--- description: Review of DesignSpark Mechanical Software: system overview, features, price and cost information. Get free demos and compare to similar programs on Software Advice Ireland. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/software_advice/og_logo-55146305bbe7b450bea05c18e9be9c9a.png title: DesignSpark Mechanical | Reviews, Pricing & Demos - SoftwareAdvice IE --- Breadcrumb: [Home](/) > [Architectural CAD Software](/directory/4707/architectural-cad/software) > [DesignSpark Mechanical](/software/230101/designspark-mechanical) # DesignSpark Mechanical Canonical: https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/230101/designspark-mechanical Page: 1 / 2\ Next: [Next page](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/230101/designspark-mechanical?page=2) > DesignSpark Mechanical is a 3D modelling software for Windows desktop machines. It is built for rapid prototyping and helps sketch the outline of the target object easily. It allows users to simply push/pull objects to convert them to 3D for further editing. This enables engineers, industrial designers, and concept artists to quickly translate their concepts into usable products. It is a helpful tool for engineering designs and graphics as well as for 3D printing. > > Verdict: Rated **4.4/5** by 17 users. Top-rated for **Likelihood to recommend**. ----- ## Quick Stats & Ratings | Metric | Rating | Detail | | **Overall** | **4.4/5** | 17 Reviews | | Ease of Use | 4.4/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Customer Support | 4.2/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Value for Money | 4.6/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Features | 3.8/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Recommendation percentage | 80% | (8/10 Likelihood to recommend) | ## About the vendor - **Company**: RS Components - **Founded**: 1937 ## Commercial Context - **Pricing model**: Flat Rate (Free version available) (Free Trial) - **Pricing Details**: This a free-to-use software with a proprietary code base. - **Target Audience**: Self Employed, 2–10, 11–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, 1,001–5,000, 5,001–10,000, 10,000+ - **Deployment & Platforms**: Windows (Desktop), Windows (On-Premise) - **Supported Languages**: Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish - **Available Countries**: United Kingdom ## Features - 2D Drawing - 3D Design & Modeling - API - Annotations - Architectural Symbol Library - Bill of Materials Management - Bills of Material - Component Library - Configurable Workflow - Content Library - Customisable Templates - Data Import/Export - Design Management - Drafting - Drag & Drop - File Management - For 3D Printing - For Architects - For Manufacturers - Image Editing ## Support Options - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base ## Category - [Architectural CAD Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4707/architectural-cad/software) ## Related Categories - [Architectural CAD Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4707/architectural-cad/software) - [3D CAD Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4384/3d-cad/software) ## Alternatives 1. [AutoCAD](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/390127/autocad) — 4.7/5 (3205 reviews) 2. [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/206302/solidworks-premium) — 4.6/5 (756 reviews) 3. [Alibre Design](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/309859/alibre-design) — 4.7/5 (182 reviews) 4. [SketchUp](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/371821/sketchup) — 4.5/5 (1046 reviews) 5. [Revit](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/422899/revit) — 4.6/5 (480 reviews) ## Reviews ### "My Design Spark Mechanical Review" — 4.0/5 > **Oral** | *19 October 2018* | Consumer Services | Recommendation rating: 7.0/10 > > **Pros**: It is the first and maybe the only software which imports SketchUp (\*.skp) files. If you're a maker person then this software enables a wide array of electronics components via its "RS Components" connection. Actually, the software is launched by them. > > **Cons**: Its user interface is a little bit unfamiliar comparing to other well-known CAD softwares. > > I mostly used the software for editing SketchUp files. Since Sketch Up Pro is an expensive product, everyone could use Design Spark Mechanical for free to edit \*.skp files. ----- ### "Fantastic Software for Free\!" — 4.0/5 > **Ryan** | *7 December 2020* | Food Production | Recommendation rating: 8.0/10 > > **Pros**: Designspark Mechanical is easy to get started with. The user interface and tools are much more intuitive than some of the other options that I've tried in the past. It is refreshing to see an interface that doesn't have icons and options littered all over the screen. Even though the software is simpler to use, I'm still able to easily model things that are dimensionally accurate. Some of the other "simple" 3D modeling programs are not so great at that. > > **Cons**: Although it can do most of what the other software packages can do, sometimes the path to get there can be a bit different. One thing that I struggled with was mirroring of objects. You actually have to make the mirror line before you start drawing, or you just can't mirror things. That takes a little more thought ahead of time to remember that. > > Overall, I'd say that this software works great for me. I've used a number of other 3D modeling packages, and I keep coming back to this one when I need to model up a small part for 3D printing. They seem to be continuing the development of this software and they've kept it free, so what is there to complain about\! ----- ### "Design Spark CAD Design an OK tool" — 4.0/5 > **David** | *15 May 2019* | Telecommunications | Recommendation rating: 6.0/10 > > **Pros**: - What I liked the most of this software is that I was able to start designing right away taking care of the basic design needs. - The software is light which makes it good for working and installation times are reduced. - This is not a cloud base software and you can install it in several computers. - Good boolean substraction system it is nice the way it works. - Good if you are coming from an engineering background you will probably get the hang of it quickly. - Comes with a free utility. > > **Cons**: - Learning curve is not as easy it will take you time. - Several tools are confusing they require too many steps to get them to work. - Yo purchase the software by modules as addons. - Not easy to get to use it if you come from an artistic background. > > \- It was good but I had a hard time as there are not many tutorials to follow. - There is documentation and some tutorials on YouTube I don't feel like is artist friendly like other software. - I like that it does not run off the cloud and does not lag. ----- ### "Model Based Design can be Simple and Inexpensive" — 5.0/5 > **David** | *8 August 2020* | Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing | Recommendation rating: 10.0/10 > > **Pros**: We use DesignSpark for initial conceptual engineering and simulation. It is by far the easiest and most intuitive model based design platform available. > > **Cons**: Would like to see additional export formats that can be input into Computation Fluid Dynamic packages such as Simscale. > > We needed a fast and easy to use model based design system for the early development of an energy storage system. We evaluated a number of products and DesignSpark was the best for our needs. ----- ### "Easy to learn. Easy to use. Powerful features. Our go-to CAD program for designing new products." — 5.0/5 > **Rick** | *17 April 2023* | Sporting Goods | Recommendation rating: 10.0/10 > > **Pros**: Initially the most important feature was how easy to learn the program is for non CAD experts. With direct modeling we were up and creating items within a few minutes. As we gained experience we found more and more ways to create complex items, both mechanical and cosmetic in nature. > > **Cons**: There are not a ton of resources for solving issues, but there is a community that often has an answer to point in the right direction. The tutorials available are good, but more of them would be better. > > Overall experience has been fantastic. We have been able to create a wide variety of products for our customer base using DSM. With the ability to use STP files we can import files from customers or other designers and modify them to suit our needs. ----- Page: 1 / 2\ Next: [Next page](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/230101/designspark-mechanical?page=2) ## Links - [View on SoftwareAdvice](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/230101/designspark-mechanical) ## This page is available in the following languages | Locale | URL | | en | | | en-AU | | | en-GB | | | en-IE | | | en-NZ | | ----- ## Structured Data