Novedge Pulse™ of Lou Gallo

Enterprise PDM Tips and Tricks:This podcast covers the various approaches, common implementation settings and other tidbits I have used over the past 10+ years of consulting on SolidWorks Enterprise PDM. Topics covered:- Best practices for implementations- Common Data Routing Approaches- Linking ECOs with CAD data (different workflows)- Getting the most out of Tasks- Optional interfaces- Various add-ins and custom appsAmazing to look back to 2001 when I first got my hands on Conisio, the former name of SolidWorks Enterprise PDM. Back in those days the product was a 3rd party, had the same Windows Explorer interface but the SW interface was nothing like the fully integrated experience of today. SolidWorks' acquisition of of Conisio in 2006 has brought the product to the next level however successful use of the product is still very tied to proper setup in the early stages.The name "Enterprise" can come with some negative connotations in terms of implementation time and leaves many with the question, "How many months is this going to take to get working?". This is typically far from the case but like any tool that is highly configurable, the phased approach allows it to address the Engineering-centric issues and then be grown to bring more neighboring departments into the automation fold.Another challenging part of implementing EPDM can be determining the scope of control since it overlaps in functionality with many other management systems (ERP/MRP/PLM) within a company. Today we will touch on some topics and details for common setup and configuration options in EPDM. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

Sunglass Revision Management:This podcast is a first look at the new revision management feature set that was added to the popular 3D browser-based collaboration service Sunglass.io. Revision tracking is a key feature to using today's CAD platforms however they are typically format specific or can be challenging to get outside parties (vendors/contractors) into the collaboration environment. Topics covered:- An overview of the updated UI of Sunglass.io- Understanding the SoilidWorks plugin and workflow- Web viewer experience for collaborators- Projects and Spaces in the Sunglass Dashboard- Viewing / Comparing / Restoring Revisions- User experience and workflow- Overall impressionsSunglass.io, a San Francisco 3D web-based collaboration start-up, has been very busy iterating over the past year and much of what was in the V1 service during the initial release has been refined. This past week Sunglass announced a revision management layer to their 3D web viewer, co-viewing and other collaboration tools to help keep track of the various changes that occur during the design process.PDM, product data management, tools are typically expensive, require hardware/infrastructure and implementation. Although the end result can be very powerful however for small. remote groups this can be too expensive and overkill. Sunglass is attempting to address this common need by taking the hosting and setup out of the equation by introducing simple "push/pull" plugins for SolidWorks, Inventor, SketchUp and Rhino. Pushing a revision up to Sunglass is easy, prompting for comments and syncing the changes up to the collaboration service with the push of a button.This "Github for CAD" is starting to focus on some of the big challenges when it comes to 3D design. I have been testing Sunglass since their launch and although many services support version tracking (uploading a file of the same name), their approach is more streamlined to how CAD users work. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

GrabCAD Workbench:This podcast discusses the newly launched collaboration addition to GrabCAD's already popular 3D Model Community. GrabCAD has now entered the browser-based collaboration arena to join players like TeamPlatform and Sunglass.io. Topics covered:- What is Workbench?- Collaboration portfolio - The workflow of uploading, sharing and collaborating with others- Toolsets for collaboration- My wish list (for let's say V2)- Initial thoughtsThis past week GrabCAD, a 3D model community, introduced a new collaboration are to their service called Workbench. Workbench is an attempt to give it's community more depth to this popular sharing platform by enabling it's users design collaboration tools. Prior to Workbench's launch, GrabCAD offered sharing but more inline with an open source mentality where the community could see, comment and download models from you. Workbench is a collaboration area of your GrabCAD account where projects are uploaded, collaborators are invited and 3D collaboration and communication happens on your terms. Although in the V1 launch is asynchronous, I hope more real-time features make the coming builds and knowing GrabCAD and how quickly they iterate, it is probably not too far out. It is far from the perfect collaboration tool as it sits today but it is addressing a grown need for remote teams and smaller groups to easily get their project content hosted and give them tools to make informed 3D decisions without a lot of prerequisites and software. This is yet another example of how the web is connecting us to be more efficient in design, communication and yes collaboration. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

December Tech News:This podcast covers the SolidWorks and CAD-related tech news that broke since mid-November covering the SolidWorks Blog, various tech alerts and other industry tech news. Topics covered:SolidWorks Blog:- Tips: - Why are some of my dimensions grey and other black? - Something Intersecting in SolidWorks 2013: Join Your Parts to Find Volumes - Viewing different sheets at the same time - Using SolidWorks to Create a Helical Pattern - Make A Single Body with Multiple Open Contours in SolidWorks 2013 - Enterprise PDM: How to Map to Microsoft Office- SolidWorks World 2013 Partner Profiles: - AMD (graphics cards) - Software Cradle (CFD software) - DriveWorks (design automation) - Striker Systems (sheet metal CAD/CAM & nesting software) - Hewlet Packard (workstations) - Mastercam (CAM software) - ATR Soft (Office-EPDM integration and EPDM services)- Maker Movement Articles: - 3D Printers and the Emergence of the Maker Movement - Stirring up the Maker Movement with the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D PrinterTech Alerts:- Participate in defining the future of SolidWorks- SolidWorks Top Ten list idea creation launches- SolidWorks 2013 SP1 is available for download- 3DVIA Composer V6R2013x SP0 is available for download- Enterprise PDM 2013 SP1 is available for downloadSupport Monthly FAQ:- Top Questions and Issues:- New Knowledge Base articlesIndustry News:- TeamPlatorm free version adds teams and API accessDecember is always a busy month of news in the weeks before SolidWorks World 2013. For the past few years SolidWorks has done partner profiles on some of the headliners of the Partner Pavilion since it is one of the event's most untapped resources. So start making your partner hit list and make a plan to spend your time wisely in this year's partner pavillon. SolidWorks was also busy pushing out SolidWorks and EPDM 2013 SP1 in addition to launching the new build of 3DVIA Composer (typically on a 6 month release cycle) V6R2013x SP0. They also opened up the top 10 list, which always is a big part of the 3rd day at SolidWorks World general session.The excitement behind the Maker Movement is something I believe is in the hearts of every engineer and watching it soar is encouraging. Improvements in web-based tools for CAD are also on the rise and one of our new favorite players, TeamPlatform is raising the bar in experience and integration (now with free API access). ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

May Tech News:This podcast covers the SolidWorks and CAD-related tech news that broke since mid-March covering the SolidWorks Blog, various tech alerts and other industry tech news. Topics covered:SolidWorks Blog:Tips: - Breaking a sheet metal loft so it shows bend lines. - Using SolidWorks Sub-Weldments - Revision Clouds in SolidWorks 2013 - Driving SolidWorks Assemblies with Curve-driven Patterns - Simplify Your Models Using the Intersect Tool - Note-Building Machine: SolidWorks vs Infinite Monkeys - Creating Section Views in SolidWorks 2013 - 5 SolidWorks Tips You May Have Never Seen BeforeNews: - Free SolidWorks Certification for Subscriptions Service Customers - Q&A: Keeping up with the U.S. DoD Requirements - Romotive turns your iPhone into a programmable robot with the help of SolidWorks - Learn More About SolidWorks Using the Built-in TutorialsTech Alerts: - May Featured Content - 2 Questions SurveySupport Monthly FAQ: - New format from SW Support - Service Pack News - Noteworthy Solutions from the SW KBIndustry News: - Google Now comes to iOS - GrabCAD Workbench Launches - Windows "Blue" officially now Windows 8.1 (will be free!) - Google I/O 2013 AnnouncementsI know this is a little late but I opted to give myself a little break, catch up on some work and wait till the Google I/O conference was over so I could add some interesting information to the Industry news area of the show.SolidWorks news seems to be a little slim. I would imagine there will be a high volume of stuff hitting the web once the beta for 2014 comes out. I am hoping to hear more news in the coming weeks about SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual, which was announced at SolidWorks World in January. As many of the announcements of years past, it has been silent, however I am anxious to see if we get a beta opportunity in conjunction with the desktop version of SolidWorks 2014.As you might imagine, I was focused on the big Google Developer conference that launched this week so I decided to push the show out till I could add some of the announcements from Google I/O since they have such a powerful impact on the future of the web. Every year Google gives a good outlook on the future of the web and all it could potientially offer us. Whether you love or hate them, the employ more PHDs than any other company so "pushing the envelope" is woven into their DNA. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

April Tech News:This podcast covers the SolidWorks and CAD-related tech news that broke since mid-March covering the SolidWorks Blog, various tech alerts and other industry tech news. Topics covered:SolidWorks Blog:Tips: - Allowing SolidWorks to Perfiorm - Editing Legacy Electrical Data with SolidWorks Electrical - Forget the Cavity search--user the Intersect command for filled volume (SW2013) - SolidWorks Simulation Time Saver: Sub-Modeling - Stripping a Coated/Plated Part in SolidWorks - New in SW2013: Change Your Life with Search Options (on of my fav) - The Magic 8-ball in SolidWorksNews: - Design That Matters uses SolidWorks to help save newborns with jaundice (Born to Design) - SolidWorks 22 min Webinar Series reminder... - How to Learn SolidWorks (tutorials) - Setting the record straight on the future of SolidWorks Mechanical CAD - Introducing My.SolidWorks - Replicating History: Teversham Engineering's Project to Rebuild the First Computer using SolidWorks.Tech Alerts:- SolidWorks 2013 SP3 is available for download (release notes)Support Monthly FAQ:- Top Questions and Issues- New Knowledge Base ArticlesIndustry News:- Google Pixel first thoughts (besides expensive)- Google announces a Realtime API for Drive (more collaborative tools to come!)- Microsoft's next revision to Windows 8 (codename: Blue) leaks- Blake Couter, Founder, Leaves SpaceClaim for GrabCAD- Fielder Hiss leaves his post at SolidWorks (VP of Product Marketing and Management)The tech news this month was hard to choose what exactly to cover since there was more than usual. On the SolidWorks front, the news has a few eye openers and some reflection and even worry when it comes to the future of the SolidWorks product direction.This past week Fielder Hiss, a long time friend of mine and the VP of Product Marketing and Management stepped down to after 14 years with the DS SolidWorks. It took many by surprise but raised concerns on exactly what was behind the decision. Fielder had reportedly said his decision was NOT due to any broad organizational changes but more around a need for change after spending 1/3 his life with the same company. He is taking a similar role with in a non-CAD industry (EnerNOC).The other news was from a "Getting the facts straight" post on the SolidWorks Blog by CEO, Bertrand Sicot about the future of SolidWorks Mechanical CAD. SolidWorks is finding itself in these situations due to unclear statements in public arenas like SolidWorks World or the shear lack of updated information to the general public after such announcements. (i.e. closed beta on SW Mechanical Conceptual). Users and analysts like updates and the lack of updates causes wild speculation which then requires actions like this. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

Kenesto Community:This podcast covers the free Kenesto Community, a cloud service that brings business process workflow and social interactivity into one hosted community. Kenesto came on the radar a couple years ago at SWW 2012 but was still under beta at the time. Topics covered:- What does Kenesto Community do?- What are the costs of the business plans and what do they offer?- The feature list and how it blends workflow with social.- Use cases and highlights- Overall impressionsI had heard about Kenesto in the early months before SolidWorks World 2012 in San Diego, CA and that Mike Payne, long time CAD pioneer, was taking the PLM and business process automation (BPA) to the cloud. The early promises were to take the infrastructure load off of customers and centralize this automation in the cloud. I first saw the product at their booth in the SolidWorks World Partner Pavillion where I got a demo and a more concise description of their goals and product roadmap. Since then the product fell off my radar since the launch was not quick and it appeared that the beta was going to take some time. However, earlier this year there was a shift when Kenesto brought on Steve Bodnar from Autodesk to head up products and marketing.This year (2013) they are now expanding upon their hosted workflow and integrating a social layer and "Freemium" model to get users familiar with the service. Kenesto offers collaboration and discussion around tasks, documents, workflows, links, forms and a number of other aspects important to project/process management.Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

Engineering Via The Web:This podcast covers various tools that I have used or am paying attention to as the next frontier to engineering product management. Online storage, web-based collaboration tools, project management, notes and tasks are just a few categories of tools I use daily. Topics covered:?Online 3D Collaboration:??- Teamplatform- Sunglass Notes and Tasks:?- Evernote / SimpleNote / OneNote- Trello (lists, simple project management)- ??Google Tasks (iOS, Android, Web) - gTasks (My pic on iOS) - Tasks (My pic on Android)- Google Keep (new, simple)Productivity Suites:- Google Apps (Docs, Sheets, Presentations...more)?- Microsoft Office 365Project Management:- Podio (By Citrix, the GoToMeeting folks)?- Basecamp (By 37 signals)- Teamplatform (new Gantt chart functions)- Gantter (for Google Drive)Storage and Sharing:?- Dropbox- Google Drive- Microsoft SkyDrive- Box.net?About once a quarter I like to do a web tools discovery show to shed some light on updates and new players on the market of 3D online collaboration and project management. Since web-based tools are hosted and live, the tend to evolve on a much shorter update schedule and constantly rolling out new features and functionality. Ship and iterate it the motto so if you don't pay attention, you'll miss the updates! ?As an avid Google Chromebook user for the past 4 years, I am moving much of my tool sets to the web for centralization and backup of my must-have apps. Web-based has become my number 1 criteria for almost anything since I use so many devices and am never in the same place so the confinement to a single, desktop installed app is restrictive.The goal of this show is to rattle out a number of online solutions, some of which I use daily, ?and bring some awareness of this collaborative movement with tools that are deployed in the browser. As someone who does video, audio and code development in addition to run all the SolidWorks suite of tools, a traditional PC and OS are probably going to be in my workflow for some time to come but the rest I do on the Web! ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

March Tech News:This podcast covers the SolidWorks and CAD-related tech news that broke since mid-February covering the SolidWorks Blog, various tech alterts and other industry tech news. Topics covered:?SolidWorks Blog:?- Tips - Revisitng You SolidWorks Copy Settings - SolidWorks Dismissed Warnings and Error Messages - New "Bounding Box" in SolidWorks 2013 (it's not just for weldments!) - Using the Intersect tool in SolidWorks 2013 - Snapshots of PhotoView 360: Viewpoint (Part 5 of series) - It's Easy to Convert that old Legacy Data to SolidWorks - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Your Sketches - Remote vs. Distributes Mass in SolidWorks Simulation- News - Donn McKinney's U.S.S. Missouri (in eDrawings) - SolidWorks World 2013 Technical Presentations are now available for download - Designing a Standing Desk in SolidWorks - How Design Has Changed The Way We Drink (St. Patty's Day)Tech Alterts:- ?March Featured ContentSupport Monthly FAQ:?- No SMFAQ this month...?Industry News:- Google Released the Pixel Chromebook ($1300 bones..)- CADFaster lauches MyCadBox beta (cloud based collaboration on Azure)- Dropbox launches version 2.0 Desktop sync tool- Google to Kill Reader July 1This has been a busy month in tech but pretty slow month with respect to SolidWorks. The SolidWorks blog was stocked full of great tips from the AE community but there were no tech alerts or support monthly FAQ.There was, however, a number of technology updates across the web, devices and other services in and around many of the technologies I personally use. Google launched a high end, Macbook Pro quality, Chromebook but came with quite a price tag of over $1300 USD (plus tax). Google Reader, a tool that I use daily, reading over 270K articles across the web since 2006, was announced last week that it was going to be shutting down July 1. Google has been doing a lot of "Spring cleaning" since Larry Page took the helm. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

MyCadBox:This podcast covers a new product from the folks over at CadFaster called MyCadbox. This is a new online CAD collaboration service that is works across the desktop and the iPad. Topics covered:- What is MyCadbox really??- Details on the "Freemium" model- ?Collaboration tool on the desktop and iPad- Co-Viewing Experience- ?Overall impressions- Enhancement ideasTwo years ago I ttalked to Tuomas Holma, the VP of Marketing at CadFaster and we discussed a product that had come our right before SolidWorks World that year called CadFaster Collaborate for SolidWorks. Since then the company has focused more on BIM (Building Information Modeling) and was not as focused on the MCAD industry.A few weeks ago, MyCadbox launched a a pseudo the Dropbox for CAD, which I first read on Deelip's blog?, and since I have spend a fair amount of time in the Dropbox API and a long time user of the service, I was intrigued. I have spend a few hours of testing with the service and now believe is it nothing like Dropbox (Deelip's words) but that there is more focus on sharing the experience than the files themselves.?With services like GoToMeeting, Join.Me, Google Hangouts and Skype, collaboration services coming into this space need to focus on the vertical markets like CAD and have to add tool-sets that break the collaboration habits we currently rely on in our design lives. I am unsure at this point if MyCadbox will dislodge my collaboration habits yet. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

Augmenting Reality with eDrawings:This podcast covers the new feature added to eDrawings for iOS that came out a few weeks ago. Now that I have had time to play with it, I wanted to give me thoughts on it. Topics covered:?- Understanding AR- Getting to know the AR tools- Best practices for AR marker (great SolidSmack writeup)- Applications for AR - Other AR Apps (Augment 3D)- Thoughts and enhancement ideasA few weeks ago, eDrawings for iOS was updated to include a new augmented reality feature that was debuted at SolidWorks World 2013 in January. Although the first launch of this came with an unfortunate bug that rendered AR broken, SolidWorks caught the issue and was able to get it fixed in a week.?I talked briefly about this new feature in the last tech news show but I wanted to dive in a bit more and talk about how I have used it, trials I have gone through and a few interesting finds along the way. It is a fun little tool that can be used to get a "feel" of how something might work in the physical world, however I am still trying to find the ideal use for this new feature.?There are a few examples of AR in the Apple App Store and I have looked at these and a few others just to get an ideal of various implementations. The 3DVIA Mobile app tried to do a pseudo AR feature but again the practicality of it was a stretch. More interesting was watching the rest of our techs trying to augment models in all types of scenarios around the office once this tool shipped! ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

My.SolidWorks:?This podcast covers the new content aggregator that was announced at SolidWorks World 2013 that gives users a one-stop view of the top content sources offered by SolidWorks. Topics covered:?- My.SolidWorks landing page (not logged in)- What CustomerPortal users will see logged i- How to navigate and filte- Bookmarking and sharin- Supported browsers and devices (workarounds)?- Features coming soon for search- Overall ImpressionLast year Dassault had announced that it had acquired NetVibes, a news aggregator, dashboarding site that allows you to organize and read content around the web. Since that aquisition, DS has added a few "premium" features and is charging for this service. I personally am an avid Google Reader user and enjoy the simplicity and power over the dashboard approach.DS also acquired Exalead, a search company and together these two technologies appear to be engines behind the My.SolidWorks service. SolidWorks' goal seems to make a content hub for it's users to consume content from a variety of services like their Forum blog, SolidWorks Blog, SolidWorks Teacher Blog, Twitter stream, and YouTube channel. I believe this is only the first step to SolidWorks pulling more content and possibly delivering it inside of it's products. It might be why they started to bring in more content from the AE network of blogs in order to populate this interface with more useful tips and tricks for users. It will be interesting to see it this sticks around or if it will be another online service users ignore. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downlo [more...]

February Tech News:This podcast covers the SolidWorks and CAD-related tech news that broke since mid-January covering the SolidWorks Blog, various tech alerts and other industry tech news. Topics covered:SolidWorks Blog:- Tips - SolidWorks Hole Callouts for Hole Wizard Holes on Cylindrical Faces - Get Started with SolidWorks Simulation - Why Does M y EPDM Calculated BOM Change? - Snapshots of PhotoView 360: Lighting - SolidWorks Simulation Tech Tip: Initial Temperatures - Rendering Liquids in PhotoView 360 - SolidWorks Composer: An Easy Way to Rotate Actors- SWW News - SolidWorks World 2013: The CEO's Perspective - Overview on My.SolidWorks - Overview on SW Mechanical Conceptual - SWW13 Day 1 General Session Video - SWW13 Day 2 General Session Video - The SolidWorks World 2013 Top 10 List - SWW13 Day 3 General Session Video- News - Celebrating 15 years of SolidWorks certification - Manage 2D Data in EPDM and DraftSight - Display your CSWP on LinkedIn - SolidWorks wins the 2013 Engineers' Choice AwardsTech Alerts:- SolidWorks 2013 SP2 is available for download- Featured content updated for February- SolidWorks EPDM 2013 SP2 available for download- Model Mania 2013 files available for downloadSupport Monthly FAQ:-Top Questions and Issues- New Knowledge Base articlesIndustry News:- Sunglass.io gets notable updates- eDrawings for iOS Augmented RealityTypically the weeks following SWW tend to be dry, although littered with opinions and summaries of the news out of the conference. This month has a few nice highlights and as well as some updates to the 2013 product line.What seems to be more unbelievable is that in just 4 months we should be getting ready for yet another beta season even though SolidWorks 2013 still feel pretty new. SolidWorks also rebranded 3DVIA Composer to SolidWorks Composer which seems to make sense and maybe that will come with more integration as well.There was one thing that was mentioned at SolidWorks World, product wise that did make it in the hands of the masses and that is eDrawings augmented reality feature that was shown on the main stage. I have had some time to test it out and will talk about that as well. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

Woodworking With SolidWorks Revisited:This podcast is a quick update and replay of episode 266 from March 21, 2010 when I covered how to use SolidWorks as a woodworking tool. The show covered how to automate aspects of woodworking from trim and molding to complex joining techniques. Original Show notes:- Using Weldments for trim (base, crown, casing, shoe, etc.)- How to create a profile library for Weldments- Building Library Features for joints (lap, tongue & groove, mortise & tenon, pockets, rabbets, etc.)- Creating Smart Components for inserts, biscuits, dowels, hardware, etc..- Common pitfalls- Using DriveWorks for design variationBack in the Midwest, my family's business is carpentry and I grew up building homes and doing finish work for many summers. I also have used SolidWorks for years to do all types of building and woodworking projects of my own and found it to be very powerful. SolidWorks has some great tools for building the woodworker's library to assist in complex joint operations, standard millwork libraries, and find assembly problems.For years I have built tools using the Library Features (even in the old days of the Feature Palette) that would add a dado or cut a biscuit joint but there was still much to be done. In the past 5 years, SolidWorks has added Weldments and Smart Components which can automate cultists and the insertion of hardware with fasteners and drilled holes in adjacent components. Even though much of this is not "out of the box" and requires users to build that library up from scratch, the payoff is huge for those that want the power of CAD behind their designs. Once a baseline is set, I have found design automation (DriveWorks) to be a more reliable way of varying a design to avoid in-context references and multiple rebuilds to get changes to propagate.This past week, Digital Dimensions moved our offices across town and with packed, moving and getting all our systems setup I just ran out of time to prep a show and record. So I apologize for missing my first show in the 7+ years of podcasting. In prep for this week I had started digging into the new update to eDrawings for iOS but there was a glitch that was discovered with the camera in the new Augmented Reality (AR) feature.@gol10dr @megahertz604 Sorry about that everyone :-( We discovered the camera glitch when eDw hit AppStore. Fix in AppStore by Fri 15-Feb— Rick Chin (@RickWChin) February 9, 2013So as a favor to Rick, I decided to push the show till next week so I can get some hands on time before talking about it on the show. So since the show must go on, I started looking back through the catalog and looking for a topic that had not had airtime in a while. I really enjoyed the show on Woodworking so I hope it finds you well. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

SWW In Review:This podcast covers the highlights of this year's SolidWorks World Conference held in Orlando this past week. After the general sessions, breakouts, partner booths and events, I am exhausted! Topics covered:- General Sessions- Announcements and Speakers- Breaksouts and Venue- Partners and Events- Overall vibe and closing thoughtsThis year's SolidWorks World was the 4th I have been to in Orlando and my 12th overall and I am sorry to say it might have been my least favorite. Not because it was uneventful or that the breakouts were not good...quite the opposite actually. The user community brought their game, along with the resellers and SolidWorks corporate, making breakout sessions some of the best I have seen.The disappointment, for me personally, was in the speakers. Since 2002, my first SWW, they have always had the best speakers from Leonard Nimoy (Spok) to Steve Wozniak, Richard Branson to James Cameron and one of my favorite, Jim Lovell and Gene Krantz (amazing). These inspired us all, giving us insight into the greats in engineering and technology.Despite the lack of major headliners, they did bring in some amazing research professors, the engineering team behind Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking free fall and the engineering team at Festo that made a mechanical bird fly around the auditorium. So uneventful? No! just less amazing than previous years past. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

SolidWorks Mechanical Electrical First Look:This podcast covers the first look at the first new product announced at SolidWorks World 2013 in Orlando, Florida. Topics covered:- The launch of SW Mechanical Conceptual- Product focus and capabilities- Simulation options- Communication options- Workflow used with SolidWorks on the desktop - What "always connected" means- Availability and thoughtsWell today was the day we have been waiting for since SolidWorks World 2010 in Anaheim, CA. Fielder Hiss took the stage and announced a new 3DExperience platform (no really that is the name of the platform) that is "always connected and will bring conceptual design and collaboration to the SolidWorks offering.Unlike the last announcement, this product looks similar, like most of the DS products do, in the UI but had a much larger list of functions focused on both history and direct modeling techniques. The feature list included function like sketching, dynamic movement, simulation, version control, chat, communities, and the list went on.I wanted to simply talk about what we know and what was shown since we have no more answers than we did the last time. There are dates but those can be pushed however I think due to the scope of the list of features, this product might have merit once users can get in and start modeling. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

Today Fielder Hiss took the main stage at SolidWorks World and revealed a new product that will be delivered from Dassault Systemes to focus on the conceptual design process. A few things we know after this morning...It is built on the "3DExperience Platform"It is focused on conceptual design (thus the intuitive name?, looks like they are taking after Microsoft in the marketing department)Will be able to move the concept over to SolidWorks for further design completionAppears to have modeling and assembly capabilities.Design process starts in a similar layout sketch feature with associative nature (like layout sketches in SolidWorks)Has integrated version management for keeping track of concepts (looked similar to snapshots in LDR in SolidWorks combined with a similar swapping capability of that in SolidWorks configurations.Will perform SimulationHas integrated ChatHas screen sharingHistory-based and Direct EditingCan share to private collaboration social platform (like posting screen shots and markups with threaded discussions)Will be available on MobileThere was no use of the word "Cloud" which leads me to believe they learned their lesson back in 2010, however they did mention that it was "always connected". The product appears to be installed locally (maybe a lightweight framework) with its data populated from DS own servers. They also mentioned the ability to save state in order to address the instance of connectivity unexpectedly disconnecting so data stability in in tact.There were no bits on pricing or how anyone would pay for it but they are going to be finding customers that would like to try it out for production., which they described as a test case and not a "beta test". Although that sounds like semantics, this is DS asking for direct input which is very positive. Once this private test is complete, DS will open this up for public trials in October/ November this year. I have heard this before with products like Live Buildings and the original SolidWorks V6 platform since 2010. The only part of today that makes me think they might be aggressive in their attempts to meet meet those dates was the amount of detail they showed. Unlike 3 years ago, this looked like a product that could be used and not a technical trial and vision product that they got working on stage in Anaheim.I am sure more details will come out over the next couple of days but so far this looks like a pretty feature-rich tool but hands on with actual users will tell the truth. More to come soon... ~Lo [more...]

SWW13 Coverage:This podcast covers the various places you will be able to get the sights, sounds and news that breaks at this year's SolidWorks World conference in Orlando, Florida. Topics covered:- SolidWorks: HEARD! coverage options- Other blogs covering the event- Following on Twitter (#sww13)- Photo stream on Flickr (group: sww13)- Video posted to SolidWorks' YouTube Channel- A quick peek at the top 10 listWell SolidWorks World conference is just about 2 weeks away and this will be the 8th year that I have covered the event live in some way and personally my 12th time at this event. I have been very fortunate to have been able to attend this show, thanks to DDi, but I have also an interesting perspective since much has changed with the conference in the past dozen years.There is somewhat of a trend since about 2007 that there is a few new products announced over the general sessions. This usually yields a few details of the next release of SolidWorks on Monday and a more comprehensive reveal on Wednesday. They also tend to have fantastic speakers and special guests so it will be interesting who will grace the stage at this year's event.I also will be trying to get a tip stream out as well as coverage of various breakouts the event has to offer. If you are unable to attend this event, I would like you to head over to the user agenda and look up breakouts you would like cover and let me know which ones to cover. I am only one, but I will do my best to get the most requested session out to you. ~LouRemember to check out the SolidWorks: Heard! Blog and to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

2012 Year in Review:This podcast covers a summary of 2012 and the specific SolidWorks' most memorable moments from the rise and fall of n!Fuze to eDrawings on the iPhone and everything in between. Topics covered:SolidWorks 2012 Highlights:- SolidWorks hints at SolidWorks V6 in early 2013 (@ sww13)- SolidWorks early testing on Windows 8 (March 2012)- Introduction of SolidWorks Plastics (Simpoe agreement in April 2012)- 3DVIA Composer V6R2013 ships (May 2012)- eDrawings for iPad (May 2012)- SolidWorks Electrical hits the scene (August 2012)- Unveiling SolidWorks 2013 product line (September 2012)- Debut of eDrawings Pro for iPad (September 2012)- SolidWorks launches 2013 products with Windows 8 Support on day 1 (September)- SolidWorks 2013 SP0 Ships (October 2012)- eDarwings Pro support for iPhone (November 2012)- SolidWorks 2012 SP5 (giving backwards interoperability to 2013 (November 2012)- 3DVIA Composer V6R2013x ships (December 2012)Technology Highlights:- Apple ships retina iPad and iPad mini- Google ships Nexus 7 and 10- Windows 8 goes live- Amazon launches Kindle Fire HD- Microsoft launches Surface RT (Arm based tablet)- The rise of webGL 3D tools emerge with Sunglass, GrabCAD and TeamPlatformFrom a technology standpoint, 2012 has been an amazing year! Consumer electronics were brought to a new level, not only in technology but in adoption. Tablets have hit the scene in a huge way, brining larger screen mobile devices to a significant portion of the population. This is changing the way many of us compute on a daily basis.As far as the CAD scene, the emergence of more mobile tools that extend the workflow of markup and communication is far overdue and I hope becomes more expansive in the coming year. Web-based collaboration tools for 3D are also growing in capabilities allowing teams to use cloud centric tools to bridge the gap.2013 should bring many technological surprises, especially since the comfort with the cloud is slowly but surly growing. We might actually see something from DS SolidWorks at SolidWorks World this year if the hint of Bertrand Sicot stands true. I want to take a moment to thank you all for listening/reading for another year and I am excited to see what 2013 brings to us in the engineering and tech world. Happy New Year! ~LouRemember to check out the SolidWorks: Heard! Blog and to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

3DVIA Composer V6R2013x:This podcast covers the new features released in the most recent build of 3DVIA Composer. Topics covered:- Overview of the What's New- Browser Support (HTML Publish)- Usability/Efficiency enhancements- 3D Tool Library- Installation and Supported OSUnlike SolidWorks, 3DVIA Composer tends to ship their major updates on a 6 month release cycle instead of the industry standard yearly release. Typically the releases are very focused and workflow-centric, addressing how to make creating content efficient.2013x has brought wider support for the HTML publishing, offering support across a wider range of browsers. In addition to a number of enhancements to existing functionality, they have expanded the 3D tool library for outlining various assembly or procedural processes.For those of us who import data into composer from CAD, the new import profiles will automate the "death by import checkbox" menu. It is another solid release and I am sure existing users will be happy to see some of their workflows refined. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

Configurations: Cache or Purge:This podcast covers the new configurations management feature built right into the ConfigurationManager inside of SolidWorks. Topics covered:- Overview on the new functionality in Configuration- Understanding icon feedback and options- Effects with version interoperability- Usage models and tipsConfigurations are one of my favorite and most used, foundation features of SolidWorks and have not had much enhancement since the introduction of Display States. Anyone who uses configurations knows that as the number of configs goes up, so does the file size. Finally there is a way to keep the file size down and have full control of which configurations have quick access.After using this, one of the best parts about the new configuration management feature is it works on not only 2013 files, but when you convert an older file to 2013, all these management features are in play. That means those large assemblies with configs that take forever to open can be trimmed down and improved for the next time.Today we will break down the features, what icons mean what and explain how this can be a great tool to clean up your current data and speed up access times. This also plays a part in how 2013 files are accessed and viewed inside of 2012 SP5 using the new version interoperability feature. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

Envelope Workflow:This podcast covers the new updates envelopes in SolidWorks 2013 and how they have been redesigned to be easier to incorporate into design use. Topics covered:- Introduction to SolidWorks Envelopes- Details about enhancements in 2013- Applications and uses for envelopes in design- Downstream effects of envelope use- Tips and preferencesEnvelopes in SolidWorks have been around for well over 10 years but ironically was not used by a bulk of users in the community. I have talked about envelopes a few times on the show and despite my personal use of the feature, one aspect that made using envelopes was the workflow that needed to be followed. In the past, parts would need to be created as envelopes or inserted into assemblies as envelopes which made using the feature cumbersome. Benefits of envelopes were always in the subtraction in mass properties and BOM items, however in 2013 the barrier of workflow was broken down and the flexibility has made this tool much more streamlined and I imagine will be adopted by more users in the design process.I have a long history using envelopes and am excited to see useful tools like this get some love in the new release. I covered envelopes about 2 years ago in EP-286 and this might be the first time envelopes actually have been given new features. If you have not tried them before or had and thought they were too much work to use, take a look again. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

CAD Admin Dashboard:This podcast covers the new service offered inside the SolidWorks Customer Portal that finally takes the "Performance Email" that we all used to disable and gives a full history of usage and specs to help any CAD admin or curious user. Topics covered:- How to find the new CAD Admin Dashboard (C.A.D)- What tools from SolidWorks assist the C.A.D.- Navigating the C.A.D. interface- Customizing warnings- Setting up baselines- Tips and observationsFor years we all would see the "Would you like to enable Performance Logging" after we install a SolidWorks service pack and most would check "NO" since it appeared to be sent into the DS abyss only to never be seen again. Despite countless assurances from SolidWorks that this information was very important to improving and understanding usage, saying "No" to stop the phoning home might have more draw, even by those of us who knew this was put to good use by R&D.SolidWorks 2013 finally gave users a selfish reason to turn it back on....VISIBILITY... and then some. Building on the importance of SoildWorks to better understand its users, the new CAD Admin Dashboard is a user-facing tool that takes the information about your SolidWorks session history, options, hardware specs, etc. This gives those of us supporting SolidWorks (both internal and external) to get a wider understanding of what is really happening. Understanding this is the first year this has launched, I'm sure pressure testing from the user base will probably reveal needs to make the offering exceptional. Currently the service is available to all users with a login to the account and not a restricted group or external groups like resellers and support staff. This is a great start and a service I think all users will benefit from. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

November Tech News:This podcast covers the SolidWorks and CAD-related tech news that broke since mid-October covering the SolidWorks Blog, various tech alerts and other industry tech news. Topics covered:SolidWorks Blog:- More What's New videos on SolidWorks 2013- Climbing Ladders With SolidWorks: Don't Just Stress About Strength- Use Luxology Appearance Files When Rendering in SolidWorks 2013- To Infinisty and Beyond: How SE Corp. Helped NASA using SolidWorks- SolidWorks Materials: Manage & Customize- Enter the SolidWorks World 2013 Internet Correspondent Contest and win a trip to Orlando!- Use SolidWorks Models in an Apple iBook- Three New Simulation Functions in SolidWorks 2013- Interactive Scalable Vector Graphics Files from 3DVIA Composer- eDrawings is now available for the iPhoneTech Alerts:- Virtual Simulation Usage- SolidWorks 2012 SP5 is available for download- Enterprise PDM 2012 SP5 is available for download- November Featured Author Blog: Splines- SolidWorks 2013 SP1 Early Visibility is available for downloadMonthly Support FAQ:- Top questions and issues- New Knowledge Base ArticlesIndustry News:- The growth of online CAD collaboration tools- Google launching new 10" tablet and new ARM based ChromebookSolidWorks 2013 is on the verge of getting its first service pack and the flurry of what's new videos is starting to make a downturn. SolidWorks 2013 as well as EPDM both seem to be well received and focused on improving workflow of how users use CAD and PDM.This has been an interesting month as SolidWorks updates eDrawings for the iPad to be a universal app for any iOS device. This begins the movement of getting access to 3D from the device you have, well at least if you are on iOS. I think this will show an uptick in usage and I hope get DS to see the importance of bringing this technology to Android as well.Google also had a busy month and now has a 10" Nexus tablet to compete with the iPad, getting more tablets out there in the marketplace. They also shipped a new set of Chromebooks, one of which I upgraded to that runs entirely on ARM and was priced $100 cheaper at $249 USD. Great time to enjoy tech! ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

TeamPlatform:This podcast covers a cloud-based service for design teams to collaborate, communicate and manage their projects called TeamPlatform. Topics covered:- Signup process and subscription options- Dashboard (your TP at a glance)- Workspaces & Pages- File uploads and 3D CAD support- Discussions and Tasks- Sharing Controls (private & public- Overall impressionsI am thrilled to see that the cloud-based, collaboration arena for 3D continues bring new players to the table with their own take on how it is to be done. I have often brought up SolidWorks 3DTeamWorks on this show since it was a product so far ahead of its time and TeamPlatform reminds me of that on steroids.Services like Sunglass.io and GrabCAD have emerged for different reasons but ultimately making the ability to view 3D CAD on the cloud a browser based tool. TeamPlatform packs project management, file collaboration and version control all into a hosted space with a nuumber of uses. It reminds me of an Engineering focused version of BaseCamp from 37 Signals.I love the fact that the folks at TeamPlatform also have pushed their API up to GitHub and provided a number of methods to connect via their API (paid versions) to integrate this service into the numerous tools being used inside your company.Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

2013 Rendering Tips:This podcast covers a few common questions that I was asked during the weeks of rollouts of the new 2013 software to the masses. Many questions came up on how to get Luxology appearances as well as how the new network rendering tools and setup works. Topics covered:- 2013 support for LXP appearance files- How to get access to the Luxology Asset Sharing Site- Adding and previewing LXP in PhotoView 360- Where to download the Network Rendering client- How to setup/configure the new PV360 Network Rendering client- Enabling and using network rendering from PV360Now that the new release of SolidWorks is out and all the beta is behind us it is time to dig deeper into the new features and understand how to get them working. Two areas I specifically received a lot of post-presentation questions on were related to both the new Luxology appearances and how to download them. This is not especially straightforward and since this is a feature only for subscription customers, it also needs to see an active login to the customer portal.In addition to these appearances, a very popular new feature is the PhotoView Network Rendering capability that uses Bonjour, Apple's zero configuration network solution, and a new client-side software utility that allows other systems to use the CPU resources to participate in render jobs from PhotoView. Since nobody installs from DVD, finding the download on the customer portal is also a bit of a challenge since it is buried in the manual downloads (32 bit).These new capabilities and expanded libraries of materials and content from Luxology may make this the best release of PV360 yet. Unfortunately, in order to take advantage of it, there is a bit of discovery to get the tools needed to get started. Happy rendering... ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

WN2013 - Display, Routing & Sustainability:This podcast dissects the What's New PDF, outlining all the new functionality in SolidWorks 2013 with tips, tricks and insights in the new major release. Topics covered in this show:Chapter 15: Model Display:- Appearances- PhotoView 360Chapter 19: Routing:- Auto Route Tool Supports Routing Along Existing Geometry- Creating Drawings for Flexible Tubing Routes- Enhanced Pipe Penetration- Enhanced Support for Exporting Pipe and Tube Data- Improvements for Flattened Routes- Improvements for Ribbon Cable Routes- Adding Slopes for Pipe Routes- Support for Tubing in P&ID Files- Validation Check for Routing Component WizardChapter 23: Sustainability:- Environmental Impact of Painted Parts- Exporting Settings for a SolidWorks Sustainability Study- Financial Impact of Material Choices- Improved Calculation Consistency- TRACI Impact Assessment Methodology- Selecting Unity in the Find Similar Dialog BoxModel Display, Routing and Sustainability covering chapters 15, 19 and 23 of the What's New PDF, outline changes/enhancements to the SolidWorks product line since the previous release. If you have not done so, please download this PDF and walk through the areas that are most important to you.The goal of this series is to provide a portable, audio version of the 2013 What's New, providing a quick way to evaluate new features that have been changed/added/removed in the SolidWorks product line. We all fall victim to the "ruts" of using SolidWorks from release to release and knowing what's to come brings awareness early.I will be releasing an additional show a week as well as the usual monthly Tech News shows (up to 3 a week) in order to cover the entire What's New PDF before FCS (First Customer Ship). Between the podcast, blog and other posts around the web, there will be no shortage of SolidWorks 2013 content to come!Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

October Tech News:This podcast covers the SolidWorks and CAD-related tech news that broke since mid-September covering the SolidWorks Blog, various tech alerts and other industry tech news. Topics covered:SolidWorks Blog:?- A ton of What's New videos- Registration for SWW13 is now open- Assuming Small Displacement: The Large Displacement Flag- Remembering our friend Wayne Tiffany - Set Document Property for SW EPDM- Increasing Performance in SW Patterns- SW library features to "Die" for (video tutorial)- Rho, Rho, Rho YourBoat: Conics in SW 2013- Maximize your punkin' chunkin' catapult with SW Simulation- Change Your Tree: See the Mates First!- The Stratos Project: One Gial Freefall for Mankind- Customizing SolidWorks Flyout Toolbars- SolidWorks Enterprise Licensing Made SimpleTech Alerts:-? SolidWorks EPDM 2013 SP0 is available for download- Would you like to help define the future of SW? (survey)- SolidWorks 2013 SP0 is available for download- Creation of Inspection Documentation and Related Data (survey)Industry News/Misc:- SolidWorks to support Windows 8 on SolidWorks 2013 products (64 bit)SolidWorks Beta is over, pre-release has now come to a close and SolidWorks 2013 SP0 has shipped! Now that the newest release is available to the general public, we can all get started really getting serious about moving to the latest and greatest.?One of the pieces of news that came out last week was that SolidWorks 2013 will ship with full Windows 8 support right out of the gate at service pack 0. With many of the Microsoft legacy products coming to retirement (Windows XP, Server 2003, Windows Vista) it is great to see support even before the official launch on October 26th! I have been running Windows 8 since it's first debut in the developer preview and now that RTM has shipped (release to manufacturing), it is my primary OS.?After 11 years of presenting and talking to customers about the newest release of software, it is great to see some genuine excitement to upgrade immediately since SolidWorks 2013 seems to have some focus on a lot of core features.? Time will tell but so far the SP0 build seems to be pretty solid. ~LouCheck out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Download [more...]

WN2013 - Parts, Features & Sheet Metal:This podcast dissects the What's New PDF, outlining all the new functionality in SolidWorks 2013 with tips, tricks and insights in the new major release. Topics covered in this show:?Chapter 14: Import/Export:?- Import Performance EnhancementsChapter 17: Parts and Features:- Edge Selection Toolbar Available for Fillets- Enhanced Support for Mounting Bosses- Enhanced Support for Thin Extrudes- Enhancement for Inserting Cosmetic Threads- Enhancements to Part Reviewer- Highlighting Related Bodies or Surfaces in Multibody Parts- Inserting Dowel Holes with the Hole Wizard- Linking a Defeature Model to Original- Mass Properties in Parts- Modifying Geometry with the Intersect Tool- Multibody Library Features- Selecting End Conditions for Extruded Features- Show hidden Bodies- Smarter Configuration Switching- Transferring Custom Properties- Varying Dimensions Patterns- WeldmentsChapter 20: Sheet Metal:- ?Bend Notes- Forming Tools- Multibody PartsChapter 22: Sketching:- ?Conic Curves- Dimensions?Parts, Features and Sheet Metal covering chapters 14, 17, 20 and 22 of the What's New PDF, outline changes/enhancements to the SolidWorks product line since the previous release. If you have not done so, please download this PDF and walk through the areas that are most important to you.The goal of this series is to provide a portable, audio version of the 2013 What's New, providing a quick way to evaluate new features that have been changed/added/removed in the SolidWorks product line. We all fall victim to the "ruts" of using SolidWorks from release to release and knowing what's to come brings awareness early.I will be releasing an additional show a week as well as the usual monthly Tech News shows (up to 3 a week) in order to cover the entire What's New PDF before FCS (First Customer Ship). Between the podcast, blog and other posts around the web, there will be no shortage of SolidWorks 2013 content to come!Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Download [more...]

WN2013 - Simulation:This podcast dissects the What's New PDF, outlining all the new functionality in SolidWorks 2013 with tips, tricks and insights in the new major release. Topics covered in this show:?Chapter 13: SolidWorks Flow Simulation:?- Compare Configuration Mode- Erosion Plot- Evenly Spaced Surface Streamline Algorithm- Improved Feature Tree- Improved Geometry Handling- Low Temperature Condensation- Parametric Study Mode- Improved eDrawings PlotsChapter 16: Motion Studies:- Motion Studies TutorialsChapter 18: SolidWorks Plastics:- Plastic Part and Injection Mold Design Optimization?Chapter ??21: SImulation:- Beams- Contact- Incremental Meshing- Materials in Design Studies- Results- Sensors- SubmodelingSolidWorks Simulation covering chapters 13, 16, 18 and 21 of the What's New PDF, outline changes/enhancements to the SolidWorks product line since the previous release. If you have not done so, please download this PDF and walk through the areas that are most important to you.The goal of this series is to provide a portable, audio version of the 2013 What's New, providing a quick way to evaluate new features that have been changed/added/removed in the SolidWorks product line. We all fall victim to the "ruts" of using SolidWorks from release to release and knowing what's to come brings awareness early.I will be releasing an additional show a week as well as the usual monthly Tech News shows (up to 3 a week) in order to cover the entire What's New PDF before FCS (First Customer Ship). Between the podcast, blog and other posts around the web, there will be no shortage of SolidWorks 2013 content to come!Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Download [more...]

WN2013 - Workgroup & Enterprise PDM:This podcast dissects the What's New PDF, outlining all the new functionality in SolidWorks 2013 with tips, tricks and insights in the new major release. Topics covered in this show:?Chapter 12: SolidWorks Enterprise PDM:?- Administration Tool- File Explorer and SolidWorks Add-inChapter 24: SolidWorks Workgroup PDM:- Limiting Export to Files in the Current Revision Scheme- Vault Service Management?SolidWorks Workgroup and Enterprise PDM covering chapters 12 and 24 of the What's New PDF, outline changes/enhancements to the SolidWorks product line since the previous release. If you have not done so, please download this PDF and walk through the areas that are most important to you.The goal of this series is to provide a portable, audio version of the 2013 What's New, providing a quick way to evaluate new features that have been changed/added/removed in the SolidWorks product line. We all fall victim to the "ruts" of using SolidWorks from release to release and knowing what's to come brings awareness early.I will be releasing an additional show a week as well as the usual monthly Tech News shows (up to 3 a week) in order to cover the entire What's New PDF before FCS (First Customer Ship). Between the podcast, blog and other posts around the web, there will be no shortage of SolidWorks 2013 content to come!Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Download [more...]

WN2013 - Drawings & Detailing:This podcast dissects the What's New PDF, outlining all the new functionality in SolidWorks 2013 with tips, tricks and insights in the new major release. Topics covered in this show:?Chapter 10: Drawings & Detailing:?- Balloons- Dimensions- Drawing Views- Layers- Other Annotations- TablesChapter 11: eDrawings:- eDrawings for iPad- Exploded Views- Saving and Sending Files in eDrawings 64-bit Installations- Sterographic Viewing- Version Support for Mac and PowerPC?Drawings, Detailing and eDrawings, covering chapters 10 and 11 of the What's New PDF, outline changes/enhancements to the SolidWorks product line since the previous release. If you have not done so, please download this PDF and walk through the areas that are most important to you.The goal of this series is to provide a portable, audio version of the 2013 What's New, providing a quick way to evaluate new features that have been changed/added/removed in the SolidWorks product line. We all fall victim to the "ruts" of using SolidWorks from release to release and knowing what's to come brings awareness early.I will be releasing an additional show a week as well as the usual monthly Tech News shows (up to 3 a week) in order to cover the entire What's New PDF before FCS (First Customer Ship). Between the podcast, blog and other posts around the web, there will be no shortage of SolidWorks 2013 content to come!Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Download [more...]

WN2013 - CircuitWorks, Configs & Costing:This podcast dissects the What's New PDF, outlining all the new functionality in SolidWorks 2013 with tips, tricks and insights in the new major release. Topics covered in this show:?Chapter 7: CircuitWorks:?- Importing and Exporting ECAD File FeaturesChapter 8: Configurations:- Design Tables- Managing Configuration Data- SpeedPak- Transferring Custom Properties When Inserting Configured PartsChapter 9: SolidWorks Costing:- Converting Simple Drilled Holes to Milled Pockets- Multibody Parts- Turned Parts- User Interface- Volume Features?CircuitWorks, Configurations and SolidWorks Costing, covering chapters 7, 8 and 9 of the What's New PDF, outline changes/enhancements to the SolidWorks product line since the previous release. If you have not done so, please download this PDF and walk through the areas that are most important to you.The goal of this series is to provide a portable, audio version of the 2013 What's New, providing a quick way to evaluate new features that have been changed/added/removed in the SolidWorks product line. We all fall victim to the "ruts" of using SolidWorks from release to release and knowing what's to come brings awareness early.I will be releasing an additional show a week as well as the usual monthly Tech News shows (up to 3 a week) in order to cover the entire What's New PDF before FCS (First Customer Ship). Between the podcast, blog and other posts around the web, there will be no shortage of SolidWorks 2013 content to come!Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Downloa [more...]

WN2013 - Install & AssembliesThis podcast dissects the What's New PDF, outlining all the new functionality in SolidWorks 2013 with tips, tricks and insights in the new major release. Topics covered in this show:?Chapter 5: Installation:?- Push Install and Uninstall Method Using the Option EditorChapter 6: Assemblies:- Assembly Visualization- Breaking All External References at Once- Deleting Components from Subassemblies- Derived Components- Envelopes (Nice tweaks)- Multiple Exploded Views per Configuraiton (my fav)- Inserting Components- Interference Detection- Large Assemblies- Mass Properties in Assemblies- Mates in Mirrored Subassemblies- Replacing Components- Selecting Subassembles in the Graphics Area- Snapshots- Swept Cut Assembly Features?Installation and Assemblies, covering chapters 5 and 6 of the What's New PDF, outline changes/enhancements to the SolidWorks product line since the previous release. If you have not done so, please download this PDF and walk through the areas that are most important to you.The goal of this series is to provide a portable, audio version of the 2013 What's New, providing a quick way to evaluate new features that have been changed/added/removed in the SolidWorks product line. We all fall victim to the "ruts" of using SolidWorks from release to release and knowing what's to come brings awareness early.I will be releasing an additional show a week as well as the usual monthly Tech News shows (up to 3 a week) in order to cover the entire What's New PDF before FCS (First Customer Ship). Between the podcast, blog and other posts around the web, there will be no shortage of SolidWorks 2013 content to come!Check out the SolidWorks:Heard! Blog and follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!Direct Download [more...]