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Solid Works vs Creo

dross

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Why are people always trying to compare SW to Creo?

SolidWorks is a middle of the road software, Creo is a high-end software.
SolidWorks parent company also makes a high-end software, it's called Catia.

So, when comparisons are done, it should be between Catia and Creo.

People say this or that is easier to do in SolidWorks. While that may be true, SolidWorks does not have the capabilites that Creo or Catia have.
 
I think one of the main comparisons everyone makes is the ease of use; the user interface to the program. Also, the ease in which to get things done, without resorting to millions of mouse clicks, and some built in smarts / functionality in the other program(s).

While Pro E is powerful, not everyone needs the complexity to design the next stealth passenger train, and analyse every bit of stress applied to it.. I would bet most designs are fairly simple, which most CAD programs could easily accomplish.

They just happen to have Pro E, and wish things were a little easier to accomplish, (not the design) but to get the design done!

I'm a relatively new user, with just over a year of Pro E. I can get my design done, and documented, but I do wish I had some 'ease of use' from the other programs I've used.
 
I agree with Wogz. I'm currently using both Creo 2 and SW on a daily basis and an equal number of hours per day so I feel I can be justified in giving an opinion and comparing the 2 packages. I continually hear people say what you have said about SW being a middle of the road software package but from what I have seen, everything I can do in Creo I can do in SW and usually with less issues, fewer mouse clicks and quicker. It's stable if done correctly in SW and the 2D drafting in SW is streets ahead. I'd love to see some hard facts on what Creo can do that SW can't.
 
Who cares?
This topic has been beat to death for years. It's like Coke and Pepsi or USA vs CCCP.
No one will ever win until one side unilaterally disarms.
Why don't we just concentrate on the best way to model cool sh#t , make insane renderings, and best way to make wicked products?
Leave the dead horse beating and the race to the bottom to the hardware & platform guys.
Maybe Creo sucks, maybe Pro/E 2001 was the peak of civilization. Maybe the menu manager is enslaving us all.
Somehow I'm still more productive with every new release and modeling badder ass stuff with every passing year, so something has to be going right.
 
Lump in "that other" CAD package that's getting attention / being used by many.. I'd love to see a comparison too, of ease of use, to design & document some examples. A simple sheet metal box, a machined part, a shaft / piston head, and finally some complex moulded part..
 
SW & Creo are at similar price points, Creo being slightly higher. That makes them comparable. I think Catia is significantly more money.

I've used Creo / Proe for 17 years, SW for about 7.

SW makes creating features and building geometry easier. It seems built for ease and speed in getting things built.

Creo is built to prompt or allow more deliberate construction. The UI isn't as straightforward, but it's honestly not bad. It rewards a thoughtful, measured and planned out approach. With planning and carefull reference selection, it will take you longer to build initially but iterations are very fast.

Careful planning in SW doesn't seem to have the same results, it doesn't seem to make further iterations much faster.

Different software, different approaches.
 
SW & Creo are at similar price points, Creo being slightly higher. That makes them comparable. I think Catia is significantly more money..

So by that statement, SW is overpriced for middle of the road and/or Creo is cheap for high-end.
 
I have both, after using both extensively, Creo definitely has more control over a design. Solidworks is simpler by comparison because it does not have the options available in Creo or WF. We do a lot of sheetmetal and tube chassis. Creo definitely has the upper hand creating bends and weird geometry. Solidworks has some nice features like the fastener setup. Solidworks salesmen do a much better job pitching their product. We had them use our model in the presentation and the demo quickly fell apart and exposed the weaknesses. PTC salesmen don't have as much of a polished demo to begin with.
 
I have used most CAD packages since 1985, including Catia, Proe, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, Autocad, Mechanical Desktop, Inventor, VersaCad, CadKey, Unigraphics, and others I've forgotten.
Only Catia and Pro-e/Creo have the ability to make the more advanced models. To compare those two is appropriate. For SolidWorks, use SolidEdge or Inventor for an apples to apples comparison.

It is funny to me that people always try to make the comparison from Pro to SW.
 
Sigmund Freud said and I can't quote it exactly that cultures or people who found small differentiation between themselves also found it difficult to being friends. Ill look up the exact quote.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism_of_small_differences

Mormons & Methodists are quite similar but seldom would they be friends outside of work. If you ask a Methodists they may tell you 'You are wrong! We are very different.'

Jehovah witnesses may not believe in Fire and brimstone yet baptists do not consider them Christians.

Jewish and Muslim cultures are really quite similar however it appears that they can not be friends. They may also exclaim we are very different.

Creo is so similar to SW that it's the small differences that get us into heated debate. I've always said it would be much more interesting to compare Pro/E Creo to Alias or Maya.
 
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I've been at the PTC Live 2013 in Stuttgart (Germany) and saw the roadmap for Creo Parametric 3.0.
A very cool new feature will be, that native SolidWorks and Catia V5 models can be assembled and referenced!
No import will be necessary any more.
 
I'm assuming you will need a license to said software on each and every machine attempting to open this Frankensembly?

I've been at the PTC Live 2013 in Stuttgart (Germany) and saw the roadmap for Creo Parametric 3.0.
A very cool new feature will be, that native SolidWorks and Catia V5 models can be assembled and referenced!
No import will be necessary any more.
 
The one main thing I find counter productive in Pro E vs. any other cad software: being able to select something.

I find it extremely hard to select something, or to place something, like a dimension. I haven't got (yet) the dexterity to use repeatedly my middle mouse button (the wheel) and the left-mouse-button-middle-mouse-button-left-mouse button dance to get stuff confirmed...

My 2nd gripe with Pro E vs. any other software: I make a part, then an assembly, then I make a pretty drawing. All gets saved & such. The next time I open the drawing or assembly, I've lost constraints and annotations have moved / become unattached..

Actually, probably my personal first gripe is that the model tree is years behind vs. others. The model tree seems to lack many features and options the others offer these days, forcing you to manually go thru lists, and manipulate things outside the list..

So, for me, my comparisons are always "ease of use.."
 
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I can`t wait to see it working.

Frankly I do not deal with such files much, but it would be intresting anyway. Still I doubt there would be model tree from original model available.
 
You can now open SW files in Creo, I think that's been possible at least back to WF5. I can't tell you if you need a SW license or not, I have both so that may be why it works for me.

The file comes in as a single import feature, but is tied to the original SW file. If the SW is modified, the Creo can be updated. Downstream features, of course, may fail.

Of course, Creo / Proe has been able to open Catia files for some time, but it required a special Creo extension and, I think, a license of Catia.

I'm sure there are specifications available at ptc.com for the requirements of the existing functionality. Perhaps the new functionality in Creo 3 (only 9 months away! Sheesh.) will be different.
 
The one main thing I find counter productive in Pro E vs. any other cad software: being able to select something.

I find it extremely hard to select something, or to place something, like a dimension. I haven't got (yet) the dexterity to use repeatedly my middle mouse button (the wheel) and the left-mouse-button-middle-mouse-button-left-mouse button dance to get stuff confirmed...

My 2nd gripe with Pro E vs. any other software: I make a part, then an assembly, then I make a pretty drawing. All gets saved & such. The next time I open the drawing or assembly, I've lost constraints and annotations have moved / become unattached..

Actually, probably my personal first gripe is that the model tree is years behind vs. others. The model tree seems to lack many features and options the others offer these days, forcing you to manually go thru lists, and manipulate things outside the list..

So, for me, my comparisons are always "ease of use.."

Your complaints are mostly due to not knowing how to use the software.
Selecting takes practice.
Your loss of constraints and so forth upon closing is because you are not saving all objects with the drawing, there's a config setting for this.
Model tree is configurable.
 
Sigmund Freud said and I can't quote it exactly that cultures or people who found small differentiation between themselves also found it difficult to being friends. Ill look up the exact quote.

Narcissism of small differences - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mormons & Methodists are quite similar but seldom would they be friends outside of work. If you ask a Methodists they may tell you 'You are wrong! We are very different.'

Jehovah witnesses may not believe in Fire and brimstone yet baptists do not consider them Christians.

Jewish and Muslim cultures are really quite similar however it appears that they can not be friends. They may also exclaim we are very different.

Creo is so similar to SW that it's the small differences that get us into heated debate. I've always said it would be much more interesting to compare Pro/E Creo to Alias or Maya.

Bart, you have too much time on your hands. Get a real job... LOL
 

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