The SolidWorks Blog

San Diego bound? Check out the SolidWorks World Survival Guide #SWW12

I remember the first time I attended SolidWorks World back in 2009. I didn't really know what to expect, I brought too much junk, and I tried to do way too much stuff. I wish I had known about our friend Muggs Ferguson's SolidWorks World Survival Guide.

If you're attending SolidWorks World for the first time this year, I highly recommend you check it out. Muggs spent a good amount of time putting it together, and it even includes a forward by our own Richard Doyle.

You can find the SolidWorks World Survival Guide here. It's a PDF, so you can even save it to your computer or phone to read later.

Thanks again to Muggs.

 

Announcing the winner of the SolidWorks World 2012 Hobbyist Contest

We announced the SolidWorks World 2012 hobbyist contest on January 5, and we got some great entries. Thanks to everyone who entered. But to us, the one that really stood out was Kevin Lin's full-size 2-player game controller for the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) program suite. If you didn't see it, check out Kevin's website. It's a really cool idea, and even cooler seeing it go from idea to reality.

Kevin, we'll see you in San Diego next month. And to everyone else, stay tuned for another chance to win a pass to SolidWorks World 2012 later this week.

Don't forget, you can still save $100 if you register now through January 20, 2012. If you pay for two registrations, we'll throw in a third for free, and as always, CSWPs save $100. You can see all of our registration deals at the SolidWorks World website.

SolidWorks World 2012 International Series: Talking Shop with Kavita Aroor

As we gear up for SolidWorks World 2012, we'll be running a series of interviews that shine a spotlight on our employees from different parts of the world, and why you might consider attending.

This time, we're talking with down with Kavita Aroor, marketing manager for SolidWorks India, to discuss CAD trends in her region and the reasons why her customers should attend SolidWorks World 2012. Kavita is one of the newest members on the SolidWorks team, but she comes to us with years of experience in the Indian CAD business.

This will be Kavita’s first SolidWorks World experience, so we look forward to seeing her and our Indian users in just a few weeks. If you see Kavita, be sure to say hello.

Q: What are the key trends in India? What are the business drivers?

A: The Indian CAD market has undergone a rapid transformation in the last few years. Economic growth, coupled with the high disposable income of the Indian population, has been beneficial for the manufacturing, construction and automotive industries. Availability of low cost and high quality labor has been instrumental in the growth of the engineering and automotive export market, thereby spurring the need for accurate designing. Additionally, the demand for CAD in educational and engineering institutions, and booming small and medium businesses, is aiding this growth. Further, the government's favorable policies for infrastructure development are driving the growth of the CAD market in the architectural segment.

 

Q: What is the impact of globalization on the SMB market?

A: Globalization is forcing the SMB players to meet stringent standards and face stiffer regional and global competition from large established players. Further, many SMB players are part of the supply chain of large global players, which is compelling them to adopt CAD for their designing requirements. This demand in the SMB segment is leading CAD vendors to provide a portfolio of design solutions, specifically designed for the needs of SMBs. The booming SMB segment, coupled with its need to maintain a competitive advantage is driving the growth of the CAD market in this segment. Today 3D CAD is becoming affordable, with more and more companies migrating from 2D-based drafting systems because of 3D’s inherent advantages. Not only that, these companies are also looking at a comprehensive solution to address their other requirements in engineering.

 

Q: What kinds of businesses/customers make up most of the market in your region?

A: Automotive design forms the largest segment, accounting for 65-70% of the market, followed by aerospace at 15-16% and electric/electronic machinery design at 10-12%. SolidWorks offers unique solutions to meet the requirements of these varied industries.

 

Q: Why do you think customers in your region should attend SolidWorks World 2012? Why should they spend the time and money?

A: SolidWorks World brings together numerous thought leaders from the designing industry to discuss and brainstorm the trends, challenges and new innovations to help manufacturers make more efficient and accurate products. It also provides a rare opportunity for solution providers to hear firsthand from SolidWorks customers and partners from industries ranging from aerospace and medical instruments, to consumer electronics and renewable energy. The event is also a great platform for networking and could lead to business opportunities.

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Kavita, thank you for taking the time to chat with us; we can’t wait to see you, and your customers, at SolidWorks World in February!

Don't forget, you can still save $100 if you register now through January 20, 2012. If you pay for two registrations, we'll throw in a third for free, and as always, CSWPs save $100. You can see all of our registration deals at the SolidWorks World website.

If you're coming from overseas and need help with a visa, be sure to visit the SolidWorks World website for more information.

 

Get into SolidWorks World 2012 for free with our hobbyist contest #sww12

You might think that SolidWorks is all about business. But that's not really the case. Sure, most of you are using SolidWorks tools to design products, machines, vehicles and any other manner of things. But we know that some of you are using SolidWorks to design other things for your own amusement. From sway bars for your hot rods to decks for your houses, there are any number of things out there that were designed for personal use. And we're interested in seeing some of them.

So here's an offer for you. In the comments section below, tell us about something you have designed for your own personal use or pleasure, and include a link to a picture or video of the thing you designed. Tell us what you designed, and why you did it. And if you can, tell us about any problems or special design considerations you encountered along the way. When the contest ends, we'll take a look at all of the entries and pick a winner, who will get a free pass to SolidWorks World 2012 next month in San Diego (February 12 - 15).

Don't wait too long—the contest ends at 11:59 EDT on January 12, and we'll pick a winner on January 13. You can click here to read the full terms and conditions of the contest. In a nutshell, you have to be 21 or older to enter, and citizens of the USA, Brazil, China and Quebec aren't eligible (sorry). If you work for Dassault Systemes, or a DS/SolidWorks reseller or partner (or have any immediate family members who do), you can't enter. Residents of some countries may require a visa to enter the United States. You can visit the SolidWorks World website to learn more.

Don't forget, you can still save $100 if you register before January 20. And if you pay for two registrations, we'll throw in a third for free. And, as always, CSWPs save $100. You can see all of our registration deals at the SolidWorks World website.

Download the SolidWorks World 2012 Hobbyist Contest rules

2012 – The Year of the Sports Car Comeback?

Green vehicles were all the rage in 2011, with a heavy focus on reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Consumers are trying hard to be green at every turn – and this doesn’t end when they hit the road. Although that trend won’t be going away any time soon, many automakers are rolling out adrenaline-pumping sports cars that are set to turn heads in 2012. The model names may be the same, but some significant design changes have been made to old school sports cars, like the Honda NSX and Toyota GT-86, and the industry is abuzz.

With the sports car set to make a serious comeback in 2012, the timing is perfect for Donkervoort Automobielen BV, a Dutch automotive manufacturer, that recently rolled out its biggest and baddest model yet – the D8 GTO. Donkervoort relies on SolidWorks 3D design and simulation tools to produce hand built, lightweight, high performance vehicles that perform like Formula One racecars, but look like a classic roadster.

Similar to the changes Honda made to the NSX’s aluminum body, Donkervoort redesigned the body of the D8 GTO to ensure consistently high performance after adding more power and weight to the engine. According to Autoblog.com, the updates paid off, as they consider the D8 GTO the “best thing to come out of Holland since bitteballen and siropwaffelen.”

We’re excited to see the new speedsters, especially the D8 GTO, on the road in the coming year. What auto design changes are you most excited about? And more importantly, is a muscle car on your 2012 wish list? Tell us in the comments below!

Domespace is creating the next generation of eco-friendly homes with SolidWorks

Many years ago, I had ambitions of being an architect. I worked at a firm, and even went to architecture school briefly, until I realized I didn't have the artistry needed for the job. If I had my way, every structure built today would be an angular Bauhaus affair. So I have something of a soft spot for anything related to building design, which is why I found it interesting that a French company called Domespace is now a SolidWorks customer.

Domespace International designs and builds dome-shaped, eco-friendly homes. According to the company, the dome shape is designed to be more in harmony with nature, takes advantage of solar radiation, and is less susceptible to seismic and cyclonic forces than traditional, angular designs. On some models, the exterior of the home actually rotates, following the sun in winter to take advantage of its warming rays, and the shade in summer for cooling.

Domespace uses SolidWorks Professional for concept development, SolidWorks Premium for structural design, and SolidWorks Flow Simulation for studying air flow and environmental conditions. They say they have cut time-to-market and development costs in half. In a case study on our website, Computational and R&D Head Benjamin Thoby discusses how 3D design and simulation technology is helping Domespace ramp up production of its world-class, ecologically sensitive homes. Even if you're not in the AEC space, it's worth checking out.

You can find it here.

 

 

We have a winner in the SolidWorks World 2012 International Intrigue Contest

Two weeks ago, we gave SolidWorks users outside of the US a chance to attend SolidWorks 2012 for free, complete with air and hotel. The only thing you had to do was answer a few questions and make the best case for why we should pick you. The contest ended last night, and therefore, there must be a winner.

So it is my great honor to announce that we have reached a decision--Yoshihiro Dobashi from the great country of Japan will be joining us at SolidWorks World 2012 next February in San Diego. Congratulations on the win!

And don't forget, you can still save $100 if you register now through January 20, 2012. If you pay for two registrations, we'll throw in a third for free, and as always, CSWPs save $100. You can see all of our registration deals at the SolidWorks World website.

DIY Design at Cedarville University

I first learned about Jay Kinsinger, professor of engineering at Cedarville University, from the school's VAR, 3D Vision. They told me about how in addition to pushing design to its limits using the tools at hand with his students' projects, he also designs steel-frame bikes on his own time.

Introducing the SolidWorks Holiday Gift Guide

I’ve been thinking about developing a Holiday Gift Guide since the first day I started at SolidWorks. While I’m impressed by all of the products our customers design, I’m most intrigued by the ones that I may have actually purchased for my family. Test it yourself. Scroll through our case studies and press releases, and you’ll find all sorts of consumer products that might be in your house-- bikes, gardening tools, exercise equipment, table saws, audio equipment, kids’ toys, etc. What better way to showcase these products than to create a guide of items that could (or should) appear on someone’s holiday wish list?

We put out a call a couple months ago for the first annual Holiday Gift Guide, and as the entries came in I was reminded of the diversity of design our software inspires. There’s a rotisserie that folds up into a suitcase, a take-along toothbrush with toothpaste in handle, a customizable wrap for iPads, and a popsicle maker (I added this to my list!), just to name a few. In case you’re wondering, we did have two entries from outside the US – an iPhone case from the Netherlands and a multi-purpose tool from Fiskars, headquartered in Finland. Check out and print the Holiday Gift Guide to find SolidWorks-inspired designs for everyone on your holiday list.  

Configurable PDM

Part of my job as Product Manager at DS SolidWorks Corp is to visit customers and see how they are using our technology. I love to ask how they did things before implementing our software, what productivity gains they have made, what pros and cons they could speak to and how things have changed overall.

I was blown away in one of my last visits where a customer had been implementing a competitors PLM solution for the past two years, but still had not moved into the production roll out phase. Whenever they wanted to make a simple change to the PLM system, they had to call the PLM vendor and schedule a service call which would take about two (2) weeks. Once the consultant was on-site, they would spend about two (2) days programming and customizing the PLM toolkit in order to fulfill the request.

 

Last year they decided to try SolidWorks Enterprise PDM (EPDM) as an alternative to the never-ending PLM project and were able to get this system into production in less than 6 months. The time would have been even less, but this project was combined with a re-engineering initiative.

The most startling difference between the two systems seems to be in the approach of building up a PDM system with simple and highly configurable administrative tools versus a PLM toolkit approach that requires very specialized, expensive and time-consuming customization. The customer told me, “changes that took 2 weeks to schedule and 2 days to accomplish with our failed PLM implementation, now take less than 10 minutes 95% of the time for me to change myself”.

We take this customer feedback to heart and will continue to provide easy-to-setup and configure tools to enable our customers to get into production quickly with new solutions, achieve fast returns on investment (ROI) and increase productivity over time with additional changes that can be made in-house. If you have any feedback or stories on the concept of configuring versus customizing (programming) we would love to hear from you.