Q&A: Which is better?

I get asked this a lot: Which is better, NX or CATIA? ANSYS or Nastran? Which Nastran? Onshape or Fusion 360? PDMS or SmartPlant? As with the last Q&A post, I see that search engines deposit you at Schnitger Corp as you try to discover what others recommend. I wish there were a simple answer, but there isn’t. Most of the commercial products on the market today are at parity, in general, but each has specialized competences that follow its maker’s strategic direction. So, how do you decide what’s best for you? Figure out where you are today and where you want to be in a few years, then jump in:

• What features do you really need for work you’re doing today? Don’t be distracted by shiny new things that you know, deep down, aren’t necessary for you.
• But do look at directions –yours and theirs– to make sure there’s some sort of alignment. If you’re thinking of branching into industrial design, look for a CAD tool that can connect preliminary designs into the detailed design process so that you don’t have to recreate. If you want to offer laser scan services to your AEC clients, look for a platform that can incorporate point cloud data. If you’re currently offering FEA services and want to branch into CFD, look at the specific types of simulations you’ll be doing — don’t just go generic and hope it works out.
• Price matters but shouldn’t be the only deciding factor. Most vendors and resellers have payment options that can help take cost off the table. If your needs are sporadic, however, be sure to look at the products that offer monthly subscriptions.
• Consider staffing. This is huge: having decided on a CAD (or CAE or CAM, to a lesser extent) product that no one in your area knows how to use isn’t helpful. Talk to local community colleges, partners, resellers and other businesses in your town about the talent available to you.
• Partners matter. A lot. Make sure that your supplier can support you –with training, customizations, installs, hiring, engineering services or whatever you can think of– so that you’re backstopped when you need to be. A good partner does a lot more than sling software boxes.
• Test. Trial. Do bakeoffs. We don’t see bakeoffs too often these days, and it’s a shame. Years ago, interest groups set up evenings where experts would put software package A head to head against B, creating the same model or performing the same tasks while attendees watched. Ease of use, intuitive modeling, help functions, speed — it was like watching a car race from inside the car. Which gets to the end fastest, and with the most ease? If that’s not available to you, ask for trail licenses. Even better, pay for a few to see what kind of support you get. Try to do your job with each solution, recognizing that your lack of expertise will be frustrating and make you slow — but you’ll learn a great deal about your options. If you’re in the market for CAE, also verify your results against physical tests and check against other, known results.
• Just do it. After a certain point, you simply need to decide. Putting it off won’t make the decision any easier and it’s unlikely that unknowns will become knowns. Software is an important part of what you do, but it’s an enabling tool and not the whole magilla. Odds are that you’ll be fine; you’ve considered your options, found a reliable partner — now go!

I know you want someone to tell you that product A is better than B, but it’s not that simple. There are more choices than ever before so the decision process is more about defining your needs and finding a fit that’s specific to you than it is about finding the one absolute best out there. Good luck, and chat back in the comments!