Geomagic Design X Reviews

“all in one boost for designers”

Pros

Having everything in one place saves a lot of time and makes day to day work feel much more organized. The platform is user friendly, comes with a solid range of tools and gives a very professional feel overall. For us it works as an interior design business solution that helps simplify project management, client collaboration and the design workflow for both full service and e design interior designers.

Cons

The 3D feature is fairly basic the product library is somewhat limited and style boards do not always line up perfectly with the renderings. There are also a few gaps when it comes to customization options. Another thing missing is a centralized "Track Projects" tab so you cannot see all projects in one place at once.

“powerful reverse engineering workflow”

Pros

After using Design X for 10 years, I still genuinely enjoy working with it. It feels like purpose-built software rather than something pieced together as an add-on. You can hook up your scanner and complete the whole design process inside it without needing to jump between other tools. It handles freeform surface modeling very well. That said, you do need to understand the type of workpiece you are dealing with. In capable hands, it's an excellent solution. If you already know CAD software like Solidworks, AutoCAD or Inventor, adding this to your workflow is very manageable.

Cons

I understand that the Design X team avoids spending effort on features that already exist in traditional CAD software. Still, there are times when I miss having things like a hole library or sheet metal modules built into it.

“Accurate 3d modeling power”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages for me is being able to build precise 3D models from scanned data coming from different sources, whether that's 3D scanners, mesh files or other inputs.

Cons

The part that feels weaker is the automatic creation of parametric design features. In my view, it just isn't very efficient.

“more capable than similar tools”

Pros

Compared with other software in the same category, this one feels noticeably more capable and handles the work better.

Cons

I haven't come across any downsides yet and my experience with the software has been entirely positive.

“excellent with scanned files”

Pros

Using it feels very simple and it works really well with scanned files.

Cons

None I've come across so far.

“Mesh sketch feature is fantastic”

Pros

Mesh Sketch has been the standout feature for me and the one I enjoy using the most.

Cons

A command search menu is missing. SolidWorks has that option and I'd really like to see it added to Design X as well.

“Helpful menu”

Pros

The toolbar layout feels very user friendly and locating the tools is quick and easy. The help menu is incredibly useful too, with plenty of information available instantly at the click of a button.

Cons

The 3D sketching and transferring those 3D sketches could still be improved a bit. There are times when I can't transfer the sketches properly because of the geometry of the object or the surface I'm working on.

“powerful deviation analysis”

Pros

Deviation analysis is a standout feature here and the software is very user friendly overall.

Cons

The surfacing tools still feel a bit limited. If it could match what CATIA or NX offers for surfacing, this software would feel complete.

“amazing sketching capabilities”

Pros

There are far too many amazing features to list but the sketching tools in this software are especially impressive and really stand out.

Cons

It's definitely expensive. Still there's really nothing else quite like it to compare against and the efficiency it offers over other tools has made the price worth it.

“Quality and maintenance improvements”

Pros

The software has brought about noticeable improvements to the quality and maintenance side of our work.

Cons

Too complicated to use, takes a lot of training to get comfortable with and the cost is quite high.

“excellent NURBS creation”

Pros

It does a really nice job of automatically creating freeform surfaces and NURBS which saves a lot of time in the modeling process.

Cons

It can't be connected to CMM machines.

“useful freeform tools”

Pros

The ability to create freeform planes and generate cross-sections is a really valuable part of using this software.

Cons

The downside is that it can be difficult to use and the menus are not always very clear.

“STL to step done right”

Pros

Being able to import STL files and then export the finished work as STEP files is really useful.

Cons

It comes with a huge number of options and functions which can feel like a lot to work through.

“Powerful reverse engineering control”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages for me is how approachable the interface feels. The dialog boxes aren't crammed with too many functions or options which makes the workflow much more comfortable. I also really value the hybrid design mode since it lets you work with meshes, surfaces and solids in the same environment. On top of that the reverse engineering tools offer a high level of precision and control which is a major strength.

Cons

I don't rely on the design assistant or Wizard because I prefer to keep full control over my designs. I also rather work in a 3D sketch than in a 3D mesh sketch since that gives me more flexibility when creating 3D curves. One limitation is that snap filters still can't be turned off in this mode so moving a curve point without snapping to a background element isn't possible. Atlas texture mapping is also missing and the map generated in DX can't be edited. In addition, quite a few features that existed back in Rapidform2006 are no longer available, such as surface editing mode, displacement map generation, grayscale modeling for engraving and several others.

“strong features”

Pros

There's a wide range of features available and they give me everything I need to get the results I'm after.

Cons

The price is the biggest downside. Many customers would rather go with cheaper software even if it isn't as capable, just to save money.

“Useful addition to our workflow”

Pros

The performance stood out and the software felt very easy to use.

Cons

My only concern is that it seems a bit expensive and it could also use more public recognition.

“Strong 3D scan workflow”

Pros

Working with Geomagic Design X feels very simple because the workflow for post processing 3D scan data follows a clear, linear path. You can bring in point data, build a polygon mesh and then rely on the automated healing and repair tools to produce an accurate version of the scanned shape. It also includes a solid set of reverse engineering tools for developing the data further. Another really useful feature is the arraying capability which lets you generate repeating patterns quickly from a single scanned section. That comes in handy when you're dealing with materials or objects that have repeated forms.

Cons

It is a little expensive but it is still an essential tool when working with complex 3D scan processing.