3D "Doodling" - Solidworks vs. One-Space vs. Pro-E

For conceptual design & lay-out, where you know what you want to draw but don't yet have a detailed image in your head, it is very helpful to transition from "assembly modelling" to "part modelling" and back again. And so forth, in a loose, un-pre-determined manner.

From experience, I have found that One-Space Designer is very friendly

to this type of work, yet also very robust when it comes time to generate drawings.

Since I am evaluating the 3 packages, I set a simple goal (a simple collapse-able assembly) with a time constraint - 5 minutes.

- - - - the question ==>

In SW2005, is there a way to create a NEW part while you are viewing the assembly it may be a part of ?

Thanks !

Reply to
wwswimming
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Yes: insert, component [new part, new assembly].

Reply to
Dale Dunn

OK, Thanks.

I tried it. Right before placing the new part, the cursor takes on a new icon. Then you place it, the new part shows up on the assembly menu. And somewhere in the process you give the new part a name.

How do you control the exact placement of the new part ?

For example, what if you want to translate it 9 inches from the source part, "in X" ?

Thanks !

Reply to
wwswimming

I do this kind of thing in a part file and then split it into an assembly.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Reply to
TOP

In SW 2006, sketches can be mated to parts and assemblies and move dynamically within an assembly. Therefore, one can sketch up a design with lines and circles to represent the concept and replace those sketches with parts and assemblies when available. I believe Inventor has had this and SW has now incorporated this up front design process also.

Keith

Reply to
Keith Streich

It's sort of locked to the plane or surface you picked to sketch on to create the new part. When you exit the edit part mode, you'll notice an "Inplace" mate, delete it and mate the new part as required.

Reply to
Keith Streich

I'm also in the evaluation mode. I've never heard of One-Space Designer but after looking at their website it looks very slick. How does it compare in cost to SW? What is the third packing you're considering?

Based on your experiences so far, which is the easiest to use?

Thanks, -Pat

Reply to
Pat

Opps! - I see ProE is your third package. Should have read more carefully!

From what I've heard, I'm guessing it's not the easiest.

Reply to
Pat

I used One-Space Designer for about 8 years.

I like it a lot. I have Solidworks 2005 and the 2005 version of Pro-E. That was the third package I was referring to.

For me, One Space is the easiest to use. Then SW 2005. I find Pro-E to be much more cumbersome.

I'm interested in using these tools for animation, as well as product design.

Reply to
wwswimming

You really need to go through some of the tutorials.

Reply to
Dale Dunn

Do you also sell it?

Pretty natural conclusions given your level of experience with the three? Don't write off the cumbersome one out of hand. It's a very strong top down design tool.

Anyway, thought you might like to contribute to ...

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There's an obvious information vacuum and I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

Reply to
Jeff Howard

I had to do some file exporting for an engineer who works for a business partner, from One Space into Autocad's solid modeller circa

2004.

It was a complex geometry. I felt sorry for the guys who had to work with the model, IF they had to view it in wireframe mode.

What I would like to see is something like a "Solid Modelling Olympics"

- with participants given their choice of S/W, optimally configured, on decent (very fast) hardware.

Reply to
wwswimming

Sounds like a good idea, but how about dividing the entries into cost groups, with the cheapest outputting paper plans, and the costliest producing CNC control files ?

Reply to
Jonathan Barnes

Wow! This thread makes OneSpace Designer sound pretty bad.

Sounds like these guys were use to other CAD products though, so I wonder if it was just an issue of not being familiar with the product. If it were really that bad, I don't see how it could survive, given how crowded the CAD market it.

Reply to
Pat

I-DEAS has had that capability for years - long before Inventor appeared. You don't have to "replace the sketch with a part when available", the sketch is just an element of a part that you can choose to use subsequently, or not.

It also supports the "loose" method of working that was described for One Space, in that you can start sketching a new feature on a part, decide to leave it whilst you modify a feature on another part (or even the same part), add a couple of instances to an assembly or sub-assy, and then go and finish the original sketch off. And all this is without having to explicitly say "and now I want to work on this part/assy" - you simply just work on whatever entity takes your fancy.

John H.

Reply to
John

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