SolidWorks Legion

Arrived at Anaheim and ready!

Fifty-one weeks ago, SolidWorks World 2009 concluded with the announcement that SolidWorks World 2010 would be in Anaheim, CA (aka Disneyland Land). Since then, time has flown by so quickly, it seems like the 2009 convention in Florida was only a couple months ago. But, there are lessons learned since last year.

As a SolidWorks Blogger who is invited to SolidWorks World as press, I should not expect the luxury of attending very many breakout sessions. I will still try to attend as many as I can, though I am double and triple booked for many time slots. On the other hand, I do get see behind the scenes. The press room is an interesting place. Also, I get to freely interact with other users, vendors, VARs and SolidWorks employees.

People recognize me. I would like to apologize in advance to those that I do not recognize at first. I am not good at remembering faces; and notoriously bad at remembering names.

The only winkle so far is that I forgot my business cards! (I am also notoriously bad at remembering to bring my business cards.) Thankfully, my wife will be sending them to me tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll receive them before the end of the conference.

I’m looking forward to a lot of things this year at SolidWorks World 2010. Seeing James Cameron; presenting as part of the Stump the Chumps II panel (and giving out tons of swag at that breakout session…thanks to both SolidWorks Corp and Hawk Ridge Systems); seeing new game-changing inventions (at the Partner Pavilion and highlighted in the General Sessions); meeting (and reconnecting) with friends; and learning something new. I try to cover has much of this as I can in the coming days.

Enterprise PDM for Word?

Ever wish Enterprise PDM specifically supported Microsoft Office products? Well, actually, EPDM already does support the files from Word, Excel, etc. So, of what value is an application that runs EPDM from within MS Office products? According to Extensible CAD:

Without Office2PDM, Enterprise PDM users who want to manage their Microsoft Office documents in their PDM vault must close their files and then operate on them in Windows explorer. This can be time consuming and requires extra steps. Office2PDM provides access to common Enterprise PDM functions as well as timely access to document status information, all without requiring you to open up a separate interface.

There’s really not much else for me to say without seeing a demonstration. I’ll follow up on this after SolidWorks World 2010.

Here’s some press images of Office2PDM:

SoliDan’s presentation at SolidWorks World 2010

Daniel Bertschi (aka, SoliDan) is a CAD support specialist who will be giving a presentation at SolidWorks World 2010 on how to get more out of the solid models once engineering and design are complete. The presentation will detail how to “keep [models] working for you in manufacturing.”

Specifically, he will detail advantages of using SolidWorks models beyond the drawing, to create a variety of parts, such as: sheet metal, molded/cast, tubular, and machined parts. Dan also plans on discussing various methods of model use in manufacturing; and “potential hurdles to overcome.” Essentially, attendees of Dan’s breakout session should learn the potential their models have to save time & money in manufacturing & procurement.

If you are attending SolidWorks World 2010, you may wish to book Dan’s presentation on your schedule on Wednesday, February 3 at 2:45PM. If you aren’t going to be able to attend, he’ll be posting his presentation online after SolidWorks World 2010.

Structure steel design in SolidWorks with AMV SteelWorks

AMV is a developer that publishes software solutions for structural engineering. They have joined the Bentley Developer Network for their AMV SteelWorks application. According to AMV, AMV SteelWorks was “conceived to streamline the workflow from general structural modelling, to detailing, fabrication, drawing and BOM.”

It appears the partnership of AMD SteelWorks 2010 with Bentley is aimed to move their application towards easier and smoother interaction between mechanical and sructural engineering, with full interoperability with STAAD, structural analysis and design software from the Bentley product line.

AMV predicts that training time for both Bentley and SolidWorks users will be short and competitive. Additionally, they claim designers will be able to create models, analysis and documentation in less time.

New 3D Printer under $5000!

Solido has announced that they will introduce a new commercial 3D printer that will sell for “considerably less than $5000″, at SolidWorks World 2010. If the announcement holds true, this has the potential to be a game changer in the industry.

Helping Solido to showcase their product are Scott Harris, co-founder of SolidWorks, and Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates. This will be at a press conference on Monday, February 1st (day 2 of SolidWorks World 2010).

Solido states that their goal for this product is to provide casual 3D printing of CAD models, just as one might print out a paper document. They claim that their product, called Solido SD300 Pro, will print models quietly, accurately and inexpensively right in the office with no toxic or messy materials.

They also claim that the SD300 Pro is suited for all stages of production with accuracy within .004”, including flexible living hinges. Printed parts could be drilled and finished, all without any outsourcing. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to check out their product and claims.