Onshape Compatibility (Autodesk Inventor)

dan_engerer

Hi. Onshape claims to offer "Full, fluid compatibility with most major CAD systems" (see image). At first this seems great, as my latest customer requires final deliverables in Inventor format. And I certainly Give Onshape credit for being the best CAD system in terms of compabilitily. But, I feel like Onshape is stretching here. 

This marketing image includes the Autodesk Inventor logo. Onshape's claim of "full, fluid compatibility with most major CAD systems" is not a fully true statement. "Full, fluid compatibility" clearly implies that Onshape can export files which can then be used and edited in Inventor, swapped back and forth, etc. Otherwise, we're just talking about importing native files and then exporting "dumb solids" (such as .STEP or Parasolid) which cannot be modified in Inventor. While useful, that is not "full, fluid compatibility".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I see no option to export in Inventor (or CATIA, etc.) file format. 

Am I falsely accusing Onshape? To me this is an exaggerated claim on Onshape's part. 

mahir

I tend to be pretty critical of the CAD systems I use, but even I think you're being pretty nitpicky. No CAD system has what you're calling "full compatibility". You have to give OS credit; most CAD programs can't even import a competitor's file formats. Have you ever tried to save a PDF as a Word file? It's junk. And that's just simple formatted text. Can you imagine what a CAD file would look like after exporting to a non-native format while trying to maintain parametric edibility? The results wouldn't be worth anything even if it were possible. I think you should temper your expectations. Whenever I have a client that I know requires native CAD as a deliverable, I just have to come to terms with eating it one way or the other. Either I work in my CAD of choice and then manually rebuild the models/drawings after the fact (horrible), or I start in their CAD system from the get-go (slightly less horrible). Either way, I build it into the price.

dan_engerer

Yes, I totally see what you're saying and it is fair. Like I said, I do give Onshape a lot of credit for being the best CAD out there in this way. It's just that their claim is a little misleading - I don't think it's a stretch for me to say that. If their claims were less exaggerated, I wouldn't be making this post asking for clarification.