SolidWorks World Archives - Page 15 of 26

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.

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.

InspectionXpert for SolidWorks achieves Gold Partner status

Extensible CAD Technologies LLC recently declared that InspectionXpert® for SolidWorks has just achieved Certified Gold Partner status with DS SolidWorks Corp. They state,

With this certification awarded on January 7^th, InspectionXpert for SolidWorks becomes the first Certified Gold Partner application for automating quality inspection documentation that is fully integrated into SolidWorks® software.

InspectionXpert enables users to access inspection dimensions directly from their SolidWorks drawings, create ballooned inspection drawings, and export to an inspection report form. The technology should help users reduce manual processes, reduce errors, and save the time it takes to create inspection documentation for first article, in-process, and final inspections.

InspectionXpert for SolidWorks 2011 interface

As noted, Extensible CAD Technologies will be demonstrating InspectionXpert SolidWorks World 2011. As with many other products being shown next week, I’ll try to get a chance to check out their demonstration.

Subtractive rapid prototyping to be demonstrated at SolidWorks World 2011

According to a recent announcement, Roland DGA Corp. and MecSoft Corp. are teaming up at SolidWorks World 2011 to demonstrate a new design-to-part workflow for Subtractive Rapid Prototyping (SRP) technology that “[offers] several advantages over 3D printers.” This workflow combines VisualMILL for SolidWorks CAM software from MecSoft with Roland MDX milling machines that provides a “powerful solution for producing parts and prototypes from a wide range of non-proprietary materials including aluminum, ABS, Acetal, Nylon, acrylic, polycarbonate, wood, plaster and polystyrene.” I’m interested. What will they show at their demonstration? Rapid prototyping has become very important in recent years as companies of all types are seeking to find ways to bring their products to market quickly in order to remain competitive.

As I’ve noted over the years, there are not many CAM applications that run within SolidWorks. VisualMILL for SolidWorks is fully integrated inside SolidWorks as a Gold Partner. This allows Roland MDX users to process their parts in a familiar design environment. This also means that programming can be done inside of SolidWorks instead of going through an error prone file conversion process.

I’m not necessarily sold on this idea yet. I’ve not personally seen effective use of alternatives to 3D printers. But it is interesting to see an integration between a rapid prototyping technology with a CAM package. I’ll try to check out their demonstration at SolidWorks World 2011 next week and provide additional details here as appropriate.

My SolidWorks World 2011 presentation

I’ve first attended SolidWorks World in 2008 in San Diego, CA as a customer. At SolidWorks World 2009 and 2010, I attended as a member of the Press. In 2010, I participated on the panel in the Stump the Chumps II breakout session. My short debut as a co-presenter was less than glorious but not terribly horrible.

At SolidWorks World 2011 in San Antonio, TX, I will be presenting my first breakout session, Establishing CAD standards within SolidWorks environment. The session will be on Monday 24 at 2:45PM (local time), scheduled in room 202 of the convention center. (All sessions may be viewed at the SolidWorks World 2011 website.) My breakout session is one hour long and will discuss the general areas that require documentation which are essential for establishing company CAD standards within an engineering environment that utilizes SolidWorks.

This session will cover as much as I can in one hour. There will be a discussion on procedure writing techniques, important considerations when establishing standards, and the types of documents that should be written. I will offer some specific advice, but the breakout session will focus on the big picture by providing a general road map for creating and maintaining your own CAD standards.

Monday is a busy day for many attendees. Even still, I’m hopefully that many will join me for my breakout session.