Critical Mass yet?

[ideazonepd]

Critical Mass yet?

I just started using Alibre a few months ago (at the request of a company that I wanted to do work for). Prior to that I had not heard of it before. My full-time job is as a design engineer for a consumer products company, so I feel like I was pretty knowledgeable about available 3D CAD programs. I'm just wondering how well the word is spreading about Alibre. If I hadn't ever heard of it, I wonder how many others have never heard of it.

I'm hoping that the work that I am doing on the side with this company will someday turn into consulting full-time (with this and other companies using Alibre).

That brings me to the Poll question: Do you think Alibre has reached the point of Critical Mass that an Alibre Cosultant can rely on design business in Alibre as there sole source of income? If not, how long until we're there?

Feel free to post comments in addition to voting in the poll.

 

[swertel]

It depends on your customers. I know of one local consulting shop that manages to stay in business because they do native work in Solid Edge, Solid Works, and Pro/E. They keep most of their employees proficient on one of those systems and that is the default if the client does not ask for native models. They also do FEA and rapid prototyping.

Speaking to them on multiple occassions, they would not be in business if they only served their customers with one CAD system.

In short, you may be lucky enough to find enough customers that want native Alibre files or dumb files for import to keep you busy, but I personally wouldn't bet the farm by putting all my eggs in one basket.

 

[indesign]

Many customers and many formats. Around here we have companies with several formats with some of these not knowing what the other even is. Ever heard of a Pro-E engineer not knowing what a step file format was?

Passing files would be easy if they all had the same format. Everyone wants it their way or no way.

 

[MilesH]

No, Alibre will never be big enough. ------- 12% [ 1 ]

Ok, who's the defeatist, own up.... :roll:

 

[jwknecht]

Re:

...... but I personally wouldn't bet the farm by putting all my eggs in one basket.

That is the key point. In my case (just my way of thinking for my situation) I am putting all my eggs in one basket (Alibre), but I am not betting the farm. I am holding down my bread-earning, salary job while building my business nights and weekends. Personally, I am still devoted to Alibre and have no plans to branch out to other systems. But, my slow and steady approach has no room for grand plans to quit my dayjob and go full monte. I think my Alibre's growth pace is almost a perfect match for me.

 

[swertel]

It's not so much that Alibre will never be big enough. It's that, for consulting only, no CAD system is big enough. There is the potential, though, that Alibre's "open" standard may be universally adopted and therefore interoperability may be a key Alibre benefit.

--Scott

 

[MilesH]

Re:

There is the potential, though, that Alibre's "open" standard may be universally adopted and therefore interoperability may be a key Alibre benefit.
--Scott

I can't see any other exits from the present mess.

Miles

 

[ideazonepd]

Actually, I think that there are many 3D CAD consultants who work exclusively in one software package. I know it is different with vendors (tool shops, machine shops, etc), but I think a 3D CAD consultant who works in multiple software packages is the exception, not the rule. At least that's the way I think it is for ProE and SolidWorks. Why pay two licenses and maintainance fees when the software package that you use is so common that everyone accepts it.

I know in my company we have accepted part files from consultants that were simply translated at the last step (from SolidWorks to ProE). But I think the fact that it was originally modeled in SolidWorks made for an easier sell. I doubt that my manager would have accepted a situation where the parts were designed in a software that he had never seen or hear of. Alot of it is just simply comfort level.

 

[jwknecht]

Re:

Alot of it is just simply comfort level.

Ab so lute ly :!:

If the solution to getting unstuck from quicksand to keep from death were inches away, many people would refuse to try it because it is not familiar or "it is not the standard."

 

[jwknecht]

Re:

It's not so much that Alibre will never be big enough. It's that, for consulting only, no CAD system is big enough. There is the potential, though, that Alibre's "open" standard may be universally adopted and therefore interoperability may be a key Alibre benefit.

--Scott

If I thought of it that way, I would have answered the poll differently. Interesting and honest way to look at it.

Edit: I want to share my vote : 6 months or more away. I am looking into my crystal ball.

 

[indesign]

I am at least happy to say I am making money from Alibre. I now use it on my full time job as well as my part time home job.

 

[Gaspar]

We only use Alibre and do work for the automotive.

Our clients are required to have the engineering data of the stuff they buy from us and they need to demonstrate they are able to edit it to some level. The solution has been Alibre Xpress, with it, they can view and measure our assemblies and edit individual parts and drawings if needed (truth is they ask us to do the work when changes are needed, but they can show their auditors they're able to do it themselves).

NOTE: I'm the one who voted that Alibre is already here. In my mind, Alibre is already a real life tool used by many of us to turn ideas into gadgets. So if it does so well what it is intended to do (computer aided design) I see no reason in disbelieving that Alibre is not only here to stay, it's staying already.

 

[ideazonepd]

Ra Ra - Pep Rally

NOTE: I'm the one who voted that Alibre is already here. In my mind, Alibre is already a real life tool used by many of us to turn ideas into gadgets.

I don't think anyone is saying that Alibre is not a solid, legitimate 3D CAD tool. The question is whether enough people know that yet to make it possible for a design consultant to work only in Alibre.

Maybe a better question would be: "What can I do to grow Alibre's recognition/acceptance in the 3D CAD world?" The answer to that question doesn't depend so much on where Alibre is today (because that depends on each individual situation) but more on where we are going and how fast we can get there.

 

[Gaspar]

Thanks for clarifying Myles!

Now that I get your point, I think that asking clients to install Alibre Xpress so they can view your data in native format could be a great way to strengthen both, your position as a consultant using Alibre and Alibre's position as solid CAD package. For this last point, once they see what the software can do, they will probably give the full version a try :wink:

If I could change my vote, it would be to "More than a year". I don't see it comming soon, and I don't know how much more time it will take, but its only logical to think that something good will be recognized as such at some point 8)

 

[indesign]

Now that I get your point, I think that asking clients to install Alibre Xpress so they can view your data in native format could be a great way to strengthen both, your position as a consultant using Alibre and Alibre's position as solid CAD package. For this last point, once they see what the software can do, they will probably give the full version a try :wink:

I did just that. I am working with a client who was a Pro-E user in the past. I did a solid model for him and sent a picture as a sample. He asked about what I used and I told him about Alibre Xpress being free to use. He downloaded Xpress and played with it. He then setup an online demo using my files with Alibre and bought the full version.

Now I will be doing parametric setups for his designs and sending the native files to him. He will take my initial files to make copies and alter for each of his designs. Now he is very happy and I will have some more work.

BTW: Solidworks must be fealing the bite of Alibre. I have had them sending me stuff like crazy. They seem to be trying to copy Alibre's sales techniques.

 

[swertel]

I have a potential client who wants me to transfer Solidworks models into Alibre - i.e. remodel them. I went to the SW website to see if there was a demo to download in case I couldn't determine what the feature was supposed to be from the dumb-solid import (I have Solid Edge and it opens native SW files) and to get up-to-speed in case I need to use SW during billable hours.

But, to get anywhere in SW website, you have to fill out a form. As expected, I got a call not only from a corporate sales rep, but the local VAR and followup emails from both. I now even get spam from SW marketting dept.

Thankfully I have some design liberties with my client and don't have to reverse engineer it exactly so I doubt I will ever buy a copy of SW after this marketting blitz wasted so much of my time.

--Scott

 

[indesign]

They are doing an all out blitz. Like I said before...They must be fealing the Alibre bite.

It's almost funny but I get this stuff because of where I work had me look into costs about two years ago. Solidworks was way over what they would pay. They even sent me the free modeling program simular to Xpress with many restrictions. But who needs it. (<not a question)

Alibre does all we need and more. (just wishing I had the Expert with sheetmetal....maybe soon)

 

[moyesboy]

There are plenty of people still doing consultancy work in 2D with the delivered product being paper prints or dxf/dwg files.
surely it should be possible to use any 3D cad system to do such work and produce more accurate and especially more easily modifiable work at a competative price (particuarly if you overhead doesn't include a $4000 capital and $1500 annual investment).

 

[rbrian]

Re: What can I do to grow Alibre's recognition...

Maybe a better question would be: "What can I do to grow Alibre's recognition/acceptance in the 3D CAD world?" The answer to that question doesn't depend so much on where Alibre is today (because that depends on each individual situation) but more on where we are going and how fast we can get there.

My thought would be simple - If each user of Alibre Design or Alibre Xpress - told their circle of influence about the program - put up a small (even free pages would work for most), or large web site mentioning Alibre Design & Xpress - Search engines on the web would spider their pages and bring them up in search results more frequently with time! The fact that each user would have different wording would bring different pages up closer to the top sooner!

:idea: And if they/we/I made some nice color prints of what they/we/I have done - similar to the winning Xpress entries - to hand out - that would get the word out even faster. :idea:

My own tutorials page come up in the first page of google's search - sometimes even ahead of the Company (Alibre, Inc.) depending on the search terms or phrases used! I am getting emails from teachers in Schools who are using my Tutorials for their students - who are working with Xpress!

When the day comes that one of our consultants, or even one of our non-consultants - a normal user - is written up in our local newspapers because of how his/their business has benefited from using Alibre Design or Xpress, will be the day people will start thinking of it like SE/SW/ProE, etc. (IMO) :!: Robert

 

[indesign]

I will gladly add Alibre links to http://www.indtools.net and I will get on that this week. I already have been trying to spread the word to our customers. I have helped get one sale of the full version as well. Now if I could only get a big company to agree to a demo.

The trouble with large companies is they are hard to change from a previous program. For instance this company uses Pro-E. They have thousands of files in this format and it would take Alibre to open native Pro-E files without loss of developement info before they would consider changing

The only hope would be to get the engineers to play around on express at home so they would learn to like it.

:roll: Maybe that would be an enhancement request.