SolidWorks Vs MasterCam Question.

[slyym]

I've been using MasterCam for about 10+ years and have never run into any geometry that I couldn't create with it. We are currently hiring a new programmer and he uses SolidWorks to create his geometry and MasterCam just for the toolpaths. My boss is considering buying Solidworks just for this new programmer and I'm trying to tell him its really not necessary. I've heard a few guys say SolidWorks can do things that MasterCam can't. What would be the advantage of using Solidworks? What can it do that MasterCam cannot? Thanks.

[#Rekd™]

Go have a look at NX 7.5.

 

I had the same opinion with drawing in Mastercam and I was at a course (NX 7.5) last week and all I can say is WOW.

 

Not sure about SolidWorks.

 

Good luck!

[BenK]

In my opinion its not that Mastercam can't do it, its more that it is just easier and faster in Solidworks. If you make any prints though Solidworks is the way to go, Mastercam doesn't really give you a nice print.

[slyym]

In my opinion its not that Mastercam can't do it, its more that it is just easier and faster in Solidworks. If you make any prints though Solidworks is the way to go, Mastercam doesn't really give you a nice print.

 

Yea, thats kinda what I've been thinking and what I've been telling the boss.

[Guest]

With the time you can waste doing detailed prints in Mastercam, you can do some pretty trick prints, they just take a lot of time, you could easily justify the cost of a seat of SW's.

 

Solidworks is a complete CAD system. MasterCAM, is a CAM system with some CAD functionality.

 

I personally do ALL of my design in Solidworks

[McLaren]

I have had fillets that Mastercam couldn't get right, Solidworks whipped them out in seconds.

 

Edit:

With that said, I always use Mastercam first because I'm faster on it. What the boss needs to decide is how long until he gets his money back in time saved, and whether that is worth it. Have a competition modeling the same part, you on Mastercam, him on Solidworks. See who wins and by how much.

[#Rekd™]

With the time you can waste doing detailed prints in Mastercam, you can do some pretty trick prints, they just take a lot of time, you could easily justify the cost of a seat of SW's.

 

Solidworks is a complete CAD system. MasterCAM, is a CAM system with some CAD functionality.

 

I personally do ALL of my design in Solidworks

 

Yes the prints thing is huge as JP mentioned and worth looking into IMHO.

[MattW]

 

Edit:

With that said, I always use Mastercam first because I'm faster on it. What the boss needs to decide is how long until he gets his money back in time saved, and whether that is worth it. Have a competition modeling the same part, you on Mastercam, him on Solidworks. See who wins and by how much.

 

 

And then makes some changes to the geometry. To me, this is where SW really shines, in that geometry changes are quick and easy, and, depending on how the model is built, a couple of changes automatically propagate to dependent geometry. Disclosure- when I was initially learning MC, my SW skills were so much better that I soon created everything I could in SW and just added the wireframe I needed in MC. A skilled MC operator is likely much better at geo creation and editing than I am, but I still guess that he would be fighting with one arm tied behind his back.

[MIKE_B]

I am self taught in Solidworks with some help from our sheetmetal engineers.

I design all my fixturing in Solidworks. Make nice detailed drawings and give to the tool room to build the fixtures.

Thinking it would be triple the time to get the same results out of Mcam.

[Dan Skierkiewicz Furnel]

Once you start using solidworkd to create solid models I promise that you will never go back to mastercam. This is what happened to me. I now use solidworks to do all my solid modeling and use mastercam only for toolpaths. The thought of designing in mastercam makes me cringe. I would talk you boss into buying it and learning it yourself. Its not that mastercam can do the modeling its just soooo much easier in solidworks. The biggest hurtle you will have to jump is learing the associativity and relations of sketching. The solid modeling part is suprisingly similiar to mastercam.

 

Good Luck

[Tony35]

i use inventor here

to create a model is way faster in a cad software and changes are pretty easy

 

like JP said MC is a CAM software with CAD functions

[McLaren]

I have a question for everyone. What about when there is a rev change? Super easy to update in SW, but then you have to import in a new model into Mcam and redo all of your toolpaths? As it is now with a rev change I can just modify my geometry and regen.

[gcode]

I do all my design work in SolidWorks

[André Lapointe@In-House Soluti]

 

I have a question for everyone. What about when there is a rev change? Super easy to update in SW, but then you have to import in a new model into Mcam and redo all of your toolpaths? As it is now with a rev change I can just modify my geometry and regen.

 

 

you can use the change recognition feature in Mastercam to make the change to an already program part who just had a revision on it. it will let you know what has changed between the 2 drawing and will allows you to see and change the toolpath that are going to be affected by the changes.

 

 

[bhayden10]

I learned how to do cad and create solid models in mastercam on my own and like others can create most anything. I finally after 6 years convinced the boss to buy solidworks just from reading about what others on this forum thought about it in posts just like yours. I took a basic course in solidworks and now i rarely draw in mcam. We design parts and create blueprints for some of our customers. Solid works saves hours for making prints, and changes are so much easier to do and the print updates automatically. I want to take more advanced classes because the potential for what you can do in solidworks is amazing. The question about updating programs is my only complaint with this setup. I cannot import solidworks files with their history to edit them into mastercam. I have got to where i export .x_b parasolid files so a change on a part is a pain in the butt at times. I have'nt used the change recognition feature before.

I think you and your boss will be impressed with solidworks, have them come in and give you a demo, he will be convinced.

[#Rekd™]

I have a question for everyone. What about when there is a rev change? Super easy to update in SW, but then you have to import in a new model into Mcam and redo all of your toolpaths? As it is now with a rev change I can just modify my geometry and regen.

 

If you have NX7.5 with Teamcenter it will assign the rev number for you, much more expensive then SolidWorks but much more powerful.

 

Everybody I know that has and uses Solidworks loves it. Lots of people to help you on here as well.

[Guest]

PDMWorks in SW's can and does much the same thing as Teamcenter, but not as difficult to use

[Joe788]

I do 100% of my part and fixture design in Solidworks. I couldn't imagine trying to design and build our fixtures without assembly mode, or with Mastercam. It will pay for itself quickly.

[#Rekd™]

PDMWorks in SW's can and does much the same thing as Teamcenter, but not as difficult to use

 

Thanks for the info!

[BenK]

I just wish I could convince my company to get Solidworks. It would save so much time designing our fixtures.

[slyym]

Does anybody know what a seat of solidworks goes for these days?

[dforsythe]

its around 6k without giving act pricing

 

 

[MotorCityMinion]

SW extrudes non planar chains. Variable rads are easier. Lofts are easier and much more flexible. Extended edges follow the curvature of a face on all edges. Filled surfaces that are tangent to all faces and look sweet. Repairing or rebuilding crappy models is much easier. The list just goes on and on. Simple models I do in MC just for the speed advantage. If I see something that looks like it's going to be tough, or even speculative as I'm building it, SW right away.

 

One huge advantage is all the add on apps across multiple disciplines that you can purchase for SW. It is what it is. I've never seen a claim by MC that it competes directly with any CAD app. The real test would be to have a CAD guy who has no experience with either app try to make a model. I'd bet the MC noob would get there first.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Solid works is relatively cheap, heck we bought two seats just for quoting all the different formats before

we started using it for designing. I still use MC solid for the easy stuff and SW for the tricky stuff.

 

Yup, I got there first with MC and had to go get training to figure out SW.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I have nearly 20 years experience in MC. Within the last 5-7, not being necissarilly unhappy with the CAD in MC, but realizing that as the complexity of my workholding and assembly models increased exponentially, it was time to move to something that was designed for engineering, not toolpath. Not a knock on MC, but sometimes there comes a point where you need more. SolidWorks is employed in some way shape or form at MANY of my customers. You'll not be disappointed.

 

Personally I use CAD System, but it was made available to me by a friend that had an extra floating license available so you can't beat that. As long as I have an internet connection, I'm good .