Well, I've only got limited exposure to 3d design tools. Back in the mid-90s the company I was working for was using AutoCAD so when AutoDesk came out with AutoCAD 3D we tried it. That was very short lived and we quickly moved to ProE. This was a large company with lots of infrastructure and engineers. I left there about 4 yrs later and went to a small company where I was the only M.E. I got to choose my tool so after a demo of SolidWorks I was sold. Much easier to work with and ran on Windows (ProE was Unix-only at the time). After about 3 years there and the telecom-bust, I bought a personal seat of SolidWorks for doing contract design work. I quickly got on at another startup company but this time my boss preferred ProE so I was back on ProE and had to relearn it and remember why I didn't like it. It's a very powerful tool but with that power comes many limitations on how sketches, features, parts, and assemblies get all intertwined and one wrong move caused hours of resolve-mode. I've been on ProE ever since but still do contract work on SolidWorks. It seems like large companies lean ProE but for an individual the administration of a SolidWorks seat is very simple and seems to be a better fit.

I still prefer SolidWorks but ProE/Creo has made great strides attempting to emulate SolidWorks so it's getting much better. Lol

 

Personally, I would go for CATIA....It has so many tools that I find it easier and less time consuming to work with compared to Pro-E..
The possibilities are endless when it comes to CATIA......

 

I think the best 3D modeller = Solidworks + Rhino + ZBrush

 

I get alot of value out of basic AutoCAD 3d ! Ok, there are other more powerful modelers out there, but let's take a closer look... Inventor- street price more than $5000/ seat. Sw, similar. Pro-E Similar and even more for add-ons... Even AutoCAD -$5500 !

Can't stand AutoCAD as a 3D modeler ? Hmmm... read-on -
RHINO mentioned a number of times in this poll VERY Favorably ! Great package, TOTAL for basic RHINO - <$1000 !
Much of the modeling process IDENTICAL to AutoCAD's, and was even structured in its early years to mimic AutoCAD . Add to that extensive NURBS based freeform shaping, and RHINO really comes to this party VERY well dressed ! Its verticals include an in-viewport Real Time Ray Tracer for FREE ! Best available? no, but the result IS excellent. AND with their current release (5) , RHINO is a great side-package to augment any design effort. Add the animation plugin- BONGO, and you havre a 3DS-Like keyframe animator you can use to animate your model to create extensive product analysis or showcase movies !

THEN there's the "Workalikes"- sub-$500 packages that offer full AutoCAD compatibility in BOTH 2D and 3D. Believe it or not, I've even found ALOT of value in both BRICSCAD and ProgeCAD. Both can be entered at around $500, and offer very respectable AutoCAD-like 3D modeling AND 2D Shop Drawings ! The entire workalike field is worth exploring, where budgets are limited, or where you just want something LEGAL on your home computer that will let you take a look at an idea you're working on at the office but can't afford $5500 for a copy of AutoCAD at home.

Favorite? I guess Inventor, if budget is no issue.

 

It is not at all difficult to use. Try the new Creo. It has the new ribbon interface (personally I dislike it) and is far far superior to SW or Inventor. It is a high end package and does not allow short cuts (things that are geometrically incorrect). For those who are not very particular about the parametric modelling, you have the Direct modeller, without a history tree.

 

I'm using Solidworks and I am very happy with it and I would also recommend Solidworks for a couple of reasons. This tool makes it very good for beginners and the templates are the best all have said. I'm sure there must be something better out there. So go for with software if you want everything at ease, surfacing and rendering.

 

The best 3D modeller is that you can use as well. For me this is SolidWorks, but do well with Solid Edge too.

 

The best 3D solid modeller is the one that you feel most comfortable using; in the past I used SDRC which was better than Pro-E for surfacing but not as good as Unigraphics, I used Pro-E for awhile but liked Solidworks better, for 2D I always came back to AutoCad and Draftsight (a free 2D download SolidWorks program). It doesn't matter what program you use if the company you work for selects it it's the overall cost and politics that determins the software.

 

The one you use every day....

 

Catia V5 R21

I think Catia is the best modeller I have ever used because it is so friendly design tool rather than any other 3D modellers I make several designs with the help of this designing tools. Do you people want to watch it so must open this url.



Thanks you.