How to Buy Engineering Software

Purchasing the right engineering software for your specific application can be tricky. You need to make sure you're purchasing the right software to fit your designing needs. Here's how to make sure that engineering software is right for your specific design applications.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Analyze your company's needs. In the areas that take the most man hours, see if there's a way to automate calculations or production. Design tools like WaterCAD from Bentley Systems can automate flow rates to reduce man hours used in the design process.
2. Check software compatibility with your current drawing programs. The most popular CAD software is AutoCAD and some engineering add-on programs are compatible with it. However if you're using something like MicroStation or some other lesser known system then be sure to check compatibility.
3. Make sure your system is able to handle the new software. Check the required RAM and storage and be sure your designer's computer will not be bogged down by the addition of the application, or you will be wasting man hours instead of saving them.
4. Assess the training costs involved to teach your staff the new system. If it's a complicated application such as AutoCAD, you may want to instead hire a new, pre-trained employee to show the experienced staff the ropes of the new system instead of hiring an expensive software consultant. This has a two way benefit because the experienced designer teaches the new designer about design and the new designer can help the experienced person with the ins and outs of the engineering software.
5. Try before you buy. Many software companies offer free trials of their software. Try to get full versions so you will get a good feel if the software will do the job you need it to.

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