Novedge Pulse™ of Richard Doyle

I think we can all agree that meeting new people (or seeing old friends) is one of the highlights of SolidWorks World. It's next to impossible to meet everyone though, and there are some very cool folks that you will [more...]

Since the formation of the SWUGN Committee, there have been a few changes. Originally a 4 person board, the SWUGN committee has expanded to 8 members - 5 US based and 3 international. Even the name has changed - from [more...]

Of the four original founding members of SWUGN, Scott Bemis is somewhat a mystery. His contribution to the SolidWorks Community can still be seen in some of the support documentation provided to user group leaders, but shortly after 2000, work [more...]

In the fall of 1999, several SolidWorks user group leaders were contacted by Carol Faiola, a Marketing representative at SolidWorks Corporation. I was one of the lucky ones along with Mark Peters, Michelle Pillers, and Scott Bemis that were asked [more...]

At SolidWorks World 2007, Jon Hirschtick suggested insisted that the SWUGN Awards presentation should be moved from the annual SWUGN Summit Meeting to the main stage during the general session. Since then, conference Wednesday has meant handing out the Group [more...]

Although there have already been plenty of activities surrounding SolidWorks World 2010, the event officially begins today at 7:00am. The registration area is one of my favorite places to hang out (in fact, it's one of my SWW duties) and [more...]

It's early Saturday morning here in Anaheim and I'm getting ready to start my first day at SolidWorks World 2010. I guess technically last night was my first day since I had a dinner meeting with the boss at Morton's [more...]

I'm leaving today to attend the Yakima SolidWorks User Group meeting on Thursday, and then heading to sunny California for SolidWorks World. If you are going to be in Anaheim, look me up.

I got this from Tom Cote this morning. It's pretty cool to know that your products are used in a movie, even cooler to actually pick them out while watching it, and the icing on the cake is getting a [more...]

I originally intended to complete my schedule last Friday, but I took the weekend to refine my choices. It wasn't easy - there are way too many really good sessions to choose from. Here's is my schedule, and some of [more...]

This is it, the last session for this year's SolidWorks World. Take advantage of some really great presentations to complete your day, and then get ready to go back to the office and put the information to good use. The [more...]

Can you believe it, only one more session after this one. By now a lot of folks are experiencing information overload, but are excited to pick up a few more tidbits of information before heading home. You might be disappointed [more...]

For the past several years at SolidWorks World, lunchtime has meant Birds-of-a-Feather seating. This year will be different. Instead of setting up tables in the main dining room, special rooms have been set aside for an after lunch networking session [more...]

The Wednesday general session is always "Sneak Preview" day at SolidWorks World, and you'll get a chance to see some of the functionality being considered for SolidWorks 2011. We'll also be handing out the SWUGN Awards, the Model Mania winners [more...]

Since the "off-site event" is on-site this year, you won't have to rush to your room and back to the bus line after this session. Soak in some great information, take your time changing into your rockin' clothes, and we'll [more...]

By this time on Tuesday, people are getting excited about special event. If you're a fan of Aerosmith music, you're in for a treat - Draw the Line, the only endorsed Aerosmith tribute band will be the pumping out such [more...]

I'll be heading to the next set of sessions from a private working lunch with SolidWorks user group leaders. There are some great choices here. System Options: Understanding the Effects on SolidWorks Documents Kelly Frazier, THNKtions, LLC I sat in [more...]

After a whirlwind Monday full of technical goodness, it doesn't get any easier to choose sessions on Tuesday. Some of the top-rated presenters of all time are on the agenda, and the first session block presents quite a challenge. What [more...]

Now that I've looked at the schedule closer, there's a hard break starting at 3:45pm. That's where you'll find the food and drinks, and hundreds of people. There are some great sessions starting at 4:30pm, so break away from the [more...]

There's a decent chance that fruits, cookies, and sodas will be lining the hallways as everyone makes their way to the next set of technical sessions. I'll grab some on my way to see one of these sessions. SolidWorks and [more...]

Chooosing a session to attend after lunch doesn't get any easier. There are some really good choices and some really good presenters. I've decided not to take any specific track, but rather to pick a good cross section of sessions [more...]

Choosing sessions at SolidWorks World is never easy. Do I pick a "track" and stick with it? Maybe I should sit in on sessions covering functionality I don't normally use. I guess I could attend sessions based on the presenter's [more...]

Ahhh..Monday morning at SolidWorks World. You're looking over the agenda and trying to decide which technical session to attend. But wait...there are twenty of them to choose from between 10:30am and 12:00pm. 2-0. TWENTY. And that's just the morning sessions. [more...]

Just in time for SolidWorks World, the Brainstorm site is back. Follow this link and use your Customer Portal login to participate. You can add a new idea, review existing ideas, and vote up or down on any of them. [more...]

A few years ago (2006 actually) we started looking total attendance at user group meetings as a yardstick to gauge interest. I'm not sure the numbers mean that much, other than to look at the overall trends. As I was [more...]

I have a lot of friends in Alabama, but not today. Go Longhorns!!

Top Story After more than fours years of leading CTSUG by himself, Bill Casnovsky finally gets two volunteers to help with the group. Steve Calvert and Rex Jackson assume Vice-President in charge of stuff positions and immediately set about updating [more...]

Top Story 46 SolidWorks User Groups take advantage of new SolidWorks forums "group" functionality by requesting their own social groups. The Southern Minnesota SolidWorks User Group REALLY takes advantage and signs up 29 members almost immediately. The group wins a [more...]

Top Story The Central Texas SolidWorks User group celebrates its 10th anniversary with a huge meeting. 70 attendees, including SolidWorks VP's, special guests, and 4 original members are on hand to help usher in the next ten years. Group leader [more...]

Top Story Jim Lowery retires after four years as the San Antonio SolidWorks User Group leader. One of the most personable people you will ever meet, Jim steps down at the top of his game and hands over the reins [more...]

Top Story My busiest travel month of 2009 takes me to Iowa, Minnesota, and Vancouver. I logged nearly 700 driving miles during the Iowa trip, flew "internationally" for Vancouver, and finally, after ten years, got to meet SolidWorks user Jay [more...]

Top Story The SWUGN Summit - Columbus draws 105 attendees, far above the expected turnout. The event features 10 different presenters, and is represented by 5 different user groups. Many of the presenters were doing their first ever sessions, and [more...]