Innova's SolidWorks Blogspot

Good news - as UK Manufacturers haul there way back ...

2009-06-11T15:41:00.001+01:00

Optimism amongst UK manufacturers is on the rise according to the latest figures from BDO Stoy Hayward's Manufacturing Optimism Index.

The UK manufacturing sector is starting to show the first signs of rallying with both optimism and output levels at a seven month high.The optimism index, which is a measure of business confidence and is a strong predictor of economic growth two quarters ahead, rose to 87.4 in May, up from 86.4 in April.

This is extremely positive given that the index reached a 12 year low (79.4) in March. Further bolstering this news was the fact that output levels, which calculates order book strength and short run turnover expectations, also increased for the second consecutive month from 83.6 in April to 86.0 in May – the biggest monthly increase since December 2007.

Tom Lawton, head of manufacturing at BDO Stoy Hayward, says: "It's still too early to call the bottom of the market, but these are certainly some positive results and could suggest that things are beginning to look up for the UK's manufacturers. "The manufacturing sector was one of the first to feel the effects of the credit crunch when order books collapsed, however, anecdotally we're now hearing that manufacturers are looking to re-stock and believe that they could be looking at the bottom of the cycle.

More goos stuff from SolidWOrks Labs

2008-12-16T09:16:00.003Z

We love SolidWorks Labs!

It produces some good productive stuff that you can use right now. The latest is Tree house which allows you to scope out how your next design will be structured

This new application from SolidWorks Labs features an intuitive user interface that allows you to plan out how your assembly will be arranged before you actually start designing components. Treehouse enables you to name your components and add custom properties all before creating a single document.

Arrange Assemblies, Parts and Drawings
Drag visual representations of your SolidWorks templates to build a hierarchy of assemblies, parts and drawings. Rearrange the documents by simply dragging documents to their updated position in the tree. Fill in any custom properties defined on the document templates.

Export to SolidWorks Documents
Once you are satisfied with your layout, you can export the hierarchy to SolidWorks documents. Treehouse will automatically create SW documents in the location you specify. These documents will reference each other according to the structure defined in Treehouse. You can now start filling in your design or check the documents into your PDM system to be filled in later.
Note: Treehouse requires SolidWorks 2008 or 2009 to be installed.

SolidWorks World News

2008-11-14T08:02:00.001Z

Hot off the presses today is the news that entrepreneur extraordinaire Richard Branson will be a Keynote Speaker at SolidWorks World 2009. Richard is the man behind the Virgin Group which started as a record company but has since expanded to include airlines, mobile phones, broadband, and commercial space flight just to name a few.
When “the list” was published at Matthew West’s Blog a few weeks back Mr. Branson was one of the folks that quickly caught my eye. I’m really looking forward to hearing him speak as he is quite an inspirational person

2008-11-13T14:21:00.002Z

Richard Branson to be Keynote Speaker at SolidWorks World 2009

Join us in Orlando, FL at the Walt Disney® World Swan & Dolphin for SolidWorks World 2009 ~ February 8 - 11, 2009

Energize your design ideas and strengthen your skills at SolidWorks World 2009, SolidWorks Corporation's annual user conference and exposition

Benefits of attending SolidWorks World:

- Learn how you can design better products - choose from over 150 technical breakout sessions led by industry experts.

- Network with other SolidWorks users, Solution Partners, and resellers, as well as SolidWorks employees.

- Explore the latest 3D CAD technology offered by more than 100 exhibitors in the SolidWorks Partner Pavilion.

Presentation Studio from SolidWorks Labs

2008-11-07T14:40:00.003Z

At Innova, we really like the neat productivity tools that can really enhance productivity during the design process. As part of the SolidWorks labs suite of free products, Presentation Studio is the newest and one of the neatest pieces of functionality that can really help.

PDF is the standard method for sharing documents. Add in 3D capabilities, and now you've got documents really worth sharing.
With Presentation Studio you can create a Design Brief, Price Sheet, Technical Summary, Feature Review, or Product Specification in minutes. But unlike ordinarly PDFs, an embedded 3D model conveys your design in a way 2D just can't. The PDF can then be read on any computer with Adobe Acrobat 8 or above. Give it a go. Its really neat.

http://labs.solidworks.com/Projects/PresentationStudio/

SMW Autoblok gets grip on streamlined product design with SolidWorks 3D CAD software

2008-06-18T15:34:00.001+01:00

Before you can machine a gear, a drive shaft, a downhole drill bit, or anything else, you have to hold it. SMW Autoblok uses SolidWorks 3D CAD software to design the industrial-strength chucks and other workholding components used by auto plants, pipeline equipment manufacturers, and virtually any other company around the world that machines parts. For more than 60 years, the Autoblok brand has been synonymous with precision workholding, clamping, and tooling solutions for a variety of industries. With plants in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, SMW AutoBlok has standardized on SolidWorks software for new product design in most of its plants.
“Nobody stocks anything anymore. So our lead times have been cut in half,” said Mike Dempsey, managing director of SMW Autoblok’s U.K. plant. “We have as little as 10 days to develop a concept, design it to within five to 10 microns of spec, and troubleshoot any problems. SolidWorks makes that possible by letting us reuse parts and identify and fix problems before cutting begins. I have faith that if I can get the model in during the proposal stage, I’ll get the work.”
Right first timeMuch of what Dempsey and his team design involves chucks that rotate at high speeds while holding a part (such as an oil pipe that needs a groove) to be machined. The slightest imbalance throws the process off and requires two days of on-site work to fix. SolidWorks’ physical simulation, part interference, and mass properties coupled with COSMOSXpress™ load analysis have helped engineers eliminate delays, saving about $1,200 for each instance, according to Dempsey.
He also credits SolidWorks and eDrawings e-mail-enabled design communication tool with boosting sales. “Many prospects and customers don’t understand CAD, and therefore the detail that goes into our designs,” said Dempsey. “We couldn’t easily share Autodesk Inventor designs, so we couldn’t really communicate with suppliers, customers, and prospects. SolidWorks and eDrawings give us that communication in models that everyone can understand.”
SMW Autoblok will soon be able to securely vault, share, and collaborate on designs with PDM Workgroup product data management software. Companies can accelerate product design using PDM Workgroup, which enables engineers to work concurrently on product designs without introducing errors. SMW Autoblok has already saved money, time, and headaches by using detailed design process documentation from PDMWork Group to achieve ISO 9001 certification.“In a market where lead time is increasingly scarce, SMW Autoblok has distinguished itself by having the agility to deliver right-first-time designs before its competitors,” said SolidWorks Country Manager for U.K. and Ireland Chris McManus. “That is job number one in succeeding in a crowded market. Job number two is to design better products.”
SMW Autoblok has received knowledgeable and experienced guidance and support from SolidWorks reseller Innova Systems to optimize productivity gains.

Why we need Engineers

2008-06-18T15:22:00.001+01:00

AGAINST an unsettling backdrop of spiraling fuel costs, plummeting house prices and increasingly bleak predictions of economic woe, here is some good news: the UK manufacturing industry is growing. And while this growth — 0.1 per cent in April, says the Office for National Statistics and the manufacturing industry — is hardly a boom, it’s preferable to the wailing and gnashing of teeth emanating from the darker corners of the UK’s economy. The prime reason for this relative success is simple, and it’s laid bare on most pages of every issue of this magazine: unlike the money-men shuffling around notional amounts of money, and
the financial services companies pushing products that no-one wants or needs, engineers make things — tangible things that people both want and need. Perhaps the key word here is ‘need’. While few of us will shed tears at the thought of a few grotesquely remunerated bankers falling on harder times, the world cannot do without engineering. Without engineers the lights go off. The trains stop running. The hospitals shut down. The supermarket shelves lie empty. And ultimately, humans are deprived of the basic necessities required for survival. While this may sound melodramatic, as our interview with civil engineer and aid worker
Dr Robert Hodgson shows, it is frequently engineers who dominate the relief operations in disaster-struck areas of the world.
From ensuring drinking water is kept uncontaminated, to restoring communications and reopening the infrastructure required to get food to starving people, Hodgson’s compelling picture of the role of engineers in a crisis is a reminder of the relationship between engineering endeavor and human survival. Elsewhere in this issue, from a Swiss engineer’s efforts to bring low-cost solar power to the masses, to the growing promise of swarming robots for search and rescue and life-saving surgery, there are further examples of the part to be played by engineers in addressing some of the big questions facing society. Indeed, while politicians are concerned primarily with being re-elected and scientists present the facts but are often wary of taking responsibility, there is a good argument that engineers, who are typically adept at straddling disciplines, are better placed than anyone to get the job done. While it would be foolish and wrong to suggest that the sector is immune to the troughs of the global economic climate, it is certainly gratifying that a career that offers the chance to make the world a better place is for once looking more attractive than a job in the world of high finance. (From the Engineer – Jon Excell)

Manufacturing stands firm dispite uncertain times

2008-06-18T13:42:00.002+01:00

Manufacturing output increased by 0.3 per cent in the three months to April 2008 compared with the three months to January 2008 according to the national statistics say sthe office for National Statistics. see http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=198

Output increased in seven out of the 13 sub-sectors measured, decreased in five sub-sectors and remained unchanged in one sub-sector.In the latest three months there were no significant increases but the largest non-significant rise was in the machinery and equipment industries, where output increased by 1.5 per cent.

There were no significant decreases in the latest three month period. Overall production output decreased by 0.1 per cent on a three-monthly basis. There was a decrease in output of 3.2 per cent in the mining and quarrying sector and a decrease of 0.4 per cent in the energy supply sector. Within the mining and quarrying sector there was a decrease in oil and gas extraction output in the latest three months, but an increase in coal extraction output with production problems of early months being resolved. Within the energy supply sector electricity supply output decreased by 1.9 per cent with a continued switch away from coal as the main fuel used in electricity generation. Offsetting this, there was an increase of 4.0 per cent in the gas supply industry with cooler average temperatures across the latest three months than during the same period last year, increasing demand for gas used for heating.

Between March and April manufacturing output increased by 0.1 per cent. Output increased in six of the 13 sub-sectors and decreased in seven sub-sectors in the latest month. There was a significant increase in the transport equipment industries, where output increased by 2.8 per cent. There were no significant decreases in the latest month. Total production output increased by 0.2 per cent between March and April. Mining and quarrying output decreased by 0.3 per cent but energy supply output increased by 1.6 per cent. Within the energy supply sector there were increases in output of 1.9 per cent in the electricity supply industry, 1.3 per cent in the gas supply industry and 1.2 per cent in the water supply industry.

Solidworks 2009 Beta 1 is Now Available for Testing

2008-06-13T08:18:00.000+01:00

The Solidworks 2009 Beta Release is now available for download through the Solidworks Customer Portal on the Solidworks website.

The Beta teasing is scheduled to be shorter this year than for the previous year because Solidworks noticed people lost interest over such a long duration of Beta testing. This year’s program will shrink down from a 15 week period to an 8 week program. The Solidworks 2009 Beta test program is set up so that Solidworks users across a variety of industries can help to make the final build of the Solidworks 2009 software as good as possible when it is finally released.
This year the Beta program will be available to everyone via the Solidworks Customer Portal on the Solidworks website instead of the special Solidworks Beta link. Some incentive for being part of the Solidworks 2009 beta test program is that Solidworks gives points for every glitch and bug found in their software. After, Solidworks gives away free stuff to people with a lot of points.

Thermoteknix Celebrates 25 Years of Infrared Pioneering

2008-06-10T10:09:00.002+01:00

Cambridge based company Thermoteknix http://www.thermoteknix.com/ has much to celebrate in its 25th Anniversary. Fresh from the Cambridge Evening News Business Excellence awards for Innovation, Thermoteknix has now received the highly prestigious Queens award for Enterprise in the Innovation Category.

These awards are the latest in a series of accolades the company has received recently. In October 2007 Thermoteknix was named Innovative Company of the Year at the iDEA (Innovation and Design Excellence) Awards followed soon after by runner-up in the IET (Institution of Electrical Engineers and Technologists) Innovation in Engineering Awards.

SolidWorks has played a crucial part in the company’s success, being used to produce variants for its customers’ in aerospace, defence, surveillance and industrial applications. It could be matching different lens or electronics combinations or a more significant customisation to fit the customer’s metalwork. The result can then be sent to the customer in 3D format enabling a rapid visualisation and incorporation into the customers design.

“Getting our product from Concept through development and into production in the shortest time cycle has been critical for the development and growth of our business” Said Dr. Richard Salisbury, founder and Managing Director of Thermoteknix Systems Ltd

We are delighted to see the success of Thermoteknix said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems. Thermoteknix are proof that to be successful in rapidly changing face of manufacturing, you have to continue to design and develop new innovative products to maintain competitive advantage.

Last year, Innova Systems customer PCME also won the same award, so this is proof that Innova Systems and SolidWorks can help to develop better products.

New 3D Content Central

2008-06-05T13:32:00.001+01:00

Have you seen the new 3D Content Central lately. Its really neat, especially the Hyperview, which enables you to rotate, pan and Zoom your model without leaving the web page.

Free 3D CAD Models of User-Contributed and Supplier-Certified Parts & Assemblies, 2D Blocks, Library Features, Macros, and more
3D ContentCentral® is a free service for locating, configuring, downloading, and requesting 3D parts and assemblies, 2D blocks, library features, and macros. Join an active community of 411,627 CAD users who share and download user contributed and supplier-certified 3D parts & assemblies, 2D blocks, library features and macros.

See www.3dcontentcentral.com

Free online DWG Editor - Blueprint Now

2008-06-05T13:27:00.000+01:00

Free online DWG editor

Before, if you were travelling and sent a DWG file to review, you would require a computer with some kind of DWG viewer/editor. BluePrint Now relaxes this requirement, giving you the ability to load and proof from anywhere. We see it as one less thing to worry about when going through airport security.
Create DWG files from almost any computer
As long as your computer has an internet connection and is enhanced by Microsoft Silverlight, you can use it to create drafts of your ideas whenever you’re so inspired. Simply click on the Run button and find out if your computer is ready to launch BluePrint Now.
Shared Storage
In continuation of a concept we introduced with Drawings Now, BluePrint Now will give you space on a secure server to store your drawings. These drawings can be accessed at any time, and by anyone to whom you decide to e-mail a link. Your drawing’s recipients can then review or make changes (whichever you decide) in a web-based collaboration.

EEF and Grant Thornton report shows manufacturing well placed to weather economic storms

2008-05-15T14:13:00.003+01:00

UK manufacturing is well placed to weather potential economic storms this year according to a review of the sector’s performance published today by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation and Grant Thornton.

This shows that manufacturing continues to enjoy a renaissance with a range of indicators showing that the sector enjoyed its best performance in a decade in 2007,and that companies have benefited from a range of measures that they have put in place to improve their competitiveness.

The report illustrates the rapidly changing face of manufacturing as companies shift to higher value activities with their competitive advantage based on an increasing emphasis on areas such as design, development and service provision.
Furthermore, the report also shows the number of highly skilled jobs expanding despite the loss of unskilled work. Commenting, EEF Chief Economist, Steve Radley, said:

“Manufacturers continued to record healthy growth last year despite a more challenging environment with oil prices rising and the dollar weakening. With fears of a recession in United States and turbulence in financial markets, the economic backdrop is likely to become less favourable and growth in manufacturing slower. However, manufacturing's new resilience will leave it much better placed to cope with whatever the economy throws at it this year."
In the report, EEF’s analysis shows:
· The best conditions for manufacturing in ten years with rising levels of output and expanding employment levels
· Investment intentions in 2007 were the strongest since 1995
· Productivity in manufacturing us up by quarter in the five years to the third quarter of 2007.
· The balance of companies reporting improving rather than falling profitability has risen from -4% in 2003 to 34% in 2007
· The increasing dependence of manufacturers on overseas markets with one third of companies exporting half or more of their turnover.
· 35% and 28% of companies rate China and India respectively as a future major opportunity. The number of companies rating the new EU members as a growth opportunity has trebled since 2004.
· The motor vehicles sector saw an especially strong year with the highest output balances in a decade on the back of new models and consumer demand.
· Companies are constantly exploring new ways of responding to international competition with 39% citing new market entry as their top strategic priority and 71% increasing their innovation activity
· Although some companies expect to see some production and assembly move out of the UK in the next five years, seven out of ten expect the UK to remain their prime location.
Bob Hale, Head of Manufacturing at Grant Thornton, commented:

"Against a backdrop of profit warnings, falling business confidence and credit market turmoil, the UK manufacturing sector is at present something of a beacon in the dark. The strategic focus on new market entry is particularly positive, as it signals that many businesses within the sector are harnessing the strong growth rates still apparent in many parts of the world to counter the effects of a slowing domestic economy."

The uncertain wider economic climate has resulted in some mixed findings. What is certain is that small and medium-sized manufacturers are continuing to feel the impact of higher fuel and raw material costs, and that they are now having to pass these on to customers."While the drop in export orders is worrying, particularly for medium-sized firms, there are some more encouraging signs: smaller firms have been quite bullish about taking on extra staff, and some growth in output is forecast for the months to July."Russel Griggs, Chairman of the CBI's SME Council, said:

Innova Systems expand SolidWorks Team

2008-04-16T16:24:00.001+01:00

Innova Systems has announced that it has expanded its team of engineers, in order to meet the growing demand for its advanced 3D computer aided design software called Solidworks. After an extensive search for the very best people in this field, Innova has finally brought on board two application engineers and two new account managers.

"Our new application engineers are 'premier league engineers'," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova. "These are design engineers who have real industry experience and are at the top of their game. Likewise, with our new account managers, we have been careful to choose people who will fully understand our customers' needs and have the knowledge and motivation to ensure Innova maintains its reputation for excellent service and support."

Read more .........

Innova Systems Customer day - 8th October 2008

2008-04-16T15:40:00.003+01:00

Its here again! one of the most important dates of our diary - Our SolidWorks customer day which has now been announced for Wednesday 8th October 2008 - Where we will be presenting the new functionality of SolidWorks 2009.

The venue is the fantastic Imperial War Musuem at Duxford, which is just south of Cambridge on the M11, with easy access from all parts of the region.

In addition to previewing the new functionality, we will spend time with some productivity enhancements sessions, showing tips and tricks and how to get the most out your SolidWorks investment.

As at all Innova Systems customers days, we like to show our appreciation, and each Innova Systems subscription customer will be entitled to a free pass around the world famous musuem and a gift.

You will be notified shortly with all the details and agenda, but keep this date free in your diary.

Innova Systems help Amarinth Pumps

2008-04-16T15:22:00.002+01:00

Suffolk company Amarinth has much to celebrate: company revenue has grown 500% in 5 years; and it has been profitable from year two onwards. Amarinth is respected worldwide for its ability to deliver sophisticated heavy-duty pumping equipment to the oil and chemical industries.

Much of its success it attributes to the application of technology, in particular a 3D modelling technology called SolidWorks, which is supplied by Cambridge based Innova Systems.
Amarinth pumps can cost over £100,000 each because of the high grade materials used in their construction and the requirement to be manufactured to stringent safety critical standards similar to those seen in the aviation industry. Amarinth has customers all around the world including AMEC, BP and Shell, and has recently shipped a pump into China for the first time.

Read more .................

CircuitWorks is now part of SolidWorks Premium

2008-04-16T14:41:00.004+01:00

CircuitWorks is a powerful link for Mechanical Designers needing to create their products incorporating electronics packaged on Printed Circuit Board designs. This neat functionality is now available to all users of SolidWorks Premium at no extra cost

Working in separate programs with PCB makers slows the process and increases the chance of having to re-work something. The integration of SolidWorks and CircuitWorks is a marriage of high-performing tools that lets designers innovate and collaborate, rather than simply recreate new products. Previously, much of electronics development involved designing the product to fit around the electronic components. SolidWorks and CircuitWorks together let engineers design PCBs to fit inside ever more stylized product frames, whether an MP3 player or the dashboard of a new car.

SolidWorks and CircuitWorks combined let mechatronics engineers use digital modeling to improve product quality, reduce prototyping, and streamline development.
Very few products made today are purely mechanical. As products become ‘smarter’ with more complexity, electronic components are increasingly driving the design. The lines are blurring between electronic and mechanical industries, and this acquisition is a natural step toward helping engineers be more innovative and proficient in this changing climate.”

CircuitWorks is immediately available as a component of SolidWorks Office Premium. It will be provided to existing Premium customers at no additional charge.

3D Via for Technical Publications and more ..

2008-03-14T16:35:00.000Z

3DVIA is the Dassault Systèmes’ (SolidWorks’ parent company) product line devoted to bringing the 3D experience to more users, especially people who aren’t involved in CAD. For folks just getting started there is 3DVIA Shape, which is a free online 3D modeling application that allows anyone to start creating, uploading and sharing models. 3DVIA Printscreen allows users to save 3D scenes from both OpenGL (like SolidWorks) and DirectX applications. SupplierSource is also part of the 3DVIA product family; which also includes 3DVIA Composer (a suite of excellent tools for using 3D data throughout the product development and manufacturing process), 3DVIA Live (for 3D collaboration) and 3DVIA MP and 3DVIA Virtools (products that concentrate on helping developers and educators with new 3D environments and games)

Innova Systems to supply the Youngman Group

2008-02-26T16:49:00.002Z

The Youngman Group, based in Maldon, Essex are leaders in innovative Work at height solutions have invested in SolidWorks to help drive product innovation.

"Investment in new technology underpins our committment to ensure new products consistently lead the market in terms of quality and performance" said Youngman Managing Director Paul Bentley.

New product development has been highlighted by the senior management team as a specific growth area with much research conducted on how existing customers can be better served as their businesses grow and develop.

With SolidWorks, products can now be developed in less time, with higher quality and at less cost

Have you got an IPOD?

2008-02-13T15:48:00.001Z

One of the best investments I ever made was purchasing an IPOD - And now you can even download SolidWorks hints and tips to them and even preview a multitude of SolidWorks demonstrations. The technology and graphics are quite superb.

If you haven't got one, then don't worry. Just think of who you know who could benefit from using SolidWorks. Usually, anyone who is designing in 2D with old products like AutoCAD are suitable people to benefit from SolidWorks. Lets us know and if it results in a license sales of SolidWorks for Innova Systems, we will send you an IPOD Touch. Simple!

Just have a look at www.innova-systems.co.uk/innova-promotions.htm

and also www.solidworks.com/ipod

Innova Systems recognised at SolidWorks World

2008-02-13T15:29:00.000Z

At the annual SolidWorks World Conference held January 20-23 in San Diego, California, Innova Systems were awarded the exclusive “President’s Club” award in recognition for their achievements in Sales and Technical Support.

Jeff Ray, SolidWorks CEO, presented Innova Systems Managing Director Mark Bradford with their 2nd consecutive “SolidWorks President’s Club” award. This honour is awarded annually to SolidWorks resellers who demonstrate continued success and growth in their business. Innova Systems were the only UK Reseller to be recognised for the award and were the only Reseller in Europe to obtain growth targets for license sales of SolidWorks, COSMOS and PDM Works Enterprise products.

“I am very proud of the great team we have built, and for the future of Innova Systems. Our business is truly about our unique relationships we build with our customers. Our employees are totally focused on delivering exceptional service and support and all work together to create a winning team,” explained Mark Bradford.

What do Innova Systems, SolidWorks and Channel 5's the gadget show have in common?

2008-02-13T15:21:00.002Z

SolidWorks is all about designing better products that in some way do something to enhance our lives. Cambridge based company SplashPower, www.splashpower.com is a great example of designing an innovative new product which will improve the way our mobile devices such as phones or IPOD’s can be charged without having a charger and whilst you are on the move. Ultimately, the technology will get rid of all those messy cables.
The Splashpower Vision is for wireless power that consumers will be able to charge "any device, anywhere, anytime". Ultimately, the technology will enable SplashPower partners to deliver charging in cars, in hotels, in cafes as well as at home and in the office. In fact anywhere you want to top up your battery.
The technology was recently featured on Channel 5’s the Gadget show and you can have a look at the feature by clicking the You Tube link below:-
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5f6ACWFET4Q
SplashPower products are developed in SolidWorks, supplied and supported by Innova Systems, and we are delighted to be part of such new and exciting technology.

SolidWorks On a Stick

2008-02-12T10:17:00.001Z

Solidworks Interview: Bill Taylor, Solidworks Community Marketing Manager
At Solidworks World 2008 in San Diego, a group of CSWP’s, and bloggers were given what has been termed Solidworks On A Stick. To get a better understanding of what this project is all about, I recently contacted Bill Taylor who is the Community Marketing Manager for Solidworks. I submitted a few questions to Bill to answer in regards to this new project. The interview follows Below:

1. What is Solidworks on a stick?
SolidWorks on a Stick is simply a portable version of SolidWorks. The storage device that we happened to use was a USB thumb drive. The idea would be to give our user’s access to SolidWorks when they do not have access to their desktop.
2. What is the concept idea behind this project (how did it come about)?
The idea originally came from one of our technical support Team Leaders. At SolidWorks we hold regular innovation meetings and encourage people at all levels and departments to participate if they have an idea that could benefit our customers. One of our Team Leaders showed up one day and proposed the idea and everyone thought it was an interesting concept. I think it’s a great example of why empowering everyone in an organization is an important part of the innovation process.
3. If Solidworks can be successful in delivering their product on this type of platform, what is the next step in this process?
I’ll be honest, we are really just trying to gather feedback from some of our users with respect to how useful they think the concept is. Internally we have come up with many uses that we think would be valuable both to our users as well as our resellers. The idea looks promising but at the moment we do not have any official plans to develop it for the masses. So the next step at this point is to monitor the usage, collect feedback from our users and VAR’s and evaluate the data.
4. Some people will say that this is just a gimmick or sales tool meant to get Solidworks nerds and geeks excited about nothing. How do you respond to that?
We’ll I think we would want to separate the concept in general, and what we did for some of the CSWP’s at SolidWorks World. I think the concept in general (being able to access Solidworks when your not at your Desktop) is a very interesting concept that I think we are going to explore it further. The initial feedback that I have received is that it would be something of value to our customers.
The reason we gave some out at SolidWorks World was two fold. First, our users have been telling us for years that they recommend our software to others they know. We know this and understand that there is both a benefit to our users to do so and obviously it benefits SolidWorks as a business. In talking to our users they have told us that it would be useful for them to have a portable version of SolidWorks and that just one of the ways they would use it would be to show the software to others. So one of the reasons we passed them out was to see if people did in fact use it in this way. We’re simply trying to help enable what is already occurring today and has been occurring for years. Word of mouth is obviously an important part of growing the SolidWorks community. We appreciate the fact that this is happening and is why when we gave out the USB drives we also introduced a new rewards program so that we can start rewarding people for sharing their passion for SolidWorks software and 3D CAD in general.
Another reason we did this was simply to start getting some feedback as to weather or not this would be something of value and hear how people might use a tool like this. We want to know what people think.
So, there might be a third reason. It’s a cool giveaway, and I’ve got plenty of that feedback so far.
5. During his press conference, John Hirstick noted that he believes one of the future goals of 3D Cad is to deliver a product that is 100% web based meaning you don’t install anything, you go to a website, login and have access to the interface much like Google or Yahoo mail. Is this a first step in heading in that direction for Solidworks?
Although we don’t have any firm plans with respect to the USB drives I think it is a step in that direction in many ways, sure. I think installing software is just something we have grown accustom to, I think a time will come when we just don’t need that step any more. I know I’ve said this a few times earlier but my biggest interest right now is to get feedback and is the reason I gave out my direct e-mail address with every drive. Obviously having managed that project I am passionate about it but see no reason to limit our thinking to having to use a storage device.
6. Finally, is there any other fun stuff like Solidworks on a stick in development right now that we can all look forward too?
I can only speak for the projects that I’m managing directly but I know there are plenty of innovative ideas under development so I am confident you will see some other exciting concepts as time goes on. I can tell you that I am going to be focusing on the SolidWorks community and creating things of value for everyone involved. I personally have some exciting projects planned and really want to focus on bringing our users in early in the design phases to ensure we introduce things of great value. Talking with our users and getting them involved is one of my favorite things to do. There is so much passion out there.

Print screen tip from within SolidWorks

2007-12-10T13:18:00.000Z

Most people are familair with the Print Screen key that exists on most keyboards and this is a quick way to capture your windows screen and copy it to the clipboard.

Alternately you can hold down your key while clicking the Print Screen button to have only the currently select Window copied to the clipboard.

The Screen capture icon in SolidWorks behaves much like the Print Screen with key but it excludes the SolidWorks user interface and only captures the SolidWorks window (viewport).

This can be a tremendous time saver, especially when needing to quickly capture a view of your SolidWorks model and paste it to another document or to a photo editing program like PhotoShop.

The Screen Capture function can be found in SolidWorks 2007 and later just underneath Menu/View at the top of your SolidWorks interface

Keeping track of what changed when

2007-12-10T13:06:00.000Z

Many times in the course of modifying designs you look at two versions of a design and wonder…. ‘…these look exactly alike – what’s changed?...”

You could have kept a log of changes in the Design Binder or if you use PDMWorks you could have noted what changed when you checked the new version into the vault. But, in the rush to ‘get the job done’, these tasks often get missed.

Not to worry! Use SolidWorks Utilities (Part of Office Professional) to ‘compare’ features and provide the ability to view differences between designs. These compare utilities include:

Compare Documents. Compares the properties of two SolidWorks documents (including two configurations of the same model or different PDMWorks versions).

You can compare two documents of the same type, or of different types. This utility identifies differences in file properties, document properties, and so on.

Compare Features. Identifies differences in solid features between two versions of the same part. This utility identifies unique and modified features in both versions of the part.

Compare Geometry. Identifies geometric differences between two versions of the same part. This utility identifies unique and modified faces in both parts. It also computes the common volume of the two parts (or assemblies) and the volume of material added and material removed.

These handy tools can save you from doing tedious forensic analysis of complex designs. To learn more about this capability simply review the SolidWorks on-line help topic ‘SolidWorks Utilities’.