Jeff Ray talks about Chilean miner rescue at SolidWorks World 2011 general session

Jeff Ray, former CEO of SolidWorks Corp, opened up SolidWorks World 2011.  He profiled several companies that were involved in the rescue of the Chilean miners.  The common thread for each those companies is the fact that they design their products with SolidWorks.  Schramm produces drill rigs, including the drilling of the first hole that found the miners.  Center Rock Inc made the drill bits used in the rescue operation.  Oakley provided special sunglasses to protect the miners’ retinas when they first come up from the mines.

Jeff Ray opens for SolidWorld Works 2011

Bertrand Sicot then came on stage to thank Jeff Ray for his 7 1/2 years of service to SolidWorks.

News on DraftSight adoption stats

During the Monday General Session of SolidWorks World 2011, Bertrand Sicot (new CEO of SolidWorks Corp) announced that DraftSight, the newest 2D CAD offering from Dassault Systemes, has over 300,000 downloads to date.  There has been about 66,000 activations so far.  In 6 months, 16,000 new people have joined the DraftSight Community.  He charactorized this as the most successful CAD launch in history.

SolidWorks World 2011 Monday General Session

What a difference a year makes.  Or, more to the point, what difference did the past year make in terms of SolidWorks news?  This year, the new CEO of SolidWorks, Bertrand Sicot, made a brief statement to clarify the announcements about cloud direction for the company.

We will always have a desktop CAD.

It will never be an either/or choice for you.

Sicot made a sincere effort to clearly state that a destktop version of SolidWorks will always be available.  However, I’ve seen companies make promises and statements all the time, then change their plans, sometimes the next day.  Even still, I’m glad to see the clarification from Sicot. 

It appears they will continue to develop down the path to eventually offer CAD as a service over the Internet (commonly referred to by the term cloud or Software as a Service in some contexts).  At SolidWorks World 2010, the word cloud was spoken an uncountable number of times.  So far at SolidWorks World 2011, the word cloud has not been spoken by any SolidWorks representative.  What a difference a year makes.

Well, finally on my way to SWW11

I’m finally on my way to SolidWorks World 2011.  Its been almost year since SolidWorks World 2010, but it sure doesn’t feel like it.  Right now, I’m in the San Diego, CA airport waiting for the next plane on my way to San Antonio, TX.

SolidWorks Corp provides me with Press access to SolidWork World.  Though some of my expenses are not covered, they do cover my basic hotel costs for this trip, as well as some ground transportation.  My Press pass also includes normal items given to all full conference pass attendees, such as some meals and swag.

This article was published from my Android smartphone over Sprint network.   I love that I’m not tied to wifi hotspots, even when they are present. Also, I’m not bringing a big and bulkly laptop this year.  No more 20 pound monster on my shoulder.  Instead, I’m bringing an inexpensive and light weight notebook.

Over this upcoming week, I’ll blog mostly about SolidWorld World, but there may also be an article or two about some personal experiences that aren’t directly related to the conference (like details about my visits to tourist spots). 

In general, I’m going to try to have a slower pace this year, to attend more breakout sessions.  This means that I may spread out some of my SolidWorks World articles over two or three weeks.

More ways to keep track of updates from SolidWorks World 2011

Yesterday, I mentioned the Flickr group for SolidWorks World 2011.   There are actually many media outlets that are available to keep us informed about the conference (is it really just a few days away?).

  • DS SolidWorks Blog – SolidWorks World 2011 topics
  • SolidWorks blogosphere (many diverse and independent perspectives)
  • Professional press online magazines and blogs (no organized list is available, but here’s some good places to start: WorldCAD Access and Deelip.com)
  • Follow DS SolidWorks on Twitter, follow SolidWorks World 2011 account on Twitter, and follow me on Twitter
  • SolidWorks World 2011 hashtag #SWW11 on Twitter
  • SolidWorks World 2011 Flickr group
  • DS SolidWorks on YouTube channel
  • Facebook updates are also likely available if you’ve friended of any of the SolidWorks bloggers, though this resource may be a redundant to Twitter.
  • There is also the SolidWorks World iPhone App (sorry, no Android app this year but “maybe” next year):
     1) You must be operating on the iOS 4.2 If you need to upgrade your iOS version, simply
    plug your phone into iTunes to update.
    2) Visit the App Store from your iPhone or iPad
    2) Search for “SolidWorks World”
    3) Click “Free” and next Click “Install”
    4) Have instant access to important conference information at your finger tips!

Photos of SolidWorks World 2011

There is a lot of media outlets for keeinpg updated during SolidWorks World.  One that is particularly interesting is the Flickr group.  There are no photos posted just yet (save for the header image), but as the conference gets underway, this group will fill up with images of SolidWorks World 2011.  I recommend joining the SolidWorks World 2011 Flickr group and visiting often during the conference to see the latest photos.