The morning rush was on, and excitement was in the air. The crowds gathered outside of the hall.
As the anticipation builds, an alarm sounds to announce the opening of the hall. I had to join the stampede. The question on many people’s minds is if Sir Richard Branson would be speaking today. Of course, some of the insiders knew that Sir Branson flew in last night.
At four hours, Greg Jonkowski’s CAD Management Bootcamp is a major presentation that is too large (long) to fit into the regular SolidWorks World days. It is full of information about computers (server and workstation), data security and safety, graphics cards, OS’s, and what some would consider controversial advice.Â
Greg discussed the benefits of properly managing the workplace CAD environment. When it comes to establishing or improving the CAD environment, he suggests it is good to always critical.Â
At most organizations, there is usually one or two SolidWorks power users. Greg makes it clear that these individuals should be recognized and utilitized for there skill set. These individuals can also be leveraged to implement mentoring programs to help others become stronger SolidWorks users.Â
Many other points were comprehensivesy covered to provide a good level of detail regarding issues that a CAD Manager may encounter.
“Urban legends”Â
He covered many topics. However, of note is his two more controversial recommendations regarding computers and installation.Â
He made it clear that anti-virus software should be used and that it should not be deactivated when installing SolidWorks or its add-ons. I know many sources contradict this. However, this appears to be the company-line from SolidWorks Corp now. It should be noted that he made this statement very clearly and authoritatively, yet caveatted his comments with unelaborated “I don’t knows” and “problem with one anti-virus”. I found this to be frustrating.
The other comment that might turn some heads is his stern statement to not use the /3GB switch to give applications access to more of the computer’s RAM. There are risks associated with using the /3GB switch. As he puts it, using this switch is “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.  Instead of using this switch, Greg recommends simply upgrading to Vista and 64-bit computer systems. I say “simply” with sarcasm. In the current economic environment, advice like this is a bit unrealistic for many. There is a balance that must be reached, where the risks have to be weighted against the advantages.Â
Ok, I still haven’t eaten. I seriously am going to get some lunch now.
One advantage to arriving at SolidWorks World on Sunday is the short lines for registration. I will dutifully document the lines tomorrow to establish a contrast.Â
Granted, there is no free breakfast or lunch, but registration is open until 7:00PM, so arriving in the afternoon or evening will actually save time and let one rest up for the full day of activities on Monday.
There are officially four days for SolidWorks World 2009, Sunday through Monday; though, sometimes Sunday is sort of considered a pre-day even though its called “Day 1“. However, activity begins even before Sunday. I guess Saturday can be called the pre-preday.
Saturday fun
My Saturday was mostly spent flying from San Jose, CA to Orlando, FL, with a layover. I met up with Alex the SolidWorks Geek in our Houston stop. This is his first, and my second SolidWorks World. We made it to the Swan & Dolphin resort in Orlando just in time to catch the tail-end of a secret meeting. After that, many of us Twitters converged at the lobby bar for some drinks for a tweetup. It was great meeting up with a lot of the bloggers and consummate SolidWorks users from around the country.
Sunday so far
So, Saturday was indeed a very long day. Though I prolly should have a hang-over right now, I don’t (never really get those). My Sunday started bright and early with attendance to some focus groups for SolidWorks sheet metal functionality at 8:30AM and drawings at 10:00AM. These are sessions where SolidWorks users from various industries meet up with SolidWorks employees in face to face open discussions. The fact that these sessions happen is a sure sign that (despite the appearance otherwise sometimes) SolidWorks does put forth significant effort to improve their software based on customer input. These focus groups are good because users give first hand accounts about how they are using the software, including their likes, like-to-haves, frustrations and such. I may go into specific details about these focus groups later.
It’s lunch time now. I hunger.
It’s one day before my trip to Florida begins. Actually, it’s almost exactly 24 hours, as my flight takes off around 6:00am or so tomorrow. Am I excited? A bit. Am I worried? A bit. Why? Well, as soon as I’m off the plane, I have my first schedule event (for which I will be an hour late since getting from the MCO to the Swan and Dolphin is no skip across the pond). Then right after that event comes another that will likely stretch my day out well into jet-lag zone; then I hafta get up early on Sunday because that is when convention really begins! Maybe I’ll get some sleep Sunday night?
