V17 changes worth maintenance fees?

[MikeHenry]

V17 has been out a while now and I'm wondering if most users feel that the changes from v16 to v17 are worth the annual maintenance fee. I'll be upgrading in a week or two after a computer change is completed, but on first read the feature changes documented in the What's New doc seemed a bit meager and I was disappointed that some of the UI features that are most annoying to me don't seem to have been addressed even though they have been requested for a year or more.

Mike

 

[Lew_Merrick]

Mike,

Are there massive improvements to V17? No, not really. Most of it is incremental -- but following a direction that makes me hopeful that we will see some real progress in the not too distant future.

The top of my list is the addition of Global Parameters to our repertoire. Is it perfect? No, but it is a start. I have reconfigured my pneumatic cylinder library such that an edit to the Global Parameter listing automagically updates the stroke of the cylinder without having to "step through" all three basic Part and Assembly files to make the change. Do Global Parameters need to be improved? Yes, but find me anything that was "ideal" the first time out!

On the polishing side of things, you can now name Reference Geometry as you create it. Things such as that level of improvement are fairly common -- if somewhat pedestrian.

 

[MikeHenry]

I was hoping for improvements in areas that are of frequent irritation for me and I didn't see much to thrill me in the What's New list. I don't maintain a written list but here are two issues off the top of my head that I would have liked to see resolved in this update:

1) Better AI for determining where new files will be saved. I frequently export part designs as IGES files for CNC machining into the CNC folder system on my computer and save GM files in a CAD folder. GM usually defaults to the wrong one and it would be nice if there was a way to specify one folder for CAD files and another for exported files.
2) The Save As issue - as it stands presently one ends up doing a lot of manual cleanup that the program should handle on it's own. Stuff like deleting duplicate part files from Save As's of drawing and assembly files.

Hopefully I will feel differently after upgrading to 17 in a week or two, but as things stand the changes from 16 to 17 don't seem to warrant the $400 maintenance cost to me.

Mike

 

[Drutort]

I think that 2D drawings are critical, but seems that they are an after thought in Alibre. Not much improvement has been done there

basic fundamental time saving features that I have requested in the past, still don't see:

Copy paste of sheets in 2D drawings. (reason simple, you have variation of drawing or optional features)

Change the configuration in the 2D sheet tree (this goes along with the copy paste of sheets, you can have 1 drawing, next you need to prototype something with small changes, you do not want to waste time dimensioning 90% of the same stuff, for the 10% of changes)


I am pretty sure both are possible, simple reproject views after doing so should update the drawing, all the data is already there, just need these 2 basic features, that would be a huge time saver

 

[PaulProe]

Can someone capsulize the effect of going "off Maintenance". If I choose not to renew maintenance and then decide to renew it in a couple years, say if/when vers. 18 comes out, what am I looking at?

Vers. 17 will continue to function, I just won't get any maintenance releases, correct? What about cost to renew sometime in the future, should I decide to?

Thanks

Paul

 

[DavidJ]

Paul,

My understanding (based on how things have worked up to now - which is not necessarily a guarantee it will continue that way) is as follows

Once you have entitlement to v17.x.y.z - any hotfixes (changes in z) will be available even if maintenance expires. Any service packs (changes in y) will similarly be available.

A change in minor version (x) may not be available to you after maintenance expiry (I only recall one or two uses of minor versions since first starting with Alibre back at v8). I'm honestly not sure how minor versions are treated.

Your reseller should be able to give an indication of price for maintenance renewal if lapsed 1 or 2 major versions behind - these values could change going forward, but should give some idea.

Maintenance also entitles you to assistance from your reseller and Geomagic if the software doesn't function for you as designed.

 

[craneaero]

If you have GM Elements, I would strongly recommend that you stay in-maintenance.
I have just received a message from GM stating that a number of their packages are being retired.
Included in these is GM Design Elements. Apparently, you will be upgraded to GM Design for free if you are in-maintenance.
Check out the Geomagic website for details.

There are hints in the message that there will be a new release of GM Design in March. What this will include in anyone's guess at the moment.

 

[MikeHenry]

There are hints in the message that there will be a new release of GM Design in March. What this will include in anyone's guess at the moment.

It sounds like they are releasing some sort of change to each of the major application in their product line that are being continued. It will be interesting to see how substantive a change they will be making.

It's a nice deal that GMDE users get a free upgrade to GMD, though I suppose that their annual maintenance will go up as a result.

Mike

 

[dwc]

though I suppose that their annual maintenance will go up as a result.

From Alibre to GM upped the maintainance from $250 for 3 years to $300 a year.
I don't think I will be going any farther if it goes up more.
Don

 

[Dave H]

though I suppose that their annual maintenance will go up as a result.

From Alibre to GM upped the maintainance from $250 for 3 years to $300 a year.
I don't think I will be going any farther if it goes up more.
Don

My maintenance for GD is US $400 plus tax. And has been for a few years already going back to the Alibre years.

 

[MikeHenry]

I meant that GMDE users who get free upgrades to GDE will probably end up paying the GDE maintenance fee ($400?) rather than the much lower maintenance fee that they are now paying for GMDE.

Mike