Autodesk Inventor vs MLCad
| Autodesk Inventor | MLCad | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | |
| Free trial | Yes | |
| Platforms | Windows | Linux, Windows |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Modeling method | hybrid | |
| Assembly design | Yes | |
| Sheet-metal tools | Yes | |
| Surface modeling | Yes | |
| Cloud collaboration | Yes | |
| Supported platforms | Windows | Windows 95/98/ME, NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Linux (as listed on the download page) |
| File import and export | Import: Autodesk states Inventor supports opening non-native CAD data. Export formats documented for parts include DWG, DWF/DWFx, IGES, JT, OBJ, RFA, SAT, STEP, STL, CATIA V5, Parasolid, and Pro/ENGINEER; assemblies additionally include RVT. Drawing formats include DWG, IDW, DWF/DWFx, and DXF. Format support varies by data type and version. | LDraw-compatible files; MPD; image export: BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG |
| Platform access | Microsoft Windows | |
| Parametric modeling | Yes | |
| Modeling dimension | 3D | |
| Direct modeling | Yes | |
| Simulation tools | Yes | |
| File format support | DWG |
Listed together in Best 3D CAD Software