloomy bunch. While I also would like more feedback and interaction from Geomagic I'm certainly not gonna jump ship. FWIW (and I have a thread on this) I work on moulds for various big brands (automobile & aerospace) and GD holds its own quite easily. On top of that I work a lot with imported files and we all know the problems that come with that (particularly Catia files) and yet GD holds its own.
Just to bring some balance to the thread...
I agree GM is a very powerful and easy to use CAD package. So I ask why Is 3DS focusing on SW instead of GM :?:
JST
Alibre Super User
People look here, see the negativity, and decide NOT to get involved with GMD....
There was a thread over at CNCzone all about how people see the hate over here and say "wow, I just want a good program that will still be there in a year, and these folks are all sure its being canned"........
If you keep telling everyone NOT TO get involved with GMD, I can guarantee it will happen, it will be seen as a liability, and dumped.
Yes, I AM calling the lot of you a PROBLEM.
There was a thread over at CNCzone all about how people see the hate over here and say "wow, I just want a good program that will still be there in a year, and these folks are all sure its being canned"........
If you keep telling everyone NOT TO get involved with GMD, I can guarantee it will happen, it will be seen as a liability, and dumped.
Yes, I AM calling the lot of you a PROBLEM.
Lew_Merrick
Guest
The comment I made when the version was changed from a version number to a year is that improvement needs to be a continuous process rather than an annual one still applies. I am reasonably well convinced that the code documentation has been allowed to "slide" for far too long. I suspect that fixing that aspect has grown to a massive task. I am under the impression that 3D Systems is working on fixing this, but it is now an all-consuming task.
laverne3ca
Senior Member
JST, don't misunderstand me, I like the program and it does most of what I need, it can do much more than I'm capable of getting it to do. My concern is that we will have this potentially great piece of software that isn't quite complete and will then become an orphan or at least an ugly stepchild. I hope Lew is right.
As for people on the forum being negative so others don't buy into the program, Geomagic could easily solve that problem by being at least a little communicative with their users. Nearest I can tell from reading the forum, they aren't working with anyone here to upgrade the product so unless they are secretly reading the posts, they aren't getting much feedback.
As for people on the forum being negative so others don't buy into the program, Geomagic could easily solve that problem by being at least a little communicative with their users. Nearest I can tell from reading the forum, they aren't working with anyone here to upgrade the product so unless they are secretly reading the posts, they aren't getting much feedback.
JST
Alibre Super User
They may be getting far TOO MUCH feedback.....
Here's a recent sample of what many posters have been sending as a message...It's wonderful feedback for deciding whether to continue development:
"I haven't heard from 3DS about an update, so I am moving to Fusion 360 because 3DS has totally lost credibility for me"
"I haven't heard from 3DS about an update, so I am discontinuing my maintenance, it just isn't worth it anymore"
" I did not renew maintenance last December because I only use Geomagic 1-2 hours a week and I'm very unsure if it's in their plans to keep supporting it. I find myself using Fusion 360 more and more except when I need good drawings. "
"As many know I let my maintenance lapse a while back. I won't get into why again here, but I will say this; I can't remember getting any communications since doing so to try to "win" me back over."
"The lack of corporate outreach to the user community since 3DS bought Alibre doesn't bode well. It is still an excellent deal when bought new, but I no longer see the value in continuing maintenance,"
"Apart from the usual disappointment of not knowing if ...a) my maintenance for this year was just p**ssing good money up the wall b) there is a future at all left in GD"
"this potentially great piece of software that isn't quite complete"
Me, I just sent out another bunch of invoices, just one of which would pay my maintenance and have leftover.
NO software is EVER "complete", but GMD is looking better every time I use it. Do I have problems sometimes? Yes, just look at posts. But when I have a problem (as long as it isn't fillets) it's usually because I am doing some off-the wall thing. And most of those get resolved.
AutoCad has the best manuals of any I have worked with, but they ain't perfect by far. The number of ways to get to a particular error, I am coming to realize, approaches infinity. I have written user manuals for products, and it ain;t easy even when all you have is buttons and switches. Commands working on arbitrary geometry? Yowza......
It would indeed be nice if the manual were updated with the S/W. I suspect it was not started correctly. It needs to have been keyed to the version number, and tied in with the ECO system as an "affected document" that has to be updated as part of the ECO. Otherwise it won't happen, been there, seen that, got whipped with the t-shirt.
I suppose in fairness I should mention we are not alone.... OTHER programs have disgruntled users.... and apparently goofy or counterproductive operation
Here's a quote I happened across while looking for info on the very same problem. It's from an AutoCad forum
"Why do you need my model to prove my point? You know and I know that the ADSK program creates inconsistent face body relationships and doesn't throw a warning to the user when it happens. Only after reopening or inserting the solid model in another drawing is the user notified and then it's too late. And besides that warning is ambiguous and gives no clue to the user where the problem is in the model. Then the user has to go fishing and searching for the issue in the model.
I know how to fix it myself in the model and don't need your help to fix it.
I'm saying the "DEFECT" with the ADSK program is the fact that the user isn't notified by the program when an inconsistent face body relationship was created at the time it was created so the user can take care of the isuue at the same time.
I hope you will understand my point. I don't expect that anybody at ADSK will give two hoots about it though."
Sounds remarkably like what we see here.....
Here's a recent sample of what many posters have been sending as a message...It's wonderful feedback for deciding whether to continue development:
"I haven't heard from 3DS about an update, so I am moving to Fusion 360 because 3DS has totally lost credibility for me"
"I haven't heard from 3DS about an update, so I am discontinuing my maintenance, it just isn't worth it anymore"
" I did not renew maintenance last December because I only use Geomagic 1-2 hours a week and I'm very unsure if it's in their plans to keep supporting it. I find myself using Fusion 360 more and more except when I need good drawings. "
"As many know I let my maintenance lapse a while back. I won't get into why again here, but I will say this; I can't remember getting any communications since doing so to try to "win" me back over."
"The lack of corporate outreach to the user community since 3DS bought Alibre doesn't bode well. It is still an excellent deal when bought new, but I no longer see the value in continuing maintenance,"
"Apart from the usual disappointment of not knowing if ...a) my maintenance for this year was just p**ssing good money up the wall b) there is a future at all left in GD"
"this potentially great piece of software that isn't quite complete"
Me, I just sent out another bunch of invoices, just one of which would pay my maintenance and have leftover.
NO software is EVER "complete", but GMD is looking better every time I use it. Do I have problems sometimes? Yes, just look at posts. But when I have a problem (as long as it isn't fillets) it's usually because I am doing some off-the wall thing. And most of those get resolved.
AutoCad has the best manuals of any I have worked with, but they ain't perfect by far. The number of ways to get to a particular error, I am coming to realize, approaches infinity. I have written user manuals for products, and it ain;t easy even when all you have is buttons and switches. Commands working on arbitrary geometry? Yowza......
It would indeed be nice if the manual were updated with the S/W. I suspect it was not started correctly. It needs to have been keyed to the version number, and tied in with the ECO system as an "affected document" that has to be updated as part of the ECO. Otherwise it won't happen, been there, seen that, got whipped with the t-shirt.
I suppose in fairness I should mention we are not alone.... OTHER programs have disgruntled users.... and apparently goofy or counterproductive operation
Here's a quote I happened across while looking for info on the very same problem. It's from an AutoCad forum
"Why do you need my model to prove my point? You know and I know that the ADSK program creates inconsistent face body relationships and doesn't throw a warning to the user when it happens. Only after reopening or inserting the solid model in another drawing is the user notified and then it's too late. And besides that warning is ambiguous and gives no clue to the user where the problem is in the model. Then the user has to go fishing and searching for the issue in the model.
I know how to fix it myself in the model and don't need your help to fix it.
I'm saying the "DEFECT" with the ADSK program is the fact that the user isn't notified by the program when an inconsistent face body relationship was created at the time it was created so the user can take care of the isuue at the same time.
I hope you will understand my point. I don't expect that anybody at ADSK will give two hoots about it though.
"Sounds remarkably like what we see here.....
jhiker
Alibre Super User
I like GM and I'll keep up my maintenance but there's some interesting stuff out there.
I've been playing with Fusion360 this week and it's definitely worth keeping an eye on.
It looks quite intuitive. Doesn't have as many features/options as GM yet but it's an ongoing project and has frequent behind the scenes updates.
It has some really nice analysis tools and some very nice touches like the section view which you can drag to get real time sectioning.
I checked a stress analysis (for a machined tubular housing under internal pressure) against a known solution and it matched it pretty well.
Sheet metal slated for this year sometime.
Free for hobbyists etc.....
I've been playing with Fusion360 this week and it's definitely worth keeping an eye on.
It looks quite intuitive. Doesn't have as many features/options as GM yet but it's an ongoing project and has frequent behind the scenes updates.
It has some really nice analysis tools and some very nice touches like the section view which you can drag to get real time sectioning.
I checked a stress analysis (for a machined tubular housing under internal pressure) against a known solution and it matched it pretty well.
Sheet metal slated for this year sometime.
Free for hobbyists etc.....
