Have you ever needed a CAD system for a project, but been forced to buy a full license? Or does your design team have seasonal bulges, but there’s no way to rent the extra CAD seats you need to get the job done?
The folks at Solid Edge feel your pain. On August 27 th , they began offering Solid Edge on a monthly subscription basis . It works like you would expect. You visit the Siemens web site and select from a range of Solid Edge capability levels – ranging from basic to advanced. Input your credit card information as though you were buying anything else online, and presto, you can download Solid Edge.
The Subscription Offering
In an effort to accommodate the widest range of users, Siemens is offering the subscription at various performance levels with the pricing adjusted accordingly.
The offering comes as a true pay-as-you-go model, so if the solution level that you bought isn't right for your needs next month, you can up or down grade as needed.
The team at Siemens has priced this offering so that it fits the needs of short-term users, while still providing motivation to buy the software if you intend to use it perpetually. Check out the Solid Edge offering page for the US to learn more. The subscription is available only in the US, UK and Japan for now, but there is a Solid Edge free trial that's available worldwide.
Note that the prices announced today are introductory and that they include maintenance.
How does it work?
The mechanics of buying online are well developed in other software industries, so it’s about time that all major CAD packages are available this way. I’ve seen the sample interface and there is nothing surprising. Users take the following steps:
1. Visit the Siemens or partner site
2. Select a product
3. Select an auto-renewal option…or not.
4. Enter credit card information…or use PayPal
5. Download the software
6. Activate it with code that arrives via email. Users will also get a support number embedded in the email as well support is included in every subscription
So there you have it. If you have a project on the go and need a license for 60 days, or if you want to take a crack at a 45 day free trial , just follow the links and give it a try.