There are just too many factors that together determine the success of your designs. From material optimization, weight optimization, space design, accessibility, the list goes on. But the trickiest part hits when you have to ensure all these elements are aligned to the desired goal.
There are so many chances to get it all wrong. What follows is you end up wasting valuable resources, time, and energy making the engineer's life often look like a nightmare. This is exactly where efficient aerospace engineering software comes in handy.
Taking out the guesswork and frustrations, aerospace engineering software can declutter the workspace to create a more creative room for the best design ideas in you.
In this blog post, we bring you the four software that is dominating the SaaS market for the aerospace industry in 2021.
Every tool that becomes popular among the aerospace engineering community has one core element in common. They are all disruptive in nature. Either the technology they use is transformative or the approach of design redefines the traditional ways completely.
The software in the discussion too is redefining in their unique ways. Powered by the cutting-edge generative design, they usher in a new era in the aerospace industry.
The following section takes a deep dive into each of these 4 best aerospace engineering software that you can use in 2021.
When it comes to aerospace engineering, nTopology is a pioneer.
Operating in a 3D CAD system the software is used to design complete aircraft, spacecraft, and other aerospace vehicles. It is a tool that can be used to design the basic structure as well as the component structures of an aircraft or spacecraft.
The software provides a host of solutions that can alleviate the productivity of aerospace engineers in no time. There are multifarious areas of aerospace and defense applications where the software can be used. From structural weight optimization, material architecture, rapid design exploration, to advanced manufacturing there is always more room for innovation.
Features
The software is a beast when it comes to powerful features. Its solutions include 3D models development and analysis, animations, and visualizations of the same. It can also be used to create complex models and analyze the models. It allows you to take base CAD from your favorite modeling software and create extremely complex geometries that were traditionally impossible to achieve.
Harnessing the power of cloud computing and machine learning, this software makes the development of lightweight, flexible, and customizable designs of aerospace products a breeze. No wonder why the software is used by aerospace engineers around the world.
Moreover, aerospace companies that specialize in designing aircraft, spacecraft, and other aerospace vehicles swear by this software.
Merits and demerits
Although the software's feature-rich capabilities already sell the software easily to its audience, it does not stop wooing its audience there. Adding more power to its fanbase, this software comes with a hyper-responsive customer support team that is available for assistance around the clock. However, it does not come without flaws.
Although powerful in every term, the biggest frustration about the software comes when you have to export complex meshes. It consumes significant time and energy of your design team that can get on the nerves sometimes.
Pricing
nTopology does not provide any transparent pricing on its website. For pricing information about the product, you would have to further reach out to them via their contact page and ask for a quotation.
If you ever have scrolled through an average job description of an aerospace engineer, chances are you would be familiar with the name CATIA.
No wonder the software has become a household name in the aerospace industry. CATIA makes it possible for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to optimize the use of composite materials for maximum value on investment.
CATIA mastery comes in full glory in the processes of body generation and modification. This means your reiteration process just got easier and so did the product-market fit. With CATIA, there is no need to delete the modifying part. Multiple drag points of the original design will automatically provide a mesh-like design for itself. Moreover, the software optimizes the development of geometric configurations to lower the design development complexity and error vulnerabilities in the process.
Features
The software's biggest feature is the capability to fetch automatic updates that eliminate the need to start over the entire design process, which translates to significant savings of time. CATIA's deep quality checking enables engineers to predict the composite's behavior across a complex surface.
Merits and demerits
The software enables its users to modify specific points without affecting adjacent parts.
There are no other 3D software that offers design modules, drafting, assembly options, and manipulation tools like CATIA making the design process fast, efficient and smooth.
The only downside of the software is that it might not be the most user-friendly software you have come across in the market. Learning and realizing the most potent features of the software can take some significant time.
Pricing
The pricing of this software is customized to the requirements of the user. This means you have to ask for a quotation.
SharkCAD is made for professionals who need superior, mesh-based, solid modeling tools for their projects. With this tool at bay, crafting architectural, mechanical, prototyping, and design projects is a breeze.
This is the perfect CAD software for those who have advanced 3D modeling requirements. Whether you run a solo engineering firm or have a complete team of specialists, SharkCAD will give you the power you need. The best part? All of this power comes at a cost-effective price.
It features tools like 2D drafting, 3D modeling, easy switching views, and much more. The software is geared to accomplish many goals for its user. From 3D prototyping, photorealistic rendering, product manufacturing designs, architectural drawings, home remodeling plans, interior design, and more.
Features
When it comes to design projects, SharkCAD is a complete package. Offering a full suite of design tools and applications, you can meet your needs end-to-end irrespective of the design stage you are in. No matter what your goal is, be it solid modeling, mesh modeling, prototyping, visualization, part design, or assembly, you can do it all.
Merits and Demerits
One of the best things about this software is that it supports flexibility and scalability at its best. Provides a complete package of all your design needs, it has a dedicated support team that can help you troubleshoot in real-time. However, it also comes with downsides.
The biggest challenge of this software is its learning curve. If you are just starting to use this software, there are many features that you might not be effectively able to use.
Pricing
There is no transparent pricing provided for the software. But you can always ask. All you have to do is visit their pricing page and request a quotation.
Solidworks is yet another name that cannot be kept off the list when it comes to the aerospace engineering industry. The software's advanced CAD software not only makes it easy for developing engineering designs but ensures fast optimization of vulnerabilities in the design.
This means you can expect a shorter product development cycle, from the development stage to the market, giving you a competitive edge.
The software is uniquely capable of rendering complex designs that were once impossible to achieve through traditional industrial design mechanisms. What's more? It provides the ability to convert sheet metal model files to flat patterns.
Features
There are many powerful features that the software is embedded with. This means irrespective of your design needs, complex, large projects, or to the point, small ones, the software is flexible enough to power them all. Also, it has the ability to convert 3D models into 2D drawings, assemble animations for simulating real-life usage of the product. Yet another powerful feature is the FEM analysis. With it, you can easily assess the limitations of your design model.
Merits and Demerits
The unique selling point of this software lies in its flexibility. No matter what your design needs are, you can achieve any design simple and complex. But alongside the merits, the software brings its demerits too. The biggest downside of this tool is the time-consuming rendering process. Also, there is a lot of area for improvement when it comes to text added to the model and drawing needs.
Pricing
SolidWorks allows multiple ways of using the software. It has a version for students starting at $60/year. You can opt for a trial before signing up for the software. But to experience the true potential of the tool you would have to go for more premium features. You can always ask for a quotation which is determined on the basis of your needs.
The above tools are sure to keep you at the top of your game today. But here's the thing. The future of aerospace engineering is no doubt promising. With more complex and sophisticated products like the flying drones waiting to disrupt space, the requirement of powerful software that can declutter the workspace for engineers and designers is indispensable. This makes continuous upgrades and iteration in your methods, technology, and toolkit a prime necessity to maintain your competitive edge. The above tools give you a bright today, but in order to have a brighter future, you would have to re-innovate every part of your aerospace engineering design process. Companies like TriStar and the other four on this list are bound to bring more innovation and technological solutions in the future.
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