Mechanical Engineering

I would stick with a 2D system for factory layout, and use 3D modeling on machinery only.

In my experience, importing multiple 3D machine models into a 3D building layout put a huge strain on your computer system. I haven't tried it yet on a cloud based system, maybe that would work. You will never have enough PC memory. I have tried making simplified 3D models of the machinery, but it still slows everything down.

Good Luck

Duff in reading what you are wanting to do you might want to look at SolidWorks. They also have a decent sheet metal package. If you are wanting to do organic designs then I would suggest Creo.

Duff in reading what you are wanting to do you might want to look at SolidWorks. They also have a decent sheet metal package. If you are wanting to do organic designs then I would suggest Creo.

Navisworks is basically an environment that pulls various other CAD packages and file types together. You can't actually do a lot of design of machines and buildings in Navisworks directly. It's great for plant wide layouts using CAD data from various sources. It is probabaly what you're looking for.

Fusion is great for 3D design of individual parts. It does not excel in assemblies. It does not integrate very well with other CAD environments like Navisworks. It is primarily cloud based and sometimes getting alternative file types in and out of the cloud can be a little cumbersome. It is certainly not suitable for plant wide layouts. You can get a free version but you get what you pay for.

Inventor is expensive but does 3D design the way it ought to be done. In my opinion it is easier than Fusion for 3D design. It excels in complex parts and assemblies. It is not really setup for architectural work but can do some in a pinch. It integrates well into Navisworks. It does all mechanical design and does it very well. You get what you pay for.

I don't know anything about Sketchup.

Considering you know AutoCAD and are considering Navisworks, Inventor would be the logical tie-in for 3D design. I believe the 3 packages combined would give you exactly what you're after. There are some software suites available that supply these three along with a few other key pieces of software for one attractive price.

[edit]:

The bottom line is, Navisworks is what you're after but it requires data from other sources like AutoCAD and Inventor. It ties it all together, 2D floor plans from AutoCAD, 3D models from Inventor as well as those STEP files. It retains links to those source files so if they change, your Navisworks layout changes. It even has some BIM capabilities although I've never had the need to investigate that option. You can do walkthroughs, flyovers, animations, clearance checks etc. Beyond animations it will even do simulations of whole production lines. While the Navisworks files themselves are somewhat proprietary, you can export the layout back out into a lot of other file types such as AutoCAD. I've used Navisworks to do exactly what you're wanting to do.

You're getting a lot of suggestions for Solidworks. Like Inventor, it does a great job of 3D mechanical design but it's not a good fit for plantwide layouts. It's the wrong tool for the job. Those that are suggesting you use it have not read what you're wanting to do.

Hey Duff,

I've been a long time Solidworks user, although I've spent some time in Inventor and Revit as well. Solidworks works really well with .STEP files and once you have a layout, those are simple to copy out to another file.

Inventor would be a good option too, but I find that their matrix based property system to be cumbersome.

I use Solidworks daily for work, and their sheet metal suite is second to none.

Hope that helps.

If you already know AutoCAD and you want everything to be simple, I think you will find AutoCAD MEP & AutoCAD Plant 3D very helpful for your need. I'm already working with these softwares for the same thing and they work fine for me. If you want to know more we can chat. I can show you how these can help.

SolidWorks is the first choice.

Eduardo Santos, unless you have to pay for Solidworks... not cheap

If you can afford it, you Inventor is excellent for what you want to do.. exporting BIM to Plant 3D or Revit or other.

SolidWorks is the first choice.

You can go wrong with Solidworks. For me the latest choice! Try Varicad - is cheaper. I don't understand the SolidWorks recommendation. For that much money it's junk. 8 years ago, SWX worked better than it does today! Each new variant goes downwards.

last choice....

He needs to do plant layouts which integrate his 3d models. He isn't doing mechanical design...

Solidworks, Inventor, or Varicad, they're all the same. While he can use them to clean up and produce his 3d models. They are not the right choice for his plant layouts.

Why does everybody keep recommending mechanical design tools for his plant layouts! Read his question!

Hello everyone.

No Solidworks is not why i'm looking for. I'm not looking for a mechanical design tool like Bob Wiley said. Moreover Solidworks has bad reputation concerning the import of multiple .step files.

Ward Holloway : Thank you for your response. Yes i'm aware that it's hard to import multiple 3D models. That's why NavisWorks seems like a good option but i think i'll have to use another software also.

Thanks a lot for your advices.

Yes i think that it is the better solution from what i've read.

Can i ask you why do you think Inventor will do a better job than Autocad 3D ?

I've heard of these 2 but haven't already look deep into it. I'll be glad to chat with you, thanks a lot. Do you have any links that could help me to understand how those softwares works ?

Thank you chris. I'm very intersted in Inventor but it's a bit expansive so i'll need to convince my boss !

Can i ask you why ? Like i said in my first post Sketchup is cheap and quick to use but I’m not sure that the .step files will import well and I’m not sure that the result I would get will be simple to be used by my suppliers (who use mainly Inventor) or by the architect (who use Archicad).

If you have any opinions on those issues, please let me hear your opinion...

AutoCAD is great at 2D. Autodesk shoehorned 3d capabilities into AutoCAD many years back but it has never been a good fit.

While AutoCAD has some 3d capabilities that may work for special one-off designs, if you are serious about 3D then skip AutoCAD. Go for a package like Inventor or Solidworks or even Sketchup that were designed for 3d from the start.

Hi Duff,

If i understood correctly, you are looking or a decent solution to put together 2D drawing with 3D objects and add some 3D pipes.

I can recommend you fusion 360, is light and fast for your needs. Here are some reasons for my recommendation:

1. Work well with imported AutoCAD files.

2. You can easily import pretty much any type of 3D files and convert then to single bodies (this mean that you won't have large assembly to handle).

3. You can work from anywhere (multiple computers), just by logging in (PC, Android, IoS). For example you start on a PC then you continue working on another PC (home) without having the need for another license.

4. It have a dedicated database and partnership with 3D models suppliers (if you need to find for example fitting for your pipes). And all are free for downloading with a Fusion license.

5. You can apply advanced materials and textures to your wall and do very good rendering for presentation to clients. You can use decals to place logos on bodies or you can use canvas (a picture) to start you sketch.

6. It can collaborate live with both Inventor and SolidWorks.

7. It have a special tool named pipes (a cylinder along a 3D line) . That mean that from a 3D spline Fusion can automatically design the pipes with characteristics that you want.

8. You can export as 3D objects or mesh for further handling.

9. It have very intuitive commands and is easy to learn.

10. It cost 500 dollars a year or free for hobby.

I'm told that you can pay monthly for it.. like 200$ cdn.

https://www.autodesk.com/products/factory-design-utilities/overview?term=1-YEAR&tab=subscription

Hi Florin,

I'll look into it, it might be a very good option combined with Navisworks !

Thanks for all the informations

I'm not sure to understand what Factory Design Utilities really is.

Is it a stand alone software, a module or multiple softwares ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzvx6AgrMiE

He needs Creo. New versions of Creo keep his models in their native format and Creo is good for assemblies with many thousands of components. It's assembly management is exceptional

He needs Creo. New versions of Creo keep his models in their native format and Creo is good for assemblies with many thousands of components. It's assembly management is exceptional

Why?

Because it's what they know. ;)

Solidworks is a great choice, but if you want to keep costs down to next to nil then maybe Blender could be used. It's free and can import a variety of formats.

Vero Visi.