It should be noted (disclaimer)

As noted in my FTC 16 CRF Part 255 notice on the sidebar of this website, the authors who contribute to this site are sometimes included in events where DS SolidWorks Corp. pays for expenses (such as conference passes or accommodations).  We receive no payments (quid pro quo or otherwise) for any content of this website.  In the case of SolidWorks World 2010, I (Matthew Lorono) received a Press Pass (which gives me access to most areas of Conference, including meals) and hotel accommodations, which allowed me to cover this event.  However, it should be noted that I did not receive compensation for all of my normal experiences.  Chris Saller, who also wrote about SolidWorks World 2010, did not receive anything directly from SolidWorks Corp., and only attended with a Guest Pass that he procured via a third party on his own.  Each contributor is solely responsible for the content they add; at no time are we obliged to others for that content.

I did forget to add this information as a reminder during the SolidWorks World 2010 event this year.  These types of notices are something that are now being enforced per FTC 16 CRF Part 255.  This type of notice will now be integral to any blog postings where disclosure is necessary.  As my long time readers may know, I am a believer in disclosure and I attempt to be almost painfully forthright about these kinds of details.

Drawing: Detail View with blank detail circle

**UPDATE Sept 2016**

As with many old tips for SOLIDWORKS, this old tip is now outdated.  As of SOLIDWORKS 2017, there is an option for detail and crop views within their PropertyManager called “No outline” that allows you to turn off the view outline.  No more need for the fancy workaround below.

 

**Original post, now outdated**

An interesting drawing question recently came up on the SolidWorks Forum.  How does one create a detail view were the detail circle is hidden?  Jennifer Reid gets props for coming up with a great solution for newer versions of SolidWorks (I’ve modified her original post for clarity):

  1. Open the document that will have the blank detail circles.
  2. Go to toolbar Tools>Options>Document Properties tab>Line Style.
  3. Click the New button.
  4. In the Line styles field, name the new line style something like “None”.
  5. Create new line styleIn the Line length and spacing values field, enter “A,-1,-1”.
  6. If desired, Save the new line.  This is not necessary.
  7. Click OK button to apply this new line to this document.
  8. Then goto toolbar Tools>Options>Document Properties tab>View Labels>Detail
  9. Set Circle and Border to the blank line that was just created.  (It shows up as a blank line at the bottom of the line style drop down lists.)
  10. Click OK to apply changes.
  11. On the drawing, ignore the dashed line for the detail circle and detail border.  This is just a guide that does not appear when the drawing is printed.

The full conversation is found here.

Victim of my own moderate success

SolidWorks Legion has been under the weather recently. It’s been a victim of it’s own moderate success. It’s not been cyber attacked (that I know of…though I’m sure I would’ve noticed a serious attempt). It’s just been a combination of increased visitors and me adding too many WordPress bells and whistles. So, I apologize to readers who may have come to our site during the many times it was down in the past few days. Hopefully the issues that lead to the crashing of this site are under control for now.

SolidWorks World 2010 short photo log

Photos really don’t do SolidWorks World justice.  As James Cameron said last week, “I believe in the physical present of the observer”.  Well, that doesn’t stop us “observers” from providing photos of our experiences.

Dassault Systemes and SolidWorks leaders
These are Dassault Systemes and SolidWorks leaders having their moment and taking some heat at the press conference following Wednesday's General Session announcements about the company's new cloud computing approach.
Alex and his new friend
Alex and his new friend
Some late evening good times
Some late evening good times
ESPN Disneyland Downtown
ESPN Disneyland Downtown
Infinite Z showing off their new toy
Infinite Z showing off their new toy
Dr. Mike North, Alex and I at the CSWP event
Dr. Mike North, Alex and I at the CSWP event
Solido proud of their new 3D plotter rapid prototyping device
Solido proud of their new 3D plotter rapid prototyping device

SolidWorks World 2011: San Antonio, TX

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center

SolidWorks World 2011 will be held in San Antonio, TX, from Jan 23 to Jan 26, 2011.  To highlight this new location, I’m going to give a few facts about this historic city.

Facts

  • Named for Portuguese Saint Anthony of Padua.
  • On average, it has three hundred days of sunshine annually and an average temperature of 70 degrees.
  • Average January temperature is 62 degrees.
  • More than 26 million people visit San Antonio each year.

    Tower of the Americas
    Tower of the Americas
  • It is Texas’ second-largest city and the seventh largest U.S. city
  • It is one of the fastest-growing cities in America.
  • There were 2,808.5 persons per square mile in 2000.
  • Almost 60%  residents are of Hispanic or Latin heritage.
  • It is site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.
  • San Antonio Zoo is the third largest in the U.S., with over 3,500 animals including 230 endangered species.
  • It is the home of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs
  • Tommy Lee Jones resides in Terrell Hills, TX, a town near San Antonio
  • Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade, was from San Antonio
  • Monterrey, Mexico is a sister city

Major attractions

  • The San Antonio Botanical Gardens and Conservatory
  • Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum
  • El Mercado (old Mexican marketplace)
  • Aztec On The River (restored historic 1926 movie palace)
  • Enchanted Springs Ranch (authentic old west 19th-century town used for westerns)
  • The San Antonio Zoo
  • SeaWorld San Antonio
  • Six Flags Fiesta Texas
  • Buckhorn Saloon & Museum
  • Casa Navarro State Historical Park
  • San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
  • Japanese Tea Gardens
  • Brackenridge Park
  • Tower of the Americas
SeaWorld San Antonio
SeaWorld San Antonio
The Alamo
The Alamo
San Antonio River Walk
San Antonio River Walk

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I’m looking forward to having a great time in San Antonio, TX!

SolidWorks World 2010: other (non-cloud) annoucements

General Session audience
General Session audience

With all the news and promotion of SolidWorks, Enovia and cloud computing, some other announcements might’ve gotten lost in the background.

Attendance

SolidWorks World 2010 had a higher than expected attendance of over 5000 people.  This despite a cut of the number of SolidWorks employees who attended.

Certified users

There are now over 25,000 certified SolidWorks users.  This includes both Certified SolidWorks Associates (CSWA) and Certified SolidWorks Professionals (CSWP).

The new weldment exam was promoted.  Additionally, a new level of achievement was announced, called Certified SolidWorks Expert (CSWE).  This new certification level will require several other advanced certifications before being eligible to earn this recognition. More information about this exam may be found at its new webpage.SWR415_th_bottle

Shop online

Another interesting announcement was that of a new online SolidWorks store.  There’s not a whole lot of stuff there right now.  It’s still worth at least a look.

Quotation

A comment about SolidWorks 2010 made by some guy named Matt Lorono was quoted by Jeff Ray during the General Session on Monday.

There’s something different about SolidWorks 2010.  It’s hard to put my finger on it.  It just seems to be a little …oh I don’t know… snappier or peppier.

Profiled companies

Because so much time was spent talking about cloud computing, there was less focus on customer success stories this year.  Skyventure, Cummfy Banana, Infinite Z, and Canon Mixed Reality where all profiled.  All of them are very interesting, if not outright entertaining.

SWUGN Awards

  • User Group of the Year – New Hampshire SolidWorks User Group, award accepted by their leader, Cindy Berend
  • User Group Leader of the Year – Anne Yust, leader of Twin Cities Simulation User Group
  • SWUGN Lifetime Achievement Award – Rodney Hall, of Catawba Valley SolidWorks User Group