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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Autodesk Inventor

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AAutodesk 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…

    $300

    12 days over 1 year via Flex pricing 100 tokens

    NX CAD

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/ASiemens 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
    Considered Both Products
    Autodesk
    No answer on this topic
    Siemens AG
    Chose NX CAD
    The only reason why NX was chosen was due to the process management, and revision control that's built-in. And being able to limit access to files and if they can be modified.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    88%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    96%
    Would buy again
    26 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    17 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    17 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    27 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    10 Answers
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    11 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    15 Answers
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    15 Answers
    Features
    Autodesk InventorNX CAD
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Autodesk Inventor and NX CAD
    Feature
    Autodesk Inventor
    6.8
    2 Ratings
    5% below category average
    NX CAD
    7.6
    5 Ratings
    7% above category average
    3D Modeling8.52 Ratings8.75 Ratings
    2D Drafting6.02 Ratings8.85 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization6.52 Ratings5.94 Ratings
    Parametric Design7.52 Ratings8.45 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing6.02 Ratings6.54 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats7.02 Ratings7.65 Ratings
    Assembly Design6.52 Ratings8.35 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis5.52 Ratings7.33 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation6.52 Ratings7.15 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions7.52 Ratings7.45 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Autodesk InventorNX CAD
    Small Businesses
    Onshape
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Onshape
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PTC Creo
    Score5.5 out of 10
    PTC Creo
    Score5.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Autodesk InventorNX CAD
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (27 ratings)
    8.1
    (28 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.2
    (2 ratings)
    8.5
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.3
    (8 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.1
    (12 ratings)
    7.3
    (3 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.4
    (3 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Autodesk InventorNX CAD
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Autodesk
    Autodesk Inventor is a great tool for students and faculty for engineering areas that don't require great precision or development of more thorough scientific results. Is you are conducting research, or deal with very intricate and complex systems I would recommend a more robust platform that complies more to industry standards.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    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. The tool has scope to develop an algorithm for generating surfaces from the point data. Include of option to convert .STL to any CAD format will be helpful. The connectivity of splines laying in different planes can be improvised.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Autodesk
    • The program is very good at simplicity. Each of the buttons, menus, and options has an explanation of exactly what the feature does, and even a more advanced description if you desire to learn more about what each one does.
    • Autodesk Inventor is a very fast program. Everything renders extremely quickly and there are no delays when examining a 3D model, part, or assembly. This is especially useful when giving a presentation about a product or design, and you need to be able to show a concept to an audience in real time.
    • The software has an extremely accurate simulation feature that lets users do stress analysis on a 3D model. It can calculate precisely where the stress concentrations are going to be in a particular model and even give you an accurate depiction of where the part could likely fracture and/or fracture during loading.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Autodesk
    • most if it still runs on a single core. Please fix this
    • Crashes. In our experience, too many crashes. We have high end machines and crashes are way too common.
    • Autosave. I think it is simply unacceptable that Autodesk Inventor combines common crashes with no autosave functionality. We feel this pain all the time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Autodesk
    Inventor continues to meet our enterprise needs. I don't see a need to change unless we change our business model significantly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    possibility of integration and customization
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Autodesk
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    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
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Autodesk
    I think the support for Autodesk Inventor is very good. The staff at our reseller were very knowledgable and able to walk us through problems pretty easily. The training we received was very good also. I will say that there were a couple of times we reached out to support with a question or challenge we had, and the support agent was not able to resolve our problem, and after touching base back we found out that there was not a solution for the problems we were experiencing. One of them was just how Inventor represents colors inconsistently at times, all things being equal. Another was that Inventor would not let decals on parts transcend to the assembly level. they just would not show up.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    NX CAD version is going out of support after only 12 months. Changes will not be implemented after 12 months from prodcution
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Autodesk
    I got the training during college, so mostly i learned on my own
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Autodesk
    No answers on this topic
    Siemens AG
    the manitenance period is too small for our implementation timeline
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Autodesk
    When it comes to solid modeling, the bad choices died out years ago. So we looked at the total ecosystem and chose Autodesk Inventor because of the integration with Nastran, HSM (machining), Autodesk CFD, MoldFlow, and AutoCAD. This means our legacy data (2D) is still a valid part of our design methodologies going forward, and we have the full breadth of engineering tools at our disposal. Other solutions in this space have similar offerings but not nearly as potent of a portfolio in total. It's worth saying that we do not consider Inventor in the same space as CATIA or NX, but that the entire Autodesk portfolio (e.g. Alias, PowerMill, etc) includes a total toolset that exceeds these industry giants.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    NX CAD is very good for interoperability between different three dimensional modelling softwares, it can convert to .jt models, from native format such as .CATPart, .CATProduct, and ones from SOLIDWORKS. Also it is integrated to Siemens Teamcenter, which also enables other downstream workflow, such as Tecnomatix Process Simulate. Other software packages would need more integration effort to make this possible
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Autodesk
    • Working on a project designed with Inventor provides a modular design platform that can quickly be configured or changed as required. This allows for the quick turn around time for the design and revision of drawings.
    • We've used Inventor over the years (since 2013) and the updates and newly released versions of Inventor do not require re-training or restrict use.
    • Autodesk follows an intuitive approach and users or designers who have worked on other design platforms like SolidWorks can transition easily to Inventor.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Siemens AG
    • The software itself is pretty expensive compared to other CAD-systems.
    • Implementation is not out of the box, it requires a lot of consulting and iteration cycles.
    • On the positive side is to mention the seamless of downstream functionalities, from product development to manufacturing and visualization, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.