Cadalyst - November 2007 - (Page 30)

cadlabsreview NX 5, Part 1 CAD/CAM/CAE software is primed for production. By Jeffrey Rowe A s you well know, there are many, many MCAD options available these days. Making a decision about the best MCAD application for your needs has never been an easy task, and in some ways, it’s more difficult than ever. When it comes to MCAD packages, the terms midrange and high-end really don’t apply anymore. In the past, though, NX was considered high-end, meaning it was expensive and difficult to master. With NX 5, however, this is no longer the case. In fact, I am quite impressed with how usable NX 5 is, considering its complexity and depth of features. NX 5 is a major release for Siemens PLM Software (formerly UGS PLM Software), and it has more than 400 enhancements. Because there is so much ground to cover, Cadalyst decided to split the review into two parts. In Part 1, I will cover some of the basic aspects of NX 5 with regard to what makes this release so important, getting started with sketching and parts modeling and using concurrent and collaborative design practices. Next month, in Part 2, I’ll cover assemblies, drawings, additional NX modules, and Teamcenter. Even with a two-part review article, NX 5 has so many new and improved features and capabilities that it will be tough to cover anything beyond the highlights. Figure 1. NX 5’s customizable interface lets users create a job role that best suits their work requirements and level of experience. NX 5 A– CAD/CAM/CAE Software A B+ A N/A A– A B A– A– modate varied workflows; interoperability. Cons: Some surfacing tasks can be challenging; requires Teamcenter for collaboration; some tools/functionality not as intuitive as they could be. Price: $9,900 or more Siemens PLM Software 972.987.3000 www.ugs.com/nx5 This version: . . . . . . . . . . Ease of use:. . . . . . . . . . . Features/capabilities: . . Installation: . . . . . . . . . . Customization: . . . . . . . . Interoperability:. . . . . . . Help/documentation: . . . Innovation: . . . . . . . . . . . Value: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pros: Direct Modeling; relatively easy to change designs; different module options that accom- Beyond discussing pure functionality, a secondary focus of this two-part review will be to dispel some of the misconceptions and misperceptions about the NX product line with regard to ease (or difficulty) of use and price. The core technology for NX 5 has changed dramatically for the better, thanks to improvements in the user interface (UI) and its functional capabilities, which together result in a better user experience and increased productivity. NX 5 is affordable as well. I received NX 5 preloaded and configured for this review on an HP Compaq nw8000 notebook computer directly from Siemens PLM Software, so I could not provide an Installation grade on the NX 5 report card. The use of this system is significant, however, because even though the notebook was at least two years old, the software’s performance on it was quite good. Getting Started If you have used NX in the past (my last experience was with NX 3), the first thing you’ll notice upon launch is a much-improved UI. Admittedly, many of these UI changes may appeal more to new users, but experienced users will get the hang of most of them in relatively short order. The new UI likely will make users of all experience levels more efficient and productive. As part of my software review, I looked at and considered product documentation as part of the user interface and experience. The online system for NX 5 is a 30 November 2007 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com http://www.ugs.com/nx5 http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - November 2007

Cadalyst - November 2007 Contents Editor's window Cad Central Conceptual Inspiration for Less Than $200 From Any Angle - Publish and Share Your 3D Designs NX 5, Part 1 - CAD/CAM/CAE Software Newforma Project Center Fourth Edition - Software for Project Information Management CAD Manager's Survey 2007 Sharing and Collaborating with Your Team To BIMfinity and Beyond! Solutions for Sending Large Digital Files Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes Cad Fidential

Cadalyst - November 2007

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