In the age of advanced product design software, the only limitation businesses should have is their own creativity, not the tools at their disposal. With the wealth of online resources available today, you don’t need a background in design or a strong understanding of product design principles to realize your ideas.
Additionally, utilizing the right product design software will help you cut down on production times by automatically identifying inefficiencies and performing machine simulation. It will also improve collaboration by allowing your entire team to follow the product development lifecycle on a single platform.
That said, not all product design software is created equal and it seldom comes cheap. To help you put your hard-earned money towards the right software, here are the top choices for businesses in 2019.
Features to Look out For
Before we get into the list, let’s take a look at some of the key features that make a good product design tool.
2D Sketching: While you want to eventually have a detailed 3D model of your product, a capable 2D environment is key to the initial design as it helps you create more accurate dimensions for manufacturing.
Material Simulation: In certain industries, the product design software needs to be able to simulate the materials used in the final product. For instance, companies who use sheet metal will need to ensure that the software they choose allows them to manipulate sheet metal parameters to fit the final design intent.
Collaboration: Design teams can save immeasurable amounts of time by using software that allows them to seamlessly work together on a single platform. Cloud-based design software is particularly great at serving this purpose.
Autodesk Alias
Autodesk has been a household name in the 3D design and engineering software market for some time now. Alias is their surfacing and industrial design software, geared particularly towards the automotive industry. However, Alias also features sketching, surfacing, modeling and visualization tools for product and industrial design.
Altium
Companies in the tech industry are particularly fond of Altium’s PCB design software. Altium offers a powerful, unified design environment that works to improve your productivity by interconnecting all aspects of the design process, from schematic to documentation to simulation and more. Head over to Altium.com to learn about how it works.
Adobe Photoshop
If you’re looking for a simple and reliable tool with a longstanding support network, Adobe’s faithful Photoshop software is still a compelling option. Despite being around long enough to be to design software what the iPad is to tablets, Photoshop is still frequently updated to keep up with the competition and offer the latest in 3D design capabilities.
SOLIDWORKS
This 3D CAD design tool is a popular solution for industrial designers who want to fast-track their manufacturing operations. Featuring an intuitive user interface, powerful collaboration tools and efficient analysis that helps you identify potential issues before they occur, SOLIDWORKS is a dependable piece of product design software.
Conclusion
There will only be a handful of tools that are suitable for your business. Be sure to thoroughly research their features to make your investment worthwhile.