Maker version of solid works

[skunkworks]

have never used solidworks so I don't know what the 'maker' version will entail...

https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/makers

sam

[brian Rupnow]

I use Solidworks as my main and only design software. It is amazing---it's wonderful.--But be aware---It is horribly expensive. I paid over $6000 for my edition of the software eighteen years ago, and it hasn't gotten any cheaper over the years.---Brian

[Sparky_NY]

Sam, the best deal out there on solidworks is thru the EAA (experimental aircraft assoc). Full solidworks with all the options and cam is available to their members for free. It only costs $40 to join the EAA. I did it and am now using solidworks after fusion stripped all the features from their hobby user license.

https://www.eaa.org/eaa/eaa-membership/eaa-member-benefits/solidworks-resource-center

[polaraligned]

I use Solidworks as my main and only design software. It is amazing---it's wonderful.--But be aware---It is horribly expensive. I paid over $6000 for my edition of the software eighteen years ago, and it hasn't gotten any cheaper over the years.---Brian

They are most likely on the subscription plan now, which means paying each year for the license. I purchased Inventor Professional Suite back in 2010 and it was one of the last years that Autodesk had perpetual licenses.

[JRouche]

I played with a student version of Solid Works and liked it. Verses the student version of an autocad program.

What I meant to say is I cant afford ANY of the software you guys use.

I have a cnc lathe, emco 120. Its difficult enough to get it to use modern code. So the interface is more important.

What the heck is the name fore that software interface??
Every cnc machine needs it, it escapes me.

Mt Bridgeport runs on AH-Ha software. Someone here just asked about it. Its an old plant for an even older cnc control JR

[The Artful Bodger]

What the heck is the name fore that software interface??
Every cnc machine needs it, it escapes me.

G-Code maybe?

[Rich Carlstedt]

[QUOTE=JRouche;n1937351...............
What the heck is the name fore that software interface??
Every cnc machine needs it, it escapes me......................... JR [/QUOTE]

Do you mean CAM ( Computer Aided Machining ) or "Post-processor"

Rich

[J Tiers]

JRouch..... You can get a basic CAD/CAM package from Alibre for a few hundred bucks. like $399, with perpetual license. If you pay maintenance, you get upgrades as they appear. It is a reduced version of the full package, and works just like it, just fewer features.

I use the full package of Alibre, including Keyshot rendering S/W, and find it to be very good. I have used Solidworks, and find it to be so similar to alibre that it took me less than an afternoon to get productive. Alibre is a LOT more "intuitive" though.

The $40 Solidworks is a good deal.

I did not like Solidworks enough to use it myself, and since I wanted a commercial package for paid work, I could not use it anyhow. So I pay considerably more for Alibre maintenance on the full package.

[epicfail48]

Sam, the best deal out there on solidworks is thru the EAA (experimental aircraft assoc). Full solidworks with all the options and cam is available to their members for free. It only costs $40 to join the EAA. I did it and am now using solidworks after fusion stripped all the features from their hobby user license.

https://www.eaa.org/eaa/eaa-membersh...esource-center

How difficult was the changeover from fusion to solidworks, if you dont mind me picking your brain?

[Sparky_NY]

How difficult was the changeover from fusion to solidworks, if you dont mind me picking your brain?

Ha ! I would say medium difficulity, nowhere as hard as learning fusion in the first place. Functions are very similar but many use different terms for the same function so there is a learning curve. Its REAL nice not operating over the cloud, it boots way faster and I have not seen any bugs like in fusion that caused strange behavior or crashes. I like it a lot !!!

I should mention that I have cnc machines and fusion limiting rapid speeds to the same as the current feedrate makes it pretty much useless. Other features stripped in the hobby version equally cripple fusion now.

I said Ha! because I have not used it much at all since getting it, other hobbies and projects and such took the lead for now. There are many great tutor videos out there to speed up getting started. I recently laid out my solar panel racking system with solidworks and can say that forming assemblies is FAR easier than with fusion !

For $40 give it a try, its not a big investment. Everyone will different opinions like with many things. I have zero regrets.

[macona]

I mostly use solidworks, I tried inventor which is similar to fusion, a lot of stuff is similar to solidworks so it shouldnt be too big of an issue. At work we use Siemens NX which is just awful. It has 30 ways to do the same thing, all of them are bad. We brought in an instructor to get us going on NX and I would ask him, "I can do xyz in solidworks, how do I do that here" He response was either they are working on it or next version. Lol. Even constraining three points horizontally or vertically was impossible in NX without building geometry to place the points.

I paid the $40 for EAA and got it, its actually a pretty decent version, it comes with CAM that will do up to 5 axis and even has post processors for Mach3. Also has some PCB tools. I messed around with the CAM, I do prefer mastercam but it will work. I will need to figure out a workflow for it.

[epicfail48]

Ha ! I would say medium difficulity, nowhere as hard as learning fusion in the first place. Functions are very similar but many use different terms for the same function so there is a learning curve. Its REAL nice not operating over the cloud, it boots way faster and I have not seen any bugs like in fusion that caused strange behavior or crashes. I like it a lot !!!

I should mention that I have cnc machines and fusion limiting rapid speeds to the same as the current feedrate makes it pretty much useless. Other features stripped in the hobby version equally cripple fusion now.

I said Ha! because I have not used it much at all since getting it, other hobbies and projects and such took the lead for now. There are many great tutor videos out there to speed up getting started. I recently laid out my solar panel racking system with solidworks and can say that forming assemblies is FAR easier than with fusion !

For $40 give it a try, its not a big investment. Everyone will different opinions like with many things. I have zero regrets.

Appreciate you sharing your thoughts mate! Cant say that ive been limited by the free version of Fusion, dont do much CNC work and the 10 active project limit hasnt really bothered me, but ill admit im not too fond of the direction Autodesk is going in. For $40, ill probably give solidworks a shot, its not that expensive of an experiment at least

[JRouche]

Do you mean CAM ( Computer Aided Machining ) or "Post-processor"

Rich

Yes Sir, it was the Post. Mind block

Problem for me is there being a Postprocessor. They dont just appear.... JR

[Dan Dubeau]

I paid the $40 for EAA and got it, its actually a pretty decent version, it comes with CAM that will do up to 5 axis and even has post processors for Mach3. Also has some PCB tools. I messed around with the CAM, I do prefer mastercam but it will work. I will need to figure out a workflow for it.

I didn't know the EAA version came with multiaxis cam (is it HSM Works?). I'm definitely going to go that route now. Fusion just pisses me off the more that I use it. Was looking into Alibre, but the cam seems a bit limited and simple. I wonder how limited the maker version will be, considering it's more $$ than the EAA version.

[Sparky_NY]

I didn't know the EAA version came with multiaxis cam (is it HSM Works?). I'm definitely going to go that route now. Fusion just pisses me off the more that I use it. Was looking into Alibre, but the cam seems a bit limited and simple. I wonder how limited the maker version will be, considering it's more $$ than the EAA version.

Yes, cam is HSM works. The EAA version is loaded with a ton of solidworks optional features, its not a stripped down version by any definition. It is based on their educational premium version but with many other add ons.