brioche Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hello wise forum members, At my very small company, we currently use AutoCAD LT 2008 (it’s ok to laugh). I would like to upgrade to a 3D product so I can produce 3D renderings as well as the occasional unfolded cone. I’m trying to decide whether to purchase Inventor LT Suite or AutoCAD (full version- not LT). Here’s the conundrum: Inventor LT Suite offers 3D and also can unfold a cone (I’m quite sure). AutoCAD offers 3D, but cannot unfold a cone (based on my limited experience with a trial version). So, Inventor LT Suite appears to be more powerful than AutoCAD, YET it is quite a bit less expensive. What am I missing here? I have visited the Autodesk site many times and my answers seem to be shrouded in mystery. Also, and I hesitate to complicate matters, but the folks of this forum seem to be very knowledgeable…what about Solidworks? Should I be considering this program instead? Thank you for your time- I appreciate any insight you can offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Ferral Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Inventor LT suite includes AutoCAD LT and Inventor LT... so, you can have your cake and eat it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzframpton Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 So, Inventor LT Suite appears to be more powerful than AutoCAD, YET it is quite a bit less expensive. What am I missing here? I have visited the Autodesk site many times and my answers seem to be shrouded in mystery.You're not missing anything here. AutoCAD has become an outdated program in many respects, where as Inventor is a newer, intuitive CAD application. The LT versions of the new brand of CAD software is miles ahead of even the full version of AutoCAD. If you want real power, then go ahead and jump up to a full version. But as stated, you still get AutoCAD with suite packages so you can still fall back on what you're comfortable with while you engage in newer, better software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGAL Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 With the new hire Autodesk products maybe try both for a short period then decide, even years ago inventor looked so much better than plain auto cad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW210 Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 LT is cheaper because some functionalities are not available that are in the Full versions. AFAIK Inventor LT does not have Sheet Metal, which is what I believe you need to unfold a cone. Key capabilities available in other software in theInventor software family that are not available in Inventor LT include, but are not limited to, the following: • 3D assembly modeling • Specialty tools such as sheet metal and dynamic simulation • Customization via application programming interface (API) access or third-party add-in applications http://www.autodesk.com/products/inventor-lt-family/compare/compare-products Did you give the Inventor LT a trial to see if it unfolds cones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Mather Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Inventor LT Suite offers 3D and also can unfold a cone (I’m quite sure). Unfortunately - you information is incorrect. LT will not unfold a cone - you need the full version of Inventor. …what about Solidworks? SolidWorks does not have an LT version. SolidWorks and Inventor are equivalent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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