# Comparison of CAD Software for Designing Cellular Structures for Additive Manufacturing
## Discussion
### Final Assessment  
The final assessment includes all previously benchmarked attributes in an overall benchmark. The values of each attribute are summed up to achieve a total of 320 points. Table 22 shows that Carbon Design Engine Pro scored the highest with 244 points, followed by Altair 'SulisTM with 214 points, Rhino/Grasshopper with 210.66 points, nTop with 207.33 points, and InspireTM with 192.66 points. Although the difference in points between Rhino7/Grasshopper and nTop is relatively small, it is significant in terms of the distribution of the achieved values. When comparing the end result of Rhino7/Grasshopper with that of SulisTM, a similar assumption can be made. The graphical presentation of the attributes took into account the distribution of points (Figure 17). To ensure comparability, a compensation factor was created for the three attributes that have fewer than seven features (see also Table 22). This way, all attributes are distributed equally, and each can be awarded a maximum of 70 points. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Feature** & **Rhino7/Grasshopper®** & **nTopology nTop** & **Altair®** & **Sulis** & **Altair®** & **InspireTM** & **Carbon®** **Design Engine Pro** \\ \hline Initial cost & 10 & 5 & 5 & 3 & 7 \\ Operating cost & 10 & 5 & 5 & 3 & 7 \\ Subscriptions & 10 & 10 & 10 & 10 & 10 \\ Additional tools & 10 & 10 & 10 & 5 & 10 \\ \(\Sigma\) & 40 & 30 & 30 & 21 & 34 \\ Total possible & 40 & 40 & 40 & 40 & 40 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 21: Evaluation of the selected features for the cost benchmarking. Based on this factor, the graphical representation allows for a visual comparison of the tested software packages, leading to the following assumed classification:  
* A low-cost solution, Rino7/Grasshopper(r) (Figure 17a);
* An all-round solution for experts, nTop (Figure 17b);
* A high-reliability solution, Altair(r) Sulis(tm) (Figure 17c);
* An all-round solution, Altair(r) InspireTM (Figure 17d);
* A high-performance solution, Carbon(r) Design Engine Pro (Figure 17e). Rino7/Grasshopper(r) is a cost-effective option suitable for engineers and designers, offering a wide range of plugin choices and design freedom. However, it may not be the optimal choice for users seeking quick solutions to design problems. Conversely, nTop is particularly well-suited for experts in the field of AM, catering to specialized design and engineering needs. The software provides various options for functionally grading lattice topologies based on input greyscale maps and images for lattice density. It offers a wide range of strut-based and surface-based lattice topologies. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Attribute** & **Factor** & **Rhino7/Grasshopper®** & **nTopology nTop** & **Altair®** & **Sulis** & **Altair®** & **Carbon® Design** \\  & & & & & & **InspireTM** & **Engine Pro** \\ \hline Usability & 1.4 & 20 & 19 & 35 & 25 & 36 \\ Reliability & 3.5 & 12 & 15 & 20 & 17 & 20 \\ Availability & 1 & 38.66 & 45.33 & 43 & 41.66 & 40 \\ Performance & 1 & 43 & 44 & 51 & 35 & 66 \\ Support & 1 & 57 & 54 & 35 & 53 & 48 \\ Cost & 1.75 & 40 & 30 & 30 & 21 & 34 \\ \(\sum\limits_{\text{Total possible}}\) & & 210.66 & 207.33 & 214 & 192.66 & 244 \\  & 420 & 320 & 320 & 320 & 320 & 320 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 22: Evaluation of the selected attributes for the overall benchmarking of the investigated software tools. Furthermore, nTop integrates TO with geometric design and FEA to enable designers and engineers to create feedback loops for their designs. The additional functionality and the use of function blocks for building design-based algorithms make nTop less user-friendly for beginners. Altair(r)Sulis(tm) is a reliable and cost-effective solution that offers the necessary functionality to create strut-based, surface-based, and planar lattice structures, as well as simple surface and geometry offset solutions.