OSX CAD, Math and FEA Software

This may be a bit out of place as a software question, but it is Mac Specific -
I'm looking for software options
1. for 2D and 3D design/drafting. Something similar to AutoCad, solid works, unigraphics and catia.

2. Mathmatics solutions and reporting - similar to MathCad (preferably) or Matlab.

3. Finite element analysis solver and pre-post processing - Nastran, Patran, Femap, ansys, cosmos, algor, etc.

Design/drafting and math software is important enough to sway my decision back to windows. The FEA stuff is less so. If I start doing that at home regularly, I could justify a machine dedicated to that.

Thank you all. Moderator, I'm going to double post this in the software section as well. If this poses an issue for you, feel free to remove one of the postings.

 

Anyone out there have any suggestions for CAD, Mathmatics and FEA software fo the Mac, or is this type of software a dead horse for macs nowdays? I do see a fair amount of architectural stuff available, but I'm more interested in mechanical engineering type CAD software. AutoCad used to support macs, but I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out if they still do? Mathcad no longer supports mac.

Thanks all.

 

All of the ME consultants, whom we deal with, all use CAD on a PC platform. If the Mac platform had something comparable, it would be worth looking into. However, I don't think that is ever going to happen.

Dell Inspiron 8600:
* 1.6 Ghz Pentium M * 1024 MB DDR SDRAM * 60 GB 7200 RPM HD * 15.4" WSXGA+ * Internal Bluetooth * Intel Pro/Wireless 2200 * 4x CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) * ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo 128 MB * Win XP Pro SP2 *

* Apple 17" PowerBook G4 * 14" Toshiba Tecra 8000 * Apple 14" iBook G4 *

 

Anyone know if unix versions of CAD programs will run on a mac? I know there is an X-window interface, and that OSX is built "on top of" a unix OS. Can one install unix programs, and run them on a mac without actually installing a second OS?

 

I think I'm agreed Andy. It usedto be that the Mac at least got last generation ported over. I ran AutoCad version 10 or 11 with no trouble, and even traded files back and forth with PC guys. MathCad used to support Macs, but quit about version 6. I could likely run mathcad under windows emulation, but a full blown Cad program would probably not work well under emulation. I think FEA is a dead horse for macs also. A Mac would do 99% of my needs, and I really like the 12" pb. I already have windows MS office, mathcad and autocad though. The mac switch would require purchase of at least ms office again.

 

Here is another method.

1. From what I hear you can run windows on mac these days. However, installing windows on a mac, may take up one of your weekends.

2. Google: "Opensource CAD". I'm sure there a numerous free opensource CAD programs that will run on windows, and maybe even OSX.

3. See if there are open source options for Unix, because your mac is also running the unix os.

 

Check this out:

http://www.osalt.com/brl-cad

 

Not really. Takes... a bit to format the partition (it's pretty quick) and actually installing XP/Vista takes the same time as any other pc.

The updates OTOH will take ... a while.

I know the PC market pretty much owns the CAD community. But I've heard rumors of um... whatever that group is that is the leader in CAD software maybe developing their tools for OS X.

As far as using Unix/Linux software, you can use some tools to do that. Or... just compile and install through the command line. Not too bad, just intimidating at first.

Don't remember what the two tools are that let you run linux programs without compiling...

 

I would recommend XP to use these tool (XP can't be too awful expensive these days).

 

XP still goes for $80 or more for a full license... and usually that's for an OEM home edition.

Unfortunately the only CAD experience I've had was using Eagle, which runs under X11. I'll see what I can find when I'm not at work...

 

For Matlab, you could get Matlab... There's a mac version that's just as good as the Windows version. There are a few really rare features that don't work 100% of the time, but it's few and far between.

For CAD:
ArchiCAD 11.0
MacDraft
TurboCAD
Domus.CAD

as for the FEA stuff, I don't know.

edit:

Fink/Fink Commander

 

http://www.nemetschek.net/
http://www.solidthinking.com/products/comparative.htm
http://www.ashlar.com/sections/products/overview/overview.html

For CAD stuff there is Vectorworks. For Solidworks replacement there is solidThinking. And Ashlar-Vellum has a bunch of software for both CAD and modeling that uses their own interface which they claim is highly efficient.

For mathematics software, MMM (Maple, Mathematica, and Matlab) are all available for Mac with the latest Mathematica even having full 64-bit support on Intel for both Tiger and Leopard.

http://oregonstate.edu/~nairnj/NairnFEAMPM/#Intro
http://www.visualfea.com/introduction.htm

I don't know much about finite element analysis but there is NairnFEAMPM and VisualFEA. The first one is free and developed by Oregon State University. The latter seems to be from some Korean company and their site isn't very informative.

 

Yeah, thats one of them. there is also another as well.

 

MacPorts? (Previously known as DarwinPorts)

Or am I thinking of something else?

 

Yeah... thats it. Mac/Darwin Ports.