Anyone using ShapeWorks or SurfaceWorks?

I'm a product designer competing against Alias and Rhino users. Solidworks gives me the advantage on the back end of the concept development process, but up front I could use alittle more speed and flexibility.

- Considering nurbs based add-ins, but I don't know if they're worth the effort. Any feedback?

Reply to
Todd Abernethy
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you can DL a trial version of shapeworks that lets you try it out for about

15 days. Personally it is a toss up. I do 95% ID work and having NURBS in SW would be a god send. Insted I have to flip back and forth between Rhino or Alias. I have asked SW when it would be if at all implemented and the answer is maybe the next version.

SO who knows...I personally like the shapeworks add in. You can set up how ever manu NURBS you want on any surface and then push and pull those points. Either manually or by X,Y,Z cooridinates .

That new deform tool is a "nice try" at an attempt to give ID working ergonimics. but it falls way short of the basket.

There is one area where you get real time surface deformation and that is when you add loft section. If you do it that way you can see the surfaces change as you push and pull the points. But it is still in a 2D planar aspect.

Hope this helps

Reply to
Arthur Y-S

As Arthur Y-S says, try it out. I did some time ago, and felt it left a lot to be desired.

I also use Alias and Rhino, although recently less of Rhino -but it is an excellent too at a great price. However, what I find for my process, if you want to be primarily inside SW most of the time, is to only make the primary surfaces in your choice of surface modeler. It is then very easy to import iges or step files into SW and to update them with revised surfaces later. Yes, that is nowhere near as wonderful as having it all inside SW, but it works. I do this in part because I want to have as much as possible parametric, as that is the ultimate speed advantage at the back end.

Also have a look at Solidthinking.com. They are marketing/competing with StudioTools these days, and you can download a demo there too. Although I like StudioTools, it is bloody hard to remember when you do not use it every day. Solidthinking looks like it may be a little easier, and also seems to have a more sophisticated history function (that is what is missing completely from rhino).

Of course, if you are just looking to do fast, time sensitive concepts (not spending much time on accuracy, only a visual sales job), I think Rhino is a great choice for ease of use, and price. That is what I often do.

Good luck! Dan

Reply to
daniel

Reply to
Deri Jones

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