Tech Soft 3D offers a robust portfolio of products designed to support a wide range of 3D engineering needs. Two of our end-user applications, SpinFire Insight and SpinFire Convert, are often compared due to their capabilities and use cases. Licensing either of these products can provide your team with access to CAD Files without the need for expensive licenses for CAD systems.

In this video and article, we compare both products side by side to help you determine which solution best fits your workflows.

What is SpinFire Insight?

SpinFire Insight is a powerful CAD visualization, interrogation, and collaboration application for Windows that allows users to visualize and interact with complex 3D CAD models from a wide range of sources.

With SpinFire Insight, you can measure, add markups, run detailed analyses, and much more, all from a single, intuitive interface. Your team will gain the ability to safely share critical model information without allowing non-core engineering users to alter the geometry.

Additionally, SpinFire Insight can function as a robust CAD converter, capable of importing over 30 formats, extending to more than 60 file types, while exporting to more than 15. This makes it an ideal solution for teams working with multiple CAD systems.

How Is SpinFire Insight Licensed?

SpinFire Insight offers flexible licensing types to suit different organizational needs including:

1. Node-locked license: The seat of SpinFire Insight is tied to a single machine. This license type can be purchased individually or for your entire organization.

2. Floating license: Access to SpinFire Insight can be transferred across machines as needed via a Floating License Server. This license type can also be purchased individually, or for your entire organization.

3. Site license: Unlimited access for all machines within your company's domain. This license type is available with a SpinFire Enterprise purchase.

If your organization requires a mixture of these license types, hybrid setups can be accommodated as well.

What is SpinFire Convert?

In comparison, SpinFire Convert is a Windows-based application focused on high-fidelity CAD conversion rather than CAD interrogation. This software uses vendor-supplied CAD APIs rather than reverse-engineered conversion tools to read and write CAD data, ensuring that the original geometry and topology remain fully intact for maximum accuracy.

SpinFire Convert supports a wide range of formats, including CATIA V5, Creo, NX, SOLIDWORKS, 3DEXPERIENCE, JT, and more, and can be used in three different ways.

1. Direct CAD Integration: The first is through direct integration with popular CAD systems, allowing users to seamlessly export and import data.

2. Drag-and-drop: The second is an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that supports batch processing and lets users configure publishing options on the fly, making it ideal for quick and flexible CAD translations. It also features a simplified CAD viewer for basic visual inspection.

3. Command Line: Lastly, through the command line interface, which enables the ability to automate conversions through scripting, or integrating with existing PLM processes and external workflows.

Through longstanding partnerships (including Dassault Systems, Siemens, PTC, SOLIDWORKS, and Autodesk), SpinFire Convert leverages official CAD APIs to ensure the highest level of accuracy and compatibility. Because these translators connect directly with native CAD environments, the corresponding CAD software must be installed and licensed on the same workstation for translation or data exchange to function.

CATIA V5 conversion is also available through Spatial Interop libraries, which does not require CATIA V5 to be installed.

How is SpinFire Convert Licensed?

SpinFire Convert must be licensed individually for each desired file type. These licenses are available in three formats:

1. Floating license: Access to SpinFire Convert can be transferred across machines as needed.

2. Local Area Network (LAN) license: Allowing anyone within a single location to access SpinFire Convert

3. Wide Area Network (WAN) license: Allowing anyone at multiple specified locations to access SpinFire Convert.

Both SpinFire Convert and SpinFire Insight support batch model conversion if this is something that you desire, but as shown, each application has its own strengths and best use cases.

Summary

So, which is best for your CAD workflow?

If model viewing, interrogation, analysis, collaboration, and basic conversion are your top priorities, then SpinFire Insight might be the right choice for you.

However, if your top priorities include model conversion accuracy, seamless integration with the CATIA, Creo, NX, or SolidWorks CAD systems, conversion automation, or integration with your existing PLM or external workflow, then SpinFire Convert may be the better choice for you.