Using Twitter to Change Your Oil
It's been more than a year since I installed a program called TweetDeck on my iPhone. Back than, I still didn't really get the whole "Twitter" thing (Oh My, What Have I Done?), and to this day I'm not sure
... ContinuedWin 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
... ContinuedWho wants to help us design a hot-rod baby buggy?
It's hard to believe that the Let's Go Design series launched a year ago this month. Since then, we've seen Jeremy Luchini and the team design and build an Ultimate CAD Chair, and most recently, design a practice cage for
... Continued3D Connexion is (fc)Super
3D Connexion has enjoyed quite a couple of months. The company announced that they have reached 1,000,000 units sold, they've released the "3D Mouse Anywhere" driver, were recently spun off from Logitec in a private transaction, and their president, Dieter Neujhar,
... ContinuedUptown's Got it's Hustlers, the Bowery's Got a SolidWorks User Group
New York City is one of my favorite places. I've visited several times, and have never had a bad experience. That's why I was so excited when Matt Rohr contacted me early this year to let me know that SWUGNYC was a
... ContinuedVisiting the Mariana Trench? SolidWorks knows if your sub can stand the pressure.
If you believe the people who manage the Wikipedia entry, the Mariana Trench in the south Pacific ocean is around seven miles deep. That's roughly the distance from here to my house. At that depth, the water pressure is so
... ContinuedThe Pirates are Back (and so are we)
One of my all-time favorite user group names is the Pirates on the Bay SolidWorks User Group. The group was formed in March of 2007, and has gone through three leadership changes. The current group leader, Steve Elting, has vowed to
... ContinuedBaker Drivetrain uses SolidWorks to accelerate design times by up to 75%
You might remember that back in 2009 we launched a section on our website dedicated to Baker Drivetrain, a new customer at the time. These guys work on some really cool parts for motorcycles–in fact, they developed the world's first
... ContinuedFrustration―Not All Pain Is Created Equal
An Actionable Definition for “Frustration”
Frustration is when …
Someone has a very important goal that needs to be achieved, or task that needs to be accomplished. But there is one or more barrier(s) to them achieving their goal which they feel is out of their control. This results in a combination of helplessness and anger, which we recognize as frustration.
So how do you act on this? You should set out to understand your customers’ specific goals. You also want to find out what they see as barriers to achieving those goals. Eventually, you want to provide a solution that eliminates any feelings of helplessness and instead makes them feel empowered. We will touch on learning about goals and barriers in this blog post, and save empowerment (and it’s actionable definition) for a later post.
... ContinuedAtomik Cars: electrifying the Fiat 500 with SolidWorks
It’s been a busy few months for me, but between taking on a new job, SolidWorks World 2011 and traveling between the US and France, I’ve still managed to visit a few great SolidWorks customers. There’s one in particular that
... Continued3DVIA Composer: so easy, even a plastics guy can do it!
OK, I admit it – I’m a recovering plastics engineer. I was out with my daughter last weekend looking at new cars and… I said: This car smells funny. She said: That’s just the “new car smell.” I said: You
... ContinuedWatchmaker Franck Muller Uses SolidWorks to Update a Centuries-old Craft
The Swiss watchmaker, Franck Muller, has established its reputation as a “watchmaking genius” by creating some of the world’s most complicated and sought-after timepieces. The company continues to elevate the state-of-the-art in watchmaking by designing each new model with increasing
... ContinuedFive Questions Friday with Anne Yust of Micromedics, Inc.
Name: Anne Yust Title: Engineering Document Control/Drafting Company: Micromedics, Inc., a company that develops, manufactures and markets FibriJet® Biomaterials Applicators for dispensing biomaterials such as platelet gel and tissue sealants. Job description: Support Engineering Department with drafting and document control
... ContinuedHowe & Howe use SolidWorks to shorten fabrication time by 1000%
Michael Howe, star of the Discovery Channel’s “Black Ops Brothers, Howe & Howe Tech,” and President of Howe and Howe Technologies, Inc., recently took time out from his busy schedule to discuss how SolidWorks software is helping him, his twin
... ContinuedCane Creek Chooses SolidWorks to Optimize Design
If you’re a dedicated cyclist, you’re familiar with Cane Creek Cycling Components, famous for its headsets. If you are not, like me, you have no idea where to find the headset on your bike. So I did some research. According to Wikipedia, it’s the “set of components on a bicycle that provides a rotatable interface between the bicycle fork and the bicycle frame.” Sounds like a crucial part.
... Continued