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Powerful and versatile solid modeling.
Recent discussion about the future of Mechanical Desktop centers on whether it is obsolete and in danger of being phased out in favor of Autodesk Inventor. Yes, it is based on older technology, and yes, parts of its user interface can be a little clunky compared to newer products. But the bottom line is that it is still a powerful, versatile product. It also offers many tools that newer products have yet to incorporate. Release 6 is the 'Hooray" release. It doesn't include much in the way of industry-sha king radical new super powers, but as experienced users see each of the new features, they will shout "Hooray!" This release picks up on the 2-396 of the minor details that can cost 20-30% of your time.
Overview
Mechanical Desktop is a parametric 3D solid modeler (figure 1). You construct a 3D solid model, then use it to generate 2D documentation. If you change the 3D model, the 2D documentation updates automatically. Changing the model can be as simple as changing the numeric value in a dimension. Other products in this general category include Inventor, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, IronCAD, think3, and Pro/ENGINEER.
The bad news is that Mechanical Desktop runs on top of standard AutoCAD and so inherits some of the quirks and idiosyncracies of this older technology.
The good news is that Mechanical Desktop runs on top of standard AutoCAD and so is completely AutoCADcompatible. Mechanical Desktop files survive a roundtrip through AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. You can use geometry from existing legacy 2D drawings to generate 3D models and export 2D drawings generated from the model as 2D AutoCAD files. The user interface is comfortable to AutoCAD users, and you can still use Mechanical Desktop for generic 2D AutoCAD drawing.
Release 6 bundles three basic products: AutoCAD 2002, Mechanical Desktop 6, and Mechanical Desktop 6 Power Pack. The Power Pack is a collection of standard components such as bearings, gears, threaded fasteners, and structural steel shapes.. It includes calculators to design shafts and cams, select gear and chain drives, and perform finiteelement stress analysis.
Autodesk no longer refers to the Power Pack separately, but calls everything MechMechanical Desktop. You can place a Power Pack icon on your desktop....