SOLIDWORKS
The 2011-2012 SolidWorks Student Edition is available now!
If you're a student looking for something to do this summer, what could be better than honing your SolidWorks skills? I mean, you *could* hang out at the beach or go to rock shows, but are those going to help
... ContinuedGreen Design Contest in Full Swing
Thanks to all those of you who have participated in our Green Design Contest so far! I'm dying to preview your entries, but I'm going to wait until the formal judging starts on July 1st to check them all out
... ContinuedMade in 3D: The 3D Printing Challenge
By now, I'm guessing that most of you know all about rapid prototyping and 3D printing, and how they make it infinitely easier to visualise your design concepts before actually making a working prototype. But if you're not familiar, imagine
... ContinuedTrip report: my SolidWorks User Group tour
As you may recall from my earlier post, I spent the week of May 23 driving through the southeastern US with SolidWorks User Group Network coordinator Richard Doyle, attending user group meetings and visiting customers. It is always exciting to get out of the office and meet with SolidWorks users, and I learn something new every time. Rather than give you a day-by-day retelling of my trip, I thought I would talk about some of the highlights.
Each of the user group meetings was different and enlightening in different ways. The first meeting was in Atlanta, Georgia, and was held at the Quickparts headquarters. The second meeting in Greenville, South Carolina, was held at Clemson University. At this meeting, several resellers set up a display of 3D printers for the 70 attendees to demo, and SolidWorks customer Redneck Engineering brought out a few custom choppers. Here’s a picture of me sitting on one of them along with Vince “Nobody” Doll, who runs the company.
Beta program planned for SolidWorks 2012 this summer!
The SolidWorks beta program is returning this summer. Stayed tuned for additional information with further details over the upcoming weeks. The beta program is an excellent opportunity to preview new functionality in the upcoming SolidWorks 2012 release, to interact with
... ContinuedDesigning the hot rod baby buggy: your help needed!
The Let’s Go Design team is moving full steam ahead on our third project, the Hot Rod Baby Buggy, and we're starting to design bigger pieces of the stroller. But there are always challenges when you're developing a new product,
... ContinuedA Visit With the Laney SolidWorks User Group
I recently had the pleasure of attending a pretty unique user group event at Laney College in Oakland, California. The group is run by Elise Moss, a long-time supporter of SolidWorks and instructor at the school. If you’re not familiar,
... ContinuedSolidWorks Early Visibility Period for SolidWorks 2011 SP4
The Early Visibility (EV) release of SolidWorks 2011 SP4 is targeted for availability the week of May 23rd. This Early Visibility period will be the most extensive EV period (3 weeks compared to typical 2 weeks) of all SolidWorks 2011 Service Packs.
... ContinuedSolidWorks Simulation Helps Explain Race Car Drafting
Have you ever wondered why race cars tend to follow one another so closely? If you're reading this, you're probably familiar with the basic principles behind drafting, and how following a car closely helps reduce drag on your own car.
... ContinuedMatti Technology AG uses SolidWorks to shorten design cycles by up to 20%
They may not be a household name, but Switzerland's Matti Technology AG is a major player in the development of printing presses, finishing lines, drying techniques, and digital printing technologies. They provide high-speed solutions to support a variety of business printing needs, and have successfully integrated a thousand different digital systems
Win a trip to Belize and more in the SolidWorks Green Design Contest
I'm excited today to write about the launch of our SolidWorks Green Design Contest, in honor of Earth Day. Many of you may not yet have tried the environmental assessment tool that comes free with SolidWorks, called SustainabilityXpress. Those of you
... ContinuedEvolution of an inventor
While drafting today’s press release, we spent time speaking with X-Finger inventor Dan Didrick and learned more about how he got his start helping people. Believe it or not, it was trying to scare the pants off of people. As a child, he loved using materials from his father’s dentist office to make movie-quality monster masks. By seventh grade, the budding special effects artist was selling his instructional video on mask-making through creepy Fangoria magazine.
Allmand Bros. accelerates parts manual development with 3DVIA Composer
I wanted to provide some more information on one of the customers profiled in the press release we issued on 3DVIA Composer V6R2011x. Nebraska-based Allmand Brothers Inc. might not be a household name, like the similar sounding band, but the
... ContinuedMarie Planchard reflects on her teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week
It is teacher appreciation week and a time to reflect on the teachers that have made a difference in so many lives – including my own. First I have to thank my 7th grade math teacher, Sister Mary, who was the best math teacher I ever had. Sister Mary was all about strengthening basic math skills in everything you do. I used to talk in class, instead of the usual “I will not talk in class” 500 times. Sister Mary had you take a 4 digit number and multiple it by itself and then subtract that number until you got down to zero. Funny as your basic math gets stronger so does the algebra – but Sister Mary knew that.
... ContinuedTaking the Certified SolidWorks Professional Test – Segment 1
In March I wrote about how I was challenged by blogger Matt Lorono to pass the Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) test, and my promise to pass it by the day SolidWorks World 2012 begins. It has been a month since my first post, so I thought I would give an update to everyone.
If you’re not familiar with the CSWP, it’s broken up into three segments. So when Marie Planchard started helping me train, we focused on what I would need to know to pass the first segment. In this part, you have 90 minutes to
- 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
In preparing for segment 1, I worked through the sample exam on the website. After I created it the first time, Marie worked with me to make the design again and showed me where I could save time. For example, Geometric Relations, Linked Values for sketch dimensions and Equations really help. In the CSWP exam, the part was not difficult – but you have to work fast.
... Continued