Solid Edge is a MCAD package that has been serving the engineering community since 1996 and has been offering levels of functionality that are in many ways equal to its main competitors Solidworks and Inventor. Three years ago Solid Edge introduced a different paradigm into the parametric modeling world called Synchronous Technology (ST) that adds a level of functionality that bridges the world of parametric and direct editing (history-free modeling) at the same time. In it's forth iteration, ST has been finely tuned in regards to offering a balance between these two sides of modeling that makes the software something you'd actually like to use everyday.
Siemens, the company that now owns Solid Edge, has decided to partner up with Local Motors [Ed Note: Jay Rogers, CEO and Founder of Local Motors is our Transportation Jury Captain for the 2012 Core77 Design Awards!] and is now offering several different monthly subscription-based versions of their software. Local Motors is an open source community which brings together industrial designers, engineers, fabricators, and 3D CAD models to help generate content for collaborative automotive parts, "to lead the next generation of crowd-powered automotive manufacturing, design, and technology in order to enable the creation of game changing vehicles." With this new approach Solid Edge is now offering their software for a fee ranging from $19-$299 per month.
What's the catch? you ask. This just seems too good to be true. How can they offer this kind of deal?
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