The SolidWorks Blog

They Might Be Giants - Computer Assisted Design

"It takes an idea and makes 3D stuff..."

Thanks to M. Buchino

The New Certified SolidWorks Professional Exam Is Now Available

This past weekend we released the fourth edition of the Certified SolidWorks Professional Exam.  The new exam is different to the past versions in one big way.  Instead of requiring a user to commit three continuous hours to take the exam, this release has been broken down into three separate segments which affords a few great benefits.

Users can take the three separate segments when their schedule allows so they will not have to take a large chunk of time away from their normal work flow.  Once a segment is passed the user can move onto the other segments at their leisure.  They can choose to take the segments in any order they choose as well.  If a user fails a segment, they have the option of purchasing that segment alone at one-third the cost of the entire exam instead of having to purchase the entire exam again.  Once all three segments have been passed our system will automatically issue their certificate to them.

The segments are broken down as follows:

Segment 1: (90 Minutes)

• Create a part from a drawing
• Use linked dimensions and equations to aid in modeling
• Use of equations to relate dimensions
• Update of parameters and dimension sizes
• Mass property analysis
• Modification of geometry on initial part to create a more complex part

Segment 2: (40 Minutes)

• Creating configurations from other configurations
• Changing configurations
• Mass properties
• Changing features of an existing SolidWorks part

Segment 3: (80 Minutes)

• Creating an assembly
• Adding parts to an assembly
• Doing collision detection when moving a part in an assembly
• Mates 
• Replacing a part with another part in an assembly
• Creating a coordinate system
• Using a coordinate system to perform mass properties analysis

The exam itself requires SolidWorks 2008 Service Pack 3.1 or later, SolidWorks Student Edition 2009, or even the SolidWorks Engineering Stimulus Program version, to complete the exam.  The requirement to download and modify existing SolidWorks files means that only SolidWorks can be used to take the exam.

As far as cost, the price of the exam remains unchanged at $99us and if a segment has to be retaken, the cost of each segment is $33us.  For SolidWorks customer who have a current Subscription Contract, they are entitled to take one free CSWP or CSWA exam for each seat of software they have on Subscription.  That benefit can be accessed via this LINK in the Customer Portal.  Another way is to attend a local SolidWorks User Group Meeting where many of the groups this year have been giving away free exams as well.

In preparation for the exam we recommend taking the following SolidWorks Training Classes:

SolidWorks Essentials

SolidWorks Drawings

Advanced Part Modeling

Advanced Assembly Modeling

You can find your local SolidWorks Authorized Training Center at this LINK.

More information about the new CSWP exam can be found at this LINK, and here is a rundown of the content covered in the exam:

• Sketch entities - lines, rectangles, circles, arcs, ellipses, centerlines
• Sketch tools - offset, convert, trim
• Sketch relations
• Boss and cut features - extrudes, revolves, sweeps, lofts
• Fillets and chamfers
• Draft
• Shell
• Hole Wizard
• Linear, circular and fill patterns
• Linked dimensions
• Equations
• Mirror
• Dimensions
• Feature conditions – start and end 
• Multi-body parts
• Rib
• Feature scope
• Mass properties
• Move/Delete face
• Materials
• Restraints
• Inserting components - new and existing
• Standard mates and advanced mates
• Reference geometry – planes, axis, mate references
• In-context features
• Interference detection
• Suppression states
• Move/Rotate component
• Assembly features
• Collision detection in an assembly
• External references
• Design tables
• Dimensions and model items

If you have any questions about the new CSWP exam, please feel free to contact us at certification@solidworks.com

Announcing the Grand Prize winners of the PhotoView 360 2010 Beta Rendering Contest

The day has finally come--it's time to announce the grand prize winners. These two winners were picked from all of the entries submitted during the five weeks of the rendering contest. Each winner will receive a SolidWorks-engraved iPod and one SolidWorks backpack.

So here they are:

Scott Woods

Jim Holland

Scott Baugh

Congratulations guys, and thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. All of the entries were great. And if you haven't don it yet, be sure to visit the SolidWorks Gallery where you can see all of the entries submitted and more.

New SolidWorks Certification Logos Available

The SolidWorks Certification Logos provided to users that have successfully completed a SolidWorks Certification exam have been updated and we have also added logos for Certifications that previously didn't have one. To download your logos, simply visit the SolidWorks Certification Center. Let's take a look.

Certified SolidWorks Professional:

Certified SolidWorks Associate:

Advanced Sheet Metal:

Advanced Surfacing:

Advanced Simulation:

Coming soon, Advanced Mold Tools:

Also stay tuned for an announcement about the newest release of the CSWP exam that will include some new options for taking the exam.

PhotoView 360 Rendering Contest: Week 5 Winners

Well, the PhotoView 360 Beta rendering contest is over. While we wait for the Grand Prize winners to be announced on Friday, I invite you to bask in the glory of the winners for week 5. As always, you can see these entries, as well as all of the other entries, in much higher resolution on the SolidWorks Gallery website.

Scott Baugh

Jim Holland

Jordan Tadic

Technical Tip: SolidWorks Context Toolbars

This blog post is the seventh in a series of technical tips about the SolidWorks User Interface. Call the series "Everything you wanted to know about -----, but were afraid to ask". The first few posts will be about the various types of toolbars available in the system. This post is about the SolidWorks Context Toolbars.

Context Toolbars

Context Toolbars were introduced for part and assembly documents in SolidWorks 2008 to provide easier access to the most common commands/options that relate to the current selection. SolidWorks 2010 adds the Context Toolbar for Drawing documents. The following image shows an example of the context toolbar alone on the left and the context toolbar on top of the right mouse button shortcut menu on the right:

These toolbars work similar to the “Mini Toolbar” introduced in Microsoft Office 2007; on selection, they show up partially transparent and become opaque if you move your mouse onto them or disappear when you move your mouse away from them (assuming you don’t want to use the toolbar). The context toolbar is positioned very close to the mouse when making selections in the FeatureManager tree (similar to the Mini Toolbar in Office) but is positioned further away when making selections in the graphics area so it is easier to make multiple selections of geometry without moving your mouse away to dismiss the context toolbar first. The context toolbar also disappears if you hit the CTRL key to make multiple selections and comes back when you let go of the CTRL key.

The default behavior is that the Context Toolbar shows when you select an object with the left mouse button. It also shows at the top of the shortcut menu if you use your right mouse button to make a selection (or after you have made a selection). You can customize when the Context Toolbar is used through Tools, Customize, Toolbars; choosing to use it for left click (selection), right click (shortcut menu), for both, or for neither.

The buttons shown on the context toolbars are hard coded and cannot be customized by the user. SolidWorks has chosen to put the most commonly used commands from the shortcut menus onto the Context Toolbars for easier access. It takes a little bit of time to learn the icons, but many users find this approach much more efficient once learned. There are tooltips on the icons to help describe what each button does. Another benefit of the context toolbars is that the icons are in a more predictable location than on the standard shortcut menus and can be used with less "hunting". Once users become familiar with the icons and their placement, they can often even use the buttons by "muscle memory" instead of visual scanning for their location.

If users see anything I have missed about Context Toolbars in this blog post, please comment and I will try to update the blog.

Enjoy,
Wilkie

Jim Wilkinson

SolidWorks World 2010 Early Bird Deadline Approaching (plus how to get in for free)

It's hard to believe that the official end to summer is next week. It's already starting to cool down here in New England, and pumpkins are already starting to show up at the roadside farm stands around Concord. I'm hoping the constant rain we had all summer comes to an end so we can spend the weekends picking apples instead of figuring out what to do inside. But I digress...

Now that we've gotten the launch of SolidWorks 2010 out of the door, the focus around here has started shifting to SolidWorks World 2010. The SolidWorks World website went live a few weeks ago, and we're only three weeks away from the first registration deadline.

If you already plan on attending, you can save $200 on the regular registration fee if you register by October 9. And if you're not sure you're attending, well, maybe this can help speed up the decision.

And as always, you can take advantage of the 3-for-2 deal, where three people can get into the event for the price of two. If you're friendly with the folks from the office, you might even think about sharing hotel rooms to save even more. Hey, it's something to think about.

There's also a way you can get into SolidWorks World for free. Yep, free. Want to know how? All you have to do is be a presenter. We're still accepting proposals for breakout and hands-on sessions. If your proposal is accepted, your admission to the event is waived. All you have to do is get yourself there and pay for a place to sleep.

Right now, we're especially interested in people who can give hands-on sessions regarding the productivity tools in SolidWorks, including data translation, design standards, hardware and 3D content, and routing, piping and harnessing. We're also looking for both breakouts and hands-on sessions involving the SolidWorks API.

PhotoView 360 Rendering Contest: Week 4 Winners

It's that time again. We're in the home stretch of the PhotoView 360 rendering contest, and it's time to unveil the winners of week 4. So here they are.

Jim Holland

Lars Petersen

Jamie Cruz

Visit www.solidworksgallery.com to see these, as well as the other entries submitted, in much higher resolution.

And lastly, there's still time to submit an entry for the fifth (and final) week of the contest. Just go here to view the contest rules.

Technical Tip: The Shortcut Bar ("S" Key)

This blog post is the sixth in a series of technical tips about the SolidWorks User Interface. Call the series "Everything you wanted to know about -----, but were afraid to ask". The first few posts will be about the various types of toolbars available in the system. This post is about the SolidWorks Shortcut Bar ("S" Key).

The Shortcut Toolbar ("S" Key)

The Shortcut Bar is a user customizable toolbar that was introduced in SolidWorks 2008. The intention of the Shortcut Bar is to allow users access to commonly used commands in different "environments" with very little mouse movement. There are four versions of the Shortcut Bar, one each for parts, assemblies, drawings, and sketches (the default Shortcut Bar for each environment are shown below):

To invoke the Shortcut Bar, simply hit the S key and the Shortcut Bar will popup right next to the mouse. The Shortcut Bar disappears as soon as you select a command from it or click anywhere else in the SolidWorks application window. The keyboard shortcut used to invoke the Shortcut Bar can be redefined in the Others category in Tools, Customize, Keyboard if desired.

To customize what commands are on the Shortcut Bar, when the Shortcut Bar is up, choose Customize from the right mouse button shortcut menu on the Shortcut Bar as shown below:

The Customize dialog will open to the Commands tab and you can customize buttons on/off of the Shortcut Bar like any other toolbar. When the Customize dialog is up, you can also resize the shape of the Shortcut Bar by dragging any one of the edges. Repeat the procedure in each of the document modes to customize the four versions of the Shortcut Bar.

The Shortcut Bar is a good interface for users who want access to many commands with little mouse movement, yet don't want to have to memorize many individual keyboard shortcuts. Many power users have adopted the Shortcut Bar as their primary interface to accessing commands, hiding the CommandManager and regular toolbars so they have a very large area for their model display.

If users see anything I have missed about the Shortcut Bar in this blog post, please comment and I will try to update the blog.

The last topic in the series about toolbars will be:

• Context Toolbars

Enjoy,
Wilkie

Jim Wilkinson

PhotoView 360 Rendering Contest: Week 3 Winners

Yes, we're ready to announce the winners of the third week of the contest. They are, in no particular order...

Chris Cook

Christophe Demuynck

Scott Woods

You can go here to view all of the entries (at much larger sizes) from week 3. And don't forget, we're now accepting entries for week 4 of the contest. Send in an entry and it could be your name here next week.