Texas Archives - SolidWorks Legion

Houston User Group Meeting

I enjoy opportunities to visit SOLIDWORKS users. My previous trip found me in St. Louis. Recently, I visited the Houston. While in Houston, I was able to present at the Houston SOLIDWORKS User Group at their meeting on June 13, 2023. Joe Lance is the leader of the user group. He was instrumental in setting up and running the meeting. Also, he also gave me sound advice for my travel arrangements in Houston. Additionally, I was also able to connect with several customers and resellers during my trip.

I actually gave two separate presentations at the user group meeting!

My first presentation covered the topic of xDrawing and the associated Manufacturing Definition Creator Role on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The benefits of xDrawing are numerous, not least of which is the flexibility to create drawings and MBD product definition from the same data set, so work is not duplicated when creating either, and so that data always matches between these different methods.

My second presentation followed a break and interlude where Joe Lance gave out swag to attendees. Joe gave away lot of great SOLIDWORKS themed items! The topic for my second presentation was about the Product Definition team and how we work to make sure we keep our customers at the forefront of the decision-making process for SOLIDWORKS products. This presentation was impromptu, without slides nor firm outline.

Exploring the Town

Overall, this trip was a little shorter with a more tightly packed schedule. As such, I didn’t get much time to explore Houston. There are some sites/sights I was able to squeeze in, such as a visit to the Space Center Houston and an evening at Saint Arnold Brewing Company.

Replica Space Shuttle Independence and an actual Space Shuttle Aircraft, Boeing 747

I did discover a good breakfast crepe at Melange Crêperie. Are there more hidden gems in Houston? Another trip back may be in order at some point.

Austin trip to meet customers

Austin, TX has long been on my todo list for work travel. There are a lot of great SOLIDWORKS customers in the Austin region. Come last week, my long awaited plans came to fruition. This was a busy trip.

Visited several customers in both San Antonio and Austin.
Conducted a limited Alpha Test and received a lot of great feedback.
Presented at the local SOLIDWORKS User Group: CTSWUG

Central Texas SOLIDWORKS User Group meeting in Austin — Full house at the CTSWUG on April 17, 2019.

User Group Meeting and Support

My presentation at the user group meeting covered the topic of Model-based Definition in the context of SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS MBD. It’s a topic I’ve presented many times. (NASWUG, NSWG and SWW17)

Jeremy Browning also presented a lively demonstration that evening on how to model in a manner that utilizes SOLIDWORKS tools with maximum efficiency and resiliency.

Thank you to Nadia Shea and Jeremy Browning for their efforts of support during my visit. Also, thank you to Steve Calvert for his efforts, including the change of the date for their user group meeting to suit my travel.

Also, While in Town

While in town, I was able to indulge local flavor (literally); perhaps a bit too much.

Shrimp and a variety of bruschetta,
Brisket, Ribs, Cole Slaw and Sweet Potate Mash
Ribs, Brisket, Sausage and Corn Casserole
Pork Shoulder, Sausage, Beans and Cole Slaw

There was also a chance to take in a few of the regional sights and sounds from time to time, of course.

Great Trip!

However, the focus of these trips is to interact with SOLIDWORKS customers. This allows us to learn from our users about how we can improvement our products to better suit their needs in future releases. In this regard, this trip was a great success! Thank you to everyone who meet with me and participated in the local SOLIDWORKS events!

SolidWorks World 2011: San Antonio, TX

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
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

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