Current issues - considering a change to SolidWorks.

[Phil]

Current issues - considering a change to SolidWorks.

We currently use Alibre for all of our design work, however, we're concerned that it may not be able to keep up with our rapid growth.

The licences are due for renewal in january 2008 and we're looking towards SolidWorks to solve a number of issues that we have.

In order to use the Alibre repository you must be online, even if the date is stored locally. Not much use if you lose your internet connection for a day.

There is little to be gained by upgrading machines because Alibre cant support dual/quad core machines. It is un-tested on Vista too so we're unable to use more than 3gb RAM. You cant buy a fast enough single core machine - so the lack of multi-processor support is holding us back.

We need more speed when regenerating drawings etc.

Many things are promised in V10 - everytime we ask for something we're told it'll be better in V10.

The sheet metal features are dumb. It lets people create things that are physically impossible.

There is no IGES assembly export option.



When will V10 be released?

 

[MilesH]

Hi Phil

I think V10 was due 1st half of August....

There is not a lot in SolidWorks that is multi-threaded. Even the parts (like hidden-line) that can benefit from more than one processor, can only use two....

The sheet metal features are dumb. It lets people create things that are physically impossible.

What do you want? NannyCAD?

 

[MikeHenry]

In order to use the Alibre repository you must be online, even if the date is stored locally. Not much use if you lose your internet connection for a day.

The repository works fine for me and I almost always work off line - or are you referring to a team use of the repository?

It is un-tested on Vista too

I thought that the most recent service patch made Alibre compatible with Vista. Haven't tried it myself though.

Mike

 

[indesign]

We have Alibre on a Vista system but have not tried using the repository from it or any other add-on except adobe 3D output.

 

[lcguias]

Hi,

I have Alibre and SolidWorks.
The only reasons I moved to SW it was speed. (in 3D and 2D)
On the same system SW is way faster that Alibre.
I have a system were Alibre did not work , SW runs Ok.

Without going in more debates, for me SW was a good investment.

Dan

 

[moyesboy]

Sheet metal is mickey mouse - agreed.
I don't think they promise much on it for v10 either.
No rip from solid to sheetmetal.
No development of things such as maniifolds, chimneys - it is only a crease from flat system. this is only part of what sheet metal is in the real world.
Many std tooled features are not available - eg louvre. The only one is dimple and the dimple shape is pretty restricted.

Repository sharing across a team is cripplingly slow.
They have offered a system where they install an alibre server locally and setup an intranet in your office. They the sharing of repositories can be independant of internet connection I think. however I don't know if anyone actually took this up so far as Ithink it might be quite expensive.
Otherwise yes to share the repository with your colleague the data travels peer to peer via the internet (after the sharing security is confirmed via the alibre server)- no internet no sharing with the guy sat next to you! No alibre server available - no sharing at all. When I tested the repository sharing I was a bit dumbfounded by this. I just couldn't beleive that was how it worked.
So then you try to use WFS instead and there is no file locking and alibre just overwrties all the files with every save so sharing the files in the office is a nightmare.

Speed of 2D is a problem. Promised better in v10.
hopefuly better 2D tools for dimensioning etc too. Such as dimension to virtual intersection.

I also find the modeller not very robust. if you go back and edit sometimes the sketch planes are orphaned and there is no way to redefine them - you cant get that sketch onto another plane you just have to remodel the sketch and recreate the feature. Then you find more stuff below goes into italics. Other systems seem to be a bit more tolerant when you edit a sketch to have a different number of vertices and faces vanish off the model.

What it comes down to is how much does the hassle cost. Its easy to have a lot of dollars worth of wasted time. No doubt there is some whatever system you are using. It just depends what rate you are billing your time at I guess. How far down Gregs "long tail" you are.

I seem to be a bit negative today.

 

[DavidJ]

If you do decide to switch to SolidWorks because it's a better fit for your needs, check out how you will move existing designs across.

I have a customer that uses SW exclusively, if he tries to import any assemblies exported as STEP from Alibre, all relative positions of parts are lost! - this problem has been mentioned elsewhere in the forums.

I suggest the SW reseller will be more attentive to helping to do this before you hand over the money! SW Assembly STEP export to Alibre works fine.

I'd be interested to hear if this is fixed in SW2007 (or in Alibre v10 depending on where you believe the problem is).

 

[indesign]

Re:

So then you try to use WFS instead and there is no file locking and alibre just overwrties all the files with every save so sharing the files in the office is a nightmare.

Maybe using a Windows server like 2000 or 2003 is better? Our 2000 system will not allow a file that is already open to be overwritten by another person.

 

[moyesboy]

Depends if alibre lets the sever know that it opened the file or if the server system itself is keeping track.
I think you wil find that alibre will overwrite the file that someone else has open unless you are using the repository system.

Regarding the step export
You'll find it was my post on this subject becuase I am working with a custmer who uses solidworks.
Actually opening the alibre step with solidworks seems a bit more successful with silidworks but you stil get some parts placed at 0,0,0 on default workplane. Alibre 213/214 step assemblies open fine in pro/E, inventor, solidedge. If youback read the posts you will see that the problem started to occur at SW2003 or something like that - it works in earlier versions of SW. so one solution would be to get the vendor to supply an old version of SW and launder your alibre step assemblies through that.

 

[jwknecht]

Re:

I seem to be a bit negative today.

Maybe.... but I think you are being refreshingly honest. Good to see that we can count on un-biased answers to the questions in this forum. Too many times we can make excuses or gloss over the shortcomings of the software. As I was reading your post, I thought that it could be easily used by a list for Alibre to use as checklist for their next improvement accomplishments.

 

[Phil]

Re:

They have offered a system where they install an alibre server locally and setup an intranet in your office. They the sharing of repositories can be independant of internet connection I think. however I don't know if anyone actually took this up so far as Ithink it might be quite expensive.

It is called Team Design Server and is offered for around £1750. However, I've yet to find anyone that has used it and our reseller knew little about it. :roll:

 

[swertel]

Didn't Gaspar's company implement it?

Where has he been lately?

 

[jwknecht]

Re:

Didn't Gaspar's company implement it?

Where has he been lately?

He was at least trying it. I know that he is busy.... that I am sure is why he has not popped into the forum lately.

 

[moyesboy]

jw - they know all my criticisms for some time before this post!

 

[wathavy4]

Hi,
Having looked at the comments from moysboy, it just remided me of the first impression of the OSMD. There is a option to lose sketch and palne after Extrude or Cut or revolve ... etc. And on their webinar the instructor says that it's recomended to uncheck to erase sketches and planes.
So every now and then I lose tracking of the history of the features. Amazing.
(But they have an optional capability of putting history as well. Amazing also.)
You might as well just see how it goes with history free modeling. It does not allow any parameter but it's light. No italic feature. Just solid.
The unfortunate thing with it is way too expensive. And it took too long time to familialize myself, and you cannot rotate pan without left hand on the keyboard unless you use icons to change mode. ( Amazing ).
Whenever I come back to AD, I move parts instead of rotating....
Anyway...

P.S. There is a nice louver made by Ralf though. I think it's impressive.

 

[Ralf]

Hi Phil,

One of my German Alibre customers use the "Team Design Server " solution with 10 Alibre Pro licences.
Installation is on a local server, all users can/have access locally about LAN and can access from the outside about VPN the Repository.
The installation is easy for " Good English speaker " :lol:
I think this is no problem for you.
The Alibre Support team have given good support, also on-line about NetMeeting. ( Special thanks to Pablo, he had a lot of patience with us and our bad English) :wink:
Now several thousand files are stored in this server Repository.

My words here are no advertisement, I like honesty more than every wrong web promises... :mrgreen:
If you wanted, I can make a direct contact with the customer and you can call him or contact him via email ...
I hope this helps.

Ralf

 

[Ralf]

Hi moyesboy,

I would also like to have these functions in Alibre, but
please have a look:
1 Alibre licence costs max. $ 2000

1 SWX licence costs min. $ 6600 plus the functions:
Feature Works ~ $ 2700
and
Sheet Metal Feature Recognition ~ $ 2500

$ 6600,- + $ 2700,- + $ 2500,- = $ 11,800
However, please remains fair, this cannot offer Alibre for $ 2000

SWX-Feature Works
or OEM
http://feature.geometricsoftware.com/featureworks.aspx

SWX-Sheet Metal Feature Recognition
or OEM
http://feature.geometricsoftware.com/sh ... a_rec.aspx

Alibre 2D -> I agree 100% to you, here for Europe, it must be improved substantially in the functionality!
At the moment the 2D functionality it is a joke for all my DIN-ISO customers here in Germany. Only with many tricks we receive 2D DIN-ISO drawings.

Ralf

Edit: SWX and others... had here in Germany, some years ago, also big 2D problems.