SolidWorks Users Commentary
In recent weeks a common topic has been brought up on various SolidWorks blogs and on Twitter amongst users, bloggers and 3-D CAD industry folks. This topic is why are ______ (insert your favorite 3-D CAD software here) users so blind to the “obvious” flaws in the software they use and why are they so rabidly devoted to the software. Well, those are pretty good questions. Let me give you my take on this phenomenon.
I started out my career using AutoCAD and CADAM and then moved to 3-D using SolidWorks, SolidEdge and Catia. The most time was spent on SolidWorks because that’s what the company I was working for bought and maintained for its design/drafting software. I worked for that company for almost 10 years. So lets take a look at look at this. I used the same software for 10 years. I want to change jobs, so what is on my resume? 10 years experience with the same software package. What package does the company looking at my resume use? Hmm, the same software I have 10 years experience with. What software do I expect to use at the new company? Now back to the question, If I have several years experience with anything then I am going to be a valuable resource for that thing. The same applies to software. Do I know every function and feature and trick? probably not! But I know a heck of a lot, so why not share it. Does the software do everything I want it to do and/or does it do it easily? Probably not! Are their bugs in the software? Probably so! Can the software be used for what I need to do? Probably so. Is the company going to spend money to buy new software just because I can’t make one feature work? Probably not! We use what we have at the companies we work for.
Are most users rabid? I don’t think the average users are any more excited about their 3-D CAD software than an assembly line worker is about the wrench he is using to put a product together. It’s a tool. Are some users active? You BET! Because they know things about the software and how it works or how to do a work around for a design or which button to push; their is a responsibility to share that. How do they share what they know? Some folks do in house company training of their employees. Some participate in a local user group and might even present. Some present at larger venues and some blog about the knowledge they have. I have found that most that do the latter are not in it for glory or noteriety but are in it to help the average user i.e. EDUCATION. If you look at most CAD sites, they are set up for educational purposes and most of the blogs have visitor input available so that questions and comments can be added to what is already available. The sum of all this is education for the users of the software.
In conclusion, what should be the response to those questions? Well everyone knows that software has flaws and every CAD software has flaws. Can it still get the job done? Yes it can. Are their going to be devotees to a particular software? Yes there are. But you need to ask why are they devoted before passing judgment.
