solidworks world 2010 coming at ya!

So as some of the other bloggers have already posted, the SolidWorks World 2010 website went live last week Wednesday.  Over the next couple of months I will be revisiting a series of posts that I have done the last couple of years about why you should go to SolidWorks World and how to convince the necessary people to send you.

Because of the current economic situation this year it will be even tougher to go for some of us so I will try to point out how to cut some costs or plan ahead and start saving money.  In the end it comes down to the fact that this is an event that you MUST attend!

If you already have the clearance to go, you can register now by clicking here.

ONLY 176 MORE DAYS UNTIL ANAHEIM, CA!

good times!

So as some of you might know by now, I spent the earlier part of this week traveling to the east coast for an event at the SolidWorks headquarters.  The time there was jam packed with information (about 5 pages of notes), fun, and socializing with SolidWorks employees.

Ricky Jordan, Brian McElyea, Rich Hall, Matt Lorono, Gabi Jack, Devon Sowell, Josh Mings, and Rob Rodriguez were the bloggers in attendance and I am sure that you will be reading a ton of information from them as well in the upcoming month or so.

Monday was a day filled with presentations by Jeremy Regnerus (SolidWorks Sustainability); Bob Miner (SolidWorks Labs); Marie Planchard (Education); lunch with Jeff Ray; a visit with Jon Hirschtick; Jim Wilkinson, Lynn Cherny, and Tom Spine (Usability); and John Slocum (3D Content Central).

Monday night a group of 15 or so of us headed to F1 Boston for an awesome time racing go carts that reached over 40 mph on a track just under a quarter mile.  After much sweat and laughter Ricky Jordan pulled off the feature win.  It was an absolutely awesome time!

Tuesday was a jam packed day of pure SolidWorks 2010 goodness that unfortunately I can not share with you until the end of August some time.  Throughout the day we had the pleasure of having members of the Product Development team pop into the meeting room so that we could ask questions to the people that were responsible for portions of the software.  Bruce Holway, Marlon Banta, Sal Lama, Mark Leizza, Dan Burmenko, Jay Patterson and Melissa Appel were very helpful and open about their own areas of the software.  Throughout the day we also were able to chat with Fielder Hiss, Patrick Cook, Richard Allen, and others.

I really wish I could share more with you about some of the things we were able to see but I will just have to tell you to stay tuned here for some SolidWorks 2010 highlights in the upcoming weeks. 

you better get your cswp certification now

So as some of you may have noticed, I have been silent on here for almost a month now.  In a way this is a good thing but also it is not a good thing.  The absence has mainly been due to trying to get 50 hours of work done in a 40 hour work week and also because of some computer glitches that I have had on my personal computer.  However, Mike Puckett posted a little sneak peak at something yesterday that I could not help but pass on to everyone else that hadn’t seen it yet.

Every year at SolidWorks WORLD there is a special event that is usually on Monday night that is for CSWP’s only.  I have only been to SolidWorks WORLD 2 times but each of those events were off the chart.  In San Diego at SolidWorks WORLD 2008 the CSWP event was held at Wavehouse and involved some awesome events that included some local surfers riding the wave machine.  It was an absolute blast.

Not to be outdone, SolidWorks WORLD 2009 in Orlando definitely did not disappoint but it had a different feel to the evening.  This time there were toys galore around as the main event of the evening was to set up the coolest and best roller coaster using the iCoaster product from Megabrands.  There were a lot of cool designs around and again it was a great event.

So you may be wondering, what is in store for SolidWorks WORLD 2010 in Anaheim, California?  Well, here is where Mike gives us a little teaser about what you can think about for the next 6 months.  Check this video out!

So the question is, are you a CSWP?  If not you better become one before SolidWorks WORLD 2010 because it looks like this is an event you will not want to be on the outside looking in.  Here is where I can possibly help you.  If you are not a CSWP yet and would like to become one (which will not only get you into this event but will boost your resume) I have 5 vouchers available for the first 5 people to leave a comment on this post that say “I WANT TO BE A CSWP!”  Don’t forget that I will need your email address so that I can contact you and send you your voucher code.  For this contest I am only offering CSWP codes, no other certifications.

mark biasotti @ the wmswug

Follow Mark Biasotti at the West Michigan SolidWorks User Group. All you need to do is Click Here!

solidworks milestone: 1,000,000 licenses!

Another day has dawned and SolidWorks has reached yet another milestone.  Last month, contemporary gear bag designer OGIO International of Salt Lake City, Utah purchased the one millionth license of SolidWorks 3D CAD software.  Here is the official press release for this milestone.

The milestone offers some great things for everyone.  It has everything from a video message from Jon Hirschtick (Founder) and Jeff Ray (CEO), to a video of Jeff Ray hand delivering this milestone license, to the press release below, to a trivia game that every SolidWorks user should take.

To see the full website follow this link.

DS SolidWorks Surpasses One Million Licenses

Extreme Sports Gear Designer OGIO International, Inc. Buys Landmark Millionth License to Help with Product Line Expansion

CONCORD, Mass., USA, April 30, 2009 – Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (DS SolidWorks) today announced that a cutting-edge athletic equipment company has bought the one millionth license of its 3D CAD software. In the 14 years between this landmark and DS SolidWorks’ first sale to a robotic arm designer, thousands of innovative products have been developed with SolidWorks® software.

Utah-based OGIO International, Inc. bought license number one million for aluminum design engineer Sean Peterson, who is working on OGIO’s new line of motocross racing accessories. Peterson will use SolidWorks software to design products such as ramps, stands, and hardware for motocross bikes. OGIO is famous for designing creative and edgy athletic bags with innovative features like the zipper-less ball pocket on its golf bags. The company’s designers use SolidWorks software to model injection-molded plastic pieces such as carrying handles, wheels, and golf bag frames.

OGIO has been a SolidWorks customer for four years. From its founding by Michael Pratt in 1987 until about five years ago, OGIO’s design staff relied on manufacturing partners to help them create the 3D models needed to produce injection molds for parts. The company brought CAD in-house so its designers didn’t have to rely on a third party’s interpretation of a sketch to produce a 3D model. SolidWorks enables OGIO’s designers to freely experiment with new ideas without the constraints of working with an outside vendor.

“SolidWorks allows our designers to innovate freely and quickly,” Pratt said. “We want them using their imaginations, trying out all kinds of solutions and innovative ideas that can turn into winning products. SolidWorks is the right software for that. It’s powerful but easy to use, so our designers can concentrate on being creative instead of constantly figuring out the software. In today’s super-fast-paced competitive environment, we need to give our designers tools like these to realize our ideas better and faster, because it’s all about who has the best product right now.”

Creativity like OGIO’s is indeed the hallmark of the products designers and engineers have conceived with SolidWorks software – everything from medical instruments, to children’s toys, to windmills, to solar cells, to components of NASA’s Mars rover. Jon Hirschtick founded the company in 1993 to provide Windows-based 3D CAD software that offered sophisticated features and functionality in a reasonably priced, easy-to-use format. Dr. William Townsend’s then-new company, Barrett Technology Inc., was SolidWorks’ first customer. Fourteen years later, Barrett’s WAM™ robotic arm is now in every major university and has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World 
Records as the most advanced robot, while SolidWorks has become the world’s most widely used 3D CAD software.

“We are excited to reach the million mark and very grateful for each customer that has trusted SolidWorks software to help drive his or her organization’s success,” said SolidWorks CEO Jeff Ray. “Because of this responsibility, we’re constantly working to make SolidWorks products worthy of customers’ loyalty by supporting their creative visions. As companies such as OGIO push the boundaries of products, we are using their input to push boundaries of 3D computer-aided design. This milestone is really only the beginning. The future holds some very exciting possibilities.”

About Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a Dassault Systèmes S.A. subsidiary, is a world leader in 3D solutions. The company develops and markets software for design, analysis, product data management, and documentation. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, giving teams intuitive, high-performing software that helps them design better products. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company’s Web site (http://www.solidworks.com/) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

A GIANT ROCKSOLID CONGRATULATIONS!

I want to personally congratulate SolidWorks Corporation on this accomplishment.  This is a huge milestone but I feel that it is only the beginning.  For those of you at SolidWorks that are reading this I want to urge you to continue to produce a great product.  At times there are going to be things that some don’t like and bugs that cause problems but this is the case with all software that I run.  The thing that stands out about you is that you seem to be aware of what is happening in the community and what users are struggling with and wanting.  Thanks again for all of your hard work and CONGRATULATIONS!

it’s never too early to start planning!

For some of us it feels as if SolidWorks WORLD 2009 just wrapped up while for others it seems like it has been done for a long time already.  Personally, I probably fall somewhere in the middle but closer to the side of “been done for a long time already.”  Because of this I have already started to think about SolidWorks WORLD 2010 which will be held in Anaheim, California from January 31, 2010 to February 3, 2010.

With all of the stuff that is happening with our economy right now it is hard to say if some of the companies that we work for will have the resources to send us to Anaheim come the end of January.  I am hoping that everything has started to turn around by then (crossing my fingers) but who knows what kind of financial strain the upcoming months will put on our employers.  This is why we, as SolidWorks users, need to start planning today and make sure that we are in sunny California for SolidWorks WORLD 2010.  There were some great stories that Jeff Ray talked about on the main stage of attendees at SolidWorks WORLD 2009 that ended up making it to Orlando despite some unforeseen circumstances.  These are the SolidWorks users that we need to take a hard look at and admire because they had a desire to be there and they made it happen.

Now if you are anything like me you like to plan ahead for large purchases or trips.  I don’t like to take large amounts of money and pay for something that I have known was coming up but didn’t plan for.  This is why you and I need start planning right now.  Here is how it breaks down.  According to my calculations SolidWorks WORLD 2010 is 300 days away which breaks down to about 43 weeks.

Here is where you will want to take a hard look at what kind of costs you will encounter if you will be responsible for getting to SolidWorks WORLD on your own dollar.  Here are a few key things that you will want to plan for.

1. Travel (airfare & taxi service once there)
2. Hotel (decide if you are going to want to stay cheap OR close to the event)
3. SolidWorks WORLD admission (click here to see the fees from SolidWorks WORLD 2009)
4. Personal (souvenirs, food & drinks, etc.)

In regards to #3 above you can get this eliminated for you by SolidWorks IF you are interested in giving a technical breakout training session at SolidWorks WORLD.  In order to do this you will need to submit an abstract to SolidWorks around August/September of this year and you will know if it gets accepted around September/October.  If this is something that interests you I urge you to get involved in a local user group and give some presentations there before you make the jump to giving one at SolidWorks WORLD.  In regards to #4 above keep in mind that breakfast and lunch are provided each day during the conference but anything that you do at night (after the SolidWorks sponsored events).

Now after reading all of this you might be asking yourself why is it important to attend this event.  Well I have come up with a short list of reasons why I make it a necessity to be there each year.  Here they are.

1. Over 150 breakout technical training sessions
2. Awesome networking opportunities
3. Sneak peak at SolidWorks 2011
4. Awesome & motivating General Session speakers (i.e. Richard Branson, the “Prototype This” guys, the “Orange County Chopper” guys, Steve “Woz” Wozniak, etc. etc. etc.)
5. And many, many more!

So in closing here is my advice to you.  Start planning for SolidWorks WORLD 2010 today!  Set aside $30-$40 each week until next January so that you have the money to attend even if your employer can’t send you.  It will be well worth your investment to attend so make plans to do so.  Please feel free to let me know if you need any other information about SolidWorks WORLD and why I think it is so important to be there. 

Happy Planning!

SolidWorks WORLD 2010 image courtesy of SolidSmack.com!

hot of the press…cadd edge & solidprofessor?

CADD Edge Selects SolidProfessor Knowledge Resources

SAN DIEGO, California, March 30, 2009 - SolidProfessor, a SolidWorks Solution Partner, today announced a partnership with CADD Edge to provide its customized resources and support solutions to all CADD Edge customers. Demand among engineering professionals for immediately accessible answers to their design questions is being addressed by CADD Edge’s addition of SolidProfessor’s "On-Demand" feature rich multimedia content to reinforce the live learning experience.

David Ptak, President of SolidProfessor remarks, "We’re very excited to be able to contribute to CADD Edge’s overall training and support program by customizing our solutions to integrate with the services they already offer. Today’s design professional requires a blended training and support solution where on-demand knowledge augments the live class experience. Our integrated solutions make it easier than ever for CADD Edge’s customers to get their design questions answered quickly and with the least disruption to their workflow."

Effective immediately, CADD Edge subscription customers have direct access to the latest SolidWorks training reference courses inside the SolidWorks design environment; a value of over $400,000.

"In today’s economy it’s critical that SolidWorks users understand and utilize the latest SW functionality to improve their efficiency and bring products to market faster. In an effort to help our customers and to thank them for their patronage we’re giving each SolidWorks subscription customer the 2009 SolidWorks Update Training course by SolidProfessor to help them maximize the benefits of the latest SolidWorks release. Providing our customers with the finest software and support resources available is the foundation of our success and partnering with SolidProfessor allows us to deliver our training and support resources integrated into the SolidWorks Task Pane", says Marcel Matte, Chief Operating Officer with CADD Edge.

SolidProfessor content can be accessed through the SolidProfessor Learning Management System (LMS) which runs as a SolidWorks add-in and as a standalone application. On-demand search, testing and reporting and exercise files are some of the many features included with the SolidProfessor program.

About CADD Edge, Inc.

CADD Edge provides a complete line of engineering business solutions to leading manufacturing companies throughout New England and the Mid- Atlantic. Well versed in the engineering process, we offer leading software, staffing and service solutions for CAD, Enterprise Data Management, Product Lifecycle Management, Reverse Engineering and Rapid Prototyping. For more information on CADD Edge, please contact the company at (508) 475.2900 or visit www.caddedge.com

About SolidProfessor

SolidProfessor is a SolidWorks Solution Partner 100% focused on creating the very best on-demand knowledge resources for users of SolidWorks and SolidWorks related software. The mission of SolidProfessor is to provide the highest quality and best value for all levels of SolidWorks users worldwide. SolidProfessor products may be ordered direct or from a growing number of SolidWorks Value Added Resellers. SolidProfessor is your SolidWorks Knowledge Resource. For more information visit www.solidprofessor.com

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My Personal Take

This is a great partnership that I hope more VAR’s will seriously take a look at.  In today’s economy, not every company has the resources to attend some of the “What’s New” events that are put on across the world by the SolidWorks Value Added Resellers.  Because of this, some of the important functionality that is included in each of the new releases is never fully utilized by the end user.  By joining with SolidProfessor on something like this it truly makes the reseller that you use value added in my opinion.  There you have it, my $.02 for what its worth.

hot of the press…nvidia introduces new product line

NVIDIA INTRODUCES INDUSTRY’S MOST POWERFUL PROFESSIONAL GRAPHICS LINEUP

Most Advanced Visualization Product Line Ever; Highlights Decade of Quadro Graphics Innovation

SANTA CLARA, CA-MARCH 30, 2009- Whether designing the next aircraft or delivering seven-day weather forecasts, today’s professionals seek a reliable, robust visualization platform designed to address their unique challenges and needs. Highlighting a decade of innovation, driven by the needs of the most demanding professionals, NVIDIA today introduced its most powerful and advanced top-to-bottom line of Quadro® professional GPU solutions in the Company’s history.

"Our mission with Quadro is to help customers solve the world’s most challenging visual computing problems," stated Dan Vivoli, executive vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. "We learn every day from them and are humbled by their brilliance. The new lineup, with the flagship Quadro FX 5800, sets the stage for the next ten years of innovation."

Spanning from sub-$100 entry-level to standalone visual computing systems, this new series includes:

• NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 - the industry’s first and only 4GB, ultra high-end solution delivers the highest visualization performance and capabilities, enabling professionals to work with large-scale models and datasets.
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 - ultra high-end solution provides professionals with the most complete toolset to dramatically push the boundaries of realism, performance, and quality.
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800 - single slot solution with a robust feature set and added capabilities such as SLI Multi-OS and SDI support to enable a no-compromise, high-performance, interactive visualization experience.
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800 - mid-range solution offers the best price performance for workstation graphics and provides the optimal blend of quality, precision, performance, and programmability.
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 580 - best-in-class entry-level solution boosts productivity for a variety of industry-leading volume CAD and digital content applications.
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 380 - an affordable professional-class graphics solution extends energy efficiency while delivering 50-percent faster performance.
• The Quadro NVS 295 - capable of supporting up to two 30-inch digital displays at maximum resolutions, taking business graphics to a new level visual perfection.

"Once again, NVIDIA has set new graphics performance standards for professionals in the product design and development community," said Laurent Laloy, director, 3DVIA User Experience, Dassault Systèmes. "This latest generation of Quadro professional solutions will allow our customers to drive innovation and design with unprecedented 3D visual quality."

This new line-up also brings the introduction of NVIDIA® SLI® Multi-OS, a ground-breaking technology that enables, for the first time, 3D workstation virtualization on the Quadro GPU. With SLI Multi-OS, applications and users are able to optimize productivity and costs through the use of multiple Quadro GPU technologies from a single workstation in a virtualized environment. Users can also enable native SLI technology support on key partner platforms to accelerate application performance, scaling and higher image quality.

Availability
NVIDIA Quadro solutions are widely available through leading system manufacturers such as Dell, Fujistu-Siemens, HP and Lenovo; leading workstation system integrators; and NVIDIA channel partners PNY Technologies (US and EMEA), Leadtek (APAC) and Elsa (Japan). For additional information about the complete lineup of NVIDIA Quadro professional solutions, please visit: www.nvidia.com/quadro.

"The new family of powerful NVIDIA GPU solutions are an ideal match for the new HP Z Workstations, which have been totally reinvented from the core outward for breakthrough performance, value and serviceability," said Jim Zafarana, Vice President and General Manager, HP Workstations. "This powerful combination can tackle the most challenging visual computing problems that exist for today’s demanding professionals."

"As the worldwide leader in workstations, Dell looks to partner with only the best companies to deliver the solutions that workstation professionals demand," said Greg Weir, senior manager, product group. "The power of Dell Precision and NVIDIA graphics represents a step-change in what customers can expect from a reliable, powerful and ISV-certified workstation with performance gains at levels beyond what customers could have imagined."

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA) is the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, a high-performance processor which generates breathtaking, interactive graphics on workstations, personal computers, game consoles and mobile devices. NVIDIA serves the entertainment and consumer market with its GeForce® graphics products, the professional design and visualization market with its Quadro® graphics products and the high-performance computing market with its Tesla™ computing solutions products. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. and has offices throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. For more information, visit www.nvidia.com.

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Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, features, impact, and capabilities of NVIDIA Quadro professional solutions, CUDA and SLI are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: development of more efficient or faster technology; adoption of the CPU for parallel processing; design, manufacturing or software defects; the impact of technological development and competition; changes in consumer preferences and demands; customer adoption of different standards or our competitor’s products; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended January 25, 2009. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on our website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

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Copyright® 2009 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, Quadro, GeForce, Tesla, NVIDIA SLI, and CUDA are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

only 322 days until…

Well, the answer is the CSWP event at SolidWorks WORLD 2010.  You ask yourself why I am bringing this up in March?  Well I stumbled across the photo below (the source of this photo is probably laughing right now as they read this) and had to share it.  Are we getting a sneak peak at the details of the 2010 CSWP event or not?

Disclaimer:  I have NO details on this event and it is nothing more than me stirring the pot.  But, if it would become true, I am claiming the title of first to blog about where the event was going to be held.

My tip of the day to all of my readers: start planning today to attend next years event.  Start saving a little bit every week that will allow you to go to Anaheim next January/February.  It is an awesome event that gets better EVERY year and you will want to make sure you are in attendance in 2010.  If nothing else, where else can you see the CEO of a major company ride a pink scooter on stage in front of a sumo wrestler.  Priceless!

breaking news: solidworks is #1

SolidWorks Wins Engineers’ Choice Award

Control Engineering recognizes SolidWorks^® 2009 for design simulation

CONCORD, Mass., USA, March 2, 2009 – Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (DS SolidWorks) today announced that its 3D CAD software, SolidWorks® 2009, has won a 2009 Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Award in the design simulation category.

In addition to SolidWorks 2009, eighty-five new products were nominated in 25 different categories. One winner from each category was chosen based on votes from Control Engineering readers.

“As in the past, this year’s ‘Engineer’s Choice’ contest drew a heavy amount of voting in each of the 25 categories. The high level of recognition and respect among Control Engineering subscribers for SolidWorks 2009 3D CAD software indicates increasing interest in this category and admiration for SolidWorks products,” said David Greenfield Control Engineering editorial director.

SolidWorks 2009 is the newest version of the most widely-adopted 3D CAD software. The software helps designers and engineers develop better, higher-quality products.

“At SolidWorks we have long believed that analysis and simulation tools should be a part of every engineer’s tool box, not relinquished to the specialists. This award speaks volumes to the value our users see with our built-in simulation tools and further enforces our position as developers of more than just CAD, but end-to-end engineering tools,” said Fielder Hiss, SolidWorks director of product management.

About Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.

Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a Dassault Systèmes S.A. subsidiary, is a world leader in 3D solutions. The company develops and markets software for design, analysis, product data management, and documentation. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, giving teams intuitive, high-performing software that helps them design better products. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company’s Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

About Dassault Systèmes

As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, Dassault Systèmes brings value to more than 100,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance to recycling. The Dassault Systèmes portfolio consists of CATIA for designing the virtual product – SolidWorks for 3D mechanical design – DELMIA for virtual production – SIMULIA for virtual testing – ENOVIA for global collaborative lifecycle management, and 3DVIA for online 3D lifelike experiences. Dassault Systèmes’ shares are listed on Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) and Dassault Systèmes’ ADRs may be traded on the US Over-The-Counter (OTC) market (DASTY). For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com.

CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA, 3D VIA, and SolidWorks are registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2009 Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.

Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. Press Contacts: