Solid Edge Simulations Capabilities vs SolidWorks

[Shawnrw]

Hello,

With the recent online license change coming for Solidworks and no viable option moving forward, my company is evaluating a cad software transition to Solid Edge. I'm decently familiar with thier similarities regarding the molding environment but have little experience with the simulation options offered with Solid Edge’s highest subscription.

I was hoping someone with experience in both platforms could provide some insight on the strengths and weaknesses regarding each software’s FEA capabilities. We primarily deal with metal structural parts made from various aluminum alloys.

Appreciate any feedback!

[Jaylin Hochstetler]

I don't have much experience with it. @mike miller knows more about it then I do. But from what I have seen and used it SE Sim is a lot easier to use. I never used SW Sim much because it was so difficult to use (maybe I'm just not bright enough ). As far as capabilities I would say SE Sim would have just as much if not more capabilities, after all it's a little brother to Sim Center. And it uses the NX Nastran Solver.

I find it interesting you say you are looking for an alternative because they are eliminating the online licensing. I'm surprised Dassault didn't see that coming.

We are currently transitioning from SW and no PDM to SE and TeamCenter due to the direction we see SW heading (the transition to the cloud, lack of service and support in implementing items, etc.) and SE has some key features SW doesn't have (Synchronous, MUCH better BOM control, and numerous other things) . You are not the only one looking for and finding alternatives.

There are several SE gurus on here so feel free to ask questions.

[HerrTick]

We've reached a point in FEA history where differences in platforms are little more than cosmetic. Every simulation software does what you ask. Learn to ask better.

[FEAnalyst]

We've reached a point in FEA history where differences in platforms are little more than cosmetic. Every simulation software does what you ask. Learn to ask better.

Right, at least in terms of GUI and basic types of analyses. In each FEA software you can perform linear (and simple nonlinear) static analyses with similar effort. But the differences become important when more advanced simulations are involved. The first thing is that some types of analyses (like fatigue, fracture mechanics or explicit dynamics) and their features (like advanced material models or element types) are available only in selected programs. The second thing is that each solver handles complex nonlinear problems differently. For example, difficult contact conditions can be very challenging for FEA software and there are solvers that specialize in it (e.g. Abaqus) while others may exhibit more convergence issues.

However, the discussion here is limited to CAD-embedded FEA modules that are meant primarily for basic simulations. There are users who put the capabilities of FEA modules in their software to hard tests but they are in minority. The most common application of such modules is to run basic simulations while designing a component to see if it needs to be redesigned or not. Detailed simulations are omitted or carried out at a later stage by FEA specialists using different software.

Anyway, I don't know much about SolidEdge and its FEA module but I use SolidWorks Simulation quite often. It's very good in its category. It offers a wide range of possible analyses and can solve quite complex problems, including CFD. What is the most missing in it is explicit dynamics solver. On the other hand, SolidEdge (from what I know) uses Femap and NX Nastran so it has a very powerful solver.

The choice of software depends mainly on what kind of problems you want to solve and how much you can spend (there's no point to pay for unnecessarily advanced solver). In this case, the OP said that the main goal is to analyze parts made of aluminum alloys. Because of that, advanced material models other than plasticity likely won't be needed (unless creep, material damage or high strain rate response is going to be included). But there's no guarantee that at some point the company will not decide to perform more advanced analyses. For example, fatigue studies can be crucial. Depending on the operating conditions of your products, some types of dynamic or thermomechanical simulations may also become important.