When working on any 3-D model you have a lot of software to deal with it. You may have come across different software and SolidWorks and Blender are two such software. Both software works differently and is best suited according to situations. Blender free open-source 3D computer graphics software. Whereas SolidWorks is a solid-modeling Computer-aided-Designing (CAD) and Computer-aided-engineering (CAE). It would help if you understood that both software deal with the 3D model but different file handling. You can use the blender for non-engineering purposes as well. For engineering purposes, one has to use SolidWorks over the blender.
The operations possible for the Blender are as follows:
- You can create animated files.
- Visual effects i.e., famously known as CGI (Computer-generated Imagery).
- You can also make Virtual Reality models.
- Operations like Motion Graphics, Rendering, Video editing,
- UV editing, Sculpting.
The above mentioned are some important operations of the blender.
In SolidWorks you can perform these operations:
- Solid-Modeling of engineering Assembly.
- Computer-aided Manufacturing.
- Simulation i.e., FEA, CFD, etc.
- Engineering Analysis etc.
These are some operations and SolidWorks has a vast use in the electrical field as well.
Blender has a broader workspace i.e., it is not limited to the engineering field, unlike SolidWorks. One needs to understand that SolidWorks is modeling Software i.e., we make Solid-model and then later analyze it according to problem statements.
A blender is an Open-Source software whereas SolidWorks is based on subscription.
Above is the Splash screen of the blender.
Above is the opening Window of SolidWorks.
Till now we have only looked into the basic differences between SolidWorks and Blender. Now we shall look into a detailed comparison of Both Software.
Blender
Contents
We shall look into the details of the blender first. In a blender, we have several workspace windows and they are as follows:
Blender has workspaces that are pre-defined window layouts. You can also create customized workspaces for all types of different tasks. Switching between workspaces is very quick.
Layout, Modeling, Sculpting, UV editing, texture paint, Shading, Animation, Rendering, composition, Geometry, and Scripting. Each window has its relevance and is used when needed.
The default launch of Blender displays the “Layout” workspace in the main area. This workspace features the following Editors and is used to preview your scene and objects:
- Top left is a 3D Viewport.
- On the right, there’s an outliner.
- Bottom right, properties.
- Bottom left is a timeline.
Several other default workspaces for blender are as follows:
- Modeling: For modification of geometry by modeling tools.
- Sculpting: For modification of meshes by sculpting tools.
- UV Editing: For mapping of image texture coordinates to 3D surfaces.
- Texture Paint: For coloring image textures in the 3D Viewport.
- Shading: For specifying material properties for rendering.
- Animation: For making properties of objects dependent on time.
- Rendering: For viewing and analyzing rendering results.
- Compositing: For combining and post-processing of images and rendering information.
- Geometry Nodes: For procedural modeling using Geometry Nodes.
- Scripting: For interacting with Blender’s Python API and writing scripts.
In blender, we get to use the above operation and this, in particular, has a very wide application. Blender provides several different editors for displaying and modifying different aspects of data. When you need to multitask you can easily work on different editors of the same type.
Unlike SolidWorks Scripting is a very different window where we use Python to write API scripts. This in particular is a very unique feature in Blender.
Now we shall look into all the operations of SolidWorks.
SOLIDWORKS
As we already discussed that SolidWorks is mainly a Solid-Modeling software. SolidWorks is a software mainly constrained to Mechanical and electrical engineering solutions. SolidWorks apart from modeling has also evolved into On-Premises Data Management. The use of SolidWorks in several industries is as follows:
- Aerospace & Defense
- Construction, Cities & Territories
- Energy & Materials
- Government
- High-Tech
- Home & Lifestyle
- Industrial Equipment Design
- Life Sciences & Healthcare
- Marine & Offshore
- Transportation & Mobility
The use of SolidWorks in the above-mentioned industry has been very prominent these days because SolidWorks has lately started many programs supporting data management systems. They have focused more on proper sharing and management of data. It is because data is the fuel that powers product development. Today cloud computing is something that every industry likes to focus on. Moreover, we need to understand that data is the base of cloud computing. We need to understand that SolidWorks has its area of expertise because it is very much limited to the engineering field.
SolidWorks unlike Blender has several Domains where it has different software for each domain. It has domains as follows:
- Design/ Engineering.
- Data management / Collaboration.
- Manufacturing ERP.
- Manufacturing / Production.
- Marketing / Sales.
- Simulation.
In addition to the above domains, SolidWorks aims at building an ecosystem along with 3D experience. For instance, PDM and cloud computing are something on which the Dassault system is focusing which is playing a major role. Most Importantly, each domain has its operations which make the domain. For example, in Manufacturing ERP we have DELMIAWorks Manufacturing ERP. This particular software is used for “end to end” Enterprise resource planning software (ERP). Whereas in the Production Domain we deal with CAM and Inspection software.
In this paragraph, we are going to discuss the most used operations of SolidWorks. When we talk about modeling we have several types of options for 3D modeling in SolidWorks. We mainly do solid modeling, surface modeling, wireframe, and modeling for sheet metal. In addition to modeling, SolidWorks also provide us with simulations i.e., FEA and CFD analysis.
Conclusion:
SolidWorks and Blender are very different purpose-based software with few similarities. SolidWorks is a Mechanical engineering-oriented software that cannot be said for Blender. Moreover, Blender can be used as a game development tool. As mentioned earlier Blender is the perfect software for Virtual Reality and interactive 3D.
Rendering is a feature that is common for both the software. Even though it is a common feature Blender is a better option over SolidWorks due to its variety.
Remember you can always import SolidWorks models in Blender to do your work
