Solidworks 3d experience

[Michael CallaghanParticipant @michaelcallaghan68621]

Hi. I have been along time user of solidworks and was interested to see that the company have started a new 3D cad design program called 3d experience. This is cloud based and you can pay for one years use or monthly. I have downloaded the program and apart from a cut down version of the original solidworks program and a odd sort of cam set up I am not sure I like it. Has anyone played around with us program at all. I am not a great fan of cloud based programs has the prices will just go up big time once a number of people are hocked. What is your view on this.

[Michael CallaghanParticipant @michaelcallaghan68621]

[PatJParticipant @patj87806]

The problem I have run into with Solidworks is that it is version-centric, ie: one version cannot necessarily read another version.

Perhaps backwards compatible, but not forward compatible?

I forget which way it works, but I have sent folks files, and they cannot read my SW files, and sometimes vice versa.

The alternative was to purchase another product that had a mandatory annual fee of perhaps $1,500.00 or more (perhaps changes every year).

Solidworks was a one-time fee for perpetual license, which is why I purchased it.

So I would look at how versions will affect you, since that can lock you in, in ways you may not anticipate.

.

[Nigel BennettParticipant @nigelbennett69913]

SW can't open future version files – eg if you have SW 2015 you couldn't open anything saved in SW 2017 and above. You may just be able to open a SW 2016 file if it was saved under service pack 5 but it would only be a dumb uneditable solid.

I did try the Onshape software but as I had a copy of SW I keep on using that.

[Michael CallaghanParticipant @michaelcallaghan68621]

Hi. Solidworks does sort of lock you in. I did have a 2020 copy of the program until a windows update stopped it working. I had to fall back on an old 2016 copy. I was hoping that the 3d experience would allow me to produce the g code which up to now I have used fusion 360 for. However I just can’t get my head around the way 3d experience deals with g-code. I think I will keep using fusion 360 to produce the g-code until they put a stop to hobby use completely.

[Anonymous]

Posted by PatJ on 03/10/2022 17:48:09:

Perhaps backwards compatible, but not forward compatible?

 

– all cad programs ought to be backwards compatible – that is, later versions of the program should open models made with earlier versions. I'm sure there are some that aren't though.

– forward compatibility – earlier versions of the program opening models made with later version – is much more difficult because it limits the programmers' scope in creating that later version and may mean that desired improvements are impossible. Most CAD publishers don't try (and in fact deliberately make them incompatible).

Edited By Peter Greene 🇨🇦 on 03/10/2022 19:07:22

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