Mike Puckett's Blog

BOXX Raffle At The CSWE/CSWP Event At SolidWorks World 2012

Are you all set to head to SolidWorks World 2012?  Ready for a chance to win a high end computer workstation while you're there?  Well SolidWorks Solution partner BOXX has stepped up to the plate.

The first thing you'll need to know about having a chance to win this powerful workstation is you have to be a Certified SolidWorks Expert (CSWE),or a Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP), and you have to be attending SolidWorks World 2012 and be present at the CSWE/CSWP party on Monday night February 13th.

If you meet those requirements, simply go to the entry website and fill it out: Boxx Tech SolidWorks Solutions.

The computer to be given away at the event is packed full of the latest workstation tech including:

• CPU: Intel i7 Quad Core Enhanced Performance 4.5 GHz
• RAM: 8GB DDR3 2133MHz
• Video Card: NVIDIA Quadro 4000 with 2GB memory
• Hard Drives: 20 GB SSD cache hard drive; 1TB SATA
• 20X dual layer DVD+/-RW Writer
• Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64-bit 

And the best part?  The winner of this powerhouse computer will walk away with the actual computer from the event!  No waiting for this bad boy to be built and then shipped, you'll be plugging it in as soon as you get back to the office.

So how do you get in on the action to possibly win?  Well as stated before you must be a CSWE or CSWP, you must be attending SolidWorks World 2012 in San Diego, and you must be present at the CSWE/CSWP party on Monday night February 13th to win.

What if you don't meet those qualifications?  Well there is still time to register for SolidWorks World 2012, and you can even take and pass your CSWE or CSWP exam before you arrive!

We'd like to thank BOXX for stepping up to offer this great prize, and we hope to see you all in San Diego!  Find out more about their SolidWorks Certified solutions.

BOXX is the host of this contest, and is responsible for all rules and regulations.  You can find those rules here: Contest Rules

Consumer Electronics Show 2012

One of the fun parts about living here in Las Vegas is the fact that just about every trade and industry has an annual trade show here in town.  With out a doubt the Consumer Electronics Show is the largest convention of the year.  It's so big that it generates over 150 million dollars in non-gaming revenue for the city, and this year attracted over 3,000 companies, 153,000 attendees, and launched over 20,000 new products.

I spent a day and a half traversing the halls of the show which took up the same space as 30 football fields, over a million square feet!  I stopped by a few booths to chat with company's that I knew were using SolidWorks, and ended up running into lots more customers who as soon as they saw my SolidWorks shirt proceeded to tell me how much they love using SolidWorks, and explaining to me how they used it to design their product.  Here are a few of the cool tech items I saw at the show, some of which I wouldn't mind having in my own home!

The MakerBot Replicator by MakerBot

3D Printers have been around for years but in the last few years the push has been to make them more affordable so that everyone can buy one.  The MakerBot is a cool little printer that is extremely affordable and stands out from it's competitors in the DIY market with one huge advantage, it can print dual colors!  MakerBot debuted their 'Dualstrusion' version at CES and pretty much captivated the 3D printer industry part of the show.  The dual color printing is what sets their product apart from the other printers in this range of the market.  These guys have used SolidWorks to design many of the parts of their product, and chatting with them you simply get the feeling these guys love what they do!  You can check them out here: MakerBot Industries

Urban Green Energy

A few years ago at SolidWorks World there was a similar device on display that allows a house to generate energy via wind.  These guys have brought to market a system that you can custom order and then have installed at your house to generate electricity from wind.  You can either choose a battery type of system that stores energy, or a system that will power your house and sell extra energy back to the power company.  I didn't know this company used SolidWorks, but when I stopped to chat with them the first thing they mentioned was SolidWorks and how they used it to optimise the shape of the fins, and to also study the structural integrity of the system as well.  I briefly chatted with them about SolidWorks Sustainability and they were pretty excited to look into it so they could find out of they could make their green product, even greener!  You can check them out here: Urban Green Energy

Mercedes 

Car companies are getting more and more into tech these days.  Smartphones have paved the way for smart cars now.  One of the big trends at the show on the automotive side was 'apps for cars'.  No they don't mean playing angry birds on the windshield of the car, that might get a bit distracting!  Mercedes was showing off a prototype system that is basically a windshield size heads up display.  As you drive past a business you simply make a hand swiping motion and on the display an information window will come up showing reviews of the place, menus, and it will also allow you to make a reservation.  Of course one of the on lookers asked how distracting that will be to the driver, and the BMW rep simply replied, by the time this is out on the marker, cars will be driving themselves!  Here is another picture of their concept car:

Case Mate

There is so much mobile industry products at CES it's easy to get overwhelmed.  One of the stand out company's was Case Mate who was launching a new iPhone case called the Phantom.  The case is a two material injection molded cover that is designed to make your iPhone pretty much destruction proof.  The idea was to create a case that's both durable and affordable.  Case Mate had so much confidence in the case that one of their sales guys spent 4 days at the show repeatedly dropping his phone over and over to show how sturdy the case was.  And yes, they use SolidWorks to design their products as well.  I was speaking with one of the design engineers who told me they use a sketch program to mock up the design of a new case, and then when they are ready to make a final design that works, they put sketch pictures into SolidWorks and design away.  Pretty cool stuff from a company that loves their products.  Find out more about them here: Case Mate

 3D Everywhere!

3D Tv's have been at CES for some years now, but this year seems to be a break out year for them.  With glasses free 3D Tv's being displayed by Sony, and passive 3D Tv's being displayed by everyone, there simply was no way to avoid them!  LG seems to have stole the show with their awesome display at their booth:

And you thought your dual 30" monitors were cool huh?  I have a 3D Tv in my house and it uses the active shutter glasses which require batteries.  The passive system is the same thing you would encounter when you go see a 3D movie in a theatre.  The Tv companies seem to have figured it out quite well, and I would say that 3D Tv's are pretty much ready for prime time!

Of course if having a 3D Tv simply isnt cutting edge enough for you, then OLED is for you!  How about a 55" Tv that is 4mm thick (A little less then 3/16 of an inch) and weighs 16 pounds?

Here are some pictures of the Samsung model:

Can you spot the Tv in this side shot?

Rumored price tag is said to be around $10,000, but once you see the picture you'll want one.  And who wouldn't want a tv you could hang on your wall with velcro!

The CES show is an industry show only meaning it's closed to the general public.  But if you have connections into the industry this is definitely a show to attend some day.  You'll simply be amazed at whats out there!

500+ CSWE's and CSWP's To Visit The USS Midway Aircraft Carrier At SolidWorks World 2012

On Monday night, February 13th, 2012, CSWE's and CSWP's in attendance at SolidWorks World 2012 will board a bus and make the short drive to the U.S.S. Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum in San Diego Bay.  The annual gathering of Certified SolidWorks Experts and Professionals will board the retired U.S. Navy ship for three hours of food, drinks, entertainment, and networking.

The keel for the U.S.S. Midway was laid on October 27th 1943 and served in various wars, conflicts and humanitary missions around the world until it was officially retired from service on April 11th 1992.  When it returned to the U.S., it was the first time in 18 years the ship had made port on U.S. shores.

Here are some quick facts about the Midway:

• It carried an estimated 225,000 U.S. service personnel over its service life
• The U.S.S. Midway sailed in every ocean in the world
• The U.S.S. Midway is 1001'6" long
• It has a displacement of 700,000 tons
• There are 4.02 acres of flight deck
• The crew would consume 1,000 loaves of bread a day

The ship features more then 60 exhibits, 25 restored aircraft, and a self guided tour of the ship.  Attendees of the event will be able to tour the ship from the ships jail, all the way to the top of it's command tower where you can sit in the captains chair!

What will certainly be the highlight of the event will be the flight simulators that users will be able to take a ride in.  Experience a virtual launch from the flight deck, fly mock missions with your co-pilot, but whatever you do, don't eat before you fly and tumble your way through the sky!

So is it too late to join in the fun?  Never!  Registration for SolidWorks World is open all the way up until the event, and you can save $100 on registration until January 20th.  If you're a CSWP or CSWE, you save an additional $100!

If you're planning to attend SolidWorks World and are not a CSWP or CSWE, what are you waiting for?  You don't want to miss out on what's sure to be one of the funnest events ever!  You can still take and pass your exam before you go, visit the SolidWorks Certification site for more information!

We hope to see you on board the U.S.S. Midway at SolidWorks World 2012!

CSWP Isn't The Only Thing We Do!

The SolidWorks Certification Program is a pretty in-depth program.  On the outside we have several customer facing exams that include the CSWE, CSWP, CSWA, and a handful of advanced topic exams covering topics like mold tools, surfacing, weldments, sheetmetal, and FEA.  What you won't see, unless you work for a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller, are the exams that we provide for our resellers.  We have just over 10 exams that deal with a laundry list of topics all meant to improve the experience our customers have when they interact with their reseller.

Hands down the most complex and toughest exam we offer to our resellers is the Support Tech Core, and Support Tech Upgrade exams.  Every support technician that works for a SolidWorks Reseller is required to pass the core exam at least once, and then is required to pass the upgrade exam each year.

So why the sudden urge to share this with you?  Well this year as one of my projects I am taking over ownership of the content that is included in the support tech core and upgrade exams.  In the past it has been handled by one of our best senior support tech guys, Mark Johnson.  If you are a VAR support tech person, no doubt you know Mark well as he more then likely has worked with you on an issue here or there.  We're also still asking for his input on the exam as well as a group of other SolidWorks Support techs from around the globe.

The support tech upgrade exam is something we do each year that is released right along side the newest release of SolidWorks.  The next release will be this fall and will deal with new features found in SolidWorks 2012.  The exam is 30 questions in 30 minutes and a passing score of 24 or better is required.  The content mainly covers new functionality in core SolidWorks, and also includes technical support issues that may have been encountered during beta.

So if you're a reseller support tech, look for the CSWST 2012 exam early this fall, and good luck on it, we'll be looking forward to seeing how you all do.  SolidWorks 2012 is just around the corner, and there is lots of cool new stuff to see!

 

It's SolidWorks 2012 Beta Time

Sure summer officially started last week which is sort of a big deal, but if you are a hard core SolidWorks user, the arrival of summer means much more then backyard bar-b-que's, fun in the sun, and family vacations.  It means that the next release of your favorite 3-D CAD software is available for testing! 

Starting today the first beta release for SolidWorks 2012 is available for download by subscription customers via the customer portal.  You can get all the details by visiting The SolidWorks 2012 Beta Site. 

There are lots of prizes to be had, and lots of new features to discover.  Participation for me this year will be a little different since I will be pouring over the what's new content, and watching the most reported issues in order to develop content for an exam that VAR support engineers have to take as part of their annual upgrade requirements.

 

Behind The Scenes At SolidWorks World 2011: CSWE/CSWP Event

With the introduction of the CSWE exam at SolidWorks World 2010 we decided to split up the CSWP event at SolidWorks World 2011 to have an exclusive CSWE event.  This year we started the event at 6:30pm for CSWE's only and opened the event to CSWP's at 7:00pm.

Initially the plan was to have all the attendees walk the .6 mile distance to the venue where our event was being held.  On the Saturday before the event however the plans changed.  We met with the event planning staff and began the walk to the venue.  About half way there it was decided that the walking route to the venue crossed too many busy streets so it was decided that busses would be provided instead.  The only thing this really effected was that we had to reprint 600 copies of the event handout sheet that had walking directions on it!  Instead we redid the flyer to give instructions about the bus schedule.

Originally we had planned to have some paintball shooting ranges set up that would allow people to shoot a paintball gun at some stationary targets.  That process began a few weeks before the event with the making of some safety cables to make sure the guns could only be pointed at the targets, and not the attendees:

Of course even the best laid plans sometimes fail.  It was discovered on Monday just after general session had ended that the shipment of paintball guns we were expecting on the Friday before the event, had been even further delayed and would not arrive until the morning after the CSWE/CSWP event!  So what could we do?  Improvise!  We took a trip to a local Toys R Us and walked out with two shopping carts full of Nerf Dart Guns:

Lucikly we had plenty of celebrity stand-ins to shoot the Nerf guns at:

The venue itself was picked by our wonderful event staff ahead of time and they took care of all the decorations, food, and drink choices.  We also once again had the guys from A/V Images set up two giant projection screens so we could show off a bunch of designs from CSWP's around the world:

Some additional shots of the venue during set up:

The last detail was to unbox 500 Nerf Dart Guns: (thanks Jenny)

And then all that was left was to welcome nearly 550 guests, and have a good time:

What a site it was to see hundreds or Nerf Darts being shot all over the place!  The event as usual seemed to end just as fast as it started.  Our goal was to have a fun party where everyone would get a chance to interact with some cool products designed in SolidWorks, and we think we were pretty successful.

So what's in store for next year in San Diego?  Well all I can say is that planning is already underway and we're always looking for fun SolidWorks customers to feature, so let us know if you have something you think we could use!



 


 

 

Behind The Scenes At SolidWorks World 2011: General Session Stage

I remember back to 2006 when I attended my first SolidWorks World in Las Vegas.  Everybody that had already been to one told me I would be blown away at the general sessions that are held each morning.  I was not disappointed!

The general session 'set' design is always fun to see each year, and it's fun to see what new stuff they have in store.  This year at SolidWorks World 2011 in San Antonio, the production company came with the big toys!

Take a look at the following image, this is what SolidWorks World attendees will see when they litteraly come running into the venue on Monday morning at 8:30am:

 

With seating for well over 5,000 people, the venue will be rocking when SolidWorks C.E.O. Bertrand Sicot walks out onto the stage on Monday morning.

But this sort of production does not suddenly appear out of nowhere!  It's actually planned many months in advance, and construction begins four days before the first seat is filled with a SolidWorks World attendee.

Here are a few pictures of the progression:

 

It begins with what's called ''truss', and lots of it.  In the case of SolidWorks World 2011, over 1,600 feet of it!  The truss carries stuff like lights, projectors, the audio system, screens, and even curtain, very long black curtains.  The truss is lifted into place by over 60 drop points which are the motorized hoists that lift everything over 50 feet into the air.  As you can see in the following image, all the truss is bolted together and is hanging low so the techs can get everything bolted to it:

 

These screens are front projected screens that hang towards the back of the venue so that people sitting in the back have a great view of the show as well.  The projectors are fed by a fiber optic cable that insures there is no lag in the video screens, and will make sure they are in sync with the video screens in the front.

 

Speaking of cables, there is a lot of it!  Over four miles in case you were trying to count!

 

By this time the front screen is starting to be erected as well:

 

It's the largest screen ever used at SolidWorks World, and it's impressive.  Approximately 20 feet tall, and nearly 80 feet long, it's massive when you stand in front of it!  It hangs from the truss as well and is rear projected:

 

Three sets of projectors create the video for the main screen.  If you are wondering why there are six projectors, well it's done on purpose.  The screen is actually divided into three zones, and each zone is fed by two projectors.  The dual projectors for each zone has two benefits.  One it doubles the brightness, and second, if one of the projectors fail, there won't be a missing portion of the screen.

All that projection power combines to create a resolution of approximately 1920 X 5400!  Folks, we are way beyond HD at this point!

By Saturday afternoon things are hung, the stage is being set, and it's starting to look finished:

 

See the guy looking up at that grid pattern?  Well what he is doing is he is adjusting the projection image itself and getting all the projectors lined up.  He aligns all the grid patterns and thats what makes six separate projectors capable of projecting one giant image.  One more cool thing, he is adjusting the projectors from the Mac laptop via a wireless network!

Of course once the show gets underway it's produced and executed by a great team of people at Cramer whose sole passion is to put on the best show possible.  Many of them sit behind the stage in the command center:

 

I'm very fortunate to have seen them in action while waiting to go on stage last year, and it's fun to watch the magic happen.  I'm also fortunate to even be able to get a peek behind the scenes of one of the best parts of SolidWorks World, and I always look forward to seeing what the production team has in store! 

Stay tuned to more behind the scenes stuff from SolidWorks World including the many rehearsal sessions!

35,359 And Growing!

35,359.  That's the total number of SolidWorks certifications floating out in the world as of the end of 2010.  In the 10 years or so of the SolidWorks Certification program, that makes 2010 the largest growth year for our program to date.

We currently stand at three top level exams (CSWA, CSWP, CSWE), five advanced exams (Surfacing, Mold Tools, Weldments, Sheet Metal, FEA), and a list of reseller certifications dealing with multiple topics.

As we look forward to 2011, we look forward to adding even more SolidWorks users to our growing family of Certified users.  To get more information on the SolidWorks Certification program, simply visit the Certification Website.  Thank you to all of our certified users, and to SolidWorks customers everywhere, all of you make it even more fun!

Designs By CSWP's From Around The World To Be Featured At SolidWorks World 2011

Each year at SolidWorks World, as 5,000+ attendees file into the general session venue, images of products designed by SolidWorks Customers from all over the world are shown on giant high definition screens throughout the venue.  Each year over 60 designs are highlighted and displayed for everyone to admire.

At SolidWorks World 2011 we're going to change it up a bit.  This year all the designs shown will be products that have been submitted by Certified SolidWorks Professionals from around the world.  Now while we hope that every one of the 11,000+ CSWP's make it to SolidWorks World 2011 in San Antonio Texas, we expect a few may not be able to make it!  This gives even those few a chance to participate in the worlds largest 3D CAD conference.

So today we are emailing every single CSWP in the world letting them know how they can participate, even if they can't attend.  So if you are a CSWP keep an eye on your in-box, and get to work so we can show off the talents of the rock-stars of our community!

And remember, it's never too late to become a CSWP, and it's still a good time to register to attend SolidWorks World 2011!

The 2011 CSWP Texas Shoot-Out & Bar-B-Que

Are you getting excited about SolidWorks World 2011 yet?  If you are going, and you are a Certified SolidWorks Professional, or a Certified SolidWorks Expert, you have even more to be excited about!  And if you are not a CSWP or a CSWE, then maybe this will help you decide to get on the ball before SolidWorks World gets here!

Once again we'll be throwing an exclusive party on Monday night at SolidWorks World 2011 in San Antonio Texas.  We'll be heading over to the historic Sunset Station which was originally built in 1902 as a stop on the sunset limited railroad route to California. And what could be more Texas'y then guns and bar-b-que?  Once again we'll be partnering with a cool SolidWorks customer, hauling in a bunch of their products, and of course giving it all away at the end of the night.   

How many of you have ever played paintball?  I'm guessing quite a few!  Well as with just about every other industry now a days, all the major manufacturers of paintball guns and equipment use SolidWorks to design their products.  So we thought we would bring in a large cache of paintball guns and let everyone have a chance to shoot them.  What you will be shooting at will be up to CSWP's from around the world when we run our annual CSWP contest around the beginning of December.  We'll be counting on you to design the targets for the event!

But isn't paintball messy? Well don't worry about getting covered in paint.  We'll be using special 're-balls' that don't explode, so you won't have to worry about paint splashing onto your duds that night.  Also, most of the shooting will be at targets and not each other.

We'll also be changing up the format of the event this year as well.  Here is the schedule:

6:30pm-7:15pm- CSWE's Only

7:15pm-9:30pm- CSWE's & CSWP's

At 6:30 we'll be opening a special private indoor venue to just CSWE's.  It will be a small group compared to the CSWP's, but we'll have some additional benefits like exclusive first-time-ever issued CSWE give-a-ways, margarita bar, exclusive food menu, and exclusive prizes.

At 7:15 we'll head outdoors, start up the band, and open the gates for the CSWP's where we'll enjoy plenty of Texas bar-b-que food and fix'ns, along with plenty of moonshine to wash it all down!

At the end of the night we'll raffle off all the loot from the night, so be prepared to possibly go home a winner!

So how do you get into these events?  All you have to do is be a CSWP or a CSWE, or both!  Visit the SolidWorks Certification Homepage for more information on how to become certified.  And for those of you who are going to take the CSWP exam on site at SolidWorks World, if you pass you will of course be added to the list to get into the event on Monday night!

If you are a CSWP, keep an eye out for more information on the CSWP contest coming around the beginning of December to your inbox.

So we hope to see you all in San Antonio, and don't forget that the early bird registration ends this Friday.  By taking advantage of that discount, along with a $100 CSWP discount, you can save $300 off the total price of admission!