Owning 3D models, you will likely need to present these models after rendering them and creating images/videos to showcase to customers and product partners. Using virtual models offers significant advantages in convincing customers before creating a physical product, as they can be easily customized and adjusted to perfect the design.
SolidWorks Standard only offers motion simulation (animation), while Inventor Professional, SolidWorks Professional/Premium provide both motion simulation and rendering capabilities. SolidWorks Professional/Premium offers more rendering tools, producing more polished and visually appealing images/videos compared to the similar feature in Inventor Professional. This is one of the reasons many users prefer SolidWorks.
Recognizing this weakness, Autodesk launched the Autodesk Rendering tool or A360 Rendering, specifically designed to assist with rendering, allowing you to produce stunningly realistic images similar to SolidWorks, without requiring complex hardware (with A360 Rendering). This software is integrated into the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection.
Once you’ve created a model or drawing, you’ll need to share it with several stakeholders and set access permissions for viewing, editing, etc., such as with management, sales, or customers. In this regard, Autodesk offers a wider range of collaboration tools, both cloud-based and on-premise server systems, allowing CAD and non-CAD users alike to access, discuss designs, and track project progress.
Here are some collaboration methods in Autodesk Inventor:
SolidWorks uses eDrawings Viewer in SolidWorks Standard and eDrawings Professional in the Professional/Premium versions for design sharing. You can export eDrawing files from SolidWorks software. SolidWorks also has 3D model-based definitions (PMI), which allow you to annotate and share directly on the model without needing to go through 2D.
If we compare them fairly, Autodesk Design Review and eDrawing Professional have almost identical functionalities. The only difference is that Autodesk Design Review is provided for free, while eDrawing Professional costs $500 per license.
If you need a data management system, you should focus on Inventor Professional and SolidWorks Professional/Premium versions. The SolidWorks Standard version does not offer this feature.
In both software systems, the data management tools are not "ready to use" out of the box, meaning they require installation and configuration by resellers or experienced individuals.The SolidWorks PDM system supports version management and revision control, which is a feature that gives it an advantage over Autodesk's solution. Inventor Professional, on the other hand, uses Vault Basic, which provides version management but lacks some of the advanced revision control features found in SolidWorks PDM.
Both companies only provide a basic version of their data management system. If you need more advanced features, you will need to explore Autodesk Vault Workgroup and Vault Professional or SolidWorks PDM Professional.
Autodesk A360 Storage System
Autodesk provides the A360 storage system included with the Inventor subscription package as a kind of "Dropbox" specifically for CAD. This allows you to synchronize and store data on the cloud storage system. You can easily share, manage, search, and assign access permissions to anyone who can view, edit, or access the data, ensuring absolute security.
Here are some formats that the software can import/export from the mentioned CAD systems.
| Inventor Professional |
Solidworks Standard |
Solidowkrs Professional |
Solidworks Premium |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Import/Export | ||||
| 2D DWG | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3D DWG | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2D DXF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Neutral 3D Formats: STEP, IGES, STL... |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Revit | Yes | No | No | No |
| FBX | Yes | No | No | No |
| Import | ||||
| Sketch Up (SKP) | Yes | No | No | No |
| IFC | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Solid Edge | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IDF | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Export | ||||
| IFC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Print 3D Printer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CATIA V5 | Yes | No | No | No |
| 3D PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IDF | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| OBJ | Yes | No | No | No |
| Convert | ||||
| Inventor 3D models | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2D to 3D conversion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feature recognition | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Raster to vector | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mesh to solid | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Associativity | ||||
| Solidworks 3D models | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Solidworks BOM | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Solidworks 2D drawings | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Inventor 3D models | Yes | No | No | No |
| Inventor 2D drawings | Yes | No | No | No |
| 2D DWG | Yes | No | No | No |
| PTC Creo 3D models | Yes | No | No | No |
| Pro Engineer 3D models | Yes | No | No | No |
| Siemens NX 3D models | Yes | No | No | No |
| CATIA V5 3D models | Yes | No | No | No |
| STEP 3D models | Yes | No | No | No |
From the image above, we can see that Inventor has the advantage of supporting the import and export of most common CAD file formats, including SolidWorks. This is a significant benefit when working with multiple partners, as each company may use different software.
A key strength of Inventor is its excellent synchronization with AutoCAD, the most widely used 2D CAD software. Naturally, since both programs are developed by Autodesk, seamless interoperability between them is guaranteed.
Both software solutions do not directly support machining programming and require integration with third-party software. SolidWorks can use SolidCAM (~5,500$/year with Solidworks Professional and ~10,000$ for Solidworks Premium) or HSMWorks (~4,000$/year).
With Autodesk, they have recently updated Inventor HSM for free as part of the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection (~$2,500/year). This is a professional CNC machining programming tool integrated directly into the Inventor environment, supporting 3-axis and 2+3-axis CNC, and incorporates advanced Adaptive Clearing technology. This product suite also includes HSMWorks, which can be integrated into SolidWorks.
With similar technologies, users often consider commercial factors and cost-effectiveness. The key questions are: How can I purchase the software? How much does it cost? What do I get for that price? What are the options for maintenance and subscription packages?
Below is a cost comparison between Inventor Professional, the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection (PDMC) and different versions of SolidWorks.
| License Pricing | Inventor Professional |
Autodesk PDMC |
Solidworks Standard |
Solidworks Professional |
Solidworks Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Permanent price | N/A | N/A | ~4,400$ | ~6,000$ | ~8,800$ |
| Annual maintenance (Minimum 1 year with Solidworks) |
N/A | N/A | ~1,400$ | ~1,700$ | ~2,200$ |
| Total | N/A | N/A | ~5,800$ | ~7,700$ | ~11,000$ |
| Subscription options | N/A | N/A | No | No | No |
| Annual subscription | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Price for 1 year | ~1,400$ | ~2,500$ | N/A | N/A | N/A |
This will be the cost package you need to pay after 5 years (you will get updates to the latest versions with the most advanced features in the software)
| License cost & Subscription cost |
Inventor Professional |
Autodesk PDMC |
Solidworks Standard |
Solidworks Professional |
Solidworks Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perpetual license | N/A | N/A | ~4,400$ | ~6,000$ | ~8,800$ |
| First-year subscription / First-year maintenance package |
~1,400$ | ~2,500$ | ~1,400$ | ~1,700$ | ~2,200$ |
| Total for the first year | ~1,400$ | ~2,500$ | ~5,800$ | ~7,700$ | ~11,000$ |
| Second year | ~1,400$ | ~2,500$ | ~1,400$ | ~1,700$ | ~2,200$ |
| Third year | ~1,400$ | ~2,500$ | ~1,400$ | ~1,700$ | ~2,200$ |
| Fourth year | ~1,400$ | ~2,500$ | ~1,400$ | ~1,700$ | ~2,200$ |
| Fifth year | ~1,400$ | ~2,500$ | ~1,400$ | ~1,700$ | ~2,200$ |
| Total after five years | ~7,000$ | ~12,500$ | ~11,400$ | ~14,500 | ~19,800$ |
As you can see, the annual subscription for Inventor Professional is approximately 80% cheaper than the perpetual license for SolidWorks Premium (with Inventor Professional offering similar functionality to SolidWorks Premium). Moreover, SolidWorks' policy requires you to purchase a maintenance package in the first year.
Additionally, the annual subscription for Inventor is significantly lower than the maintenance package for SolidWorks Premium. When comparing usage over the next 5 years, the total cost for Inventor will be less than 50% of the cost of SolidWorks Premium.
You can also choose SolidWorks and SolidWorks Professional for a lower annual maintenance fee compared to Inventor Professional's subscription. Alternatively, you could purchase the perpetual license for SolidWorks versions without opting for the maintenance package, but this would mean you won't receive updates to newer versions. It's important to consider that if you skip the maintenance package, you may face compatibility issues with future operating systems or hardware, and you won't have access to the latest technologies and bug fixes continuously provided by the software vendor. You might think of renewing the maintenance package later, but unfortunately, if you choose to update after several years, you will have to pay for the previous two years' maintenance fees to catch up on updates (e.g., if you purchased a perpetual license in 2017 and then decide to buy the maintenance package in 2020, you'll have to pay for both 2018 and 2019's updates before you can access the 2020 version).
On the other hand, if you compare SolidWorks Premium with the Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection (PDMC), PDMC still comes at a significantly lower price (about 60% cheaper), while you will have access to a comprehensive software suite that includes: Inventor Professional (3D CAD), Nastran In-CAD (FEA simulation), Inventor HSM (CNC programming for Inventor), HSMWorks (CNC programming for SolidWorks), AutoCAD Full (2D CAD), AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Electrical, Vault, Recap Pro, Autodesk Rendering, 3ds Max, Factory Design, and more. If you were to purchase these individual software programs separately (just the essential ones like simulation, CNC programming, and 2D CAD) alongside SolidWorks Premium, the total cost for a year would be no less than $25,000.
SolidWorks offers a perpetual license model, where you only pay an initial fee to own the software indefinitely (as long as your computer and operating system remain compatible). However, a maintenance package is mandatory in the first year. On the other hand, Autodesk follows a subscription-based licensing model, where you only pay for the period you wish to use the software (3 months, 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years). Once the subscription expires, you can decide whether to renew the subscription, upgrade to a higher software package, or discontinue the service.
With the policies from both providers, as long as you maintain the maintenance package with SolidWorks and the subscription with Autodesk, you will continue to receive official technical support, updates, bug fixes, and access to previous versions (3 versions with Autodesk) while always having the latest version. If you do not maintain the maintenance package/subscription, these benefits will no longer apply.
Autodesk has discontinued offering perpetual licenses and fully transitioned to a subscription-based model. This means you will own the license for a fixed period at a much lower price compared to the perpetual license. You can own a single-user (standalone) or multi-user (network) license. This is the most flexible and effective licensing model currently being adopted by many software developers, allowing you to easily scale up or down the number of licenses based on your needs and upgrade to a higher or lower version of the software.
Additionally, the subscription-based licensing offers cost flexibility, allowing for potential annual tax deductions rather than one-time upfront payments.
Dassault is also planning to transition SolidWorks to a subscription model, and hopefully, this will result in more favorable pricing policies for users.
If we consider the features, both are quite suitable for 3D mechanical CAD software and can perform almost all tasks well, with each software having its own advantages.
If you need a mechanical-electrical design environment with 3D models and 2D schematics, the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection (PDMC) includes both Inventor Professional and AutoCAD Electrical. Alternatively, with SolidWorks, you would need to purchase SolidWorks Premium and the SolidWorks Electrical Professional add-on.
In industrial design, Inventor supports both B-Rep and T-Splines surfaces, while SolidWorks focuses more on B-Rep and offers more tools for this module, along with additional freeform tools. To work with T-Splines in SolidWorks, you will need to find add-ons, which may not be fully compatible with other add-ons. On the other hand, if you need to handle flatten surfaces, SolidWorks Premium offers more tools, while Inventor may require an additional utility or wait for updates in future versions.
If you are designing sheet metal, the two platforms are relatively similar, and which one is better will depend on your personal preference. Inventor Professional has an "exclusive" module called Shape Generation, which helps create designs that meet criteria for minimizing weight and material usage. It also offers methods for analyzing natural frequencies and injection molding analysis tools.
If your company manufactures products in a modular format, Inventor Professional has comprehensive design functions and process automation integrated into the software, helping you save a significant amount of time and cost. Tasks that once took several days can now be completed in just a few hours.
Next, you can upload your designs to the cloud and share them with partners, embed them on your website, and present them to clients in a more dynamic way. This feature is completely free, which is a significant advantage of Inventor compared to SolidWorks.
Considering the issue of licensing, Autodesk quickly transitioned to a subscription-based model, a global trend among major software companies to offer more affordable pricing packages for users. Just imagine needing to deploy a large number of perpetual licenses — that's a significant amount of money. In the near future, SolidWorks also plans to switch to a subscription-based model. Let’s wait and see what the pricing for this software will be like.
If we look at the current market in Vietnam, we can see that SolidWorks is slightly more popular, but most companies use the "unpaid" version. With the increasing scrutiny on software licensing in businesses, choosing a cost-effective solution will be the deciding factor.
Autodesk has a very competitive pricing strategy with its Product Design & Manufacturing Collection. This product suite is only slightly more expensive than Inventor Professional (about $200/year more), but you will simultaneously own: Inventor Professional, Nastran In-CAD, Inventor HSM, AutoCAD Full, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Electrical, Vault, Recap Pro... it truly is a great deal from Autodesk.
And many other tasks as well... for only about ~$2500/year. View the details of the Collection..
