Like they do every October, SolidWorks will be releasing the latest and greatest version of their software. We got a sneak peak at some of the new features, so get excited...you can check them out here.
You can also subscribe to our SolidWorks 2010 e-mail list to get regular updates about the software release.
I was watching my task manager the other day and found that a process called svchost.exe was eating up my processor. A significant amount of my performance was being eaten by this process and I had no idea what it was doing, so I did a little research.
The Windows operating system has migrated over the years from using .exe's for running internal system functions to .dll's. In essence, a .dll cannot run on it's own. It has to be launched from a .exe. This is the function of the svchost.exe. The services are organized into logical groups and then assigned to a svchost.exe.
To check what services are being run by the svchost.exe processes:
From the command prompt type tasklist /SVC.
It will give you a list of services run by each svchost.exe and the PID of that process.
In VISTA it's even easier.
You can right click the process from the processes tab in the task manager and select Go to Service(s). You will be switched to the services tab and all the services that are run by that process will be highlighted.
Another way to get a good look at the information is to use process monitor from sysinternals/Microsoft.
This tool allows you to right click over a process and the popup shows you all of the services running in the process. This tool is worth investigating because it does a lot more than this. If you are interested in this type of OS functionality give it a look.
As it turns out most of the services that these svchost.exe processes run are necessary (at least on my machine, individual results may vary) so I couldn't comfortably shut any of them down. I do, at least, feel a little better knowing more about what's going on on my machine.
Adrian Fanjoy
Technical Services manager
CATI
All
SolidWorks Users and Guests,
If
you haven't already done so -
Please Make Your Reservation
Now.
Central Indiana SolidWorks
User Group Meeting:
Date:
Thursday, May 21st
Time:
4:30 pm
Venue: GT
South Rib House - 4919 S Emerson Avenue
Indianapolis,
(Beech Grove)
Premium
Door Prizes:
Two Gas Card Prizes of $30 each will be given to the registrants who traveled the
furthest distance this meeting.
Sponsored by: Karen
Medeiros of Summit National.
Agenda (approximate timing):
4:30. Registration and Networking
5:00. General Meeting- Rick Miller, Impact Forge Group, Inc
6:00. Dinner Break
6:30. Technical Presentation
7:30.Tips and Tricks- Bring your SW examples or problem on a memory stick
8:00.Door Prizes. Must be present to win!
SolidWorks labs (labs.solidworks.com) came out with Blueprint Now awhile back. It is a tool that lets you edit dwg files on-line. A nice idea, but what good is that to a SolidWorks user?
Today we had a customer send in a DXF file that they were having trouble reading into SolidWorks. I tried to load it into SolidWorks my self, and ran into problems also. I got this Error:
Installation · DWG Editor cannot be installed on a machine more than once. You cannot run 2008 and 2009 versions on the same machine. · DWG Editor is available only on the SolidWorks DVD or off of the SolidWorks Website when downloading a Service Pack. · DWG Editor is not a free SolidWorks product therefore it is not available for non-SolidWorks Subscription customers. · You are prompted during install for Stand Alone or Network based licensing. Standalone Install o There is no Serial Number needed to install a standalone license. o Licensing for Standalone DWG Editor is not currently controlled by the Activation Manager. Network Install o You will be prompted to choose a server where DWG Editor can locate a license.
o When you choose network install it installs the Flex LM manager on the user’s machine.
o In the license file supplied by SolidWorks for a network install there is a limit to the number of seats available (3 for every 1 seat of SW). DWG Editor is a separate line item in the license text file.
o If you have ever had a Network install of DWG Editor on a machine and want to put in a Standalone install you will need to do the following, because an uninstall of the network version does not clear the registry.
· Enter into the registry and browse to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FLEXlm License Manager. In that folder you will want to remove the SW_D_LICENSEFILE line item.
· You can also run the following Registry file to remove that key. Download DWGeditorfix
Demo Mode
When starting DWG Editor if it states that you are in “Demo Mode” one of the following is occurring.
· You are exceeding the license count in the network license file.
· You are running a network license and your license is not pointing to the correct server. This can be corrected either in the Flex LM Software that is installed on that user's PC. In the Server List Tab or by modifying the following registry key.
o HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FLEXlm License Manager under SW_D_LICENSEFILE = 'portnumber@server'.
· You once had the Network version installed and are now running the Standalone, see fix above.
Note: In Demo Mode you cannot print or save the file.
Version and Service Packs
DWG Editor has new version released with each SolidWorks Service Pack.
2009 SP3 is the newest 2009 version as of May 2009.
I think one of the great features added to the 2009 SolidWorks release is the ability to include a cut list in your top level assembly BOM. Let's say your assembly structure looks something like this.
The first component listed just so happens to be a weldment. Even though it does not really get welded-cause its wood. I like to use the weldments feature for lots of things that I want a cut list from (It groups like items together-yeah!!!). So expanded out it looks like so:
Now when you go to make your drawing, you'll need to check the "MAGIC BOX"
And the end result will look something like this.
Now of course I had all of my custom properties filled out and the real column I was after was the "STOCKSIZE" because this is what gives me the cut list for the pieces I need. The cool thing about this is I get a pretty good bang for the buck for a pick list and a cut list all in one BOM.
By the way - don't think that your parts need to be "Weldments" in order to use that feature. Try and think out of the box!
Todd Werginz
Technical Analyst
If you are trying to run the new Activation Based SolidNetwork Licensing and you get an error of "Invalid SolidNetWork License serial number (29)" when installing or activating and have followed all of the steps listed in our previous blog posting (http://blog.cati.com/2009/04/coming-soon-solidnetwork-licensing-with-no-dongle-no-file-no-fuss.html) about how to use SNL Activation then you will want to read on.
The reason for this error is that you probably want to install the latest and greatest service pack of the SNL Manager, SP3.0, and that is where the problem is. You can check this out by going to the About… button in the lower left of the SNL Manager software and looking for Version 17/3.0 (17=SW2009, 16=SW2008).
SolidWorks is working on addressing this error and has it currently listed under SPR 486539. In the meantime, you will need to uninstall SP3.0 and install an earlier Service Pack of the SNL Manager. There is no need to worry about running the earlier SP as there are not many items that change between SP’s of the License Manager.
I have attached a copy of SP2.1 License Manager and also a link to the CATI FTP Site where we have the same file stored. The Username is customer and the Password is access for the FTP Site Login.
ftp://ftp.cati.com/Public/SolidWorks%20Installs/SNL%20Manager/SNL%20Manager%202009/
Josh Altergott
CATI Support Team Leader
The
best way to evaluate design performance is by testing it. With ever
reducing design cycle time, and multitude of projects every engineer
needs to work upon virtual testing paves the way to save time and money.
On May 12th
an elite group meets up in Wisconsin trying to understand how fellow
designers crank the most out of their designs. The Wisconsin / Illinois
COSMOS User Group is made of individuals who go an extra step with
conceptual designs. The discussions spring around different features
available in COSMOS, work arounds to set backs if any, cool use of
technology to come up with next generation designs. Engineers from all
walks of life spend a day, talking about what COSMOS has done to
improve their design cycle.
CATI
has been a patron of the group since its initiation. Our technical
staff has shown active participation, ensuring customer success with
technology. It also gives you an opportunity to put a face to people;
you get regular emails from, or talk to them on phone. Besides, what
better way to understand technology than seeing how it is being
practiced in industry?
When: May 12th 2009
Where: Rudd Lighting Inc. 9201 Washington Avenue, Racine, WI, 53406.
Time: 10 am to 3 pm.
Hope to see you there.
Rajat Trehan
Product Manager – Design Validation
Computer Aided Technology Inc.
There is a known issue with the SolidWorks Viewer 2009 SP3.0 and printing:
Knowledge Base Solution S-036239
Question:
When printing a SolidWorks document from SolidWorks Viewer 2009 SP3 from the File, Print menu, why does the program crash with the following error "An unsupported operation was attempted"?
Answer:
This issue has been identified and submitted to the SolidWorks development team as SPR 487382 - "Print via File, Print causes 'An unsupported operation was attempted' error and crash."
Here are a number of work-arounds that can be used:
1. Uninstall SolidWorks Viewer SP3.0 and install SolidWorks Viewer SP2.1 or earlier
2. Use the Print icon instead of File>Print from the menu
3. Use SolidWorks "Quick View" mode to print the file
4. Use eDrawings to print the file.
Leslie Lougheed
