SW changes their renewal policy

len_1962

Don't let you subscription lapse after 1-1-16 or you'll have to pay for a brand new seat.

So OnShape you better be ready for the droves of new customers......

lonnie_1

@len_1962
It will be interesting to see if it has much of an effect at all.  ADSK is completely removing desktop software sales as of 2016.  I am in the market for new cam and basically going to come down to Fusion or Onshape.  I will let SW maintenance expire along with HSMWorks and just use them as needed.  I can't wait to see what Onshape comes up with for CAM

kevin_quigley

@len_1962  You won't have to buy a new license. You will have to pay the value of lapsed subscription years up to the value of a new license (which in the UK is about 4 years). So if you have been off subs for 4 yrs, yes, you will be paying for a new seat. But if you miss a year or two, no.

pete_yodis

SolidWorks is currently doing a good job of driving more business to Onshape.  The forums are buzzing over there with people mentioning a switch to Onshape.  I think there has been a tangible tipping point in the last week in a lot of people's minds about where they will focus their energies next.  As a long time SolidWorks user it seemed in more recent years my subscription didn't purchase much at all anymore, and suspiciously it seemed it paid for new products that didn't really interest us. I'd rather mass droves of SolidWorks subscription be directed to an Agile company like Onshape, that will work to delight its customers. Money well directed to the proper place will allow for some awesome things in the future.  The coming added subscription money spent on Onshape from former SolidWorks customers will enable them to push the industry forward and benefit all of us.  Onshape is clearly the better horse that will get all of us to a much more efficient and powerful design and information system.  Welcome aboard new Onshapers!

len_1962

@ Kevin here for a standard seat that would be a little over 2 years because of the $500 penalty per year and the subscription cost =$1795\yr. * 2 = $3590.

new seat is $3995.

I know many a machine shop that don't update for 3 to 5 years and now I am certain they won't upgrade for the full cost, they will find an alternative.

dennis_20

With eDrawings being free the need to upgrade is lessened.  eDrawings 2015 can directly view SolidWorks 2015 files so one can easily query a model.  It gives a person some ability to use someone else's models that were created in a later version of SolidWorks.  Still, it is not the same as even importing the dumb solids.

I think Dassault has stepped in it and is alienating a lot of longtime SolidWorks customers.  The users don't care that this new policy may be consistent with other Dassault products, nor even the rest of industry.  The users only care that SolidWorks is changing on them and not for the better.  SolidWorks has a long history of listening to and responding to its users, but that has been declining and now this new policy is the last straw for many.

As soon as Onshape implements a few more essentials - Drawings (coming soon, in alpha testing according to John H.), Standard Parts Libraries (Fasteners in particular), Configurations, Dimension Names and Equations, Links to external calculations such as an Excel spreadsheet, Motion Simulation (motors, gravity, springs, etc.), etc., I think you will see a huge conversion from SolidWorks in particular but also from other mainstay CAD users.

adrian_vlzkz

Couldn't agree more with you  @pete_yodis We pay six figures on subscription annually for SW, EPDM, Composer and a few Simulation seats. But for those 3 main packages I haven't seen a considerable new feature in years! They feel outdated and definitely abandoned. When I first saw Mechanical Conceptual I was very curious, almost excited, but then they announced the price... that's when I started thinking of evaluating other options. So I'm just patiently waiting on Onshape to propose a gradual move.

pete_yodis

@adrian_velazquez https://www.onshape.com/cad-blog/onshapes-core-values-our-statement-of-principles