Author Archives: Fielder Hiss
Searching for your design data
Computers make generating a ton of data very easy. Finding it is often not so easy. CAD does the same thing for engineers making it very quick to make iterations of parts, assemblies, and drawings but until now CAD has
... ContinuedSWIFT DimXpert
I have talked a lot about how SWIFT can help to let any user design like an Expert. SolidWorks has a tool to help with the application of dimensions and tolerances. It’s easy to apply them for manufacturing with any
... ContinuedRhino to SolidWorks
Many consumer products start as one of many concepts done by a designer trying to achieve a unique aesthetic look. One of the most popular tools for 3D conceptual design is Rhino. Typically engineers have tried to take a designer’s
... ContinuedVideos of New Functionality
I started talking about some of the new things in SolidWorks 2007. This is a link to some videos of the highlights. https://www.solidworks.com/pages/products/SolidWorks_2007/SolidWorksOfficePremium2007.html enjoy Fielder
... ContinuedA Comfortable Workflow
One of the cool things about SolidWorks is how it can easily adapt to your work style. No matter what CAD system you came from, chances are you can adapt to the SolidWorks interface, and continue to use it the
... ContinuedThings to think about with plastic parts
There is a lot to think about when designing plastic parts. Is the part drafted correctly, are there any undercuts, are their any thin regions…. SolidWorks has tools to address each of these concerns. One tool that is often underutilized
... ContinuedSWIFT MateXpert
In the previous 2 posts I have discussed to new features in SWIFT and SolidWorks 2007. Now I want to move and talk a bout a common challenge in assemblies, mates. SolidWorks Corporation has used SWIFT to tackle the difficulties
... ContinuedSWIFT SketchXpert
Last time I talked about how the SWIFT FeatureXpert helps users create fillets a draft without regard for order. SWIFT works similarly with sketches. When working in 2D CAD, users create many lines, arcs, and other entities as their solution
... ContinuedSWIFT FeatureXpert
SolidWorks and other 3D CAD systems do a lot to capture design intent. Design intent means that changes will propagate throughout a design. This power also means users have to be aware of rules on how to approach modeling. Consider
... ContinuedSolidWorks 2007 Unveiled
This is the release announcement for SolidWorks Office Premium 2007: https://www.solidworks.com/pages/news/viewrelease.html?prid=375 There is a lot in this release that will benefit both new and existing users. Over the next few weeks I will discuss many of the new features and
... ContinuedA View From All Angles
Most SolidWorks users are content, when modeling or assembling components, to work in a single view. Most certainly because SolidWorks makes it very easy to navigate using standard views, convenient mouse button commands and other efficient techniques. But for some
... ContinuedLittle Time Savers
Often times, when spending long hours working on a CAD model, there are times when you will need to do many repetitive operations, one after another. It would be good if CAD systems could just read our minds and “know”
... ContinuedDynamic Editing of Your Designs
Users often want to dynamically update sketches and observe the result in the feature that it produces. It can be used in one of two ways. First, once the Move/Size Icon is clicked, you can then single click on a
... ContinuedSection Views in Your Designs
I was speaking with a 2D user who was looking at SolidWorks. He asked me how he could get a better understanding of a 3D design. Section view helps the SolidWorks user to understand where they are in 3D space.
... ContinuedSolidWorks’ new PDMWorks Enterprise gives global manufacturers streamlined product development
PDMWorks has been focused on secure revision management for the single site workgroup. This product has delivered a significant amount of value to SolidWorks users. What become clear to us was that a segment of our customer base have needs
... Continued