After several years of practicing on the software, I have been disillusioned over the years since the 2014 version! I am independent in a specialized machine design office and I find it scandalous to sell us a software that is more and more unstable, unreliable, and buggy!!
I'm not going to review the bugs on the constraints, in particular, the untimely crashes that close the software without warning.
I often receive emails from dassault (SOLIDWORKS) to boast about Solidworks productivity with targeted modules!
It makes me laugh!!
I'm seriously thinking of changing creamery by changing software.... Oh, really!
To use this software since version 98, I confirm that it's just a bunch of bugs.
As soon as they correct one on the right, one appears on the left.
To reduce the problems, the best thing to do is to stay on the same version: often you find workarounds or methods that limit crashes.
Currently in 2020 SP3.0 + EPDM is surely one of the most buggy versions I've had to support (Epdm sp3.0 manages to create bugs in Solidworks...)
Unfortunately we have reached such a level of complexity that I don't think they can really make the software reliable without completely rewriting it (which they will probably never do for file compatibility reasons: if they release a version that doesn't read/modify the previous formats, unhappy customers like you have a 2 out of 3 chance of going to the competition).
When you see that they have never been screwed up to correct step errors on ISO threads in 15 years which is an ultra simple problem (probably because of the problem: what to do when you open an old file with an incorrect step? automatic editing, changing the text of the annotation? ... it's the kind of decision that can only be made on a case-by-case basis), it gives an idea of the cumbersome modification on this kind of software. How do you want to modify/fix a function that is used in millions (billions?) of files at thousands of customers??
The big plus of SW is its feature / price ratio which is surely one of the best on the market. To find a better/more stable equivalent, you probably have to pay 1.5 to 5 times the price of SW (to check because I haven't really done a study on the subject, the 5x being Catia if you add the multitude of business modules that are integrated into basic SW).
Assembly of several thousand parts without PDM and its works pretty well at all. Of course there are crashes but when you open a 3D software that requires a lot of resources you shouldn't be surprised.
Currently in 2020 I notice some improvement for the realization of large MEPs with many parts.
For trying Topsolid the MEP was much faster (less true now. On the other hand, in terms of user-friendliness and ease of modification there is no photo.
On Pro Eng the same is much more structured = much more constraints.
In the end, I am satisfied and satisfied with Solidworks, which I am very satisfied with.
And thank you for your answers, I see that the opinions are 50/50...I also work in assemblies with dozens of parts or more and the drama is when I have car parts in them (dashboard or other)
I also see that users can live with it because they don't have a competitor up to the task! (value for money)
I think we shouldn't forget that it's the users and therefore the customers who have to make things happen through their feedback and the feedback I had was frankly not very positive but never an official feedback, unhappy users but in their corners
Of course the software is not just a bunch of bugs, there are even days when I find its strengths but being satisfied with that is like being satisfied that your car does not start a 1 in 5 by saying to yourself "yes it's normal there are a lot of electronics it's complicated!"
They manage to make a CATIA that holds up so why not dream!
I see that this question is being debated! I have taken note of your various exchanges in order to be able to bring them up; Indeed, we are partners and resellers of DASSAULT SYSTEMES and they are always interested in improvements. If you have the time to detail your various bugs, I could submit them to the technical teams!
Well here is a first feedback which of course only commits me and according to the use I have of Solidworks 2019 coupled with Epdm 2019, it must be admitted that the rare "problems" I encounter are mainly related to what happens between my keyboard and the back of my chair and this despite a use on a laptop not only certified with an integrated graphics card ... You also have to know how to say it when it works...
For my part, 60-80% of crashes are rather related to the management of solidworks, collaborative work (opening an assembly with a read-only subassembly opened by a colleague in writing) And this is very often the drama. (without EPDM)
Otherwise, a recurrent case of crashing is the import or insertion into an assembly of an imported file (regardless of the format -step, iges...) and the heavier the import, the more complicated the risk. (even if we can note a clear improvement (SW2020)
That's why many library parts have been redesigned internally = less crashes.
As I am at the initiative of this question here is my return....
I work 80% with car parts (STEP, IGS) in heavy assemblies and to read you the problem must come from there!
On a special machine without car parts, I do much better, it's true!
Okay, so much for the crashes, now let's talk about the constraints that can jump without knowing why from one day to the next... On drawings I can have dimensions that jump too but my big problem remains the assemblies with the car parts!
Having worked on different software, I confirm that Solidworks is the most suitable for a freelancer.
I would say that the question of the reliability of the software depends only on you, your configuration, your hardware and your working methods!
Some avenues to explore:
- I only work on SP5 - Are your hardware configuration, your graphics drivers and your antivirus perfectly compatible?
- Have you correctly installed the various updates? without overwriting each previous version with a clean installation folder?
- How do you manage large assemblies? The complex parts? Multibodies? imports?
There are many avenues!
When I installed the 2020SP5 I had at least one crash per day. For another reason I had to reset my PC. since then I'm still on 2020SP5 and it doesn't bug at all!
I only worked on Inventor, Autocad 3D and Solidworks
Solidworks is in my opinion more pleasant, it's true that it blews, but it's above all a question of design rules. With a CAD methodology it goes very well, bugs are very rare, I use every day and if I have one crash per week it's the end of the world. On 2018 version currently Not to mention PDM which is great. In my opinion, it just lacks a real integration with ERPs, that's not perfect.
But again, I think that the history of the cartoonist, his habits and his use have a lot to do with it.
Since we switched to xeon and + ram based workstations, there are fewer crashes.
+1 for closing for no reason (just by moving a room or deleting one)
On the other hand, the one that always comes up is that of the loss of constraints that you have just spent 5 minutes to install and that, unless I'm mistaken, it has existed since 2009.
I also agree with the principle that we will remain faster on a software we know.
going from SW to catia in itself doesn't change much apart from the price that explodes.
I tried to switch to ZW3D, which is much cheaper but not as easy to get to grips with as they would have you believe. (and even there the tutorial is buggy^^ on the other hand very powerful in the conversion of files in one direction or the other where even SW crashes)
So yes satisfied with sw in the sense that we can do what we want as a part and not for the bug side that has been dragging on for +10 years while we release a new version every year.
For me, worst CAD software I've seen. Just like good modern software, there are bugs, slowness, and crashes. The two huge negative points of this software are the non-repeatability of these bugs, the Monday bugs will not be there on Tuesday and is not repeatable on Wednesday. Between 2 pcs, strictly identical, no way to do the same thing again. Two functions made in the same order, will be able to work on one pc and not the other.
The second (which for me is the worst) and the constant lag of the software. Each action, each click generates a micor lag from 0.5 to a few seconds for actions in the drawings. I'd like a little soft just to sum the micro lague in a day. I'm sure the result would be staggering. To this you add the permanent reconstruction of the software (do you want to register?). So yes, software is 30% cheaper, but 30% less productive.
Before I was on creo, yes there were bugs and crashes (certainly more numerous than solidworks), but they were repeatable. Opening an assembly and/or a drawing took time, but once opened I could work serenely.