Re: Benefits of Alibre
I just have to weigh in in this one.
1. Price - 1/5 to 1/3 the price of any comparable 3D parametric modeling application on the market today.
2. Features - depending on which package you purchase, the features include Sheet Metal (which greatly influences the price differential mentioned above), Photo Render, Algor FEA, etc., The repository, a functional PDM system that will serve most small to medium size companies. 3D driven 2D drafting, file conversion capabilities. You usually pay extra for each of the mentioned features with other CAD packages.
3. Ease of use, and availability of training materials, and extended support after purchase.
4. A community of consultants who are more than willing to provide advice and assistance when called upon or not
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5. Alibre, the company, made up of a fantastic group of concerned individuals, who listen to their customer base, and give back to the society at large in many different ways, including educational programs, and initiatives such as the Open Prosthetics Program.
6. Ongoing, constant product improvement, based in large part on user feedback.
7. Alibre Xpress - something no other CAD supplier offers. Although the Xpress version is not as robust as the lowest priced package of Alibre Design, it is powerful enough to drive some very complex designs and assemblies.
From my standpoint Alibre is unique both as a company, and as an application. I've used the higher priced spreads, and there are very few things you can do with them that can't be accomplished with Alibre, I haven't found any myself, but I'm not everyone, and I don't work in every design field. If you're looking for a full featured, 3D parametric CAD application, for a fantastic price, and the best user community (international and multi-disciplined) around, you can't do any better than Alibre. And that's the truth.