Is Solidworks easier than Pro/E?

It doesn't seem to be cheaper anymore sowhats thedifference? Somebody told me a while back that when evaluating both, they were told SW was like dying & going to heaven compared to Pro/E. Is it?

This topic has been discussed in this forum so many times and you have started it again.


My simple answer is:


absolutely not.

So its harder than Pro/E?

I've found the wildfire interface to very similar to Solidworks. There was not the learning curve for PRO-E that I had been warned about. That's my opinion.


I also believe that Batman could beat up Spiderman, but that's another topic entirely.

I started at a bigger company where everybody was using either Pro/E or Unigraphics (in the last millenium). Now I work at a smaller company and we're an island of Pro/E in a sea of Solidworks. From our customers to our vendors, they all use SW. Outside of the MCAD MVP's, if you asked most people who have recently or are now moving into 3D, they will more often than not lean toward SW. Its not a price issue andI guess itsdebatable whether its the learning curve. What is it, marketing? I'm just trying to get a handle on this and I haven't found it in the blithering rants of those other posts.

Pro-E used to be expensive and hard to learn (I'm told). I was passingly familar with Solidworks (my real expertise was in boolean based modeling - i.e. Cadkey). I have been using Pro-E for maybe 1 month now and feel proficient to the point of only having trouble with things that are not part of the Wildfire interface yet.


To me, if I can pick it up and run with it in one month, than that's easy. I assume I could have done the same with Solidworks had I needed to.


You're not going to get an objective answer that is meaningful. If Pro-E is working for you, use it. If it causes trouble with your customers/vendors, than switch the Solidworks. The only way you can make a comparison is if you invest the time to learn Solidworks.


Pro-E used to be high end/expensive and SW was cheaper/easier to learn. The difference has narrowed - and its because SW has gotten better and Pro-E has become cheaper and easier to learn. It was definitely driven by marketing.

This is one of those topics like Chevy vs Ford, or Brooke Burke vs Pam Anderson, or the aforementioned Batman vs Spidey -- that people love to discuss and argue about but doesn't really convince anyone to switch sides. There are die-hard Pro/E and Sldwks users alike.


I guess I've been fortunate enough to have been able to work with both modeler for a number of years. I'm no expert in either one, but I must say that I have to lean towards Sldwks given the choice. As is always the case, you use 20% of the software's capability 80-95% of the time. And in the 20% of the capability that I need from either modeler, I've found that Sldwks let's me get the job done. From simply sketching an idea (sorta back of an envelop type of thing) to reusing legacy ACAD files, to quick part modification, to very involved assy mods (top down design) to detailing, to realistic looking rendering, to exporting to powerpoint presentations -- it is all handled within Windows' drag and drop routine. Very simple, very easy, very quick.


Now all the above can be done in Pro/E, especially WF2, but not without some hand wringing and head banging. WF2 is, in my opinion, should be WF0.5. It is only half done. A huge majority of the interface still retains the old 2001 version of doing things. It's very inconsistent in presentation and I have to hunt all over the place to complete simple task. It is a huge step forward, however, and much more intuitive that old versions. The assembly module is much improved, and the option to create connections for mechanism study, I have to admit, is much better than SolidWorks.


I've rambled on long enough, but I'd say learn all of them that you can get your hands on to especially if the company you work for is paying for the training. Keep an open mind and don't limit your company to one software, unless you only have one customer.