CATI Technotes

Monday, July 15, 2013

Ted X ... What is TEDx?

I was looking through some amazing things the other night on Ted talks webs site and shall an area for TEDx. What is TEDx, according to TED's Website, "ideas worth spreading to organizations and individuals at a local level to stimulate dialogue through a TED-like experiences.

Here are couple of my favorites.

Making the Unmakeable - The 3rd Industrial Revolution: Joshua Harker At Bingamton Univ.

Beatbox Brilliance: Tom Thum at TEDxSydney

Cheers,

Bob McGaughey

Thursday, July 11, 2013

How to Quickly Fully Define Your SolidWorks Sketch

There are many ways to build a SolidWorks part document. The strongest foundation in creating a good SolidWorks solid model is a sketch. SolidWorks World is always a great place to pick up some useful techniques that many users take for granted. A couple of SolidWorks tips that can be very helpful in creating a sketch are:

Copy and Paste SolidWorks Sketch Geometry

Use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste. In the example, I used Window select to select the circles on the left. Then I used Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste the circles.

Fully Define Sketch

You can use the Fully Define Sketch PropertyManager to apply dimensions and relations calculated by SolidWorks to automatically fully define the sketch. Click the Fully Define Sketch button from the Dimensions/Relations toolbar or pull down the Tools menu and pick Dimensions > Fully Define Sketch.

I just used All entities in sketch to fully define my sketch by applying combinations of relations and dimensions. You don’t have to dimension everything. SolidWorks allows you to use this command with just selected entities as well.

Note: Since I used Copy and Paste above, SolidWorks automatically knew to set the circles equal to each other. Another great little time saver!

All that is left is to adjust the dimensions to your liking. I added a few extra entities so that I could use the Selected Contours section of the Extruded Boss/Base command to create my part all from just my one sketch.

Neil Bucalo
Certified
SolidWorks Support Technician 2013

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Additive Manufacturing 101 Webinar Recording - Stratasys

This webinar explores how Stratasys 3D printers and production systems use additive manufacturing technology to change product development and manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing technologies are also commonly known as "Rapid Prototyping" or "3D Printing" as well as other names. And, although they are still being used by design engineers for concept modeling and prototyping, that’s not all. Manufacturing engineers are now employing these technologies for various applications such as jigs, fixtures, check gauges, and even as a bridge-to-tooling and low-volume end-use parts.

What Your Will Learn:

- How additive manufacturing can help designers create better products.
- Why additive manufacturing gets products to market faster and cheaper.
- How companies like: BMW, GM and Boeing use additive manufacturing.
- What's in store for additive manufacturing in the future.

Who Should Watch:

- Design Engineers
- Product Designers
- Manufacturing Engineers
- Inventors/Entrepreneurs
- Technology Educators

Jim TeDesco
Marketing Manager
Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

SolidWorks opening multiple sessions

Every so
often we get support calls that SolidWorks is opening multiple sessions when
opening files directly from Windows explorer. This almost always is related to
Windows file extensions. In Windows XP it was pretty easy to remove the file extensions
and correct the issue. Now with Windows 7/8, Microsoft has removed this
functionality. This can still be done through the registry, but it takes time
to remove them from the various locations in the registry. I have found a nice
utility that can do this for you.

Creativelement
Power Tools.

http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/#download

After
installation, launch the File Type Doctor

Then locate
the .sldprt, .sldasm, and .slddrw and choose “Export” first so there is a
backup of each file type and then choose delete.

After the extensions
have been removed, run a repair of the SolidWorks install which should re-add
the SolidWorks extensions and restore the expected\normal behavior.

Friday, July 5, 2013

SolidWorks 2014 will be the last release to support 32 bit Operating Systems

In line with our customer’s large scale adoption of the faster and more reliable 64 bit environment, SolidWorks 2014 will be the last release to support 32 bit Operating Systems. SolidWorks 2015 will not install on a 32 bit Operating System.

Using SolidWorks on 64 bit Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating systems provides many significant advantages over 32-bit Windows 7 or Vista including:

• Supports more memory (over 4 GB RAM) which allows the creation of larger and more complex models

• Improved stability

• Better performance to increase overall design and modeling speed

In the coming weeks, we will be making the announcement for discontinued 32 bit OS support to the rest of the SolidWorks Community.

For SolidWorks 2013 SP4 and SolidWorks 2014 Beta 1, 32 bit users will be notified about the 32 bit end of life plan in the Installation Manager and during SolidWorks launch.

We will be sending subsequent updates to partners and the customer base via email, and on the SolidWorks website.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Large Design Review Mode. What is it?

Have you ever noticed the Large Design Review Mode option when opening an assembly? Unless you are looking for it, you might have missed it. Let me tell you what it's all about.

The big question is WHY
would I want to use this feature and HOW will it benefit me. Large Assembly Review Mode allows you to open
very large assemblies very quickly while still allowing the user the
capabilities of conducting a review of the assembly. This mode was primarily intended as an
environment for quick design review of assemblies. If you want to ensure that all items are
updated properly, you must open your assembly as lightweight or fully resolved.

Let’s get started!

Open SolidWorks. Go to Open file and select an
assembly. Select the Large Design Review
in the Mode selection box and Click Open.

When the file opens, you will see the following dialog
box. The dialog box below first appears.
It explains the capabilities the model has in Large Assembly Review Mode.

When the model opens, you will notice that assemblies and parts in the Feature
Tree have new icons sporting an eyeball.
The feature tree does not include many details other than a structure of
the assembly. You cannot edit components
or mates while in this mode.

The Command Manager
Assembly tab is replaced with a Command
Manager Large Design Review tab.

The Selective Open selection dropdown arrow
has 2 options: Selective Open and Selective
Open in Lightweight.

The Set All to
Resolved selection dropdown arrow has 2 options: Set All to Resolved and Set
All to Lightweight.

Here
is a comprehensive guide from the Dassault Systems SolidWorks Help section
explaining all Command Manager functionality:

Explore the Large Design Review functionality the next time
you work on a large assembly!

Thanks!

Judy Marlo

Application Engineer

CATI St. Louis

Monday, July 1, 2013

Goodbye Google Reader

Have you logged into your Google Reader account in the last few months? If so, then you have received the message that on July 1, 2013 Google Reader will be no more.

So what are your options to replace Google Reader?

I've been looking for a replacement since I first received word that Google was discontinuing the service. I've found a few good alternatives, but a direct apples to apples replacement does not exist. However, Feedly does stand out as the next best thing.

Feedly - Feedly gets my vote for being the closest thing to Google Reader without being Google Reader. It looks and feels much like Google Reader. Most importantly it allows you to easily scan headlines for stories you might want to read. That's one thing I really loved about Google Reader. Also, there is a convenient Google Chrome App for Feedly that allows you to import all of your feeds from Google Reader to Feedly. http://cloud.feedly.com

Here are a few other options: