Autodesk Inventor vs. NX CAD

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Autodesk Inventor
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk Inventor 3D CAD software offers professional-grade 3D mechanical design, documentation, and product simulation tools. These blend parametric, direct, freeform, and rules-based design capabilities. Inventor includes integrated tools for sheet metal, frame design, tube and pipe, cable & harness, presentations, rendering, simulation, and machine design. It also features TrustedDWG® compatibility and Model-Based Definition capabilities for embedding manufacturing information directly in…
$305
per month per user
NX CAD
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Siemens NX software is an integrated product design solution that helps deliver products faster and more efficiently. NX delivers design, simulation, and manufacturing solutions that enable companies to realize the value of the digital twin.N/A
Pricing
Autodesk InventorNX CAD
Editions & Modules
Subscription - Monthly
$305
per month per user
Subscription - Yearly
$2440
per year per user
Subscription - 3 Years
$7320
3 years per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk InventorNX CAD
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAlso available for limited use through tokens on a Flex plan.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk InventorNX CAD
Features
Autodesk InventorNX CAD
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk Inventor
6.8
Ratings
5% below category average
NX CAD
7.6
Ratings
7% above category average
3D Modeling8.50 Ratings8.70 Ratings
2D Drafting6.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization6.50 Ratings5.90 Ratings
Parametric Design7.50 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing6.00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats7.00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Assembly Design6.50 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis5.50 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation6.50 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Customization and Extensions7.50 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Autodesk InventorNX CAD
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.0 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk InventorNX CAD
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.1
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
6.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
7.4
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk InventorNX CAD
Likelihood to Recommend
Autodesk Inventor is well-suited for situations where you are creating 3D models of small, simple parts and assemblies. It is hands-down the fastest and most reliable way to get this done. When you are looking for a software that has many advanced features and controls to create an assembly of 20+ parts, you need to look for other software.
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NX CAD is very good when it comes to three dimensional modelling and rendering and visualization. Furthermore, the export to jt function together with import into other Siemens software packages, such as Teamcenter, is a major reason why I am using NX. However, it can be a little more computationally expensive compare to other CAD packages.
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Pros
  • You can make designs (CAD) and you can also manufacture them (CAM) and do not need an interface like Solidworks to recognize it in a CNC.
  • Inventor is very easy to use to create realistic, solid designs.
  • The software allows you to design and see where problems are in real-time.
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  • Seamless interaction across multiple departments.
  • The software allows you to create a very high level of control and organization within your engineering staff. This reduces the companies mistakes and maximizes productivity.
  • The software makes it very easy to track your product through every phase of the production cycle.
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Cons
  • Inventor demonstrates a lack of fluidity in the process of transferring data between programs.
  • Inventor shows some lack of sophistication that certain features that are readily available in other design software packages are limited in use in Inventor.
  • Inventor can often have difficulty in creating models that show true color, as in blacks can come out as dark grays in certain renders, even when the material and appearance settings are the same from part to part.
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  • Keeping the colors of surfaces if volume bodies are linked
  • Show and keep symbolic threads
  • For me, I miss more information why a surface can't be deleted or a radius is not possible. And maybe a solution, how could it look like, if NX CAD adds a new surface.
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Likelihood to Renew
Inventor continues to meet our enterprise needs. I don't see a need to change unless we change our business model significantly.
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It works very well for our organization. It has made us much more productive.
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Usability
It is quite user-friendly as long as you have the computing power to download and use it. However, this makes it quite inconvenient if you are trying to access files on different devices, as Inventor has to be loaded on all of those devices. While the program itself works just fine, it would be much better for my application if it, or a version, were web-based and allowed users to access and modify projects from anywhere.
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Siemens NX CAD has been has been simple in design & user interface. It is best among the competitors. It can develop heavy models & designs with very ease. It has Layers options for arranging multiple assemblies in the same file. It does not require heavy system investment & works fine on professional PCs
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Support Rating
I'm giving the overall support rating a 5 only because I rarely have to use it. Trying to find the answer on the help pages hardly ever helps me because any problem I have is usually too deep for what the help offers. Given the popularity of Autodesk, I have always been able to find an answer online after doing enough looking!
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NX CAD version is going out of support after only 12 months. Changes will not be implemented after 12 months from prodcution
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In-Person Training
I got the training during college, so mostly i learned on my own
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
Need more clear training
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Alternatives Considered
ANSYS is far more expensive and has a steeper learning curve. Autodesk has many flexible and scale-able licensing options that adapt to our institutional needs and IT infrastructure. Furthermore, it allows our students to have free educational software running in their own personal computers, allowing them to work at home and be more productive with it.
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I like NX CAD modelling features and drafting tool bars which helps in accomplishing the task in minimum steps. The available tools precisely generate the splines and complex geometries as required. There is perfect integration between NX CAD and NX CAM modules with less data loss. Better graphical interface and simplified commands makes NX CAD a better software then others.
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Return on Investment
  • We are working toward full engineering integration with Autodesk Inventor. This will remove most of the human error in our current processes.
  • Production team is moving away from physical samples to using Autodesk Inventor models. This is a cost savings and helps us manage change better.
  • Autodesk Inventor iLogic is allowing us to automate some of our engineering. This is proving to make one job 20% faster to complete with fewer errors.
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  • Through API implementation we have created some CAD Automation tool that saved us about 100h to create specific 3D geometry
  • Teamcenter integration leverage quality of 3D geometry because avoid any situation of duplicated version of same Item that can take lot of hours to verify the correct version
  • Possibility to integrate different 3D format allow to earlier detect possible impact of wrong geometry
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ScreenShots

NX CAD Screenshots

Screenshot of NX technology can generate multiple design options. (It's like having an extra employee dedicated to "trying out" different designs.) Then Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) can be used to generate the part.Screenshot of Studies show an inordinate amount of time can be spent by designers as they look for previous or similar parts. The software can search for similarly-shaped parts.Screenshot of NX has the ability to validate a part (or assembly) and its adherence to standards, collisions, and manufacturability.Screenshot of Virtual inspection and mark up full sized assemblies.Screenshot of a rendering created from the actual product design. Notice the lighting and surface realism.