See if you can stump the chumps with your SolidWorks questions at our session in SolidWorks World 2010:
Also, if you have files to submit as part of your question, please email your question and files to stumpthechumps@gmail.com.
Based on my recent unscientific research, SolidWorks seems like it is an easy application to learn. In one poll, I asked for preference of educational choices for new employees not familiar with SolidWorks. A second poll asked how current users actually learned SolidWorks. The results are a little surprizing.
Of the respondents to the first poll, just slightly over 50% said they would teach SolidWorks to new employees on the job by mentoring them. Just under 50% said they would send their employee to VAR classes.
In the second poll, the overwhelming majority stated that they are self-taught in the use of SolidWorks. Some questions comes to mind. If SolidWorks is so easy to learn, do the VAR classes serve any purpose? Or, is it that the VAR classes are so ineffective that one is forced to learn on their own?
My own experience in sending new employees to VAR taught introductory SolidWorks classes have yielded mixed results. They do not seem effective in many cases. In fact, the VAR classes actually seem to be turning off some individuals to the use of SolidWorks. It may be that there is just too much information crammed into the short 3 to 5 day courses.
SolidWorks is easy enough to learn without classes. Classes should simply be used to provide a head start. Instead, in some cases they seem to have the opposite effect. Maybe the classes need to be broken down a bit. Perhaps the introductory class can take a slower pace and focus on core skills over the 3 days. Then, more complex skills can be taught in an intermediate class over another 3 days. (The current advanced classes offered by VARs would likely remain the same.)
In a previous article, I recently asked for the opinions of others about the best methods to train new employees for SolidWorks. So far, the response is split between “on the job training with a mentor” and “VAR taught introductory courses”. This is a bit of a surprize given the emphasis placed on VAR based training these days. Do others question of the value of VAR training? Is it effective? Or, is VAR training just not worth the costs or the time away from work? My own experience is that VAR training classes do not necessarily give the best benefit to new users.
The responses made me curious about something else. How did current SolidWorks users learn the software?
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SolidWorks doesn’t just make CAD software. They also make Yahoo! Widgets. One cool widget from SolidWorks Labs is Watchit Widget. This widget tracks when changes to watched files. When Watchit detects a change, it populates its window with information about that file. This is useful in environments where two or three CAD users are sharing files in a single network folder. I think this is the intended use. As a bonus, this widget is also good for CAD Administrators who want to make sure network locations for support files are kept intact, as it not only tracks files, but also whole folders. The admin can track if additions are placed into the Materials Database folder (say from materials downloaded from Matweb.com). Such notification would allow the admin to then take that file and incorporate it into the company’s material database. It would also allow the admin to detect if some user has “accidentally” modified the SolidWorks template file.
Note, it might seem that this sort of application works best if placed in a corner in the “second” monitor of a dual monitor computer system.
Yesterday, SolidWorks Customer Portal announced that SolidWorks 2010 SP0.0 is now available for download and installation. eDrawings, SolidWorks Explorer and SolidWorks Viewer 2010 SP0.0 are also available. May the early adopters find great success in their upgrading endeavors!
In a recent article, I expressed concerns about the current state of PDM, especially for SolidWorks. There were particular questions posed regarding the long term outlook for Enterprise PDM. The concern is that Dassault Systemes’ plan for PDM solutions may be different than SolidWorks Corp. If that is the case, the Enterprise PDM may not be viable long term solution.
My worries where not allayed in a recent presentation by Noam Ktalav of Dassault Systemes (DS). He was asked about where Enterprise PDM fits into the DS product offerings. His answer didn’t fully address the question. Instead, he talked about Enovia and its scalability. Needless to say, official word regarding Enterprise PDM from DS is very mixed.
This prompted me to contact SolidWorks Corp for a clearer picture, as least from their perspective. Jeff Ray, CEO of SolidWorks Corp, was able to provide some interesting insights. He exclaimed that statements from DS about Enterprise PDM are mixed. Ray did offer hope that something is being done about this.
[There is a] very intensive effort between SolidWorks and Enovia for a clear road map.
SolidWorks Corp is working hard to lay out a clear plan for its customers. Ray discussed the need for a long term strategy. SolidWorks Corp does not want to force a decision on customers that may eventually lead to a dead end. This would bad for SolidWorks Corp, bad for reputation of individuals who relied on the solutions offered by SolidWorks Corp, and bad for the companies that implemented those solutions. Instead, Ray declared,
We need to give people a scalable answer.
Ray then stated that he wants to optimize the user experience and “hide the plumbing” of the software. He doesn’t want to let technology get in the way of the user experience. He elaborated that users shouldn’t have to be IT experts or even require extensive reliance upon IT departments just to manage their data.
So, a solution that will address Enterprise PDM’s place in the DS universe is coming. As to the when and in what form? Answers will be forthcoming soon.
During my interview with Ray, I also asked about SolidWorks Workgroups PDM (aka PDMWorks). He clarified that development of the application has hit the limits of the technology behind it. It is not worth the effort to continue to extensively develop the application further. He stated that SolidWorks Corp will continue to support Workgroups PDM and any customers that choose to use it, but that the limitations of the application need to be clearly explained.
