Revamping the Product and Machine Design Category on G2

At G2, we constantly endeavor to categorize software products and services under the appropriate categories to assist buyers in making the right software selection for their business needs.

As a part of our Computer-aided Design (CAD) category revamp, we have updated the name of the Product and Machine Design category to Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD).

Let’s look at the reason behind this update, its implications on software buying, and how MCAD software is used by professionals in the manufacturing industry.

MCAD software helps engineers and designers create highly detailed, complex technical drawings while saving the time and costs otherwise involved in the manual drafting of 3D designs.

These drawings provide manufacturing teams with information on the manufacturing and engineering specifications of the object to be produced.

MCAD software is a go-to tool for designing a mechanical system from its conception to design modifications. The tool can be used to develop machinery or components from scratch or improve existing systems. 

Why we renamed Product and Machine Design software category to MCAD

As per G2’s 2023 Software Buyer Behavior report, 84% of B2B software buyers use online review sites, such as G2, for making their purchase decisions. To facilitate the ease of selection for software buyers, it is imperative to ensure that the category is named accurately.

Source: 2023 G2 Software Buyer Behavior Report

MCAD is a term commonly used to define the software used by mechanical engineers and designers for creating 2D or 3D models of mechanical parts, machines, and systems. 

Based on our research, we identified that buyers were not able to reach the appropriate vendors as the Product and Machine Design category name was too broad to identify with software used for mechanical product design. 

Hence, based on data and feedback from our vendor community, we updated the category name to Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD).

The revamp of this category on G2 will allow software buyers to surf through an exhaustive list of relevant offerings for mechanical engineers and technical product designers. 

The growing role of integration support in MCAD

One of the most widely used applications of MCAD is its integration with electronic CAD (ECAD) software for product development. ECAD software is used for designing and developing electronic systems.

For manufacturing electromechanical products which have both electrical and mechanical properties, it is crucial for both mechanical and electrical teams to collaborate with each other. 

ECAD-MCAD collaboration optimizes the product development process by enabling designers to produce complex parts with high precision and reduced inaccuracies. It also facilitates the automation of repetitive processes such as routing, positioning, and arrangement of components. 

ECAD-MCAD integration streamlines communication between mechanical and electrical design teams. It enables engineers to exchange information in real time.

Buyers rank ease of integration higher than the cost of the software, the kind of security it provides, or its total cost of ownership (TCO). 78% of the buyers said they prefer to work with fewer vendors, and 84% use a single solution instead of multiple tools. 

When multiple solutions are required, 77% of buyers prefer to buy complementary products from the vendors they already work with. When it comes to contract renewals, 83% of respondents (36% strongly agree, 47% agree) prefer buying products from the same vendor instead of switching vendors.

Source: 2023 G2 Software Buyer Behavior Report

Vendors such as Siemens, Altium, and many others on the G2 Grid® for the Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD) category below, provide an integrated all-in-one ECAD MCAD solution. Such solutions assist in effortless collaboration of electrical and mechanical teams, allowing every stakeholder to participate in the product development process.

Navigating MCAD solutions on G2

To find the right software based on business needs, buyers may read user reviews, view ratings on the G2 Grid^Ⓡ, compare software products from different vendors, and go through useability ratings. 

Monty, G2’s first-ever virtual assistant, also guides buyers to the ideal software solutions for their unique business needs. With this category name update, we hope to see buyers conveniently find software and see G2 as the place to go for all their software needs.

Depending on what type of design is being used, a product will go through several stages of development. Learn more about the basics of product design. 

Edited by Sinchana Mistry