Hello,
I am current using solidworks as my modus operandi. However, I might need to switch to Pro/E or Alias for a new job. As such, I was wondering which one would be more beneficial. I know Pro/E is closer to SW but I ve also heard that it is dying in the trade. Since, this is not a permanent role perhaps it might be better to learn Alias?
Let me know how the market for these two are at the moment, Thank you for your opinions
Pro/E is indeed very similar, and has indeed lost quite a bit of ground over the past decade. The problems/products it is used for will be very similar to SolidWorks. Alias on the other hand is used to solve different problems, and make different kinds of models.
Pro/E and SW are like two hammers and Alias is a wedge. If you want to learn something new by all means focus on Alias, if you prefer to keep it closer at home to what you know, pick up Pro/E (now called Creo Parametric 3D Modeling Software | PTC)
I’ve used SolidWorks and Pro/E about 50/50 for a number of years. From what I’ve seen, Pro/E (even more with the new Creo release) is getting more and more like SolidWorks with every release. It’s more difficult software to use, mainly because its not as loose and the menues and picks are more difficult to decipher. I do think pro/e is more “accurate” software when it comes to surfacing. I like surfacing in Pro better, but that’s about it…everything else is much easier in SolidWorks. I also think SW is better out of the box for top-down design than Pro, unless you get the expensive add-ons like AAX for Pro.
My background is engineering, so I tend to think that a designer should tend more toward a surfacing-specific software like Alias or Rhino. I’m in awe of how fast a good user can make clean surfaces with these programs. The firms that I worked with in the past were both replacing Alias with SolidWorks, probably just due to licensing costs…and eventually, most the projects end up in SolidWorks or Pro/E farther down the design cycle, anyway.
So, I guess it comes down to your job requirements and what the products are. If there are going to be lots of front-end surfacing changes all the time, I’d bone up on Alias. If its a product where complicated surface changes are minimal, I’d try to keep the project in Pro, because its better once you get to the component part level/drawings/CAM and such.