Wayne Tiffany: Remembering a SolidWorks Community Leader

I am not sure how many of you knew Wayne Tiffany, but
I found out some pretty neat information that I wanted to share with the
community as a whole.  Wayne was a long time user/advocate of SolidWorks
software and most recently held the distinction of being the president and
founder of the Kansas City SolidWorks User Group.  

Wayne sadly lost his battle with cancer in September of this
year. 

On Tuesday December 11th, Richard Doyle & Elton Smith presented
Kansas City’s 10^th anniversary meeting in KC.  In attendance
were two of Wayne’s children, who will also be present at SolidWorks World next
month in Orlando.  During Richard’s presentation he showed a slide
advertising the About SolidWorks screen found in the Help pull down menu in
SolidWorks.  If you are still using 2013 SP0, you can hold down Shift and
click on the SW red logo.  Upon doing this, you will see a pop up window
(known as a virtual Easter egg in the computing world) showing a tribute to
Wayne’s legacy.  I found this interesting because according to the group,
this has never happened by SolidWorks before. 

If you get the chance to mention Wayne’s name to just about
any SolidWorks employee, user group attendee from here in the mid-west, or any frequent forum reader, you will probably get one heck of a story in
return.  He will be missed, and I wanted to share this story with you all.

Thank you,

Brian Reel
CATI 

CATI Electrical Blog Series #5, Terminal Strips & Report Drawings

In last week's series topic we explored some of the navigation features of SolidWorks Electrical and this week's look is at one of many ways to generate documents from our work up to this point: Terminal strip drawings and drawings containing information generated from the included report manager. SolidWorks Electrical has a complete terminal strip management system, from the insertion of terminals in drawings, to the automatic generation of the terminal strip drawings, to cabling the terminals.

The Terminal strips manager will show a list of all the terminal strips existing in the project locations.

When a location is selected from the list on the left, the right side of the dialog shows the list of the terminal strips in the location. The right side of the dialog also shows the function, the number of terminals contained in the terminal strip as well as the settings (configurations) for the terminal strip drawing. Selecting the "Draw pages" icon causes the terminal drawings to be automatically generated; the drawings will use the configuration file settings that have been applied to each terminal strip where users require varied drawing representations.

 

Reports

Reports retrieve data stored in the individual project database. This data can be generated in form of drawings, or exported to different file formats such as Excel, text files.

The reports are based on templates which provide setting out and formatting data. SolidWorks Electrical has a number of standard templates, although users can create their own.

One thing to keep in mind is that the reports are generated at the book level. If the project contains folders, then you can alternatively change the preferred destination folder in the dialog box.

Corey Kubichka | Electrical Product Manager

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

CATI Electrical Blog Series #4, Goto….Multiple pages

In last week's series topic of macros and data reuse, we saw several ways to create many pages of diagrams. So how does someone find a certain symbol location or create continuity links to the other pages?  SolidWorks Electrical has several features that make that a simple click. The Origin & Destination arrows command creates those links for you. For navigation of multiple pages, SolidWorks Electrical has the ability to jump to different locations of the project directly from symbols and other parts of the schematic.

The Origin & Destination arrows command lets you create a continuity link between wires in different schematic drawings, or in the same drawing if required. This could be used for cables in line diagrams or wires in schematics.

When this command selected, the management dialog box will be displayed. It is divided into two parts; the upper half contains "Origin" schematic and the lower half the "Destination" drawing. This is important if you are concerned with the arrow direction. You can zoom in on any part of the drawing using your mouse wheel.

At the beginning of this command, the "Origin" drawing, in the upper half (or left side in image shown) of the dialog box, is the one which is active in the graphic zone.

In this example, we could select the Single Insertion icon and look to select the wires we would like to create a link. Once we have the first one selected, you will notice that the software will only let you select the same circuit type on a different circuit. The software will only allow for like circuits types to be interconnected, minimizing the risk of mismatched wire types or short wires.

Go to

In our many pages of diagrams, a device may be represented by several symbols, which may be inserted on different drawings. SolidWorks Electrical automatically generates cross-reference information to ensure better understanding of the scheme.

You can navigate among the symbols making up this device; RMB on the symbol presents the contextual menu for the component symbols….

Go to: Allows you to navigate between the different symbols with the same part using cross-references.

You are now free to roam about the project diagrams…

Corey Kubichka | Electrical Product Manager

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Listen to a 3D Printed Record

I found this interesting article on Engadget.com. Use the link below to read the full the article and listen to a 3D Printed Record.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/21/3d-printed-record/ 

Jim TeDesco
Marketing Manager
Computer Aided Technology, Inc. 

Creating Drawings for SolidWorks Multi-body Parts

CATI's monthly contribution to the SolidWorks Blog was posted this week. This month I chose to write about how to create drawings for SolidWorks multi-body parts. The article is based  upon a problem that was sent in by a customer. The article details several different ways to generate drawing views of the different solid bodies that can be created in a single part file.

To view the article use the link below.

http://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2012/12/creating-drawings-for-solidworks-multi-body-parts.html

Also a special thanks to Ken Zirbel from Fox Valley Tool & Die Inc. for letting me use his models for this example.

Josh Altergott

CATI Support Manager

Materials in Design Studies 2013

A brand new feature for SolidWorks 2013 is the ability to create a design study that changes the material of the part file. This will allow you run multiple simulation studies on the same part with different materials. The process is as follows.

Begin a new design study.

Insert a new design study parameter.

Name the parameter, change the category to material, and make sure the body you want included is checked at the bottom.

In the design study select the material parameter you just created.

You will have the familiar material selection box. Select and apply any material you would like to add to the design study.

The final step is to add a constraint to monitor any of the static study results. Choose the run button and it will calculate all of the studies.

When the design study is finished you will get a result list displaying the material used and the monitored constraint.

Thanks,

Jordan Nardick, CSWE
Technical Analyst
Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

How to mate complex geometry in a SolidWorks assembly

If geometry gets complex, mating can get difficult.  The quickest way to mate two parts with complex surfaces is still using reference geometry (planes, axis).  Using reference geometry also makes it easier for your processor to calculate, making animations smoother.

There are those times where reference geometry will fail you because the contact point is not straight forward.  Here is one of those times displayed in the picture: 

What we are looking to do in this situation is to mate up the two parts until they come into contact with each other.  Logically thinking, we can use a sketch point and mate it up with a surface.  The not so straight forward issue is "where do the two parts make contact?".   To get that exact point, one must edit one of the parts in-context of the assembly.  It does matter which part you use because all you are looking to do is put a point one of the parts. 

Once the sketch is inserted you can use "Intersection Curve" to project the edges of the bottom part.  Please keep in mind you do not want external references for the simple act of mating.  So delete the converted edge constraint.

Once you delete the constraint do not move the line.  Drop a dimension to preserve the angle that line is created to, by putting a vertical line in the sketch from the center of the arc.  Then use a point entity and make that coincident to both arc and line.  The location of the point is where the top part will make contact with the bottom.  You can then mate the sketch point to the conical face of the bottom part.

 

Ketul

SolidWorks Electrical Series, #3 - Data Reuse & Macro's

In last week's series topic of symbols, we took a look at the symbols and their use in the SolidWorks Electrical application. Using the symbols and schematics, we now have completed diagrams that we can reuse in later projects. SolidWorks Electrical has a library allowing you to store parts of schemes, called "Macros".

Grabbing your favorite motor starter circuit or others that you reference repeatedly is now at your mouse pointer in the side panel. Every time you insert a circuit macro, you get brand new entities and elements, and if a terminal strip is integrated in the macro, it will automatically be redefine with new terminals added each time you insert the circuit macro.

 

Side Panel, Macros

 

To create a macro, open the drawing which contains the elements you want to store in the library.

In the side panel, activate the "Macros" tab, which is labeled with the yellow star.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the graphic zone, select the entities which you want to save and "Drag and Drop" them into the macro area of the palette.

A dialogue box opens allowing you to fill in the data relating to the macro.

This macro is then automatically added to the macros library and will thus be available for insertion into other projects.

That is all you need to do and now you have a macro can be used anytime in the future to simplify the workflow as well as avoiding the redraw of basic circuits, complex control circuits, PLC interfaces or maybe even a whole subsystem design.

Corey Kubichka | Electrical Product Manager

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Stop In and Play Some Pinball!

That's right, take a look at the newest addition to our Buffalo Grove Headquarters; this awesome Transformers Pinball Machine manufactured by Stern Pinball. 

Next time you are in the office, give it a try and see if you can beat our highscore; which is currently held by yours truly.

Jim TeDesco
Marketing Manager
Computer Aided Technology, Inc. 

How do I use the SolidWorks Built-In Calculator?

This past week I purchased a new Smart Phone. During the sales process, the sales person pulled out this huge calculator to run some numbers. I couldn’t believe it. Here I am buying the latest and greatest “phablet” that can do just about everything, and this guy pulls out the old 80’s calculator. What does this have to do with SolidWorks?

How many of us still use the Windows calculator, or worse yet, still have a calculator on our desk? Just as there is no need for a calculator now that we all have one on our phones, there is no need for a calculator when using SolidWorks. SolidWorks not only has a built-in calculator, but you do not even have to pull a calculator out it to use it.

The most common use of the SolidWorks built-in calculator is when entering dimensions. Did you know that you can use the dimension dialog box as a calculator? All you have to do is enter values and arithmetic symbols directly into the box. Try a simple example. Enter “1 + 1” and notice how SolidWorks calculates the answer for you.

Not only does SolidWorks add, subtract, multiply, or divide, it can do much more. The help file provides a list of all the functions available under the Help topic “Operators, Functions, and Constants,” which include trigonometric functions like sine, cosine, and tangent. Go ahead and play around with it. See if you can take your calculator off of your desk.

Another useful trick is to use SolidWorks built-in calculator to convert units for you. If you are working on a metric part but a dimension is in inches, what do you do? Well, all you have to do is type in the dimension and type “in” at the end and SolidWorks will convert the inch dimension to the documents units. In SolidWorks 2013, there is a drop down that shows all the units, making it even easier to use.

 

SolidWorks 2013 has made life easier for the advanced users of SolidWorks as well. You can now create and modify equations in the Modify Dialog Box. When working on a model, you can enter equations and global variables directly in the Modify dialog box for dimensions. So, you don’t have to open the Equations, Global Variables, and Dimensions dialog box to create an equation for a component. Any equation or global variable that you create in the Modify dialog box are automatically placed in the Equations dialog box.

To create an equation in the Modify dialog box, enter the equal sign (=). Then, enter an equation in the same way as in the Equations dialog box. This gives you the ability to create equations with global variables, functions, and file properties without accessing the Equations, Global Variables and Dimensions dialog box. Under the Help topic “Direct Input of Equations,” there is a table that lists where this capability is available. One last point worth mentioning is that SolidWorks Toolbox has a Beam Calculator and a Bearing Calculator.

So, how do you calculate in SolidWorks?

Neil Bucalo

Technical Analyst

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

What's New In SolidWorks 2013 - Administrative Image Option Editor

What’s new in
Solidworks 2013  -  Administrative Image Option Editor

 

How have you rolled out your Admin images? Scripts ? Active
Directory ? leave it up to users? No matter which way, it hasn’t been as easy
as it should. Welcome 2013!

2013 now supports push install and uninstall using the
options editor. Simple! Support is now available to push install for clients and users that do not have
administrative privileges (Vista & Win7).A new “Deploy Automatically” page now allows this to happen.

The install uses the Microsoft task scheduler on each system
without user interaction. The only drawback is that the Admin server and
client must be on the same Microsoft Active Domain.

 

It may not look like much, but if you ever went through an
Active Directory deploy, you will defiantly appreciate this new enhancement!

 

Updating Materials

Two neat ways to update your materials.

1. If you have an assembly open you can select multiple components with control or shift, then right click and choose materials, it will let you choose a material and apply it to the part level.

2. If you have a lot to do, then you can use Task Scheduler with the Design Checker add-in.

First build a new custom check with only the material selected. Save the check as the material name.

Open the task scheduler, create a design checker task, add the desired check, and then the folder where your files are. Be sure to check the box to "auto correct all failures"

(Tools required: Task Scheduler and Design Checker both available with SolidWorks Professional.)

John Van Engen
CATI Tech Support

 

SolidWorks Electrical Series, #2 - Symbols

In last week's blog, we briefly looked at several schematic tools available in SolidWorks Electrical. This week I would like to look at symbols and their use in the SolidWorks Electrical application. The comprehensive electrical symbol library is used differently from the single line tool when creating 2D schematic diagram. For these diagrams it utilizes the traditional electrical symbols. These electrical symbols are handled much the same way as other electrical schematic capture tools giving SolidWorks Electrical 2D schematic design tool a more traditional look and feel that users are expecting.

The symbols are classified into categories such as Connectors, Contactors, Fuses, Buttons, Relays, Sensors, Circuit Breakers etc.  These symbols can be used out of the box or customized fairly easily. These customizations can be done to tailor the software to your needs and improve your productivity.

When inserting a symbol, there are several paths to place them on diagram. You can search out for the symbol, or select the category labels to expand out the selections.

 

 

Once you have inserted the desired symbol, you can create a completely new component or associate it with an existing component that has been previously defined in either a single Line or Multi-line diagram. This is accomplished easily since all the parts are organized by location and shown in the dialog windows. Cross-references and the manufacturing information are automatically updated. An important, but quickly overlooked function of the 2D diagram is that when inserted over drawing wires, the wires (lines) are intelligently split into individual segment when inserting a component.

 

 To find your more commonly used symbols quickly you can also leverage the convenient palette tools and browse the different pages quickly to find the symbol needed. Searching for symbols is a simple matter of entering in the string of characters for the desired symbol and the tool will search for everything in the symbol library that matches the entry.

 

 

 

 

 

Another function of SolidWorks Electrical is that users can associate it with the manufacturer part data if desired. This association can be completed either manually by create a new component or search for one and benefit from the extensive database (approximately ½ million) of manufacturer parts updated frequently and directly available, as well, within the software.

The circuits of the motor are listed in the dialog box. The RED connection points indicate that the motor is currently disconnected. Green highlighted terminals are indicating the physical connections on the manufactures parts match the schematic symbol. These checks and the schematic association is done automatically.

As you can see, symbols in SolidWorks Electrical give the user another powerful tool in creating documentation of their designs.  Next week I will give a look at data reuse and how to create a palette of schematics like the symbols.

 

Corey Kubichka | Electrical Product Manager

Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Get 3DVia Composer 2013X just in time for the Holidays!!!!

Well if all things go right, Solidworks is telling us that 3DVia composer 2013X will be released on December 10, and it looks like there will be some great enhancements for us.

Here are just a couple of the enhancements that top the list:

1.  Multiple web browser support.  This means that we will no longer be limited when publishing our data to the web.   Supported broswers are Internet Explorer and FireFox, and limited support of Chrome and Safari.

2.  3DVia now has a standard library of tools with flexible configurations that can be added into our assemblies.  No more digging thru the garage or basement to find the missing wrench.  This library will contain screw drivers, wrenches, and a flexible hand so we do not have to spend time modeling or searching for these models.

3.  3DVia will now have predefined import options for each CAD package to ensure consistant accurate data translation.  There will still be an option for customers to customize these settings.  This will be a great option to eliminate the guess work.

I look forward to this new release.  It looks like this should give us some great tools to make our documentation process even easier!

 

 

Stratasys and Objet Complete Merger

Top Objet Reseller Computer Aided Technology, Inc. Authorized to Sell Stratasys FDM 3D Printers

Yesterday Objet and Stratasys announced the completion of a merger that creates a true world leader in 3D printing and additive manufacturing.  At the completion of the merger, the new company will be known as Stratasys Ltd and will be publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

At Computer
Aided Technology, Inc.(CATI) we are proud to announce that we will now offer the complete line of 3D Printers
and 3D Production Systems from Stratasys Ltd. Since 2008, CATI has been the
exclusive Objet 3D Printer Dealer, serving clients in Illinois, Indiana,
Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, and Kentucky. CATI will continue
to offer the Objet Polyjet 3D Printer Lines and 
will join an exclusive handful of Stratasys dealers to distribute both
Polyjet and FDM technologies, adding
to our product portfolio the Mojo,
uPrint, Dimension, and Fortus lines of 3D printers and production systems. 

We will have more information in the coming days, so stayed tuned. You can read the entire press statement on the CATI Website. Visit http://www.stratasysfora3dworld.com or www.cati.com. 

Jim TeDesco
Marketing Manager
Computer Aided Technology, Inc.