Author Archives: Matthew West
Design That Matters: saving lives
Over four million children die each year before their first month of life; 99% of them in developing countries. Design That Matters, an independent nonprofit, and a low-cost design company serving the developing world, has tackled such a challenge with
... ContinuedMaking quick dimension changes… using your mouse wheel.
Whilst working on a design task this morning it needed to try out a few positional changes in a sketch. Personally I am a big fan of using the mouse wheel to quickly change the dimension values… but today I
... ContinuedA couple of Feature Manager tips that you can use right now…
Whilst reviewing some of the What’s New Material for SolidWorks 2010 I noticed a tip that I was unaware of… also a couple jumped out that I thought would be really easy to implement in any design task. 1. Filter
... ContinuedNew 3 Dudes Video: only available on YouTube
You won't find this one on the 3 Dudes site. See what happens when you spend all day hanging out in web forums.
... ContinuedA good reaction?
When performing a motion study, there are obviously a number of moving parts all connected with each other, pushing and pulling in response to the driving forces set up. Reaction forces and moments are frequently plotted at joints but it
... ContinuedSolidWorks Weekly News Roundup
Summer is the busy season here at SolidWorks. Various things I'm working on are keeping me away from my desk so long that I haven't been able to report on all of the things that are happening here. So here's
... ContinuedFlow Simulation for the Design Engineer
Learn how to make design changes based on simulation testing and how to set up a typical flow simulation. Discover some useful tips to define your model and select the right analysis capability. Find out more about CAD based analysis
... ContinuedSolidWorks World 2010 Keynote Speaker: opinions wanted
It's getting to be that time of year–our events team is gearing up in earnest for SolidWorks World 2010. Next year's event takes place in Anaheim, California and starts on January 31, 2010. One of the biggest things they need
... ContinuedSpeed up your 3D sketching!
A week or so ago one of the reseller application engineers showed me a nice little tip for 3D sketching. When you are working in 3D sketches SolidWorks allows you to sketch in any plane, giving you feedback regarding the
... ContinuedHarnessing the power of the oceans to generate renewable energy resources
Another great example of innovation from a customer Pelamis Wave Power! Its focus: harnessing the power of the oceans to generate renewable energy resources all over the world. Pelamis is constantly looking to optimize its revolutionary Wave Energy Converter, making
... ContinuedYou used the software for what???
It's summer*, which means there's a gang of interns roaming the halls here. It's nice to have some young people around, which makes me feel increasingly old at the ripe age of 33. One of the great things about college
... ContinuedAbsolute or Relative. Which is best?
Last week I told you how to check your global mesh refinement by performing a number of simulations with a denser mesh and looking for convergence of your results. Have you given it a go yet? This week we held
... ContinuedDesign and sustainability- how making a difference through design also makes good business sense?
For those of you who are looking up and down the supply chain for ways to improve environmental performance – and save yourselves literally millions in the process, discover SustainabilityXpress. Our new sustainability software package code-named “Sage” will be available
... ContinuedHow good is your mesh anyway?
This week I gave an overview of some simulation best practices to some of our Nordic partners, and I thought I’d share one of their tips with you this week. How do you know if your mesh is sufficiently refined?
... ContinuedInterested in Wind Power?
Hear from some innovative companies, which are pushing the boundaries of wind turbine designs and expanding wind power's reach around the world. Share your stories…
... Continued