Reasonably priced alternative to Pro E?

[drk]

I have an .iges file created in Pro E but I don't have Pro E. Is there a reasonably priced software alternative to Pro E that I could buy that will allow me to work with an .iges surface file. I'm not an engineer or in the design business. I'm just trying to develop a golf swing aid and would like to open and work with the file created by my design consultant.

 

[support]

What do you want to do with the geometry?

» I have an .iges file created in Pro E but I don't have Pro E. Is there a
» reasonably priced software alternative to Pro E that I could buy that will
» allow me to work with an .iges surface file. I'm not an engineer or in the
» design business. I'm just trying to develop a golf swing aid and would
» like to open and work with the file created by my design consultant.

Hello drk:

The first thing you need to answer is what do you want to do with the geometry in the file?

Do you just want to see it?
Do you want to render it?
Do you want to merge it with other data (Curves, Surfaces or Solids)?
Do you want to edit surface data?

If you want to edit the surface data then you need to determine how extensively you need to edit it. You don't need to necessarily search for an alternative to Pro/E just because that's where the geometry originated from. Many apps will be able to read and display the geomrtry (some better than others) and many that are much less expensive.

Answer these questions and let's go from there. Input from other users is welcome here.

Thanks for using the Q&A Board! ;-)

3DCADTips Support

 

[drk]

What do you want to do with the geometry?

The heavy lifting has already been done as far as the design of my device. I'm more concerned now with the presentation of the the multiple benefits inherent in the design. It might be something as simple as a picture of the device with a name and logo or it might be a little more involved than that.
So, to answer your questions:
1) I definitely want to do more than just see the device in the .iges file. I
want to be able to manipulate it in space so that I can see and print any
3 dimensional view that I want.
2) I am pretty sure I want to be able to render it (if you mean change color,
texture, etc.).
3) I would also like to be able to merge it with other data (swing planes, golf
club arcs, a 2D picture of a golfer swinging a golf club).
4) I don't think I will need to edit the surface data but would like to know my
options.

I have Autodesk's AutoCAD LT and Adobe's Photoshop, Illustrator and
Pagemaker. Thanks for taking the time to respond to my query.