SolidEdge Community Edition

[Warhawk]

I just wanted to let you know that Siemens offers SolidEdge community edition. I have not used it much yet but it is free for non-profit use. I was able to install and run the SW in the airplane mode. No activation, no registration, no license key, no Autodesk, never expiries.

From what I heard, SolidEdge has steep learning curve and is nowhere close to Solidworks or F360. On the other hand it should be ahead of FreeCAD. I tried, I tried hard and I love opensource but FreeCAD is just mad. I wish CERN took over and help it like they did to KiCad.

[Just_another_Dave]

While I was at university it was the CAD that we used, so it’s great news to know that I will be able to continue using it now that I can’t get student licenses.

Even though it does not have as many features as NX, it is a pretty good software that’s worth trying. The St10 version included a mechanical FEA simulation module and it was able to do photorealistic renders. Additionally, it does not require to be connected to internet to use it, which is also pretty nice.

However, it’s major limitation is the lack of integration with other applications. I think that’s it’s major drawback compared with Fusion 360 and solidworks, but you can always import pcbs as step models for designing cases. On the other hand, I prefer the way parts and assembled are modeled over how it is done in F360 (I’m not particularly a fan of Autodesk software)

[jpanhalt]

Hi,

I tried to install on a Win7 Pro 32/64  machine.  First error was that OpenGL 2.0 or higher was required.  Mine was 1.0 something.  Updated my Nvidia GeForce 250SC driver and was able to get the models to show, but still no go with the program. 

I am not asking for personalized help making my 5 year old PC work.  But, what OS are you using?

John

[Just_another_Dave]

I use a laptop running windows 10 which has an nvidia GeForce 1050. However, previous versions might be able to run on win7, but I’m not sure if that are still available at Siemens websites

On the other hand, I would consider using a less resource hungry CAD. Most parts can be modeled using Salome platform, which is open source. Although it does not have an assembly module, it is possible to create parts made out of previously defined components. However, you will still need a 2d drawing software for creating manufacturing drawings. I recommend you using Qcad community, as, despite just being able to export dxf files, it is faster than librecad.

I hope that in the future more open source cad projects reach a mature state, as they usually require less resources to run. Nevertheless, right now just freecad has a part modeler, an assembly workbench and a manufacturing drawing module in a single environment, yet I find it too unstable to be used in commercial projects

[jpanhalt]

I have a good, very intuitive, but old 2D program.  It's Ashlar-Vellum Graphite.  The 3D version is Cobalt.  The version of that I have is a real PITA to use for 3D.  Got both with an education discount.  Then got SolidWorks with the same edu discount, but my last version is 2007.  It still uses a dongle and requires a special video board.  Never really got used to SW, so switched to Sketchup until it was no longer free.  I really don't need photorealistic stuff.

I am an old guy and am very comfortable with 2D for anything I want to make with my old machinery, but it would be nice to have 3D, particularly if I get into 3D printing.  Hence my interest in something usable for that.

I do not have a 3D printer yet, but anticipate getting one this year.

Thanks for the advice.

[Just_another_Dave]

According to Siemens forums ST10 should be able to run in your computer and it seems to be still available if you contact their staff, but I have not tried it in a win7 machine. In my previous laptop I used V6, which might be still available at some university libraries (the student version was distributed in CDs).

On the other hand, Salome can be perfectly used for designing parts for 3D printing and it provides a meshing module that gives you more control than most CAD (it is intended for generating meshes for FEA simulators but it can export them to stl). It is also able to import 2d Iges files in order to use them as a guide for building a 3d model

I have used both, SE and Salome, for 3d printing and both provide pretty good results (I have never needed to fix the generated meshes in meshlab)

[Warhawk]

I have a good, very intuitive, but old 2D program.  It's Ashlar-Vellum Graphite.  The 3D version is Cobalt.  The version of that I have is a real PITA to use for 3D.  Got both with an education discount.  Then got SolidWorks with the same edu discount, but my last version is 2007.  It still uses a dongle and requires a special video board.  Never really got used to SW, so switched to Sketchup until it was no longer free.  I really don't need photorealistic stuff.

I am an old guy and am very comfortable with 2D for anything I want to make with my old machinery, but it would be nice to have 3D, particularly if I get into 3D printing.  Hence my interest in something usable for that.

I do not have a 3D printer yet, but anticipate getting one this year.

Thanks for the advice.

Hi there. I don't know the CAD you mentioned but I may have some tips for you. If you're a windows user you can get DoubleCAD XT v5 for free. Just register at the website and you get an unlimited license. Surprisingly it comes with no bull$hit. It is comparable to older AutoCad LT versions. This is probably the best "Free" software you can get for 2D. I am fluent with AutoCAD, and DoubleCAD is very close for 2D drafting.  Just recently, the Humble Bundle website had CorelCAD 2019 in offerings. Somebody mentioned it here on the forum. I bought it and it is excellent. It is practically the good old Draftsight with perpetual license. Best 25 USD I spent. The offer is gone but it is worth checking the Humble Bundle site since they occasionally repeat the offer. Unfortunately, all other low-cost or free options are way, way worse.

3D modelling is even more difficult. The standard is a 3-D parametric modelling. There are no decent free options yet. Fusion360 is by far the most popular. Unfortunately, Autodesk has proven to be evil and I rather stay away from their products. The SW from Siemens is an alternative. The license also never expires. A complete free solution is FreeCAD. Unfortunately, user experience with FreeCAD makes me drinking heavily...
 

[Warhawk]

Just wanted to share that also Siemens started with the bullshit. The community edition license is now valid for only 3 years (although they claim otherwise on the web). Then the SW stops working. It seems that the SE20 or SE21 was the last version with the license that never expires.

https://community.sw.siemens.com/s/question/0D54O00007IsAoESAV/solid-edge-2022-community-and-student-editions-license-expiration
https://community.sw.siemens.com/s/question/0D54O00007NcwggSAB/community-edition-l%C3%A4uft-aus

For those who used to use DraftSight they know what it means...

[thm_w]

They are suing hobbyists for unauthorized use of NX, so not too surprising.

[Warhawk]

They are suing hobbyists for unauthorized use of NX, so not too surprising.

Oh, do they? Any more info, just out of my curiosity?

[thm_w]

Posted in the Altium thread: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/altium/sued-by-altium-dont-do-what-i-did!/msg4474834/#msg4474834

They were kind enough to drop the requirement of $30k+ version of the software to a lower version, at least..

[Warhawk]

Posted in the Altium thread: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/altium/sued-by-altium-dont-do-what-i-did!/msg4474834/#msg4474834

They were kind enough to drop the requirement of $30k+ version of the software to a lower version, at least..

Auch... I had an exchange with Siemens on YT. At least they thanked me for the sentiment .

[Just_another_Dave]

Luckily I still have the installer of an older version. I just hope that they won’t force us to update to the newest version

However, it seems that Freecad will finally reach version 1.0 and Salome is quite mature (I have used Shaper successfully for designing parts, but it lacks a module for generating 2d drawings of the piece making a 2d cad like QCAD necessary). I haven’t tried solvespace yet, but it seems good enough for simple designs

[Doctorandus_P]

Why would I invest time and effort to learn a relatively complex piece of software while it's future remains in mist?

I've seen this happen time and again in the last 30 years or so, and one of the latest iterations was with fusion360. They "give" the program away "free" and abuse their user base as beta testers, lot's of people jump into it and a few years later when cam functions start working decently they do not have use of their beta testers anymore and they cut out all the functions that made it attractive in the first place, and add some other crippling features such as limiting exports to other formats, and cloud / mist only.

I've decided years ago I will not be abused as a beta tester, and instead have embraced Open Source in my arms and heart. Sure, I may be a beta tester there too, but the difference is that after I have helped improve the software, I can use it for many years to come.

My first en devour with GPL Open Source software was GCC, which I've now been using for probably some 25 years and counting. I started using it for the AVR uC's, and in that time the alternatives such as Keil and CodeVision were simply unaffordable for hobbyists. And over time it grew into an attitude that I'd rather donate to an open source project to improve it, than pay for commercial software, and still be annoyed with registration procedures, dongles and "subscription only" which seems to be the latest trend.