New Bend Note Controls for SolidWorks 2013

One enhancement SolidWorks offers in
2013 is more control over text and display of bend notes in drawings. This option is only available in the flat pattern view of a sheet metal part.

In the Drawing VIew Property Manager, you are now able to:

• Show or Hide Bend Notes


• Set the bend direction, bend radius, bend order, and bend allowance


• Remove the "R" for the bend radius


• Edit text


• Display complementary and supplementary bend angles

There are 6 Bend Notes options (in order left to right):

1. Bend direction


2. Supplementary angle


3. Complimentary angle


4. Bend Radius


5. Bend order


6. Bend allowance

Also available:

We can control the bend note precision per drawing view. Click OPTIONS (Standard toolbar) or go to Tools > Options. On the Document Properties tab, expand the Tables and click Bend to set the options (shown below).

Collinear bend notes can now be merged and unmerged.  To merge bend notes into a single note, select multiple notes, right-click and select Merge Bend Notes. To unmerge bend notes, right-click and select Unmerge Bend Notes.

Thanks!

Judy Marlo

CATI St. Louis

Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader - Part 5

Strategy 5: Focus on continuous quality improvement

Continuous quality improvement is the mantra of many
manufacturing organizations. It is also a primary focus of effective CAD
leaders. Your CAD system can have a significant impact on the quality of the
products that you design, the efficiency of your development processes, and the
ramifications of your work on downstream operations. How well your CAD tools
help you eliminate design errors, maximize productivity, and foster innovation
will determine the size of your group’s contribution to continuous quality
improvement.

Everyone involved in product development wants to eliminate
design errors, and with the right mix of CAD tools, you can pinpoint errors
during design and avoid the delays and costs that occur when errors make their
way into production. Are you using an integrated analysis/simulation
application to identify potential performance issues? Are you ensuring
sufficient clearances in your moving assemblies through the use of collision
detection capabilities? Are you conducting draft analyses on injection-molded
parts to ensure production of molds of consistent quality? Are you assessing
the manufacturability of your machined parts? If not, there are integrated tools
that can help you.

A focus on continuous quality improvement also applies to
your development processes. How do you complete tolerance stackups: manually or
using an automated CAD tool? What about prototyping? Do you conduct physical
tests or take advantage of virtual and rapid prototyping technologies? Do you
have an integrated PDM system that gives you tight revision control and allows
you to reuse designs that perform particularly well?

Sustainable design is an emerging area of focus for
achieving continuous quality improvement. As consumer awareness of
environmental impacts and preference for “greener” products continue to rise,
assessing the sustainability of your products and processes becomes
increasingly important. To get out in front of this trend, you can use CAD
tools that evaluate the sustainability of your designs.

Read past articles:

Strategy 1: Embrace best practices and new technologies

Strategy 2: Develop skills and retain talents

Strategy 3: Maximize integration and automation

Strategy 4: Foster collaboration and innovation

Strategy 5: Focus on continuous quality improvement

Strategy 6: Leverage design data throughout the enterprise

Strategy 7: Document and analyze productivity

Strategy 8: Manage product design data efficiently

Strategy 9: Communicate effectively with business personnel

Strategy 10: Demonstrate product development contributions

Download the Whitepaper - Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader

 

*This article is an excerpt from the "Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader White Paper", published by  DS SolidWorks Corp.

Congratulations to Peter Fischer

SolidWorks World 2013 is in the books.  For those of you that have never attended...start working on it for 2014.  For those of us in the Midwest, San Diego in January is as good a place to be as anywhere.

Please take a moment to join me in congratulating Peter Fischer of FBG Consulting.  Peter is a long-time CATI customer and the leader of the Central Indiana SolidWorks User Group (CISUG).  Peter was honored this year by receiving the User Group Leader of the Year Award, given in honor of Wayne Tiffany, who passed away in 2012.

In the postgame press conference...OK, there is no postgame press conference.  I shot Peter an email and asked for a comment.  Here is what he says:

"Being nominated as the SolidWorks User Group leader of
the year is indeed great honor, but this could not have been achieved without
the undying support from the CISUG 
members. CATI in particular has a been a very strong supporter of the
CISUG in providing its excellence in technical presentations and networking
opportunities.

"I would also like to add a comment as an independent
engineering consultant who depends on SolidWorks software that CATI support has
been not only essential but never let me down."

CATI values the relationship it builds with its customers and the community, and we are very proud when one of our own is recognized on such a grand scale.

See you in San Diego next year?

SolidWorks Exploded Views

Assembly Exploded Views have been a part of SolidWorks for many releases now.  One new trick that I recently stumbled upon is that from time to time you may need to add a jog in your Exploded Line Sketches to avoid some other exploded parts.  This process is pretty straight forward but there may be a time when you want to jog following a different axis rather than the one it defaults to. For example, in screen shot 1, I show a default Axis of -X, -Y:

In image 2, I show a different axis of -Y, +Z:

And in image 3, I show yet another solution of axis +X, -Y:

This was achieved by pressing and releasing the Tab key just like in any other 3D Sketch mode inside of SolidWorks.  Pretty cool huh?  So this allows you to achieve different directions for this Jog to match your desired intent:

Or

In either case, the jog is following the axis during the creation, and you can even press and release Tab while sketching the Jog and it will cycle through options as well in 2013. So hopefully this little trick can help you make some fantastic exploded views in SolidWorks 2013. Thank you.

Brian Reel
CATI 

Automate Your Designs With DriveWorks

If you would like to find out more about Automating your
Designs or using DriveWorks Software, then
here are some links that you may find useful.

• FREE – DriveWorksXpress webinar
  – Tuesday 5th February http://www.driveworksxpress.com/index.php/training/free-webinar
  


• FREE – DriveWorks Solo webinar
  – Wednesday 6th February http://www.driveworkssolo.com/index.php/training/free-webinar
  


• TRY IT – Download and Use
  DriveWorks Solo for 30 days https://www.driveworkssolo.com/index.php/try-it
  


• How To – Want to know what’s
  involved in setting it up? - Check out these 3 minute “How to” Video Clips
  http://www.driveworkssolo.com/index.php/training/how-to
  


• ONLINE Demo – lots of examples
  online for you to try www.driveworkslive.com

Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader - Part 4

Strategy 4: Foster collaboration and innovation

A rising challenge for many design and engineering managers
is how to supervise interaction among the growing number of players in today’s
product development environment. Because innovation has become an increasingly
critical factor for manufacturing success in a global economy, more and more
contributors, each bringing different areas of specialization, are now becoming
involved in the process. While manufacturers once handled the bulk of product
development—both design and manufacturing—in-house, many now work closely with
strategic partners and vendors.

And even within a single product development group, the need
for industrial designers to collaborate with mechanical engineers, and
designers to work with analysts, and mechanical engineers to work with their
electrical and manufacturing counterparts, can test a manager’s ability to
guide this interaction into a collaborative, yet productive, workflow. The
effective CAD leader needs to consider CAD tools in the contexts of collaboration,
communication, and control.

By using an integrated suite of CAD tools, which are fully
compatible with each other, you can streamline the various interactions among
designers, engineers, partners, suppliers, and vendors. An integrated system
establishes a single design data language for all contributors.

Combined with an integrated PDM system that supports
automated workflows, integrated tools enable you to control and manage a
diverse, collaborative product development approach. By facilitating
communication among players and establishing standard workflows, you can
promote innovation in an efficient manner.

You should also consider the roles that design visualization
and data access will play in a collaborative environment. How difficult is it
for you to illustrate innovative concepts using 3D visuals and animations? Can
you easily share design ideas by email? Can you administer and control access
to sensitive design information? By carefully considering the demands of
collaboration, you can bring structure to potential chaos, and produce the
innovations your organization needs to succeed.

Read past articles:

Strategy 1: Embrace best practices and new technologies

Strategy 2: Develop skills and retain talents

Strategy 3: Maximize integration and automation

Strategy 4: Foster collaboration and innovation

Strategy 5: Focus on continuous quality improvement

Strategy 6: Leverage design data throughout the enterprise

Strategy 7: Document and analyze productivity

Strategy 8: Manage product design data efficiently

Strategy 9: Communicate effectively with business personnel

Strategy 10: Demonstrate product development contributions

Download the Whitepaper - Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader

 

*This article is an excerpt from the "Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader White Paper", published by  DS SolidWorks Corp.

How-to: Rename In-context SolidWorks Files.

By: Jim Krivoshein

 

Problem:

Renaming files that have been designed in-context and have external references can be tricky. If done incorrectly the power of the in-context items can be broken. Here we'll rename an assembly and select in-context components and maintain the in-context relationships. This stool model is designed in-context of the assembly and is driven by the first "Layout, Stool" component which is just 2D sketch profiles of the stool.

 

 

Here is a summary of the steps:

Note: Files are Not open in SolidWorks

1. Select the Assembly model in the File Explorer Tree of SolidWorks Explorer.


2. Select the Rename icon from the pop-up toolbar.


3. In the Rename Document window select "Update where used".


4. In the Rename Document window, change the name.


5. Select OK. The Assembly has been renamed.


6. With the Renamed Assembly selected in the tree, select the References tab.


7. Right click on a component to be renamed and select Rename.


8. In the Rename Document window select "Update where used".


9. In the Rename Document window, change the name of the in-context component.


10. Pick Ok. (Done)

 

SolidWorks Explorer

(Start, All Programs, SolidWorks 2013, SolidWorks Explorer)

 

This is often how SolidWorks Explorer comes up at first use. Select the small arrows at the right of the window/bar.

 

 

From the File Explorer tab expand the tree to find your files.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Once you select your file in the tree the rest of the window details will show. (See Below) We'll use the References Tab.

 

 

Select the Rename icon from the pop-up toolbar.

 

 

In the Rename Document window select "Update where used."

 

The Assembly has been renamed.

 

Right click on a component to be renamed and select Rename.

 

In the Rename Document window select "Update where used."

 

We're Done! Assembly and Part Renamed.

 

Open the Assembly in SolidWorks

 

In memory and thanks to my uncle, Dale Krivoshein, for the stool. He made it and gave it to me when I was very little. All these years later I still have it and we use it quite frequently.

 

A zip file containing the above example stool and referenced files is available for download here:Download In-Context_Design

New Image Library in Composer

Composer Image Library

While there are some exciting new things that are getting ready to come out of SolidWorks World which just ended.  I wanted to let you know of something in Composer that is new but very cool and also very needed.   In 2013 Composer added a new item in its workshops called the Image Library.  The Image Library is a variety of different widgets that let you call out specific operations in your design. Let’s take a look.

Once you select the Image Library, you then just need to select the location of the files and you will see in the Workshops tab on the right the different images of the operation you may want to select.  All you have to do is drag the image onto the screen where you want to place it.  Once you place it, you can add an arrow to show how it is attached just like any other actor in Composer.  Here you can see I added an image showing the screw needs to be turned a specific direction.

There are several different types of operations you can insert to help communicate your designs even better.  You can also easily import images like company logos or really anything you want.  Check out the Image Library in Composer I am sure you will find it helpful.

Dimension across a break in a SolidWorks drawing

Sometimes the scale that makes a view fit on the paper makes
it too small to see important details on the view.  In this case, using a break is a great
idea.  SolidWorks allows you to choose
where to break the part, what kind of break line to use, as well as how large
of a gap to leave in between the two resulting sections. 

Adding a dimension works just as usual and gives the actual
dimension of the part, not as the part appears as you can see below.

 

Notice SolidWorks gives you that little ‘squiggle’ in the
dim. line to show you that the dimension includes the section that has been
broken, regardless of the distance set in between.  Also notice that SolidWorks aligns the two
sections after the break.  This creates a
problem when it comes to Iso views and other views that are angled.  Dimension these views gives you the proper
dimension of course, just aligns the dimension to the edge, therefore making it
angled as well.

You still get the ‘squiggle’ to show that the dimension includes
the break, but if for whatever reason you are looking for the dimension at that
angle as opposed to the true dimension, you might be in a bind here.  One possible workaround is to create a sketch
with three lines, running down from one edge, across the part then connecting
to the other edge in the following manner

 

Then just dimension the horizontal line, and you can hide the
unwanted part of the sketch by making it the same color as the drawing sheet.  A bit of a backwards process, but it gets the
job done should you need it.

 

 

Brian Adika,
Computer Aided Technolog, Inc.

Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader - Part 3

Strategy 3:
Maximize integration and automation

Rooting out redundancy, duplication, and waste is the
clarion call of effective CAD leadership. No single product development
operation should be performed more than once, and no one should ever have to
rebuild an existing model. Any time that design data has to be converted or
translated creates opportunities for error. You can minimize the potential for
costly errors and eliminate redundant processes by maximizing your use of
integrated applications and leveraging automated approaches that fit your development
process.

Exporting and importing design data typically occurs
whenever you need to move a CAD model into another engineering application,
such as an analysis/simulation package, a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
machining system, or a product documentation publishing application. You may
even have to manipulate a model’s data format for use in some product data
management (PDM) systems. Each of these data translations and/or conversions
takes time and creates an opening for error.

You can completely eliminate these issues by using an
integrated suite of tools to address analysis/simulation, CAM, documentation,
and PDM requirements. To achieve the greatest benefits, make sure that your
integrated tools operate on the actual CAD model, rather than through an
import/export paradigm. That way, you can rest assured that you have removed a
major source of redundancy from your operations.

Design automation tools can also help you to minimize
repetitive steps. For example, you can use design configurations, which build a
complete set of models with varying attributes (e.g., size, weight, length),
from a single base design, to create product families and maximize design
reuse. CAD-integrated Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) systems can help you
automatically create models of engineered-to-order designs. If you use a CAD
system with an open Applications Programming interface (API), you can even
automate routine, repetitive CAD tasks.

Read past articles:

Strategy 1: Embrace best practices and new technologies

Strategy 2: Develop skills and retain talents

Strategy 3: Maximize integration and automation

Strategy 4: Foster collaboration and innovation

Strategy 5: Focus on continuous quality improvement

Strategy 6: Leverage design data throughout the enterprise

Strategy 7: Document and analyze productivity

Strategy 8: Manage product design data efficiently

Strategy 9: Communicate effectively with business personnel

Strategy 10: Demonstrate product development contributions

Download the Whitepaper - Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader

 

*This article is an excerpt from the "Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader White Paper", published by  DS SolidWorks Corp.

SolidWorks 2014 Sneak Peek - SolidWorks World 2013

It's day 3 at SolidWorks World and as usual we were given a sneak peek at the upcoming version of SolidWorks; SolidWorks 2014.

Here's what we can expect this fall with the release of SolidWorks 2014.

-Angular running dimensions

-BOMs enhancements

-Order independent transparency

-SolidWorks Electrical Harness Enhancements

-CircuitWorks Thermal Properties and Flow Simulation Link

-Bolt mapping

-Fixed length spline

-Slots in hole wizard

-Modeling Environment themes

-Streamlined save as copy

-eDrawings with augmented reality

-Sheet metal brackets with corner gussets

-Lofted bend transitions

-And more

Check back for more information on these enhancements.

Jim TeDesco

Marketing Manager

CATI

MOLD SPLIT BOUNDING BOX

The first things that always get asked from the mold
designer are.

• What are the steel sizes that I need so I can
  get stuff on order?


• When are you going to be done?

And not necessarily in that order…..

With the addition of the bounding box feature for multi-bodies in 2013 I was kind of curious as to if this would work for a non planar
mold situation. So I turned my Split into a weldment and sure enough works like
a charm.

The real story here is that you can take any multi-bodied
part and turn it into a weldment. It does not have to contain structural items
to be defined as a weldment just multiple bodies. I didn’t do anything really
exotic here, just a pretty simple non-planar tooling split, which is pretty
typical these days.

After I was done with the split I added in the weldment and
right clicked to update the bodies.

The next right click will give you the ability
to create a bounding box. The bounding boxes are individual 3D sketches that
can be used to propagate dynamic changes to the cut list.

 

I personally think this has some real advantages as a quick
stock list can be generated for purchasing. 
Its definitely something that Mold and Tooling people have been asking
for for quite some time and have typically either used a couple of workarounds
to get a quick list to order steel or done the “measure and record” method.

 

Give it a try and let me know what you think

 

Todd Werginz

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader - Part 2

Strategy 2:
Develop skills and retain talents

Equally as important as choosing the right CAD tool to
support your operations is putting it in the hands of skilled designers and
engineers. No matter how automated technology becomes, product design will
remain a creative, innovative process that depends upon the contributions of
talented, highly skilled professionals. As a CAD leader, you are responsible
for providing your team members with the tools that they need to perform their
jobs successfully.

It’s also your job to provide for continuing skills
development and find ways to retain your most valuable engineering talent.
These goals go hand in hand. If you help your team members acquire skills,
through ongoing CAD training and professional development, and help them remain
motivated in their work by feeding them a steady diet of engineering
challenges, you will have done your part in keeping them interested and
satisfied in their work.

But not just any training will do. You should tailor your
training program toward the needs of both your organization and the individual.
Try to match your company’s needs with the interests and talents of specific
team members.  If your process requires
advanced surface modeling and one of your designers has an obvious industrial
design bent, providing that type of training addresses both needs. Look at your
processes and assess your people. When it makes sense, customize training to meet
the specific requirements of your group.

Some managers see the time and money allocated to CAD
training as a budgetary item that they can cut. This view lacks foresight
because the costs related to training are investments rather than
expenses—investments in your organization’s ability to efficiently solve
engineering challenges and investments towards retaining your most talented
engineers. An effective CAD leader understands the important role that training
plays in a team’s long-term success.

Read past articles:

Strategy 1: Embrace best practices and new technologies

Strategy 2: Develop skills and retain talents

Strategy 3: Maximize integration and automation

Strategy 4: Foster collaboration and innovation

Strategy 5: Focus on continuous quality improvement

Strategy 6: Leverage design data throughout the enterprise

Strategy 7: Document and analyze productivity

Strategy 8: Manage product design data efficiently

Strategy 9: Communicate effectively with business personnel

Strategy 10: Demonstrate product development contributions

Download the Whitepaper - Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader

 

*This article is an excerpt from the "Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader White Paper", published by  DS SolidWorks Corp.

SolidWorks World 2013 Is Here

SolidWorks 2013 is here! Here's a couple pics from this morning's general session. Check back for updates live from SolidWorks World 2013.

Jim TeDesco

Marketing Manager

CATI

Rotate about scene floor

A brand new feature for SolidWorks 2013 is the option to rotate your model about a scene floor. This will lock the Y axis of your model vertically and keep your part file from flipping over. To access this feature right click anywhere in the view window and select rotate about scene floor.

Right button menu option turned on.

This image depicts four views of the same part file with the Y axis oriented up and down in each view.

Thanks,

Jordan Nardick, CSWE
Applications Engineer
Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader - Part 1

Successful engineering organizations have two important things in common: they know how to utilize computer-aided design (CAD) technology in ways that consistently advance productivity and instill innovation in product development, and they are led by capable managers who know how to best leverage available CAD tools.  You too, can become an effective CAD leader by taking a strategic approach to implementation and use of CAD software and related applications.  Over the next few weeks we will go over 10 strategies that can show you how.

Strategy 1: Embrace best
practices and new technologies

Getting the most out of your
CAD system requires keeping abreast of emerging developments and determining how new technologies will impact your engineering processes.
The term “best practices” is a moving, shifting target, because what was
considered a “best practice” 10 years ago has most likely become obsolete today—just
as how you currently do things will in all likelihood undergo a dramatic transformation
10 years from now.



It’s important to remain open to new approaches, rather than sticking with old,
comfortable ways of doing things. Back in the infancy of CAD, there undoubtedly
were managers who resisted the move to CAD tools and wanted to hold on to their
drafting tables to the bitter end. more recently, something similar has taken
place with the migration from 2D to 3D CAD systems.



To keep pace with the evolution of “best practices” in product development,
effective CAD leaders must not only remain vigilant in evaluating new tools and
emerging technologies, but also in continually assessing how they go about
designing and engineering products.

By formalizing your design
workflows, you will be in a better position to identify areas where you can make improvements as well as determine the likely impact of new applications.



You can stay current regarding the state of the art in CAD software, as well as
advances in hardware and infrastructure, by attending CAD conferences and
industry events. Many of these events are now virtual, enabling you to obtain
the information that you need online. Whether you are investigating a new breed
of design software or evaluating the timing for upgrading computer hardware,
prototyping machines, or other infrastructure equipment, it’s prudent to make
your assessments in terms of return on investment (ROI). Estimating how long it
will take for a tool to pay dividends is the ultimate determination of what
constitutes a “best practice.”

Read past articles:

Strategy 1: Embrace best practices and new technologies

Strategy 2: Develop skills and retain talents

Strategy 3: Maximize integration and automation

Strategy 4: Foster collaboration and innovation

Strategy 5: Focus on continuous quality improvement

Strategy 6: Leverage design data throughout the enterprise

Strategy 7: Document and analyze productivity

Strategy 8: Manage product design data efficiently

Strategy 9: Communicate effectively with business personnel

Strategy 10: Demonstrate product development contributions

Download the Whitepaper - Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader

 

*This article is an excerpt from the "Ten Strategies for Becoming an Effective CAD Leader White Paper", published by  DS SolidWorks Corp.

3DVIA Composer is Becoming SolidWorks Composer

It's
official, 3DVIA Composer is being re-branded as SolidWorks Composer. “What does this mean to me and
why the need for such a change?“ is a very logical question.
Well for starters, moving forward, there will be one annual release, followed
by multiple service packages consistent with the SolidWorks release schedule. This means that you will now be able to upgrade your CAD and technical
publication tool simultaneously. So, the next major release will be SolidWorks
Composer 2014 launched with SolidWorks 2014 in the fall of 2013. 

A key
point to note: there is no change in functionality. However, SolidWorks
Composer will employ the SolidWorks licensing activation to streamline and
automate the licensing process. You will be able to download SolidWorks
Composer from the Customer Portal and a media kit will be available later
in the year. Also,
SolidWorks Composer can be installed and function on a machine without
SolidWorks.

Please
feel free to reach out to us with questions or concerns. cati@cati.com 

How to show SolidWorks surface bodies in drawing views

In SolidWorks, drawing views only show solid bodies by default.  If your 3D models have both solid and surface bodies, it will take a few more steps to show the surface bodies.  Let's say we start with this simple example which has a solid and a surface body.

Once you drag and drop a view into your drawing, the only item that will show up is the solid body.  

You can then use the Insert>Model Items to show the surface.  Of course, you do have the option of selecting which drawing views will show the surface by selecting them.

Another way is to go into the feature tree of the model within the drawing view and show the surface feature.

Ketul

How to Build and Maintain Effect Design Tables in SolidWorks

Join us for the first CATIpult Webcast of 2013, How to Build and Maintain Effective Design Tables in SolidWorks.

When - Thursday January 17th, 12pm-1:30pm Central Time

Registration Link

*What is a Design Table?

A design table allows you to build multiple configurations of parts or assemblies by specifying parameters in an embedded Microsoft Excel worksheet. The design table is saved in the model document and is not linked to the original Excel file. Changes you make in the model are not reflected in the original Excel file. However, you can link the model document to the Excel file if you wish.

You can control the following items in a part design table:

• dimensions and suppression state of features, size of Hole Wizard holes


• configuration properties, including part number in a bill of materials, derived configurations, equations, sketch relations, comments, materials, and custom properties

You can control the following parameters in an assembly design table:

• components – suppression state, referenced configuration, fixed or floating position


• assembly features – dimensions, suppression state, size of Hole Wizard holes


• mates – dimensions of distance and angle mates, suppression state


• configuration properties – part number and display in a bill of materials (when used as a subassembly), derived configurations, equations, sketch relations, comments, custom properties, display states

Join us for the presentation for an in-depth look at Design Tables in SolidWorks.

Registration Link

Jim TeDesco
Marketing Manager
Computer Aided Technology, Inc. 

*Information for this article was found on the SolidWorks Web Help site. 

Product Marketing Communication with SolidWorks Tools: Volume 1

This year for SolidWorks World I put together a couple of
presentations. One prepared and I’m very proud of is, “Product Marketing
Communication with SolidWorks Tools.” In the short of it I discuss: What does
marketing do? What is our part in that as designers? And what tools do we have
at our disposal. During the next series of blogs I’m going to touch all these
topics.

You should try to GRAB attention, show how your company is a
step above.

Educate
your prospects with enough information to help them facilitate their decision
making process, to by your product. But beware of info overload; keep it short,
simple and easy to digest.

And give them a specific, low risk, and easy action item to
help them along their decision making path.

So what is our part in this? We need to provide IMAGES.
Imagery is not just limited to 2d. We also have some 3d options to talk about.

Things we create images for:

Manuals

Shop Floor Drawings

Web Pages

Slicks 

Next Time will discuss, what questions you should ask marketing and tech pubs and begin with some of the tools you can use to get them what they need.

 

 

Print 3D Models using your iPhone as a 3D Scanner…Really

With the recent surge in use and awareness of 3D printing
and additive fabrication solutions, the need to create and utilize 3D data has
greatly increased. Classically the mechanism to create this data model has been
either using a 3D CAD tool such as SolidWorks to build your model or starting
with scanned data of an existing physical model.

High cost/high precision scanners have been around for quite
some time but with a relatively high price point they haven’t become a
mainstream tool. In addition, several low priced scanners have become available
in recent years. However, how about just using your phone as a scanner? Granted,
if you are doing high-precision, high-tolerance work this is not an option for
you. But, what if you simply need a physical concept model to work with?

Recently I downloaded and tested an application for the
iPhone called 123D Catch from Autodesk. This is a free application that allows
a user to capture pictures of a stationary object and then converts those, via
the cloud, to a 3D model. What I accomplished on my first try was impressive.

I simply put the object, in this case a Godzilla model
(Japanese import) on my desk and took about 25 pictures with my iPhone 4S in a
360 degree fashion around the model. These pictures are then uploaded to the
123D server and stitched together. The end result in the application looks like
this:

  
This model can be rotated and zoomed as well. The detail was
quite good. After that, one of the folks on our 3D printing team took the data
and created an STL model. In turn, that model was sent to our Stratasys/Objet
Connex printer with the following result:

The original model is the larger one. For speed, the model
was scaled down when printed. A detailed pic of the printed model is below:

As you can see it is not perfect. Remember, this was done
with a free application on an iPhone. Let’s give this technology a bit more
time and we should see some real progress. Either way, 3D printing is a
juggernaut that will not be stopped.

Rich Werneth

CATI

 

SolidWorks World 2013 Update - CATI to Deliver 11 Presentations

Well it's that time again - time for SolidWorks World!  With over 200 technical presentations to choose from, this year looks to be even better than last year.

The CATI team will be busy with 11 technical presentations.  Check back here after the conference to download the presentations or visit http://www.cati.com/sww2013/. 

SolidWorks World 2013 will be held January 20-23, 2013 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Orlando, Florida.  We hope to see you there!

CATI Presentation Schedule - SolidWorks World 2013

Presentation	Presenter	Day/Time
30+ Things That YOU Definitely Missed From Essentials	Todd Werginz	Monday Jan. 21 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM Room - Southern II
Allowing SolidWorks to Perform	Adrian Fanjoy Josh Altergott	Monday Jan. 21 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM Room - Swan 6
How to Build and Maintain Effective Design Tables	Josh Altergott	Tuesday Jan. 22 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Room - Southern I
DriveWorks® Express Essentials Hands-on Lab	Ryan Dally	Tuesday Jan. 22 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Room - Northern A-2
SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Integration Best Practices	Justin Webster	Tuesday Jan. 22 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Room - Swan 9 & 10
File Management for Beginners: Tips for Small Companies	Jordan Nardick	Tuesday Jan 22 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Room - Swan 6
Kaos vs. Control: The Use of Folder Templates in EPDM	Jeff Barker	Tuesday Jan 22 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Room - Northern E-3
Product Marketing Communication with SolidWorks Tools	Bob McGaughey	Tuesday Jan 22 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Room - Swan 1 & 2
Admin Image for Everything – A One-Click Install	Bryan Pawlak	Tuesday Jan 22 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Room - Swan 9 & 10
3DVIA Composer: It's As Easy As Putting Together LEGOs®	Bob McGaughey	Wednesday Jan. 23 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Room - Northern A-4
Upgrading to the New Style Toolbox	John Van Engen	Wednesday Jan. 23 2:45 PM- 3:45 PM Room - Swan 3 & 4

 

Jim TeDesco

Marketing Manager

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Parent/Child relationship in SolidWorks

Happy New Year everyone!  Last week I had a Tech Support call where the customer wanted to know what exactly was attached to his reference plane.  I realized that a lot of people need to know how to find that information out.  It’s actually pretty simple, all you have to do is right click on a feature to see the parent/child relationship.

When you right click and select Parent/Child you can see what the plane is dependent upon (parent) and also what is dependent (child) on the circular plane.

This is good information for a couple of reasons.  First, you can see on the right column under Children that these are the things that are dependent upon the Circular Plane.  If you delete the Circular Plane, then the Circular Boss and Sketch3 will be deleted.  Secondly, you can’t reorder a child to come before the parent.  This lets us know that we can’t drag and reorder the Circular Plane to come before the Base Plate.  So just remember, right click and select Parent/Child.