Devon Sowell's Blog

2010 SolidWorks Toolbox & McMaster-Carr Fasteners

I just finished two productive days consulting for a new customer. Like many of my clients, I saw dozens of McMaster-Carr yellow part bags all over the place. They told me they purchase all their fasteners from McMaster Carr. So do I. In fact, of the 40 companies I consult to, I'm guessing at least 75% of them purchase their fasteners from McMaster-Carr. McMaster-Carr supplies free SolidWorks models of most of their fasteners and their customer service is top notch.

SolidWorks, please include the McMaster Carr fastener library in SolidWorks Toolbox. People have been asking for this for many years; Dream Big, Lead, Don't Follow.

**SolidWorks, please consider a survery, ask your customers if this would be a useful feature that would increase productivity, I say most will answer yes.**

Cheers.
Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

2010 SolidWorks, View SolidWorks Models With iPhone Using 3DVIA Publisher

Yep, publish 2010 SolidWorks models to 3DVIA for viewing on the iPhone. More and more Apple stuff from SolidWorks. Video about this here: http://3dvia.tv/3dvia-people-jon-hirschtick-of-solidworks/

Cheers

Human Visual Field Model

I'm conducting a Human Visual Field Erogonomics study for one of my designs. Here's a SolidWorks model with a modeled visual field cone. Click on this link to download the 2008 model (in a .zip folder) and other free SolidWorks stuff.

Cheers,
Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

10,000 RPM, 2.5-INCH, SMALL FORM FACTOR, SAS INTERFACE HARD DRIVES

Pinch yourself, yeah, these babies are baaad. 10K RPM's like Tony Stewart comin' out of turn 4 at Talladega, we're taking 200 MPH! 6GB/sec, Warp Factor 10. Here's more about these bad boys: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=677

 

Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

Jimi!, Rockin' Friday

CloudSwitch Update

Everyone I know is cheering for the success of CloudSwitch led by former SolidWorks CEO, John McEleney. Here's the latest from CloudSwitch.   Thanks for visiting CloudSwitch.com! We wanted to update you on our progress and keep you posted on upcoming events. We've spent the past few months testing our early product at several pilot sites, and gathered requirements and feedback for our upcoming beta program. In early November, we're about to start a private beta to continue the learning process. As you may have already seen, we've added some product information to the website and launched a new Enterprise Cloud Computing Blog. Please check back regularly as we continue to emerge from stealth mode. We'll be sharing a preview of the product and discussing our vision and customer use cases at the upcoming Cloud Computing Expo in Santa Clara. Hope to see you there, and looking forward to keeping you updated. Sincerely, The CloudSwitch Team © 2009 CloudSwitch, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hey Dudes! Rockin' Friday

Removing Unwanted In-Context External References The Easy Way

Nope, this isn't a Hardy Boys mystery. However, this is the first Hardy Boys book I read. I have an original first edition of this book, but that's another story.

In the slide show below, I show the method I use to remove unwanted In-Context External References in SolidWorks machined parts prior to checking them into a PDM Vault. I Save the part as a Parasolid, Open in SolidWorks, and use FeatureWorks to create the Features. There are two advantages to this method; the In-Context External Reference(s) is(are) removed, and the Part is Optimized. The counter-bores and cut were on the backside of the original part.

Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

Workgroup PDM Viewer & Contributor Licenses

PDM is a hot topic today. More and more SolidWorks users are increasing their productivity using Workgroup PDM and Enterprise PDM. Remember, Workgroup PDM is included with each seat of SolidWorks Professional/Premium. I do a lot of PDM consulting and one of the most frequently asked questions is "How much are the Workgroup PDM Viewer and Contributor Licenses?" So, here they are, thanks to Ramon Busboom of GoEngineer, thanks Ramon.

A viewer for Workgroup is $2495 + $795 for the subscription support. They are sold in 5 packs and this is the web interface for Workgroup. That means for the installation you have to setup the web portion of it.

Another option is to add on a single floating contributor and use permissions to set up the ‘viewer’. Three pricing models for a contributor license: 

·         Stand alone - $495 plus $200 SS.

·         Floating (w/ existing SW network license) - $995 plus $200 SS.

·         Floating (w/o existing SW network license) - $1195 plus $200 SS.

Best Regards,
Devon Sowell
760 809-9046
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com
http://www.pdmsolution.com

Windows 7 Review From newegg.com

Here is an easy to follow review from newegg.com. Listen for the statement that Windows 7 is faster than Vista and possibly XP

Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com
http://www.pdmsolution.com

Rockin' Friday, Poopdeck Pappy, Old Guys Can Jam Too!

See if you can keep up with Poopdeck Pappy. Have a few cups of coffee first. Happy Friday!

More Photos From The MCCSWUG Meeting, Oct. 10, 2009

Here are some more photos from the The MCCSWUG Meeting, Oct. 10, 2009. Enjoy!

Devon Sowell
Group Leader
MCCSWUG

SolidWorks World 2010, Live CAD Computer Build With Anna Wood

Here's a slide show of my recent server computer rebuild. It's working great, the speed is much faster, and it has 1TB of disc space for data.

On Feb. 1, 2010 Computer Guru Anna Wood and I will build a SolidWorks CAD Computer live, on stage. While I tighten screws and drop tools, Anna will share her extensive knowledge about all things computer. Here's a link to the agenda page for SolidWorks World 2010. We hope to see you there.

Devon T. Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com
http://www.pdmsolution.com

New Online Secured Vault

I recently upgraded our server, so I added 1TB of disc space to share with my clients. This collaborative work space is password protected and available 24/7 to the customers of 3-D Design Solutions and PDM Solution.com. Not only a file server, it is a terminal server and a streaming media server too. It has been assigned a permanent IP number.

On separate discs, are my Enterprise PDM Database Server and Archive Server.

Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com
http://www.pdmsolution.com
 

SmarTeam & SolidWorks, A Mismatch?

Here's a question...

Enterprise PDM and Workgroup PDM will both be released when 2010 SolidWorks is released. A friend of mine wants to upgrade to 2010 SolidWorks and the version of SmarTeam that will work with 2010 SolidWorks but was informed that SmarTeam won't work with 2010 SolidWorks until "The current target is for SmarTeam to release R19 SP7 in week 7 of 2010, which will be compatible with SolidWorks 2010."

Why?

Devon Sowell
http://www.pdmsolution.com

MCCSWUG Design Summit, A Success!

93 enthusiast students, alumni, teachers, industry leaders, and SolidWorks users enjoyed the MiraCosta College Design Summit.

It was a packed agenda that included a tour of the modern facilities, breakfast, and a program overview. 8 breakout sessions followed from 10:00am until the 11:30am break for lunch.

• SolidWorks 2010 Tips & Tricks
• Rapid Prototyping/3D Printing
• Design Careers
• Advisory Board Meeting
• Transfer Universities
• Instructor Roundtable
• Industry Roundtable
• Alumni Roundtable
• Lunch

It was standing room only in the sessions, the lunch was delicious, and many stayed after to network. Many thanks to Paul Clarke and his staff. Please enjoy the slide show!

Rockin' Friday, Jackie Wilson

FTC: Bloggers must disclose paid reviews

Here is the article.

This seems like a great idea to me. What are your thoughts?

Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

MCCSWUG Meeting, October 10, 2009, 2010 SolidWorks Tips & Tricks

During our Design Summit, I'll give two presentations; What's New In 2010 SolidWorks and 2010 SolidWorks Tips & Tricks. I'm going to try something a little different for the Tips & Tricks session. Here are some Tips & Trick topics that you might find useful. So, I'll ask the attendees what they'd like to see from this list. I've also included the opportunity for attendees to ask for something not on this list.

I hope to see you there. Here's the list:

PURCHASED PARTS SAVED AS DUMB SOLIDS, WHY?

ASSEMBLY TREE VIEW

ASSEMBLY B.O.M.

SYMMETRY IN PARTS AND ASSEMBLIES, WHY?

SKETCH PICTURE

MATE TO PLANES, WHY?

REORDER ASSY TREE, WHY?

DESIGN BINDER

DESIGN LIBRARY

COMMENTS IN SOLIDWORKS FILES

DIMENSION INPUT BOXES

TASK SCHEDULER, AUTO CREATE DRAWINGS, SHHH,

DON'T TELL THE BOSS

*WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?

Cheers,
Devon T. Sowell
MCCSWUG Leader

SolidWorks Workgroup PDM Multiple Vaults, Possible?

I get asked this question quite often. The answer is yes, you can have multiple Vaults when using Workgroup PDM. Here's the method I use.

In this example, each vault is installed on a different drive. The Workgroup PDM software must be installed on each drive in order to create the Vault. Each drive (computer) can have only one Workgroup Vault.

Be sure to create separate working folders for each vault and add those working folders to the Referenced Documents Option using the tools, system Options in SolidWorks.

Once you've logged in twice to Workgroup PDM, you'll have the option, via the pull down arrow, to chose which Vault to use.

Cheers,
Devon T. Sowell
http://www.pdmsolution.com

SolidWorks Can Help You Discover The "Tip Over Angle"

Certain medical devices must meet the 10 degree won't tip over requirement. In other words, the component must be able to tip 10 degrees and not tip over, but right itself instead. I had to look at this the other day, so I've made a simple SolidWorks example to show how I did this.

Looking at these screen shots shows that I created a 3D sketch point at the center of mass and then I found the tip angle when the center of mass falls ahead of the contact point on the floor.

Cheers,
Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

Server Upgrade Project

Here's our existing server spec's and it's time to upgrade my office server to something more robust. The current machine is well over 5 years old and it's showing it's age. We need gigabyte network speed and faster processing too.

I'll reuse the computer case and power supply and install these components I just ordered from newegg.com.

    Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -     OEM
    Item #: N82E16822136320   


    Rosewill RCR-IM5001 USB2.0 75 in 1 internal Card Reader w/ 3 ports USB2.0 Hub / eSATA port / Extra     silver face plate - Retail
    Item #: N82E16820223108
   

    Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

    Item #: N82E16835100007
   

    Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E5300 - Retail
    Item #: N82E16819116074


    GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
    Item #: N82E16813128357


    OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory     Model OCZ2G8004GK - Retail
    Item #: N82E16820227199
   
These items came to$300.00 including tax and shipping. More next week.

Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

Rockin' Friday, Neil Young

Rockin' In the Free World

I Am A Child

MiraCosta College, Oceanside, CA, SolidWorks User Group Design Summit

Please click here to visit the MCCSWUG web site.

Autodesk Labs, Access Blocked

I'm closer to San Francisco than I thought; San Francisco to Carlsbad, CA = 471 miles. I can stream HD video, but I guess that's not good enough for this application.

Another Autodesk Bombshell, Try Inventor On The Cloud

Interesting week for Autodesk, yesterday they release the Sketchbook app for the iPhone and today they release trial versions of AutoCAD, Inventor, and Revit that run on the cloud.

This is leading edge stuff, which is always interesting to me. Will it work?

I live just outside the 1,000 mile limit, but I'll see how this works this weekend and report back.

Cheers,
Devon T. Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

SolidWorks, Wake Up!

Thanks to Josh Ming's post on Facebook, I followed this link to see a new application released today by Autodesk, an application to sketch on the iPhone. Yeah, the iPhone screen is small, but the upcoming Apple Tablet might be very sweet for sketching and sharing ideas quickly.

At SolidWorks HQ in Concord, MA, there are over 40+ Macs in use by employees. Many SW employees now use iPhones. Jeff Ray and Jon Hirschtick both use Macs in their homes. You can now build a Mac.

So, SolidWorks, why the mixed message about Macs?  SolidWorks just got left in the dust by AutoCAD, wake up!

What's your opinion?

Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

SolidWorks® World 2010, My Presentations

I am please to announce that I have been chosen to present two sessions at SolidWorks World 2010, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on January 31 - February 3, 2010.

They are: Live Build Of A SolidWorks CAD Computer and Manage & Share Your SolidWorks Data Using 2010 SolidWorks Explorer.

Computer Guru Anna Wood will join me and share her knowledge about computers and optimizing CAD computers while I build a new SolidWorks CAD computer live, it should be a hoot! Of course, I'm a SolidWorks Explorer advocate, and I'll explain and demonstrate exactly how to manage your SolidWorks data using this powerful, free tool.

I hope to see you there.

Cheers,
Devon T. Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

2010 SolidWorks Online Help

Here's screen shot of the new 2010 SolidWorks Online Help. I see a few advantages in this new user interface.

• No need to download the SolidWorks Help files to your local machine.
• Easier for SolidWorks to edit and make available.

In my opinion, this is a much needed enhancement, let's see how it works out.

Cheers,
Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

No Pizza Here, Gourmet Sandwiches Instead

Where are these gourmet sandwiches? At the Oct. 10, 2009 MiraCosta College SolidWorks User Group Meeting, my friend. Cookies and Chips too, whoa nellie.

This is in conjunction with the Drafting Department Open House hosted by Paul Clarke and staff. Come and see the fantastic work produced by the students, schmooze with industry leaders, preview SolidWorks 2010 and eat free food.

Bonus! Free Breakfast too! What else do you need?

Cheers,
Devon Sowell
MiraCosta College SolidWorks User Group Leader

Rockin' Friday, Coldplay & Chicago Transit Authority

Clocks (Live)

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

256 Posts In 40 Months

Yes sir, no wonder my keyboard is a little loose, 256 blog posts later. Perhaps I'll try these keyboard pants now, mighty smart looking. Forget the shoes mate; too girlie.

Here's a list of Categories for my posts, in case you want to search the archives. I've enjoyed writing these posts and I appreciate hearing from the readers.

Cheers,
Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutiuons.com

Categories

• "Don't Worry, We'll Make It Fit"
• 2008 SolidWorks Explorer
• 2009 Enterprise PDM
• 2009 SolidWorks PDM Enterprise
• 2010 Enterprise PDM
• 3-D Design Solutions
• Alrighty then
• An Exciting Free Offer, Free SolidWorks World Presentations!
• Auer Precision Manufacturing
• Back To Work!
• Be A Mentor
• Boring Windows Stuff
• But It Ran Great On NT!
• Clients
• Come Out, Come Out, Where Ever You Are
• Computers
• Cool Breeze'n It
• Current Affairs
• Devon Sowell, Patent
• Devon's Blog
• Disconnect From Customers
• Dream Big
• duh
• Eh, what's up doc?
• ENOVIA SmarTeam
• Family
• Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
• From Mr. Knowitall
• From Smooth Sailing
• Genius
• Get A Clue
• Give Up?
• Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!
• Hey Dude
• hmmmmm...
• I Am the Walrus
• I Need It ASAP
• I Wish I Was Jed Clampett..."And up through the ground came a bubblin' crude..."
• If It Wasn't For Bad Luck...
• Ignore That Man Behind The Black Curtain
• Interview
• Interview, SolidWorks
• iPod
• Is a ToolBox Part
• Is is Real? Or is it RealView?
• It's Marketing BS
• It's Smoke And Mirrors
• It's Time To Not Work
• King Richard Doyle
• Look! Up In The Sky...
• Marketing Or Knowledge?
• More Powerful Than A Locomotive...
• Mystery Achievement
• NextEngine Scanner
• NonSensicalSpelling
• PDM Solutions By Devon Sowell
• PDMWorks Enterprise 2008
• Product Lifecycle Management
• Read To Your Child Everyday
• Repeat After Me...PDM, PDM, PDM
• Rockin' Friday
• Roll The Dice
• SAY WHAT!
• Scan Your Feet?
• Science
• Shhhh...it's a Mac
• SolidWorks
• SolidWorks 2008
• SolidWorks 2010
• SolidWorks Discussion Forum
• SolidWorks Engineering Support
• SolidWorks File Management
• SolidWorks Listens
• SolidWorks PDM
• SolidWorks Technical Summits
• SolidWorks User Groups
• SolidWorks World 2007
• SolidWorks World 2008 San Diego,CA
• SolidWorks World 2009
• Students Rock
• Supplier Source
• Surfin' USA
• Tag, you're it.
• Teaching SolidWorks
• Time is of the essence
• twitter, twaddle
• Vacation Time
• Vista 64 Operating System
• Wal Mart Wants To Rule The World
• We Grow Our Own
• What's Up Doc?
• Windows 7
• Windows Vista
• Wow!
• www.pdmsolution.com
• You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life

 

Rockin' Friday, Summer's Over

The other day, my daughter asked me "Daddy, is summer really over, already?" "Yeah, babe, sorry" I replied. To celebrate the end of summer, our family will go to the beach as much as possible this Labor Day weekend. It's a contest to see how many waves my daughter & I can ride together, cool!

Happy Labor Day
Devon Sowell

Indian Summer
Summer Of '69
Beautiful Day
Surfer Girl
Surfin' USA

Increase Productivity & Make New Friends; Optimize Your SolidWorks Models

 
Recently I was given a design to review and prepare for production. The top level assembly file was very slow to Open, Rebuild and Save. Here's an example of why this was happening. This is a pcb, a purchased part that is ready for production. It appears to have been brought in to SolidWorks using CircuitWorks. Now that the pcb is ready for production release, why carry the overhead of a huge part file? Notice the results of the Rebuild time after optimizing the part. What's the easiest way to do this? Save the original file as a parasolid binary file, then Open the parasolid file in SolidWorks, over write the original file and that's it, your done.

Cheers,
Devon T. Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com
 

Rockin' Friday, The Traveling Wilburys

Not Alone Any More

Handle With Care

Happy Friday,
Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

My Favorite Function In Vista & Windows 7

This little function is slicker than clean socks on a waxed floor. It's a built in mini PDM system. This application can save your hide, check it out.

Cheers,
Devon Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

What's New 2010 Enterprise PDM

The number one enhancement to EPDM is the full integration of SolidWorks Toolbox. Now, users can chose between Copy Parts or Configurations via the EPDM Admin Tool. Here's a clip from the What's New .pdf;

"Enterprise PDM can now manage SolidWorks Toolbox part files and the Toolbox database
entirely in an Enterprise PDM vault. Users point SolidWorks to the Toolbox vault folder and
use Toolbox as before. Enterprise PDM automatically:
• Checks Toolbox parts out and in as needed so the latest versions are used
• Adds missing Toolbox parts to the vault
• Redirects assembly references to Toolbox parts in the vault
• Replicates the Toolbox files and database (if replication servers are configured)"

Devon T. Sowell
http://www.pdmsolution.com

Rockin' Friday, John Mellencamp

Ain't Even Done With The Night

Check It Out

SolidWorks Happenings

This time of year, SolidWorks usually has a lot going on. Here's the latest from them:

Photoview 360 Beta Rendering contest  http://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2009/08/announcing-the-photoview-360-beta-2010-rendering-contest.html

 

Details of the CSWP Event at SolidWorks World 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQr3GaTmv5o

 

SolidWorks World 2010 Registration: http://www.solidworks.com/swworld/

 

SolidWorks World 2010 call for papers: https://1bosweb3.experient-inc.com/Events/Solidworks/World2010/CFP/Speaker_guide.cfm

Cheers,
Devon T. Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

Iso-Fit-Rebuild-Save, Cha-Cha-Cha, My Favorite SolidWorks Macro

Here's the code for a SolidWorks Macro that I use all the time, everyday. Take 3 mouse clicks and make them 1 click. You can either Record this Macro or just Paste this code into a new blank Macro.

Enjoy!
Devon T. Sowell
http://www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

Dim swApp As Object
Dim Part As Object
Dim boolstatus As Boolean
Dim longstatus As Long, longwarnings As Long
Dim FeatureData As Object
Dim Feature As Object
Dim Component As Object
Sub main()

Set swApp = Application.SldWorks

Set Part = swApp.ActiveDoc
Part.ShowNamedView2 "*Isometric", 7
Part.ViewZoomtofit2
Part.EditRebuild
Part.Save2 False
End Sub