solidworks and

huangyhg

solidworks and
i am working with another company that wants to use solidworks (a parametric solid modeling program) to design bins, batchers, and support structures.  while i do understand the advantages of 3d and solid modeling for machines and assemblies, i am reluctant the jump on board at this point in time for using it on buildings and building type structures, in particular when each job is significantly different.  does anyone have some experience with this and/or opinions?
regards,
-mike
the title of my post sould have been "solidworks and building structures"
sorry, hit the wrong key.
-mike
hi mike,
one of my first jobs after graduation was working for a company that build traveling exhibits for trade shows and sets for film and television commercials. when i started everyone was hand drafting still (which is common practice in the entertainment industry still). after about 3 months a new dir of design came on board. he had a product design background (as opposed to an architectural bg which is common as well).
he wanted to use a parametric modeling program, which seemed silly to everyone (but the two of us who had come from me). after a few months, everyone really began to enjoy working in 3d. it really helped vizualization. cut down our change orders (especially when integrating structure with machinery.)
on another note. my wife is an architect, and has really jumped on the catia bandwagon for architecture (i suppose that is the influence of ghery on sothern california architecture).
my thoughts on using this type of software for building is get a real understanding of how the "automation" features work, so you can simplify making structural