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What are the important essential software a

mechanical engineering student should have
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8 Answers

Abhishikth Machepalli, Jack of all, master of some.

62.9k Views Upvoted by Gurvinder Arora, Suspension Design Project Engineer
Here's a list of software generally used by Mechanical Engineers.

General: MATLAB, LaTEX, R (programming language)

Irrespective of your field, this stuff is useful and is generally expected from Mechanical
Engineers. As a matter of fact, the last two are recommended to any engineer/professional as
they come in handy while making presentations and statistical models.
Design: CATIA, SolidWorks, Pro-E
Every Mechanical Engineer is expected to have a good grip on designing. They use it heavily in
most of the fields like Automobile Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Tool Design, etc. Also
with the advancement of Rapid Prototyping and 3-d Printing, they are becoming more visible to
the outer world as one can see how exactly your product looks like in just a few hours.

Finite Element Analysis: Ansys, Fluent

People who are into Structural Analysis, Aerodynamics or Fluid Dynamics should have an idea
about these. It is particularly useful for students participating in competitions like SAE-Baja as it
helps in deciding the shape of the members, the stresses on them, impact of collision, etc.

Programming: C++, Python

At least one programming language is necessary for any engineer. It doesn't have to do anything
with his/her profession but its just good to sharpen your grey cells once in a while. They are used
in areas like Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Control Theory.

Instrumentation: LabView
A Graphical Programming Language, it is very easy to get a hang of it and is pretty interesting
too due to its GUI. It is particularly useful in simulation and testing the control and processing
part of a system.
Written 128w ago View Upvotes

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Apoorv Vishnoi, Works at Siemens

31.7k Views
well abhisikth is correct for the softwares but there are few more softwares left and their uses in
the modern space technology:-

like for catia there are so many versions now still being used is version v5 and newest is v6
catia itself comes with variety of workbenches, it can be used for 3d part modelling,
drafting, assembly, electrical, infa and many other application

but out of all these work benches one is still important and different that is machining, catia has
been used for programming cnc machines as for developing nc programs for various aersospace
parts, few more softwares are listed below:-

Catia > designing, machining, drafting, analysis, simulation, assembly etc

Unigraphics or Nx > latest version NX9 used for designing, programming, cmm inspection,
simulation, assembly, drafting etc

Solid edge > New in the market easiest and user friendly from siemens > latest version st6 used
for 3d part modelling, assembly, drafting and simulation.

Solid works > Latest version 2014 comes with part modelling, assembly, drafting, motion
simulation etc and it can veen be integrated with other softwares as add on like delcam,
powermill, cam works, solid cam power surfacing etc.

Creo Ptc or Pro-E > used for same purpose as catia but having importance in automobile sector.

well you should be clear before you enter the particular field there are two main streams in
mechanical engineering when it comes about software they are :

CAD & CAM

CAD and CAM are having different applications CAD is for part designing or even a machine
designing and many other features and applications are from aerospace to show making.

CAM is for generating nc programs for cnc machines so that a particularly modeled part can be
machined and can be used out in a tank, an aeroplane or a satellite.

Therefore you should choose what part you want to go in both are equally beneficial and for
more information about the same you can follow me.
Written 128w ago View Upvotes

Harlan Kuo, Aerospace Masters, Stanford

25.2k Views Harlan is a Most Viewed Writer in Mechanical Engineering Student.
More advanced software depends on what you want to accomplish.

The basic needs are mathematical programming:

Languages like MatLab allow computations to be coded easily and solved even when very
complex math is presented.

The next need is excel. Seriously. Its incredibly powerful when handling lists of data and can be
formatted to be understood easily. You can also keep records of analysis and basic calculation
tools available. Advanced users can easily combine excel with many other programs. Knowing
excel well is always helpful, and other people in a business will also know excel enough to read
a spreadsheet even if they aren't engineers in your field.
I would also add an fea tool to show you can get more advanced. Its necessary to understand
complex models as well so you aren't left useless when looking at one. Different industries and
practices use different tools, but most fea use the same underlying math.

For example, most structural analysis in aerospace is done with nastran (my favorite). If I were to
have to use comsol or ansys though, both use the same math to handle things like rigid
connections. Its just a matter of finding what the program calls it and how they implement it.
Written 73w ago View Upvotes

Varun Mundra, EdTech Start Up

6.4k Views

There are many software that you can learn as a Mechanical engineer. There is a high industrial
demand for graduates having these added specialization with them. Some of most basic and
important software that you can learn are as follows -

Computer Aided Design

Computer-aided design (CAD) Software is the use of computer systems to create, modify ,
analyze and optimize a mechanical design. CAD software is used to increase the productivity of
the designer, improve the quality of design, improve communications through documentation,
and to create a database for manufacturing. Computer-aided design is used in many fields. Its use
in designing electronic systems is known as electronic design automation, or EDA. In
mechanical design it is known as mechanical design automation (MDA) or computer-aided
design (CAD), which includes the process of creating a technical drawing with the use of
computer software. Some popular CAD software are as follows - CATIA, Solid Works.

Analysis and Simulation

Analysis & Simulation software is based on the process of modeling a real system or model with
a set of mathematical formulas. It is, essentially, a program that allows the user to observe an
operation through simulation without actually performing that operation. These software are used
widely to design equipment so that the final product will be as close to design specs as possible
without expensive in process modification. Simulation software with real-time response is often
used in important industrial applications.

MATLAB

MATLAB (matrix laboratory) is a multi-paradigm numerical computing environment. It is used

in many applications such as plotting of functions and data, implementation of algorithms,
creation of user interfaces, and interfacing with programs written in other computer languages
like C, C++, Java, Python etc.

PLC Simulator
PLC Simulator contains a PLC Ladder Logic editor that allows users to create and edit PLC
programs using PLC family instructions of respective PLC models. It also helps in scanning the
sequence of a PLC. It is a simulation software which is used to test and run the ladder logic
program before implementing it on a actual system.

Written 18w ago View Upvotes

Sai Manohar, Founder of www.mechieprojects.com

202 Views

In the field of mechanical engineering the basic product design is still done analytically and it is
analysed & optimised using softwares.

Few of the The best Mechanical Drafting Softwares are: Auto-Cad, SolidWorks, ProE, Catia etc

Few of the The best Mechanical Analysis Softwares are: Ansys, Fluent, Gambit, CFX, Adams,
Hypermesh etc etc.

Apart from these a knowledge of MATLAB, C++ , Python , Java also helps any engineer on any
given day.

Aerodynamic analysis in Fluent:

Learning these softwares becomes easy once we learn one software. So start early and learn any
of the software, quickly. [1]
Footnotes

[1] Free Final Year Projects for BTech and MTech

Updated 1d ago

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