Designing for sustainability in the Asia / Pacific region
I recently returned from a long trip to the Asia/Pacific region, and was struck by some of the ways that businesses in the region are truly embracing the idea of sustainability. I first started noticing the trend when I arrived
... ContinuedAdding value through subtraction
I was fortunate enough to recently stumble on the online edition of “Getting Real,” a book written by the founders of 37signals (you can click the link above to read it for free online, or check out the updated version
... ContinuedWhere is the colour?
In SolidWorks, you can work with colours in different ways. The rule is that the paint is harder the more local it is defined. You can easy see this by selecting the part where you are interested and click the
... ContinuedStudent Teams Tout Their Punkin’ Chunkin’ Trebuchets
What’s more competitive than a Halloween costume contest? A punkin’ chunkin’ contest! As we announced today, Team ETHOS, a SolidWorks hobbyist team, is a contender in The World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA). The team used SolidWorks 3D design software to
... ContinuedHot Rod Baby Buggy Episode #6 is available now!!!
Jeremy Luchini and the Let's Go Design team are making lots of progress on the Hot Rod Baby Buggy. In this episode, Jeremy consults a mom about the cockpit area for the baby, shows how the suspension for the tank
... ContinuedAnnouncing the SolidWorks World 2012 Halloween Costume Contest!
SolidWorks World 2012 in San Diego may be over three months away, but the first early bird deadline is upon us (register today and save!) and November is only a few days away. If you haven’t registered or convinced the
... ContinuedAnnouncing the winner of the SolidWorks World 2012 Trivia Contest
We kicked off our SolidWorks World 2012 contest season with an easy one. All you had to do was guess how many San Diegans attended SolidWorks World 2008, the last time the event was held in San Diego. Guesses were
... ContinuedNew in SolidWorks 2012: Installation Manager Enhancements / Complete Uninstall
SolidWorks 2012 includes several enhancements when it comes to using the installation manager. You can now completely uninstall the SolidWorks software or customize the software removal by removing one or more of the following items: Program Files and Folders, registry
... ContinuedThe Tour Continues…
I’m in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin this week for the Graphics Systems User Conference. I’ll be here for both days, and even get the chance to wrap up the show on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday I’ll take a little drive to
... ContinuedMeet the Let’s Go Design Team: Steve Beaudet
Steve Beaudet is a training specialist here at SolidWorks, and also a key member of the Hot Rod Baby Buggy design team. Hear him talk about his role on Let's Go Design, his involvement with the global design community, and
... ContinuedAnnouncing the SolidWorks World 2012 Trivia Contest!
SolidWorks World 2012 in San Diego may be nearly four months away, but the first early bird deadline to save $200 is coming up next week on October 28. If you haven't registered or convinced the boss to send you
... ContinuedNew in SolidWorks Flow Simulation 2012: Tracer Study
With a new tracer feature found in SolidWorks Flow Simulation 2012, you can quickly simulate concentration source, surface condensation, or evaporation of an admixture fluid (for example, water vapor or toxic gas) in the carrier fluid (for example, air). The
... ContinuedJavelin Technologies Aims High With A New Facility
A few weeks ago, I attended a celebration thrown by Javelin Technologies, a SolidWorks reseller in Canada. Javelin was moving into a new office in the town of Oakville, Ontario (a suburb of Toronto), and they invited me to come and take part.
Javelin has been growing quickly over the past few years, and found themselves running out of room in their existing offices. The new building has 12,000 square feet of space, and includes a dedicated 3D printing room, a video studio, and even a 3D theater. The staff told me that they will use it to show 3D demos of eDrawings and 3DVIA products, and even screenings of U2 in 3D. They also made sure to outfit the building with products from Javelin customers, including furniture from Teknion, Allseating, Neinkamper and Umbra; lighting from Metalumen and Visioneering; and even a barbeque from Onward Manufacturing.
The Javelin team used DraftSight to communicate with the architects and contractors for the build of the new space, and created a 3D model of the office in SolidWorks from the 2D data to help with space planning and decision-making. During the grand opening, they even uploaded the 3D model to 3DVIA. com and did 3D walkthroughs of the office in the 3D theater – very cool.
A Couple of Days in the Office
It seems like a week since I've worked out of the office… Chalk up another 740 rental car miles as last week in the Northwest took me to Seattle, Yakima, and Portland. All of the events were great – thanks
... ContinuedFarewell and best wishes to Jon Hirschtick
Early last week, SolidWorks founder Jon Hirschtick let employees know that he has decided to step back from SolidWorks and begin the next phase of his career. From the first days of the company (when it was known as Winchester Design Systems), Jon has embodied the SolidWorks philosophy of focusing on the needs of engineers and designers, and creating an experience that is both powerful and simple. We at SolidWorks will miss Jon and his spirit, and wish him all the best in the future.
Earlier this week, I asked SolidWorks employees to share some of their favorite memories of Jon, which I have included below. I would also like to welcome any customers, partners, resellers or other members of the SolidWorks community to share their stories in the comments section below. I'll let Bertrand go first.
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When I came on to SolidWorks as a young territory sales manager, one of the first questions Jon asked me was "Bertrand, what is the most important thing we can measure at SolidWorks?" Being in sales, I answered that it must be something like quarterly sales numbers, or revenue. Jon replied that "the most important thing we can measure is how many users we're helping be productive every day." Jon has always been focused on the end user, and how we can help them turn their ideas into reality. And while Jon was always focused on the day-to-day business, he was always looking five, ten, fifteen years down the road, identifying the coming trends. Thanks again to Jon for leadership and vision. – Bertrand Sicot
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