There is a new SolidWorks World 2010 resource that which attendees may take advantage. It is the SolidWorks World 2010 mapyourshow.com website. It allows you to view the facilities, plan your booth visitations, search and contact exhibitors, and plan attendance for events. The only major drawback is that it doesn’t seem to link events with MS Outlook. However, the maps of the convention center are worth the price of admission to the website (free). 🙂
“Over 1000 touch points for feedback”
SolidWorks Corps claims to have “over one thousand touch points for feedback” that allow them to find areas that need improvement with their applications. Without getting into detail about the effectiveness of their use of these touch points, I’m simply pointing out where they do look. First, note that the Product Definition Group oversees much of this activity and is staffed worldwide.
- They conduct direct customer visits. My company was lined up for such a visit a couple years ago, but due to scheduling, I had to cancel on the SolidWorks representative at the last-minute.
- They are conducting an increasing number of user surveys (check the SolidWorks Forum and sometimes your email too).
- There are field people who work through the VARs.
- Technical support provides invaluable information.
- They gain information from meeting with User Groups.
- SolidWorks World provides significant information, such as the top 10 enhancement requests list, voted upon by attendees.
- They also peruse the SolidWorks and CAD forums. It’s my understanding that they also hang out at other popular independent CAD forums.
Where is the most effective place to request a change or notify SolidWorks Corp about issues with their software? Well, I think that depends. Submitting ERs might be the most effective method, actually.
Thoroughly discussing problems and difficulties in the SolidWorks Forum may also afford more attention. Bugging VARs about software bugs is fairly effective in my experience (some have had opposite experiences). Of all the bugs I’ve reported via my VAR, none remain.
Another way to give feedback is to comment on the various SolidWorks related blogs. Get your favorate blogger to talk about the issue indepth. Depending on the topic, bloggers do seem to have a little more pull than the average bear. Unfortunately, I know only one bear that uses SolidWorks (and when her system crashes, it is usually a result of her bashing it about about cabin).
Stump the Chumps submission form
See if you can stump the chumps with your SolidWorks questions at our session in SolidWorks World 2010:
Stump the Chumps question submission form
Also, if you have files to submit as part of your question, please email your question and files to stumpthechumps@gmail.com.
Stump the Chumps II (update)
There is a sizable group of suckers who volunteered to be your humble servants in the second Stump the Chumps session. At Stump the Chumps, you are given a chance to ask just about any SolidWorks questions you want. Preferably your questions will be about some issue you are currently addressing, which we can help solve.
The first Stump the Chumps session at SolidWorks World 2008 got bogged down with very complex model specific questions that were asked during the session. This time around at SolidWorks World 2010, we will not likely address those types of questions in session UNLESS you submit them via email to us prior to the session (with models or at least provide substantial detail). I would recommend submitting such questions by the end of the first week of January 2010.
That said, questions will be taken live at the session as well. But for best results, I highly recommend that your questions be submitted before hand. The more obscure your questions, the better for everyone! In the words of Jeff Mirisola, go ahead and make our day! Our goal is to fit as many answers as possible into the 90 minutes we’ve been allotted.
Please attempt to stump the chumps by emailing your SolidWorks questions to stumpthechumps@gmail.com.
Just so you know that we are real people, here’s the faces of your chumps:
UPDATE: We now have a submission website set up where questions can be asked and voted upon!
MD&M’s BIOMEDevice show 2009
BIOMEDevice in San Jose, CA is a bit bigger and more populated that I suspected. It appears to get bigger and better each year. The booth displays are very snazzy too. The quality of booth backdrops was great, even compared to my memory of the big MD&M show in Anaheim.
Of note, Autodesk had a booth showing off their new version of the old Moldflow software. It still isn’t integrated into Inventor, though. Results of mold flow analysis can be exported as a .stl file for use with other 3D CAD softwares, and it does import Inventor and other files readily, at least according to the guy at their booth. That said, it doesn’t seem like there is a publicly discussed plan to increase integration beyond just improving how Moldflow Adviser talks to Inventor.
San Jose Convention Center is small. Its not likely to house any SolidWorks Worlds in its current state. Even the Santa Clara Convention Center (next to California’s Great America; and also next to the future home of the 49er’s) has much more convention space (even before SCCC’s expansion this year). ::hint hint to the SWW Committee::
I did walk away with far less swag than I expected at BIOMEDevice. There is this one over-designed pen from the Autodesk booth. Oh, J&J was giving out “Clean & Clear” facial cleanser. Kinda an odd choice, given the likely demographic of attendees.
3D Connexion continues to develop SpacePilot PRO
An important feature for any electronic gadget is continued expansion of its capabilities (without having to buy a new replacement device). SpacePilot PRO is getting considerable support from 3DConnexion. The SpacePilot PRO, and the rest of the current 3DConnexion 3D mice line-up, now supports both SolidWorks 2010 and CATIA V6R2010.
According to 3DConnexion, their 3D mice now complement new SolidWorks 2010 functions such as Rapid Dimension Tool and Mouse Gestures. I’ve personally not had a chance to evaluate these improvements with my SpacePilot PRO (which was, as I stated in a previous article, given to me without any strings attached by 3DConnexion in April 2009).
For CATIA V6, 3DConnexion doesn’t seem to really add any new support for functionality, but rather it is simply fully compatible with it.
One additional note, there was a recent price reduction! SpacePilot PRO price was reduced from $499 to $399! Although this is still expensive for some, it does make the device more accessable for others.