Complaints Archives - SolidWorks Legion

SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten List is now open for Idea submissions

From the SolidWorks Forums:
It is the time of the year to start preparing for SolidWorks World 2014. To start things off we are looking for your input in creating the SolidWorks World Top Ten List. This is a list of your ideas for enhancements to future versions of SolidWorks. The top rated ideas are reviewed at the SolidWorks World 2014 General Session on Wednesday 1/29/2014. These ideas provide guidance for future developments in SolidWorks. You can see a majority of the ideas from former SolidWorks World Top Ten lists implemented now in the SolidWorks product. You do not have to be an attendee of SolidWorks World 2014 to submit your ideas.

Starting on Wednesday, October 31 2013; the list will be open for idea generations and discussion only. To participate in the SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten list access the SolidWorks World 2014 section of the discussion forum and click the “Ideas” tab or click the “SolidWorks Top Ten List” button (you have to be logged into the Forums). During this period any customer can submit ideas and comment on existing ideas, but you will not yet be able to cast any votes. Since we will receive so many responses, please be sure to search through existing ideas to see if someone has already submitted the same idea. In this case, please comment on the existing idea rather than creating a duplicate idea.

Starting Monday, December 16, 2013 the webpage will be closed to new idea generation and will be opened up for voting. When voting, you are allowed to up or down vote as many ideas as you like. Voting will close on Wednesday, January 15, 2014.

Whether or not you are attending SolidWorks World 2014 in San Diego, this is an easy way to tell us how you use SolidWorks and how we can improve it to meet your needs. So please start thinking of what new functionality you would like to see, participate in the SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten List and we will hopefully see you at SolidWorks World 2014 in San Diego.

SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten List

Meet the SolidWorks Product Definition Team at SolidWorks World 2013

SolidWorks has a team dedicated to finding out how SolidWorks products can be improved and expanded to suit the needs of existing and potential customers. This team is Product Definition. This is what I do at SolidWorks. We work hard to communicate with our customers via various means. We are the team that answers your Enhancement Requests submitted through your SolidWorks Customer Portal. We don’t take a break during SolidWorks World. In fact, this is one of our busiest times.

If you are attending SolidWorks World 2013, be sure to stop by our booth to talk to us about how we can improve SolidWorks products for you. If you want to talk about large assemblies, the new electrical product, costing, drawings, parts, features, missing functionality, etc, feel free to tell us. We utilize customer feedback to help decide how best to improve and expand SolidWorks products. Our booth will be in the Northern Foyer for the Hemispheres Ballroom at the Dolphin Hotel.

Fake Geek Girls vs. Real Geek Girls?

As we lead into SolidWorks World 2013, a land of geekdom if there ever was one, an interesting meme is making its rounds on the Internet. There seems to be a bunch of hoopla about “fake geek girls”. What’s a fake geek girl? Apparently Urban Dictionary doesn’t have an entry for it yet (as of today, anyway). Umm, I did find a definition at some site called Geek Feminism Weekly (whatever that’s supposed to mean…kinda sounds like random words thrown together that only vaguely represent what it really is, similar to California Pizza Kitchen.) Anyway, their definition for fake geek girl is:

Fake geek girls – allegedly women who show up at geek events, possibly while hot, with not enough geek cred for you.

This all seems to have started with an article on Forbes (Really, Forbes? Yes, Forbes.) called Dear Fake Geek Girls: Please Go Away. In this article, the author talks about being a “geeky girl” growing up and how she now sees “pretentious females” now posing as geeks when they haven’t put the time in to justify the claim.

What’s with all the hate? In fact, why are girls singled out as being fake geeks (especially by other woman) for being posers? I think a commenter on a recent article by @Mikeynerd says it well (Fake Geek Girls),

The Fake Geek Girl thing bugs me. Because I do feel there is an underlying sexism at play.

If someone is a poser, then it doesn’t matter if they are a woman or man. But, is it even bad to be a poser? Isn’t a poser just someone whose trying to figure out what everyone else already knows? Aren’t they really an outcast too? As outcasts trying to fit it, doesn’t that make them more geeky (since being a social outcast is technically a major component of geekdom)? The answers to this series of rhetorical questions are as follows: no, yes, yes, and yes.

I’m going to go out on a limb to reveal information about SolidWorks World 2013 ahead of time. Don’t tell Dassault Systemes that I’m revealing this secret to you! The secret: men will outnumber women at SolidWorks World 2013. Not by a little, but by a lot! I’m going to bet that most woman who attend this conference with a full pass are as geeky if not more so than most of the men who attend. In fact, many of the men who attend this conference are prolly fake geek dudes by comparison. But, that’s all OK! We are all there to interact, learn, share, teach, and connect in a mutually supportive (and sometimes fun and exciting) environment to gain a higher level of geekdom (value).

Resource: Guide to submitting Enhancment Requests for SolidWorks

I wrote up an article on the SolidWorks Blog a couple weeks ago. It can be used as a resource to guide users to the area where they can submit their requests to improve SolidWorks. The article is called Need SolidWorks to do more? The article covers how to submit bugs and enhancement reqeusts.

Briefly, users should submit bugs to VAR. A VAR can quickly determine if the bug is known or unknown and how best to address it.

Requests for new functionatality in SolidWorks (known as Enhancement Requests) may be submitted through the Customer Portal on the SolidWorks website. However, always check to see if someone already has submitted a similar request, so you can vote for theirs instead.

If your request is for new functionality in SolidWorks, the first place to search is the Knowledge Base in the Customer Portal. The Knowledge Base has quick how-to instructions. It also has a list of outstanding enhancement requests from other customers.

Anyway, I invite you to check out the article. It thoroughly covers the submission process.

New in SolidWorks 2012: Improved placement of Section View Labels (Another one not mentioned in “What’s New”! )

In previous versions of SolidWorks, when you attempted to move the Section View letter by clicking on it and dragging, very strong soft snaps would often force the location of the letter to fall into one of two set locations around the Section View cutting plane line arrow. The snaps seemed even stronger if you were zoomed out a bit.

In SolidWorks 2012, users now have more intuitive control over the the placement of a Section View letter when they wish to move it. The two snap locations are not nearly so strong. It is still very easy to place a letter at one of the two locations by dragging and hovering the letter over the arrow tip or the bend in the cutting plane line. However, it is also much easier if you want to place the letter at a different location; particularly when you are zoomed out.

This improved functionality will help users that like their Section View letters to appear at alternative locations for style or maybe because of a very busy drawing with limited space.

SolidWorks World 2012 is on Valentine’s Day (luvification letter included)

Heart

The following humorous article has been re-posted closer to SolidWorks World 2012 as requested by several individuals. Use in good health and good luck!

Yes, it is true. SolidWorks World 2012 will be from February 13-15, 2012. It’s on Valentine’s Day! Maybe SolidWorks Corp is trying to schedule the event around other major conferences in southern California? Maybe someone didn’t think about the fact that many of us not only have to get approval from our boss at work, but now we have to get special approval from our boss at home?

Well, SolidWorks Corp has decided to help out. They created a new justification, or luvification, letter to help potential SolidWorks World 2012 attendees get approval from their spouses to be away on Valentine’s Day.

From their new weblink:

DS SolidWorks Corporation understands that SolidWorks World 2012 will fall on Valentines Day in 2012. Unfortunately, scheduling around other major events in southern California, such as the MD&M show, requires us to push our conference into mid-February next year. We are sympathetic to the many spouses that may be away from their loved-ones on Valentines Day. This justification, or luvification, letter was written to aid in getting spousal approval for attending SolidWorks World 2012.

SolidWorks World Luvification Letter

Dear madam or sir,

I am writing to you [spouse’s name here], who I love, to request permission to attend the SolidWorks World 2012. It is highly important that I attend this significant event because I believe the conference’s opportunities for technical training and networking with SolidWorks users worldwide can help me accelerate my career. In turn, that will help me bring home more bacon (and other such required groceries).

Don’t worry about me enjoying myself. I’ll be too busy with more than 150 technical training sessions and three long General Sessions. Then there’s the Special Event where I will congregate with other individuals who are missing their spouses. Yes, dear, I will miss you something fierce. The pain and agony of being away from you on Valentines Day will not be bareable. Therefore, the very next weekend, I’m taking you on a very special trip to [insert appropriate location and activities here] without the kids.

Thank you in advance for your consideration, and please let me know if you need additional information on specific conference opportunities and activities. I look forward to your positive response to my request.

With great love,

[insert your pitiful name here]

I originally posted this “luvification letter” in the SolidWorks Forum. And in case someone missed it, this is a joke. 🙂