Drawings and Detailing are getting a lot of attention this year @ SolidWorks World 2014

What’s New in SolidWorks Drawings in Recent Years by Nikhil Kulkarni – This presentation focuses on showing recent tools/enhancements added to SolidWorks in the area of drawings and DXF/DWG.

The United States Government Loves Model-based Definition by Rich Eckenrode – This presentation is on the NIST project, PMI conformance testing models. He will describe the use of SOLIDWORKS in this PMI validation project. He will also touch on SolidWorks ability to compete in the space MBD and review some of the interesting facts with regard to using MBD in SolidWorks.

Drawing Templates: How and Why! by Jeremiah Griffith – Learn  how to create functional and automated drawing templates to reduce redundant information entry. Make SOLIDWORKS work for you, and ease your life by using the tools provided!

First Article Reports and Inspection Documentation with SolidWorks by Mathieu Fourcade – Experience how easy it can be to create inspection documentation for first article or quality assurance purposes using SolidWorks. Dramatically reduce the time required to create inspection documentation and eliminate errors inherent to the manual “ballooning” of engineering drawings as well as in the creation of inspection reports.

3D MBD (Model-based Design) and MBE (Model-based Enterprise) State of the Union by Christopher Garcia and Paul Perreault – Learn how Anark has been helping the DoD and several manufacturing companies for over four years to lead the way into a 3D model-based enterprise. The initiative eliminates the need for 2D drawings in favor of 3D PDF and 3D HTML technical data packages. This session will review this progress.

Making Custom Symbols by Nikhil Kulkarni – See  how to make custom symbols in SolidWorks.

 

SolidWorks World 2014 Floor Plan is up!

In recent years, a floor plan tool for the SolidWorks World has been available online ahead of the conference.  This tool seems to be getting more useful every year.

This year’s floor plan as a full map of each floor of the conference, including conference rooms and the Partner Pavilion.

Partner Pavilion

The Partner Pavilion map layouts exhibitor locations with a flyout that includes a company profile.

SolidWorks World 2014 Floor Plan

Smartphone and laptop strategy for SolidWorks World 2014

Since the release of the Ericsson R380 in 2000, the Smartphone has become ubiquitous.  In 2008, laptops started becoming more common than desktop computers.  Tablets have also become commonplace since the release of the Apple iPad in 2010.  Keeping these power hungry mobile and portable devices feed (charged) presents a unique challenge in the 21st Century.   Keeping connected to the Internet also presents challenges.  There is a lot going on at SolidWorks World.  It is a big event with thousands of tech savvy attendees with tons of devices, competing with resources to keep them feed and connected.  Granted, keeping a smartphone charged is pretty dang cheap.  However, finding an electrical outlet is the issue at hand.

Power

San Diego Convention CenterIf you are using your smartphone to keep your schedule (like I do), you’ll be accessing it more often than you might on a normal day.  In addition, you’ll likely be text messaging and using other social media communication more frequently, too.  Normally, your smartphone’s battery charge may last a day or two without any worries.  No day at SolidWorks World is normal.  Even on the most battery efficient devices, you are likely to need power to recharge at some point during the day.

Have a spare battery or extended-life remote battery on hand, whether you are using a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or any combination thereof.   Wherever you happen to find yourself, be sure to scope out power outlets.  This applies while you are at the conference, and more so also after hours while you are out and about and when your device is most likely to be low on power.

During the day, if you have a smartphone and a laptop, you can charge your phone from the laptop via the normal USB connection.  Finally, the most obvious thing of all, don’t forget any of the charging cables.

If you are plugged into a random outlet or loaning your charger temporarily to another attendee, don’t forget your charging cable by leaving it behind!  You will likely never see it again, for various reasons.  This particularly applies to breakout session speakers who may get distracted at the end of their presentation by people rushing up to the podium to introduce themselves and ask further questions.  Am I speaking from personal experience?  Maybe.

Staying Connected

Staying connected is the whole reason we carry around smartphones and tablets.  That means you always need an awareness of WiFi hotspots.  Those of us with smartphones may not be tethered.  However, don’t rely on cellphone carrier signal for data connections while in a conference room.  Even smartphones on a free data plan may need to switch over to WiFi to access the Internet at some point to Facebook, Foursquare or Flickr.  SolidWorks provides many WiFi hotspots throughout the conference.  One of the main locations will be near the Partner Pavilion.

All this means that you’ll need to scope out the locations of these hotspots a head of time so you aren’t left without data connection at an inconvenient moment.  Hotspots should be shown on the conference map.  Keep in mind that there will be many other people accessing WiFi at the same time, so please avoid downloading big files or streaming videos.  I always recommend hitting the hotspots for specific connectivity needs, then quickly moving on.

Good luck and I hope to see you at SolidWorks World 2014!

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The author of this article is an employee of Dassault Systemes.  However, the material of this article is not representative of Dassault Systemes, nor is it reviewed by them.  Please see the FTC notice in the right side bar of this webpage for further details.

SolidWorks World 2014 is right around the corner

Register to attend

There’s still time to register to attend online.  On-site registration is also available.  Check out the video highlights from SolidWorks 2011, 2012 and 2013.

CAD Manager’s Boot Camp

Don’t forget you can also attend the CAD Manager’s Boot Camp to explore a wide range of topics and issues to help you effectively deploy and manage SolidWorks software to learn methodologies to reduce the total cost of ownership and maximize your investment in SolidWorks software. (Pre-registration required; first come, first served.)

SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten Ideas

If you have a login account for the SolidWorks Forum, there is still time to have your say by voting for SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten Ideas.  There is a record number of ideas to vote upon.  Login to the SolidWorks Forum and goto the Ideas tab of the SolidWorks World 2014 and the Top Ten area.  Results will be revealed at SolidWorks World.  You do not need to attend in order to vote!

Model Mania

Back for its 16th year, the SolidWorks Model Mania Contest, will give you a chance to display your talents. Model Mania pits user against user and reseller against reseller in a battle of wits to see who can model and analyze a part faster, more accurately and more efficiently. Winners receive prizes. Any attendee is welcome to enter!

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As a matter of a discloser reminder, the author of this article is a DS SolidWorks employee, though this article does not represent an official work of DS SolidWorks nor was it reviewed by DS SolidWorks. Please note the FTC 16 CRF Part 255 notice in the right menu of this website for further details.

Reminder: SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten is accepting Votes (what ideas do you want others to vote for?)

SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten voting is open until January 15, 2014.  Get your votes in soon!  Time to promote the ideas you like so that they make it into the top ten list!

SolidWorks World 2014 Top Ten voting

To share which ideas you like the most, please post your personal top ten list in the Forum here: What ideas do you want others to vote for?

Going to SolidWorks World 2014 and wanna know where to tell others?

Are you going to SolidWorks World 2014 and want to know where you can brag tell others about it?  Once long ago, Linkedin used to have a function that allowed you list events you attended.  No more.  However, Facebook still has such functionality.  So, although you cannot cleanly add SolidWorks World 2014 to your pseudo-resume on Linkedin, you can certainly add it to your social network on Facebook at the SolidWorks World 2014 event page.

SolidWorks World 2014 on Facebook