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3D modeling software wanted.
John Stevenson:
Getting pissed off with Alibre ignoring messages and it's time to look for other software.
Any idea's ?
Must be 3D modelling, don't suggest Solid Works or Solid Edge, too expensive for what I need. Not interested in Sketchup either, doesn't suit the way I work.
So far looked at ViaCAD V8 but you have to fill a form in the get the download page and so far no response.
Varicad, looks decent but need to try the demo.
Anything else i should be looking at in the £500 - $750 mark tops ?
John S.
j_e_f_f_williams:
Your first line kinda removes my suggestion. With that price point I don't think you are going to find too many options.
I have Alibre and never had a problem getting support etc. What messages have you had ignored (just curious)
TTYL, Jeff
David Jupp:
John,
I do some work with Mintronics (including first line Alibre support). Disappointing if the lack of response is from Mintronics - perhaps I can help? (or at least try to make sure we don't alienate others in the same way).
Alibre in the USA may not respond because one of your 3 accounts is 'retired' (not on maintenance) - though they should still respond if there is a fault with the software, or if you need to move a licence to a different PC. The other 2 accounts are for Xpress (a free giveaway version that is no longer available).
Lew_Merrick_PE:
John, The first question is: Who else plays in the $750 range in CAD? The second question is, How is someone getting away with a $750 program when most of the market is playing in the $5000 to $15,000 range? You need to think that one through.
I will be the first to admit that Alibre has its problems. However, as someone who goes back and forth among and between Catia, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, ProEngineer, and Alibre, I can assure you that they all have their weaknesses (as well as strengths) and problems. As someone who started using CAD in 1971 (Gerber IDS), I can assure you that this is nothing new. The thing about Alibre (and most CAD companies) is that their users provide most of the real support for other users. Try posting your question/problem in the forum at http://forum.alibre.com and see who answers. This often alleviates the need for an official answer from Alibre -- and will often spark action from Alibre itself.
It is a real PITA to constantly use work-arounds to do things that should be functional in the core kernel of the program. I have my own list of bitches in this regard for every CAD product I use. As somebody who worked with Mark Eyelander (the programmer who created the original kernals for NURBS, ACIS, and ParaSolids), I understand how poorly many things have been implemented and how often the terminology used by such systems is just plain wrong! Unfortunately, John Walker established the norm back when he created Autodesk. He insisted that none of the programmers or testers have any experience in engineering drafting -- and that is still the norm today! Thus it is that every major CAD system on the market today calls what traditionally was known as transforms by the term loft (there being no true lofting operand in any of the <$30,000/seat CAD products on the market today). Yeah, it is a real PITA.
However, having said all that, just think what the market for CAD products would look like without Alibre? There are really no other low-cost CAD systems that have the grandfathered licenses that allow it to work towards competing with the high-cost systems. (Here in the U.S. it costs a non-grandfathered (i.e. something on the market since prior to 1997) CAD company more than $150,000/year merely to get the testing done to qualify under ISO-10303 (aka STEP).) TurboCAD, just about the only other program with this kind of history has changed hands so many times that I doubt all their code exists in one place anymore (this being an opinion and not an actual fact -- but I was quite aware of what happened to TurboCAD when they were controlled by IMSI). If David's assertion is correct that you do not have a currently active for support license for Alibre, then you need to ask yourself if you would be providing support to a non-paying customer? Without ongoing (positive) cash-flow nobody stays in business, right? If you are not supporting the low-cost entry into the competition, you choices are rapidly going to devolve to paying the premium, right?
John Stevenson:
Some very good points made here, thank you Lew and John.
First a bit of History. I was in with Alibre from the start when they announced a free version called Xcad and then renamed it Alibre Express and gave away 10,000 licenses. A lot of people were not pleased over this and accused them of a bait and switch because they didn't get the full version, only express ??
A lot were on about taking a class action out over the bait and switch routine but I stood up for Alibre and said "Fine you will get back exactly what you have put in - nothing. " Their CEO at the time Greg [ name escapes me ] emailed me and thanked me for sticking up to them and as a gesture of goodwill gave me a few extra's on the free license.
Later on when Express was dropped and PE came out I paid the upgrade and these features were carried on.
I must admit I never got round to using the program other than a few tutorials, recently I came to re-install V11.2 and got into a loop saying the computer name and site key were invalid and couldn't get out this loop.
Got a print out of license numbers but no way to enter anything as the program wouldn't run, just this loop.
Emailed support in the US where I bought it from and they sent me a new license number which was the same as one I already had. Emailed them back and sent screen shots of the loop screens and just got ignored which pissed me off.
Later today I was contacted by the UK reseller, Mintronics who now informs me that v11.2 will not run on W7.
Nowhere on the install screen does it say it will not run on W7.
So state of play is I can pay to upgrade to V2012 and my extra features will still carry on and in all fairness to Mintronics they have been very helpful which is more than I can say over Alibre, TX.
Because this original post was posted on 3 forums and this same reply is going to all three i have been given a few leads in the price bracket I was looking.
I don't need this for business, it's purely a hobby concept it's needed for hence not wanting to outlay for full commercial software.
Cons for staying with Alibre is the large user base, local support if bought in the UK and extra features.
Against is this reliance on being internet based, something that is making me look elsewhere.
Over the next couple of weeks I propose to look at Viacad, ZW3D, Varicad and then make a decision.
John S.
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