SolidWorks Blogs & News

A favor to ask of all of you.

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:01:25 GMT

On my quest for world records I have come accross some great people. One of them is Roz Savage and she has rowed accross the Atlantic and is almost half way across the Pacific and about to land in Hawaii. She is doing this for the environment and so far has done this on donations alone. Here is the favor I ask of you. Please go to the Members Project for american express and vote for Roz to help her get the funding she needs to finish crossing the ocean and to help bring awareness to what we are doing to our planet. You do not have to have a american express card all you have to do is sign up as a guest member and vote. PLAEASE PLEASE do this for me will ya. Come on I provide this great site for free and I ask very little of you. Now I am just asking for a few moments of your time to help us saver our planet. SO GO VOTE!!!! And do it before Sept 1st. Sorry for the short notice but any vote helps.

Insert....
'It has been brought to my attention that some of you are not the "Environmental type" and that is fine but keep two things in mind. 1. Environmental or not we need to keep the planet clean and that is one of the benifits of this. 2. She has just about rowed two oceans and I would bet she could kick your butt, so vote or I will sick her on you :)'

Click HERE!

A favor to ask of all of you.

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:01:25 GMT

Solidworks 2009: Draft Analysis Tool

Mike Puckett — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Solidworks 2009 revamps the way that a few of the analysis tools work in the software. Of particular interest is the draft analysis tool. In past releases you were able to perform the analysis, and then exit the tool but no longer have access to the results. Solidworks 2009 moves the draft analysis feature off the tools menu, and places it on the view menu. There may be some confusion as to why, but it makes sense.

The tool itself is now found via: View > Display. Once inside the tool, it functions as normal. Once you click the ok button however, the colors from the draft results, and the numerical query feature is still available. In fact, you can start a sketch, and complete features while still having the draft results present:

Be aware that once you toggle the draft analysis button off, you will have to re-do the analysis to get the results back. Lets hope that in the future this could become a feature of sorts that could be toggled on and off somehow so as to always be available.

Escape Slow, Painful Death. Renewable Water and Power Designed in SolidWorks

Josh — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:34:25 GMT

There’s products that really add to the quality of life and then there’s products that can actually help you survive it.

Whether its months in the brambles of the desolate Australian interior or days spent escaping robot swarms the Ersa, renewable water and power generator is one item you’ll want in your pack.

It’s transportable, it’s made of ABS and it can save your pasty hide from dehydration.

The Ersa is designed by Scott Norrie of South Coogee, Australia. It’s his first entry in the Create the Future Design Contest. His weapons of choice are a pencil, paper, and SolidWorks.

This product makes sense on a lot of levels, but what I like about it is the idea of combining both water and power in a case you can lug around with you. I can see every humanoid citizen utilizing this even if they are not wandering the barren plains in search of other human survivors. It just makes sense. Take a look.

Disclosure: I do not know Scott. He didn’t contact to post this, but I would have if he did. You should also take a look at some of the other designs in the ‘Create the Future’ design contest. For some reason it seems like the ranking are based on pageviews, which I don’t mind at all helping out with.

3D scanning with a camera flash?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:08:59 GMT

Although this is not as accurate as Laser Scanning it is a really interesting way to 3D scan and it is almost too easy to believe. More info can be found at NewScientist

3D scanning with a camera flash?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:08:59 GMT

Although this is not as accurate as Laser Scanning it is a really interesting way to 3D scan and it is almost too easy to believe. More info can be found at NewScientist

It's Time To Vote....

Mike Puckett — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:21:36 GMT

Most, if not all of life's serious matters can be settled by voting in an online poll. In fact, hard hitting topics like "Will you buy People magazine with the Brad and Angelina baby pics", and "I would rather be President than win 8 gold medals", are discussed and voted on at this SITE.

So make your voice heard, and realize the impact of your online voting power today. Don't let those big corporate thugs get away with charging more for an issue of People just because Brad Pitt's baby is on the cover, we won't stand for it any longer!

Serving Up Hot and Spicy SolidWorks Subscription Service

Josh — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:31:19 GMT

Update: As of noon on Thursday August 28th, SolidWorks has rescinded the penalties that were soon to take affect. You can read the email that went out to the resellers and customer here. Good move on the PR side. SolidWorks is listening to the customers, plus the resellers don’t look like bad guys to the customers.

A bunch of us have been nibbling away like ~~happy~~ angry beavers about some new penalties that came out recently for not renewing you SolidWorks subscription support in a timely fashion.

You may not know, or even care, that there’s a $1295 cost, in addition to the $3995 price of the SolidWorks software, to receive support from your reseller, software updates, access to the Customer portal and more. The penalty is tacked on if you don’t pay the $1295 each year. So what?

The worst secenario
So, basically, you (your company) are paying $1295/seat for a new version of SolidWorks each year. Not so bad right? You stay current on your subscription, you get no penalties, all is well. And this is what most people do.

A small percent will renew a couple years later. Those people will have to pay $850/year plus the $1295. So two year later, you pay $2995 for the new version of SolidWorks. Four years later and you can buy a new license of SolidWorks.

A couple resellers have informed me that approximately 5% of regular users do not renew, but the resellers now have to explain the new penalties to 100% of the customers and the perception is that SolidWorks is a money-grubbing corporation that doesn’t care.

While I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that, I will say the subscription service, the penalties and the perception needs to be looked at, scrubbed, polished and set out on the rack to dry.

The vote
Matt Lombard has been covering this and has voting for the Subscription Service model you would like to see.

I know, this is about the most boring topic ever right. But I think you as users can have an affect. So go vote. This is all I’m gonna say about it, but I hope SolidWorks is listening to this and is willing to consider revamping the idea of Subscription Service and the perception that has gone along with it.

What’s your opinion? Is the $1295/license each year a big deal?

Happy Beaver Image from 3Dretro.com

Solidworks 2009: Create A Split Line In Simulation

Mike Puckett — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT

If you do Simulation work, setting up your model for the Simulation is critical. In this example we have a block with a mounting tab:

We want to figure out if that tab can withstand the necessary pressure that is going to be loaded onto it. We would typically apply a pressure load in the following manner:

The design of the part though calls for the load to only be applied on the tab portion of the part. At this point you would normally exit Simulation, and go create a split line. In Solidworks 2009, you can create that split line while in the Simulation tab:

Lets create our split line on the back face of this part:

The first step is to convert entities on the tab. and then close the sketch with a line. The result is:

At this point you click the create split button in the property manager and you will now have a separate face in which to apply your load:

SolidWorks Video Tip: 2009 Materials Database

Ricky Jordan — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:12:09 GMT

As I mentioned in my SolidWorks 2009 Enhancement Highlights, the Materials Database has been overhauled. Today we are going to take a closer look at the enhancements to the Database AND Interface along with some other tidbits. Let’s get started!

Many users in the past have defined materials using custom properties. In SolidWorks 2008 the ability to link the SolidWorks Material to custom properties was added which allowed for some efficient uses when it came to drawing production. At the beginning of this video tip you see how to set that property. Since the material library is much more complete now, I believe the importance of knowing about this option is greater than ever. The image below shows a preview of the property linking.

The Materials database now opens in a separate window. The SolidWorks Materials in the database are read-only. You can create Custom Materials which are fully customizable. One of the enhancements to the interface is how easy it is to use a SolidWorks Material to create Custom Materials with simple Copy/Paste operations. Creating Categories and folder structure is now much easier as well. If you use SolidWorks Simulation (formally called COSMOS) you probably are very familiar with the fact that the SolidWorks based Material list was not NEAR as extensive as the materials library found in the Simulation products. That is no longer the case. The SolidWorks based Materials have now been TRULY unified with the Simulation library which results in a MUCH larger material selection straight out of the box for SolidWorks Users. Those materials of course can be used in Simulations as it has in the past. The point is that there is no longer a need in the Simulation interface to look for a more expanded set of materials. The Favorites tab in the Materials database allows you to now control the items listed in the SolidWorks FeatureManager for quick selection (without having to open the database window). Previously this list was based on recent materials used. Below is a screenshot of the Materials interface.

Click on the image below to view the Video Tip.

Stay tuned….more to come!

Is it a Bolt or a Screw? (Nut jobs welcome)

fcsuper — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:46:41 GMT

The term bolt in plain English has many definitions as applied to the Engineering Principle. It can be the movable rod that slides into a socket to fasten a door. It is the portion of a lock that moves from and back to the case. It can be fastening rods, pins or screws, usually threaded to receive a nut.¹ Other mechanical items also carry this name, but the examples here are likely the most common. The common factor between each of these definitions is that there is an object (often rod-like) that is inserted into something else, often for the purpose of some sort of fastening. Given this broad definition, the question might be asked, when is a bolt called a screw? Not so fast!

Much like bolt, screw has many definitions in plain English. As applied to the Engineering Principle, a screw can be a fastener with a tapered shank and helical thread. It is also a threaded cylindrical rod that engages a threaded hole, and used to fasten in some fashion.² (Of course, there’s the famous Archimedes’ screw, which fastens nothing, but sure moves a lot of water uphill.) From the plain English definitions, one might say that ultimately all screws are bolts except for one strange caveat. Bolt, as a fastening rod, is made to receive a nut. From the definition for screw, it appears that screws are made to be driven into a threaded hole. But doesn’t a nut usually have a threaded hole? So where is the distinction?

As strange as it may seem, the distinction may simply be where the threaded fastener is torqued. It might be said a screw is normally torqued via its head, and a bolt is normally torqued via the applied nut. In this case, the decision whether to call the threaded fastener a bolt or a screw is based on how the fastener will normally be applied. This is the logical conclusion if one takes the plain English definitions at face value, and willfully ignores the fact that a having a nut does not magically turn a screw into a bolt, and not having a nut does not magically turn a bolt into a screw.

So, this leads into researching the topic further, having to go back to traditional applications within the Engineering Principle for these terms. The following is oft quoted:

Bolts are defined as headed fasteners having external threads that meet an exacting, uniform bolt thread specification (such as M, MJ, UN, UNR, and UNJ) such that they can accept a nontapered nut. Screws are defined as headed, externally-threaded fasteners that do not meet the above definition of bolts.

I will state that I’ve seen this quoted several times, but cannot find an attributable source. That aside, traditionally a bolt meets a particular uniform specification so that it can receive a nontapered standard nut. Screws are everything else (such as tapered screws that form their own thread during initial insertion). This would suggest that the terms bolt and screw are not interchangeable. In fact, one is not a subset of the other. It would also suggest that there is a major misuse of the term screw since almost everything labelled as a screw is really a bolt, according the above definition.

Looking for some formal definition might be of help here. Believe it or not, the U.S. Government has made an attempt at such in a document called What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Distinguishing Bolts from Screws.³ This document references ASME B18.2.1 1981 and Fastener Standards, 6th Edition as sources. I do not believe either of these standards are current, even though this government document is dated January 2008. The document authoritatively (note the sarcasm) goes on to define bolt and screw as if these standards provide a clear guidance regarding the matter of definitions.

Bolt – A bolt is an externally threaded fastener designed for insertion through the holes in assembled parts, and is normally intended to be tightened or released by torquing a nut.

Screw – A screw is an externally threaded fastener capable of being inserted into holes in assembled parts, of mating with a preformed internal thread or forming its own thread, and of being tightened or released by torquing the head.

You know what, those definitions do not seem all that unreasonable. Of course, the U.S. Government, being what it is, needs a 21 page document to make these two statements. (It makes comments on everything from the Internet to a plead for small businesses to rate agency responsiveness to small business needs.)

However, English is one of those funny languages where definition of words is not by decree, but rather by use. (I say this sarcastically since almost every language, except for a few like French and perhaps German, works in this way. Ironically, to the best of my limited knowledge about them, neither French nor German have separate words for bolt and screw, in this context.) How do many people use these terms? This is not a democracy. The majority has a say in this, but not exclusively. Definitions are added simply by many people using a word in a particular way (majority or not). So, the question points back to each of us. How have you used these terms? Is there a distinction, or are these synonyms?

In practice, when applied to threaded fasteners, my use of these terms may be simply this; a bolt is fastened with the use of a generic wrench; a screw is fastened with the use of some sort of dedicated driver, such as screw driver, hex head driver, Torx Plus driver, or torque driver. Ironically, even these basic definitions also have many exceptions, so even these are not universal. They certainly contradict the traditional definitions. They also do not provide any mechanically significant functional distinction. So, even though they may be commonly used, they do not provide any usefulness when classifying a threaded fastener.

As far as I can tell, there is no consensus on this issue. Whether a person calls a particular threaded fastener by the term bolt or screw seems to be fairly arbitrary these days. It is based more on personal preference, rather than any formal definition.

Orlando or Bust…Why You Need To Be There!

Jason — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:03:08 GMT

As many of you know by now the SolidWorks WORLD 2009 website is up and running and registration is open. Last year I did a series of posts on my attempts to get my employer to send me to San Diego for SolidWorks WORLD 2008. This year I am going to be doing a similar series with hopefully more insight now that I have been to one of these events.

The first step in any proposal is convincing yourself that it is worth the efforts and/or costs. There are many reasons to attend this annual event that SolidWorks hosts every year. Last year, before I had attended a SolidWorks WORLD before, I had an idea of what to expect but was completely unprepared for what I experienced as soon as I arrived in sunny San Diego. The buzz around the convention center and in the hotel that I stayed at was vibrant. I immediately felt that sense of community that I had heard so much about. Friendships that had been idle for a year being rekindled and friendships that were being made at that very moment. And this was just at the hotel. Being a part of a community such as this is a very, very big reason for you to attend SolidWorks WORLD 2009. I am sure that there are hundreds of business deals that develop each year because of a relationship that was built at SolidWorks WORLD. This event is a great way to give your company a face in a community/market that is growing at unbelievable rates. This is just 1 of many reasons to attend. Where else can you go where you can communicate with any and all of the blog squad, or Jeff Ray (CEO of SolidWorks), or Jon Hirschtick (1 of guys that started SolidWorks) or any of the SolidWorks employees. One thing that I found out last year was that everyone is open to talk to. There are not security guards escorting the CEO around, he is walking amongst everyone else.

What better a place to advance your SolidWorks skills than at a convention that offers over 150 technical sessions that you can jam pack into 3 days. These sessions cover almost every nook a cranny of the software. Is there a tool that your company uses every day? Why not go to a session that deals with that tool and see how others use it, I bet you will pick up something new. Is there a tool that you think you company can take advantage of but no one really know how to use it effectively? Here’s your chance, you can come back after SolidWorks WORLD and be the “expert” at your company for that tool. These sessions are given by some of the brightest SolidWorks users out there including SolidWorks employees themselves. Last year I attended a session that not only taught me how to do something SolidWorks related but taught me something that I implemented company wide so that engineers and non engineers alike benefited from it.

Here is a list of some of the reasons to attend SolidWorks WORLD 2009

Choose from over 150 technical sessions to attend that will increase you skill level with SolidWorks.
Network with other users, whether they are in your industry or in your neighborhood, by attending the birds of a feather lunch time gatherings.
See the latest and greatest SolidWorks add-on’s, partner products, and tools to assist in your everyday SolidWorks usage.
Talk to SolidWorks employees to pick there brains about the things that you think about as you run the software on a daily basis.
Get a sneak peak at what SolidWorks 2010 will include.
Test your skills against other users in the Model Mania competition and win awesome prizes.
Hear great motivational speeches from some of the best speakers that are out there in the engineering/computer line of work.
Become a CSWP at SolidWorks WORLD and attend the private CSWP only event.
Attend the unbelievable off site event that SolidWorks hosts every year.
Make friendships that will continue outside of Orlando, Florida.
Introduce yourself to the bloggers…LIKE ME!

There are so many opportunities that present themselves at SolidWorks WORLD that it doesn’t make sense not to go. If you use the software for more than 10 hours a week, you or someone from your company must attend this event. So sign up today and experience for yourself what SolidWorks WORLD is all about.

Check out this highlight video from SolidWorks WORLD 2008.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series of how to convince you management to send you to SolidWorks World 2009 at the Swan & Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

Important dates to remember:

September 15, 2008 - All presentation proposals must be submitted for consideration (All presenters will receive free admission into the conference).
October 10, 2008 - Early Bird Special #1 ends.
January 9, 2009 - Early Bird Special #2 end.

Solidworks 2009: Merged Materials Databases

Mike Puckett — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT

For those users of the Solidworks Simulation products, you may be used to having two completely different material databases. One thats used in Solidworks, and another that was used in the Simulation products.

Solidworks 2009 merges these databases into one easier to use interface:

The database is read-only and has preset appearances, but there is the option to add your own custom materials as you wish.

Beta Testing, A SolidWorks Response

Devon Sowell — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:19:40 GMT

Thanks to Mark Biasotti, SolidWorks Corp., for responding to my post, here's what Mark has to say; "I empathize with the current discussion that is taking place around subscription fee, and like many times before, I hope that the community???s voice, in the end, ends up productively influencing the bottom-line.As far as Rob???s request to ???hurry up and submit issues for PV360??? I have been on the road for the past 3 weeks visiting customers and was email and web ???hindered??? and asked Rob for a favor to post for me. I (and many of us) have never taken the position that reporting beta issues is expected of our users or a requirement of privilege or anything else but rather a sacrifice on the part of the users to help make the software better and for that I (we) are deeply grateful and we appreciate the ???optional??? participation and sacrifice that many of you have taken to help us. PV360, unfortunately, came in after our 2009 planning and has somewhat thrown us for a loop - schedule-wise, but we were so impressed by Lux and their solution, we have been striving to get it to 2009FCS and in the hands of our customers. It has not had the development cycle that our regular products have and to complicate matters is being jointly developed by Luxology and SolidWorks (mostly Lux.) With that said we are deeply grateful to have the relationship with Luxology and we are looking, long term, to their continued impact on the SolidWorks community." I just don't understand a business model that depends so heavily upon so much "sacrifice" by SolidWorks Users. I've been self-employed for over 30 years; My Wife, over 20 years. We've both consulted to many companies, and we just can't support our family without being paid for our services. Recently, I've invested a huge amount of my time and money becoming proficient in PDMW Enterprise. I did this expecting a return on my investment. My Wife and I also "sacrifice" too. We support our friends that became missionaries and we helped them pay for and build a school in South Africa. We do this willingly and with pleasure. But that's different, that's charity, not business. Well, once again, it appears that SolidWorks SP0 will be Beta software. Mark states that PV 360 "... has not had the development cycle that our regular products have..." SolidWorks, your "regular products" need a lot more development before your release them! In my opinion, many people are tired of SolidWorks releasing software that is not production ready, I am! I don't want to test software, I want to design and build parts and assemblies. SolidWorks,I'm disappointed again. That's my opinion, what yours? Devon T. Sowellhttp://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

Wearable MotorCycle Video: Clean Your Face With Pavement

Josh — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:24:08 GMT

If you keep an eye out for motorcycles you can wear, you may have seen this one zipping face down across the pavement of the internet.

I know it’s not as practical (less dangerous?) as the two wheel versions we see everyday weaving in and out of traffic, but if you want to go from 0-60 in 3 seconds laying prostrate 10 inches off the ground, this three-wheeled electric motorcycle and video are just for you.

Jake Loniak from the Art Centre Pasadena is the the inventor/designer of the Deus Ex Machina. The vehicular exoskeloton uses 36 pneumatic muscles connected to seven artificial vertebrae and an integrated helmet, powered by ultra-capacitors and nano-phoshpate batteries.

Sure, your head will stay with the bike in an accident, but man will you look slick that 5 seconds beforehand. Watch out for that bunny.

Adding a Library Feature to a Part

The SW Geek — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:05:29 GMT

Now that we added a feature to the Design Library, we can now add it to a new part. Adding features from the Design Library are as easy as drag-and-drop, so easy even an AutoCAD user can do it ( I Kid). There are two types of features you will drop into a part; features with references and without references. Today we are going to concentrate on inserting features without references.

Dragging Features from Design Library

First thing you need to do is create your base extrusion.

Find the feature you wish to add to your part in the Design Library. If you are not sure about the item, hover over the icon to see the description.

When you find the feature, drag the item onto a face in your part. A preview will be shown on the surface of the part as you drag it. When you are satisfied with it’s general location, release the mouse button.

When you drag-and-drop the item from the Design Library onto the part, you will need to complete the information in the PropertyManager. The Placement Plane section describes the plane that the feature was placed. If the feature from the Design Library has multiple configurations, you may select the desired configuration in the Configuration section. Selecting Link to library part will allow the feature to be updated in the part when the parent feature in the design library is updated.

Depending on the configuration selected, the Size Dimensions window will display the primary dimensions of the feature.

Locating the Feature on the Part

The feature added to the part needs to be located. Click the Edit Sketch button in the PropertyManager.

Apply the necessary dimensions to the sketch to fully define the location of the feature. When the sketch is defined, click Finish in the Library Feature Profile window.

Dissolving the Library Feature

Once the feature is added and located on the part it will be shown in the FeatureManager as one Library Feature. This is fine in most cases but occasionally you may find it necessary to edit the features after they have been placed on the part.

Right-click on the Library Feature in the FeatureManager and select Dissolve Library Feature.

The library feature becomes the individual features, that can be edited just like any other feature.

Conclusion…

I hope over the past few weeks, you learned a few things about the Design Library that will having you singing it praises to your co-workers. I find I use one aspect or another of the Design Library almost daily and I would hate to live without it. It is a huge time saver and it should be a tool in everybodies design arsernal.

Add Features to the Design Library

The SW Geek — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:00:30 GMT

Here we are at the beginning of another fine week in the blogosphere. I hope each and every one of you had a great weekend. I also hope you got some rest because I have tons of tips and tricks to throw your way this week. Today we will start with our continuing exploration of the benefits of using the Design Library. In the past we explored such topics as creating a notes library, adding forming tools and adding components to the library with Mate references. If you missed any of these post you can go here to find them all: http://www.theswgeek.com/tag/design-library/. Today we are going to cover adding your most commonly used features to the design library to speed up your design process.

Prepping Features to be Added to Library

You might recognize the plate below from last week’s discussion on adding items with mate references. The plate has the hole pattern required for use with the linear bearings and this hole pattern is used often. Rather then create the hole pattern every time we need to use a linear bearing, we can add the pattern to the Design Library to be used on future designs.

First, we need to make sure that our sketch is set up properly prior to adding the features to the Design Library. There are a few things you may notice about the sketch shown below, the first being that the sketch is not fully defined. I do not have the location of the feature specified, this allows me to define the location when inserting the feature into other parts. If you find it desirable to have the feature be located in the same place in future designs, add locating dimensions at this point. The next thing you may notice is that I have a point at each quadrant of the outside construction circle. I use this technique to control the location of the threaded holes in the next feature with one diameter dimension.

Next, since there are a number of sizes of available for linear bearings, we want to have the hole pattern dimensions change per size of bearing. Right-click one of the dimensions and select Configure Dimension from the menu.

In the Modify Configurations window add the required part configurations and enter the appropriate dimension value. Do this for each dimension that will change in each configuration. Once all the dimensions are update exit the sketch.

Find Appropriate Folder for Features

Every user may have a different folder structure for the Design Library, so it is an individual choice as to which folder you will save features. Dig through your Design Library structure to find which folder you would like to add the feature.

If your Design Library is set to Auto-Hide, turn Auto-Hide off by clicking the push pin in the upper-right hand corner of the Design Library.

Adding Features to Design Library

Now that the appropriate folder has be located and the Design Library pane is open, you can add the desired features to the Design Library. In the FeatureManager, select the features while holding down the CTRL key.

While still holding the CTRL key, drag the features into the lower pane of the Design Library and drop them into the folder.

Add to Library PropertyManager

In the Items to Add section of the Add to Library PropertyManager, you will see a list of selected features that you are adding to the Design Library. This is your chance to make sure that you have added the correct features. you can add or remove additional features, if it is necessary.

In the Save To section of the Add to Library PropertyManager, enter the File Name that will be displayed in the Design Library. Also, ensure that the correct folder is selected in the Design Library folder window.

Lastly, add the Description that will be shown in the tooltip when you hover the mouse over the Design Library item.

Click the green check mark and the features will be added to the Design Library.

We’re Not Done Yet…

Next, I will cover how to add features from the Design Library onto a new part.

Solidworks 2009: Negative Value Dimensions

Mike Puckett — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Further changes to sketching in Solidworks 2009 now includes the ability to utilize negative value dimensions. Lets take a look:

We start with a slot sketch on a face. Dimensioning it to the edge produces the 1.5981 value. I want that slot to actually hang off that edge by .500

By editing the dimension, and typing in -.5, the slot will now move to the following location:

Another option to flip that alignment is to click the reverse direction button in the property manager of the .500 dimension which is under the primary dimension header:

Clicking the arrow will reverse the direction of the .500 dimension:

While were on the topic of dimensioning changes, it is now also possible to use zero value dimensions. The vertical line on the right side of this sketch is shown at .100:

By changing that dimension to 0, it basically makes that line collinear with the edge, but makes it a little more clear:

Certainly a very basic new function, but so is the slot tool, and how much of a time saver is that going to be?

The overall functionality of this new feature has quite a bit of room to grow. Based on the feedback of beta testers in the beta forums, I would be surprised if this feature didn't see some enhancements this year.

Chat with the Geek

Just Gotta Smile — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:33:25 GMT

Who Wants to Chat? Earlier this week, I was able to help out a user when he caught me on Gtalk and afterwards I thought I should do it more often. It was so nice to be able to give quick answers and get a quick response. I felt he walked away from the conversation with a lot more information then he would have gotten through the comments or even email. So, as an experiment, I added a chat client to the SolidWorks Site; http://www.theswgeek.com/chat-with-the-geek/ .

I will see how the chat room goes for a couple of weeks. If I find it’s more trouble then it’s worth, I will take it down. When you get a chance swing by and say “hi”. I would love to get to know more of my readers.

Dell M4300

Jeff Mirisola — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:14:14 GMT

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know how much I've enjoyed the Dell M90's I've used in the past. Both of them were provided by my employer at the time and I really didn't have many issues with them. My new employer, being a complete tightwad, opted for the M4300. (Ok, so I'm self-employed. I'm still being a tightwad.) The system specs are:

Dell Precision M4300, Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 2.40GHz 800MHz, 3M L2 Cache, Dual Core
15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA LCDDell
4.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMM
NVIDIA QUADRO FX 360M 512MB Turbo Cache Memory (256 dedicated)
WINDOWS XP PRO SP2 with Windows Vista Business License

It came with a free 19" monitor, which I upgraded to a 22". I'll be loading up SolidWorks this week, and will then be putting my new toy through its paces. Naturally, I'll let you know the good, the bad and the ugly.

Also, I've been in touch with SolidWorks Corp regarding product reviews and we're getting the ball rolling again. If there's a partner product out there that you're curious about, let me know and I'll see if I can't get my greedy hands on it to try it out.

Disqus Comment System & Other Happenings

Ricky Jordan — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 04:32:48 GMT

I have switched the Comment system for this Blog over to DISQUS. If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed that I have been pondering this for a few weeks. After having to moderate 37 “undesirable” comments today (I’m not going to say the word) I decided to go ahead and make the move. It looks like most if not all of my Legacy Comments have been imported, so I would say so far it is a success!

DISQUS has some really cool features. I would highly encourage you to register a profile at the DISQUS site. If your register, you can create an avatar that is viewable on this site and most other Blogs using DISQUS. One of the REALLY cool features is that you can go to the DISQUS site and view comments you left on any of the Disqus Community Blogs all in one place! You can also see if there have been any replies to your Comments since DISQUS is commonly setup with a threaded theme. SolidSmack, The SW Geek, & SolidWorks Heard! are also running Disqus. Thanks to all of those guys for answering some of my questions!

Other Happenings

I’m in the final leg of a project that is taking up most of my time outside of work. If you follow me on Twitter….you probably know already what it is. I’ll post more about it in the coming weeks. Later in the Fall I plan to finish up the Mach 4 Racer that is shown in my Blog Header image and then make it available to anyone who wants it!

Stay tuned….more to come!

Drawing Revisions and PDMWorks (Part 2: Automatic Revisions)

fcsuper — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:44:36 GMT

With PDMWorks, it is possible to automatically revise a drawing’s title block and revision block upon check in. Three things are necessary to use this functionality. First, the drawing template will need to employ a SolidWorks Revision Table. If someone is not familiar with how to set up revision tables, please see my previous article: Settings Up and Using SolidWorks Revision Tables faster. Second, the drawing template’s title block will need an annotation note that is linked to the custom property “Revision”. If someone is not familiar with how to link annotation notes to custom properties, please see my previous articles about this subject: Introduction to SolidWorks Custom Properties. Third, activate the revision automation feature within the PDMWork’s VaultAdmin tool. Of course, this will require Vault Administrator access to the VaultAdmin. The setting is found under the Revision Table tab in the General section, called “Enable Revision Table”.

Once these three items are set up, drawings will automatically revise upon check in, with updated revision and title blocks. Control over what appears in the added revision row is within the check-in screen itself when the drawing is checked in. Further controls can be set up to limit or automate the value for revisions so that no mistakes can be made regarding the revision level of the check-in. Within the VaultAdmin, there is even the ability to control the number of revisions visible on a drawing. Utilizing this set up can save substantial time and eliminate potential check-in revision identification errors.

Previous in series

Table of contents for Drawing Revisions and PDMWorks

Drawing Revisions and PDMWorks (Part 1: Letter Revision Identifiers)
Drawing Revisions and PDMWorks (Part 2: Automatic Revisions)

DIY Environment maps - Part 1

solidimpression — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:44:37 GMT

Using an environment map for lighting in Photoworks can be a simple method to light both parts and assemblies in a standard way .

I do have a problem though with the environments supplied in Photoworks, as they are all visually very busy, resulting in inappropriate highlights in a rendered model.

What I really need is a simple set-up that replicates a photo studio used for photographing component parts. I would set up the part on a white continuous back ground with a couple of lights out front and a reflector over head, in this way I could get a clean photo of the model each time.

I can replicate this with a mini studio in Solidworks, and have done, but it can be simpler and quicker to use an environment.

The standard environments do not include a simple studio set up, so I wondered if I could create one. I did some research on the requirements and came to the conclusion that I could do it in Photoshop without taking a single photograph.

I started in Photoshop with a new document 1500 x 750 pixels at 72 DPI and 16bit colour mode. What I needed was a mainly black background with a couple of rectangular boxes to represent the light sources and a reflective area above. The image shown below was what I came up with.

I have one intense light and one less intense and a bit blurred around the edges. The pelmet at the top was my attempt to create a shape that would resolve into a square when laid into a spherical environment. ( didn’t actually work that well but it still serves its purpose. )

As you may now imagine this is all being done pretty much by guess work so the results may not be optimal in terms of what could be achieved, but hey it did work. This then will be the basis for HDR file that can be created in Photoshop, but also more simply in a program called Photomatix basic.

To create the HDR file you need several images that represent what a camera would have taken with over a range of exposure settings. I created 3 16bit files one at nominal and then one effectively 1 stop higher and then another one stop lower. These images shown below have the RGB values for the 4 elements in the image shown below to give you a starting point for your own trials. The files were created by copying the original twice and then adjusting the RGB value for each of the elements in turn.

RGB Values

Pelmet 237,237,237
Window L 255,255,255
Window R 237,237,237
Background 71,71,71

RGB Values

Pelmet 172,172,172
Window L 244,244,244
Window R 216,216,216
Background 29,29,29

RGB Values

Pelmet 75,75,75
Window L 230,230,230
Window R 179,179,179
Background 18,18,18

When the images are complete you can either take them into ‘Merge to HDR’ in Photoshop or open Photomatics basic and process them there. I tried to do it in Photoshop but couldn’t get on with it so I used Photomatix (www.hdrsoft.com), and that is what I shall use for the rest of this exercise.

This is the opening screen for Photomatix.

Go to file and open the 3 files that have been

generated in Photoshop, and then click on

‘Generate’ under the HDR menu item.

Make sure the radio button is on ‘opened images’ and click OK.

The 3 images should then be brought up in order as they are above, you need to adjust this value,

I used 2.5 as that seemed to work.

Click through with the defaults on this next screen

This screen shows the generated image and allows you with a magnifying box to examine the image.

Finally save the file to your hard disk where you can find it again. It might be wise to save it here
C:\Program Files\SolidWorks \SolidWorks\data\Images\textures\background\
where all the other HDR files are kept.

If you would like to try the the file created here you can email me and I will send you a copy.

In part 2 of this feature I will go through the steps needed to use the file you have created.

Friday Smackdown: Cracker Pants

Josh — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:00:57 GMT

Well yeah, of course they look hot. But ya know, if you go wearing them into a public place, babies will cry, women will scream and everyone else will run smack dab into the links.

Design Trendz - It’s what all the websites are doing. Shadows, reflections, frames and video on how to do it.
Photosynth - It’s stitching photos together like you’ve never done. Really. and you can make your own now.
Face Your Manga - Make yourself look cartoony. I don’t like’em so much, but it’s fun to mess with.
50 Blog Topics for Company Marketers - Thinking of starting a blog for your company? Have one? Here’s a good list of ideas of to get your mind pumping out ingenious content.
Convert Train table to Construction Zone Table - Awesome. What kid wants trains when he can pour dirt all over the place. Four steps to your child’s love.
BenQ 24″ LCD - One of the best featured LCD’s coming out. 1920×1200 res 4,000:1 contrast, HDMI, coolness.

Solidworks 2009: Simutation Tabs

Mike Puckett — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Solidworks 2009 removes the old tab on the feature tree for Simulation studies, and adds them at the bottom of the screen. It also splits the feature tree to show both the simulation studies, and the feature tree:

You will notice at the bottom of the screen there is a tab named Study 1. When you click this tab, it will split the feature manager and you will now have the stacked feature manager. You can drag that split to create more space if necessary. Click the model tab, and the split feature manager goes away.

Adding a second study will add a second tab:

The tabs are also where you will want to drag and drop items from study to study. If your fixture is going to remain the same, you would simply drag it from one tree, and drop it on the tab of the other study.

One of the best benefits of this new tab layout is that your tree is no longer cluttered with multiple studies like it was in older versions. In 2009, all you see is information about the currently selected study.

Many other enhancements to the overall simulation interface look is covered in the whats new book.

Explode Diagrams. The Next Cool Thing In 3D CAD

Josh — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:30:08 GMT

You all are gonna flip, or rather, explode, when you see this. I’ve been looking for 3D CAD news out of Siggraph08 that happened last week, but have not found much beyond some announcements about rendering models.

Fortunately, Mark Treadwell from Premier Rides came across some info and filled me in. A team from Berkeley has developed an automated system for viewing interactive 3D exploded views of models. Check out the video after the break.

Not only does it automate the production of exploded views from a systematic algorithm, it also creates diagrams of the parts in a way that you can interact with them to visualize assemblies and sub-assemblies as they are naturally assembled and dis-assembled. It’s the way this 3D jazz should have always worked. The video shows it all.

Interactive 3D Exploded View Diagrams from Solidsmack on Vimeo.

SolidWorks Beta Testing

Devon Sowell — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:26:02 GMT

Well, the SolidWorks Subscription Maintenance discussion is well underway on Matt Lombard's Blog. My hat's off to Matt and Rob Rodriguez for leading this discussion. I recall speaking to Rob about this at SolidWorks World 2005 (or was it 2002?). He pointed out that his employer wanted to add another seat of SolidWorks. Rob pointed out that's it's ludicrous to pay the full SolidWorks Subscription Maintenance Fee for the added seat of SolidWorks. Rob's right, it is ludicrous. Now, I want to discuss another topic, SolidWorks Beta Testing. SolidWorks puts a Marketing Spin on this and calls it a "Contest". Bullsh*t, pure and simple. Here's my point of view on this; SolidWorks is soliciting us to do their work for them. Why is it our responsibility to discover and report mistakes and Bugs in their software? Do they sit around a table and hope we don't discover something, so they don't have to fix it? Do they report to the CFO the hundreds of hours of work they got for free? In the past few weeks, I've gotten one e-mail asking me to "hurry" and Beta Test the SolidWorks software so I could report Bugs. Rob Rodriguez posted an e-mail, in the SolidWorks Discussion Forum, from SolidWorks employee Mark Biasotti asking us to hurry and Beta Test PhotoView 360. Oh really? So, I'm supposed to stop working, supporting my family, and do SolidWorks' work,FOR FREE? Never happen... That's my opinion, what's yours? Devon T. Sowellhttp://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com