In my opinion SolidWorks has the best user interface from all CAD programs. Have you noticed how it is always trying to read our thoughts? And most of the time it does a pretty good job, saving us – the users – a lot of keyboard or mouse clicks, therefore a lot of time which makes us more productive.
That being said, I always disliked one particular area where the software was trying to be helpful, but actually created more work for me – and that is the parasitic point placed automatically by the Hole Wizard.
Up to SolidWorks 2011, when you selected the surface where the holes were to be placed, SolidWorks created automatically a point inside your sketch (fig. 1).
Starting with the release of Windows Vista and continuing with Windows 7, Microsoft has included Aero themes with the several editions of the operating system, from Home Premium up to Ultimate. The Aero themes are intended to provide a more aesthetically pleasing interface (apparently Aero stands for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open … I thought they chose the name because it was a cool word …). The themes give a “glass” like translucency to the Windows interface, as well as using live icons and new animations to enhance the user experience (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-is-the-Aero-desktop-experience). This however requires a significant amount of resources when compared to the old Windows Basic themes. As a result many tech bloggers have recommended shutting off these themes to improve system performance.
If you are using SolidWorks however, DO NOT TURN OFF AERO THEMES!
On top of adding a lot of new functionality and enhancing the user experience for the 2012 version of SolidWorks, its developers dedicated some time to address some little quirks in the interface that did not make too much sense and were a source of confusion.
A good example for that is the section in the System Options dedicated to control the warnings and error messages. In SolidWorks 2011, there were various places in the System Options were these settings could be found.
Some were found in the “General” section (fig. 1).
The Fill Pattern Feature is an excellent, yet little known patterning tool in SolidWorks. In this video, I explain how fill patterns can be used to quickly create complex types of patterns. The fill pattern feature can even create its own hole features! SolidWorks will automatically pattern a feature and space it fit within a bounding area, usually a face. The feature can also be used to quickly create perforated pattern types.
For those users of 3DVIA Composer that periodically need to ask a SolidWorks designer to export files into the native Composer file type, this tip is for you!
This is a very specific scenario where the users of SolidWorks do not have 3DVIA Composer installed on their machine, but they do have the Composer plug-in installed to allow them to export their SolidWorks files to the native .SMG Composer file type. In this scenario, the SolidWorks user has no easy way of customizing the export options that are used when creating the Composer file. So as a result, things like file properties (metadata), could be missing or you may have surface bodies appearing in Composer, or solid bodies not showing. In this case, it would be nice to be able to customize the options used for the export. The answer is not an easy one unfortunately. Reach out to your VAR and they can provide assistance. There are some registry settings that we can supply to allow customizing these options. When you contact your VAR, mention SolidWorks Solution ID #S-023057.
See image below for a view of the Composer plug in, in SolidWorks.
When you rotate a clip in a SolidWorks Route you sometimes find that the route now has a loop in it. Thankfully, there is an easy way to correct the problem. Simply edit the route, right-click on the line segment through the clip and choose “Flip Direction”. That’s it! Close the route sketch and save. See the images below.
Occasionally when modifying a routing sketch (or other 3D sketch) you may run into a scenario where a spline tangent needs to be flipped or reversed. See the image below.
Spline before flip
Well, thankfully there is a way to quickly flip it. Read More »
San Diego February 12th-15th – What do you get when you have almost 6000 people, hundreds of great SolidWorks technical sessions and hundreds of exhibitors in a partner pavilion to satisfy every technical SolidWorks requirement? SolidWorks World 2012! Check out the video below for highlights of Solidworks World 2012 from Javelin’s perspective:
Javelin attended this year and captured all the excitement. Watch the highlights as we step into the partner pavilion exploring the vendors showcasing their SolidWorks related gear and technology! See how CSWP’s were treated to amazing event on the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier. One morning SolidWorks even gave everyone attending a sneak peek at the SolidWorks 2013, it looks awesome! All this and a great block party for more than 4000 people (thanks to HP and SolidWorks).
For one evening a few blocks of the historical Gaslamps district was closed off for great food, beverages and entertainment on every corner. Javelin attended, busy learning more about the great technology we support. Some of the Javelin folks were even showcasing technical information in the breakout sessions. Next year SolidWorks World is off to Orlando, Florida!
Did you attend? How was your experience at SolidWorks World 2012? Will you be attending the 15th SolidWorks World in Orlando at the Swan and Dolphin on January 20th-23rd 2013? Please let us know.
Today was the final day of SolidWorks World 2012 and they closed the conference with robotics and a nod towards 2013 – watch what happened in the general session below or directly on YouTube
DS SolidWorks have posted a video for the SolidWorks World Day 2 General Session on their YouTube channel and we have it available in this post for our readers. The second day general session includes:
SolidWorks User Group Network Presentations
SolidWorks Customer Presentations
SolidWorks Beta Contest Results
Discovery Channel Black-Ops Brothers Howe and Howe Technology
