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Does CAD TV Excite You?

31 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in NEWS

I just received an email from Richard Doyle telling about a new show in town. A Cad Show. It kinda got me all unexcited, but I thought I would check it out anyway.

It’s called CCNTV, which stands for CAD CAM NET TV. It’s a bi-weekly newscast focused on the CAD business and making some cash from advertising. Aw yeah.

It’s actually not too bad – sort of consolidates a lot of previous news in one spot so you don’t have to go looking, plus you can just listen to it while you pretend to work. I would actually suggest that, because it looks like they set the teleprompter a little too close to the hostess, Amy Adams. “I’m Ron Burgandy?”

It looks like they may have some good content on there though, especially since they just started. They should probably add some features to increase their audience. Maybe hook up with Joost or port out to YouTube. Since is pre-recorded it would also be nice if they had a slider to move through the show.

Here you can see the crazy look the hostess Amy Adams has in her eyes.

SolidWorks World 2008

30 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in ROCKIN'

Most everyone has posted about SolidWorks World 2008 and Mike Puckett has given a really good breakdown of what to expect.

I’d just like to add two things:

Three for the price of two
You can get a ‘Three for the Price of Two’ pass here. That’s a savings of $795 smackers you could use to buy a 24″ flat screen monitor.

Show your stuff
If you have been drueling at the opportunity to provide insight into how you use SolidWorks go ahead and Submit a Paper to present at SolidWorks World. You never know what might happen.

How to use SolidWorks Templates to Speed Design

30 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in CAD

solidworks tips If you’re wondering what one of the basic things you can do to make creating parts, assemblies and drawings easier without pushing it off onto someone else, I may have a solution for you.

Steps that prevent repetitive tasks can usually be some of the most simple.
While things in SolidWorks are not always so simple there are simple practices that can reduce the pain. A lot of times we start a new project and don’t realize we’re doing a lot of the same work we did before. To prevent this, and save you a load of time, you can speed up design by creating templates for parts, assemblies and drawings, but there’s a secret.

What’s the big idea?
The big idea behind each template it is to have a basic version of anything you create and modify on a regular basis. So, whenever you’re like, “Heavens ta betsy! I’ve got to create that all over again or try to re-use that monster of a part that has millions of features and circular references! Someone kill me.” this would be a perfect time to create a template.

Here’s how we do it.
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My boy turns 1

30 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in ROCKIN'

Today, my little boy is turning 1 year old. I extremely excited and just can’t help but tell you all and show you some photos. His name is Sebastian Alexander and he’s a bubble of fun. He’s taken over our personal blog at joshandmaggie.com where there are some videos also. Here’s some photos.

Custest Boy Ever

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Friday Smackdown

27 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in SMACKDOWN

I need a banana and a wet-nap stat. These links are bleeding out all over my new rug.

Faveup.com – a simple site for inspirational media design. very nice gallery layout.
Art in HK – an art outfit in Hong Kong with a sweet 3D sketchy site.
CMS Matrix – with so many blog and content management systems out there, this helps compare them.
BackPack – Keep your ideas, notes, tasks online. Great for planning and keeping track of things.
The Volvo S40 – An interesting look at the design of the Volvo S40.

Dassault Systemes Releases Q2 Report

26 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in NEWS

Dassault Systemes released their 2nd quarter earnings today. Overall they’re doing well. Although the increases seem small, Dessault continues to grow thier research in technology, in particulalrly web-based technology with 3DVIA product.

I would like to see them spend more in R&D than marketing but they are at least spending as much in Research as they are in Marketing. That’s a good strategy that, I believe, is working out for them and giving them consistent growth.

Overall, software revenue increased 10% in constant currencies thanks to the strong growth of recurring revenue coming from new licensing activity and a growing installed base…

In line with the Company’s expectations, new CATIA and SolidWorks seats totaled 20,457, level with the year-ago period, largely reflecting the very strong year-over-year comparison for CATIA. On a sequential basis, new CATIA and SolidWorks seats increased 4%.

4 Fresh-Squeezed Tips for New SolidWorks Users

26 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in CAD

Fresh squeezed tips

There’s nothing quite like a fresh-squeezed glass of OJ in the morning, unless you’ve had a traumatic experience in an orange grove and you’re deathly afraid of oranges. Then, not so good. That’s probably pretty common. So instead, I’ve got some fresh-squeezed tips for new SolidWorks users, although just about anyone could use them some how.

Now, when you’re first learning SolidWorks, most people would probably tell you to go get some proper training or to listen up in class and apply yourself, blah, blah, blah. Even if you kinda do that, there are some other things you can do right up front to get ahead.
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MCAD Reviews SolidWorks 2008

25 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in REVIEWS

MCAD, a UK based product development and manufacturing magazine, has put up a 4 page review of SolidWorks 2008 this month.

It’s basically a rundown of the most talked about features. If you’ve seen a 2008 demo or have read other reviews it won’t really tell you anything new though. I would just skip to the end and read the conclusion which has some thought provoking copy.

The basic premise is that SolidWorks is headed in a new direction that allows you to focus on developing the product rather than getting the modeling to work. I’d agree for the most part. I think 2008 will make some things easier. I haven’t had to think about making fillets work as much, I just allow the FilletXpert to do its job.

The modeling and development are the fun part, but are drawings easier to create though? In most industries, you still have to document the design in a drawing. The process is the still the same for me, but I have noticed is it seems to be easier to move drawing views around. Not sure why. What’s made the biggest difference in modeling and drawings is the Shortcut bar. I’ve customized this to the point I’m not using the typical toolbars. I’m still messing with it, but let me tell ya, it’s nice.

AutoDesk Inventor Saved Your 2D Butt

24 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in NEWS

Reading a post over at WorldCAD Access about a recent article makes me realize just how fortunate we are that AutoDESK “finally broke the market open” in 1999 with Inventor and saved us from expensive modeling programs like CATIA.

Hmmm. Man, if it wasn’t for the creative talent behind Inventor, I would still be typing in all my commands and deciding what color to make my dimension layer.

Whoa! man! …I just remembered… I was using SolidWorks in 1996, 3 years before Inventor! Boy, that article almost threw me off.

It’s sad really, in a very silly and non-threatening way. I think the Inventor marketing department would have more success if they packaged new releases of Inventor with hugs and a comfort pillow to lay your head on when your frustration level reached the point of causing an instant loss of consciousness.

autodesk inventor

I blame it on the hallucinogenic effects of wild monkey bites. That or the PR guys at AutoDesk are drinkin’ some syrupy hate-ridden java.

All kidding and sarcasm aside, this article is interesting because:

Who forgot to send the press release out in 1999?
How accurate are other mainstream news stories?

It’s enough to make your head spin.

Free CAD Package to Import and View SolidWorks, CATIA, PRO/E and more

23 Jul, 2007 by Josh Mings in RESOURCES, REVIEWS

DELCAM has a CAD CAM product that allows you to open, view, manipulate, measure and save 39 different CAD formats. It’s called PowerSHAPE-e. The ‘SHAPE’ part is in caps cause they mean business… FREE business. They put out a press release about it today.

Just last week, I was looking for something I could use to view multiple CAD formats. eDrawings only allows you to view SolidWorks files and AutoCAD files. I needed something for Catia in particular and couldn’t find a free viewer. Some worked allright but had trial periods. Other viewers and translators have a range of features and costs. I just wanted something simple to view the files. Well, this was even better and it’s free.

To download it now go here. For more information read on.
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Archive for July, 2007