Most Engineering department now offers a course in learning the use of CAD software to handle both basic and advanced design needs and anyone who plans to study Mechanical, Systems, Civil and Building Engineering must go through the rigorous process of becoming efficient with the use of CAD tools to handle mechanical designs, architectural drafts and assemble diverse components.
This means that all individuals interested in becoming engineering professionals must get acquainted with one or more of the CAD software applications available on the market.
Therefore we shall outline the top 5 CAD Software for Engineering Students.
Top 5 CAD Software for Engineers
To begin this list, we shall outline the criteria that were used in vetting the numerous CAD applications available on the market. These criteria include:
Ease of Learning: The ease at which prospective engineers grasp the fundamental techniques of any CAD tool is important to the academic success and confidence of the student. Therefore this was a prominent criterion for screening software applications
User Interface: The number of available drafting tools, the intuitiveness of workspaces, and the ability to allow for collaborations among students is also a criterion for selection.
Pricing: Only few students have the deep pockets to overlook cost and to the average student, the cost of a CAD software application can be the deciding factor in helping him or her come to a decision on which tool to purchase.
Therefore our top five are:
1- AutoCAD
Autodesk are the undisputed leaders in the CAD community for they develop drafting applications for every niche including engineering. Although Autodesk’s AutoCAD apps are quite difficult to learn, the vast number of text, picture and video tutorials available for free to the average student makes it a must have for designers.
This one is the most needed CAD Software for Engineering Students in most case.
The full package does not come cheap but Autodesk offers a free student version that provides the student with the alternative of purchasing extra licenses—Maya, Civil 3D etc.—for future purposes.
2- Microstation
When looking for a complete CAD platform that offers 2D/3D modeling capacity, rendering, simulation and animation capabilities as well as the ability to collaborate in a group, look no further than Bentley’s Microstation.
The CAD software provides its intuitive interface for approximately $4,000 which makes it quite difficult for the average student to purchase.
3- SolidWork
Architects, civil engineers and mechanical engineers will definitely pick the versatility that this drafting software offers over any other due to the fact that the application was specifically designed for assembling mechanical, structural and building components.
This is one of the most avoidable CAD Software for Engineering Students.
Its wide array of toolsets makes this CAD software quite difficult to master but the amount of tutorials available to students negates this disadvantage and in terms of pricing, SolidWork offers its users with free trials while a complete package costs approximately $3,000.
4- Maya
Maya 3D is usually the preferred choice of system engineers who have to create models, render them and animate these models when handling projects that have to do with robotics or control processes. Maya offers a wide array of tools that speeds up rendering time and simplifies animation for the user.
Numerous tutorials on its use can also be found online and in terms of pricing this software application is on the high side of $5,000.
5- Blender
Mechanical and System engineers fall under the category of designers who use this 2D/3D cad software in their professional fields.
This is due to the technical build of its interface and toolsets for the modeling, rendering and assembling of mechanical and structural components.
This software application costs between $1,500-8,000 depending on the package you plan to purchase.
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