Warning: Undefined array key "upload_with_nude_flag" in /www/www_com/htdocs/get_weekly_feature_ad.inc.php on line 69
We just returned from SolidWorks World 2010 in Anaheim, California, and as usual, came away with a lot of news concerning the company, its products, and its future.
This year's event began on an up note when Jeff Ray, SolidWorks' CEO announced that attendance was up over the 5,000 mark compared with 4,300 last year. Good news for any industry, much less the MCAD industry.
Closer Ties
Early in the first day's general session, Jeff Ray introduced the president and CEO of Dassault Systemes, Bernard Charlès. It's hard to believe that SolidWorks has been a part of the Dassault family since 1997, and this was the first onstage SolidWorks World appearance by Charlès, a mechanical engineer by training who appeared relaxed and dressed for the occasion - business casual and not his typical suit and tie - and that definitely helped with audience acceptance.
He began by naming Dassault's six “Lovemarks” - SolidWorks, SIMULIA, CATIA, ENOVIA, DELMIA, and 3DVIA. I don't know if “lovemarks” was the best choice of words. Brands or product lines might have been a better choice, but regardless of that, Charlès said that Dassault had more than two million customers/users worldwide. He also promoted a new tagline for SolidWorks - “3D for Professionals” - kind of catchy.
He said there would be tighter collaboration between the R&D departments of SolidWorks and Dassault; a good thing and something I think ultimately will allow SolidWorks to break its ties with the Parasolid modeling kernel licensed from arch-rival, Siemens PLM. A tighter integration with Dassault would virtually guarantee (finally) a direct native translation connection with CATIA. Also, I wouldn't be surprised with the tighter link that the next release of SolidWorks would be designated as something like V6 (akin to CATIA), and not necessarily 2011. Not a certainty, but I think a definite possibility.
Charlès concluded his part of the morning's program by demonstrating a 3DVIA iPod Touch app manipulating a SolidWorks model and by saying, “Unlike Autodesk, we do not believe the world is flat [2D].” Most agreed that this was a good first showing for Charlès at SolidWorks World.
Jeff Ray then took the stage and talked about SolidWorks' emphasis on green/sustainable design technology, after which he and Charlès (as navigator) drove a Factory Five '33 electric hot rod onto the stage.
Ray then talked about SolidWorks' Engineering Stimulus Package that saw 60,000 downloads of software, 22,000 participants who took training through resellers, 2,200 who got jobs, and 400 who earned Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) credentials.
He ended by discussing SolidWorks' increased R&D investment, continued focus on performance, and introducing Austin O'Malley, head of R&D.
O'Malley and his team presented a Tech Preview that briefly discussed what they have been working on the past three years or so and might appear in future products. Although no guarantees were made or timetables given, some interesting things were presented.
Some of the highlights of the Tech Preview included:
- The availability of SolidWorks products on multiple hardware platforms (yes, including Mac OS), although SolidWorks will become less hardware dependent over time (see cloud computing below)
- Touch, as in touch screen, could play a major part in the future UI
- Communication and collaboration will be more highly enabled, inspired by the online gaming community
- A Google-like search paradigm might be employed for searching on and reusing data
- Different modeling techniques will be unified and more flexible through such things as direct modeling and editing, among other possibilities
- The likelihood of SolidWorks ultimately providing some or all of its products via the cloud, and beginning to provide cloud computing technologies later in 2010. This will probably take the form of a product called Product Data Sharing (PDS) supported by an ENOVIA backbone.
So, let's take a closer look at some of the possibilities of cloud computing in the context of SolidWorks.
Looking Into the Cloud and (Possible) Future Products
Other companies have ventured into the cloud space and done OK, while others got in and unceremoniously left, notably Oracle and its Network Computer (NC) debacle. Although cloud technologies have tried to simplify things, they actually turn out to be more a lot more complicated than first imagined. In SolidWorks' case, so-called cloud computing will affect many things on different levels, including hardware requirements via the cloud versus residing on a workstation or server, Internet security and bandwidth issues, and compatibility of cloud versions and previous desktop/sever versions of the SolidWorks core and partner products. All these issues add up to a very tough problem to develop for and deliver on.
The SolidWorks PDS and future offerings will be built upon the ENOVIA V6 framework/ backbone that will provide data storage, sharing access, and workspace control. The cloud computing, software-as-service (SaS) will likely be offered at two different levels over time - one for data sharing through communication/collaboration, and the second being the ability to actually use SolidWorks via the Internet and a browser. SolidWorks' first foray into cloud computing (PDS) will likely affect and ultimately supersede its two currently available PDM offerings - Workgroup and Enterprise.
It will be interesting to see how the business model and pricing shakes out for cloud computing. It's attractive, though, because it is scalable and will probably be easier to administer for most organizations with less associated hardware dependence and overhead.
Will SolidWorks succeed with cloud computing when others have shrugged it off or abandoned it? Based on the preliminary plan, commitment, and historic support of its user community, I would say the odds are ultimately in their favor, although not without some turbulence in the cloud. However, it is a refreshing, new direction for the CAD industry whose time may have finally come.
Exhibit Highlights
We were impressed with the number of exhibitors at SolidWorks World this year, as well as the many new and innovative products they showed. Following are just some of the products that caught our eye:
- Infinite Z - holographic input device
- Solido - desktop 3D printer
- keytech PLM - PLM that manages configurations, concurrent practices, and BOMs
- ReverseEngineering.com - reverse engineering and inspection software
- PLM 360 - document management, workflow, and enterprise project management
Customer Requests and the Next SolidWorks Release
The last day (Wednesday's) general session is always the one I most look forward to because the main topics are customer requests for future product as well as what to (possibly) expect in the next release with regard to functionality through new features and enhancements.
Here are (most of) this year's Top Enhancement requests from users:
- Clean SolidWorks uninstall (this I gotta see)
- Increase SolidWorks stability (no specifics given)
- Bi-directional compatibility between versions (no specifics on which versions would be affected)
- Equations for calculations available and applied during the design process
- More comprehensive and efficient utilization of multiple CPU cores
- Expand types of assembly features (no specifics provided)
- References displayed graphically
- Simplified and straightforward video card requirements
So, what can we expect in terms of new and improved functionality in the next version of SolidWorks? Here's some of the features and capabilities that might (and probably will) make it into the next release (whatever it is designated):
- For IP protection, a Defeature capability that lets you choose the features to keep and hide for document sharing
- Full integration of PhotoView 360. (This is great news since I recently had a bad experience with PhotoWorks)
- Customizable RealView that gives models realistic representations without rendering
- Planar simulation for running simulation studies on a model slice of a model and applying the results back to the base model.
- Feature lock prevents a pre-determined feature tree segment from rebuilding
- Dimension spacing improvements and options
- Ability to revolve up to a surface
- Dual dimension hole tables
- Weld tables for drawings and lightweight weldments
- Tube/pipe routing enhancements
- Walk/fly through for “touring” models virtually, as in virtual world
- Performance improvements with better CPU and memory usage (this was also a top customer enhancement request and is an ongoing improvement)
In a move to economize (and who isn't these days), this year there were no offsite events (aka Disneyland) for press members or attendees, but nobody I talked to really seemed to mind, and most agreed it was the appropriate thing to do. Virtually everyone I talked to was just glad to be at the event and made the most of hanging out with other users, SolidWorks employees, partners, and resellers. Overall, I experienced a much more positive/upbeat mood and tone compared with last year. Not that everyone was jumping for joy with the state of things, but more a feeling of having survived and moving on to the future.
All in all, a well-orchestrated and worthwhile event for everyone who attended. We saw and heard a number of very interesting things, some of which might actually make it to market, and we'll stay on top of those in the upcoming months as they unfold and become more tangible.
SolidWorks World 2011 will be held in San Antonio, Texas, January 23-26, 2011 and I'm already looking forward to it.
The Week's Top 5
At MCADCafé we track many things, including the stories that have attracted the most interest from our subscribers. Below are the five news items that were the most viewed during last week.
PTC Wins Strategic Windchill Contract with One of the World's Largest Producers of Commercial Vehicles
PTC announced that Volvo Group has signed an agreement moving PTC from a directional decision to a firm strategic decision to use Windchill for Volvo Group's strategic VPDM (Virtual Product Data Management) program. This decision is the result of a lengthy final validation that demonstrated the value of the Windchill software and PTC´s capability to execute as an organization. Volvo Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, and aerospace components and services.
SolidWorks PhotoView 360 and Luxology's modo 401 Open New Doors for Mechanical Engineering Designers
Industrial designers are achieving photorealistic imaging results from designs modeled in Solidworks 2010 and visualized in Solidworks PhotoView 360 and Luxology's modo software. PhotoView 360, which is bundled with the SolidWorks Premium and Professional 2010 editions for rapid design visualization while modo offers control over design visualization parameters with features such as animation. SolidWorks users Stuart Brown and Paul McCrorey have recently tapped the capabilities of both PhotoView 360 and modo 401 to improve the quality of client presentations. Brown is the owner of 3D Engineers, a specialty design firm that applies computer visualization tools to the process of classic car restoration. Stuart's work straddles the worlds of mechanical engineering and design, and was enthusiastic about how the rendering features of PhotoView 360 enhanced his SolidWorks experience. Recently, a client who wanted a custom car asked Stuart to create a virtual wooden render of a buck, which is a wooden rig used to help make automobile bodies. After using Solidworks 2010 and PhotoView 360 to realize the buck, he then used modo 401 for final visualization. Paul McCrorey, also a designer and mechanical engineer runs McCrorey Digital. He recently concluded a project using SolidWorks 2010, PhotoView 360 and modo 401 to create realistic images plus an animation of a unique Merlexi Chair wheelchair design. Like Stuart, Paul is very pleased with how this new generation of visualization tools has extended his SolidWorks modeling and design capacity.
'Bunkspeed powers its next generation of software with mental images iray Technology
Bunkspeed has selected iray rendering technology from mental images to power its next generation software to be called Bunkspeed SHOT- the company's real-time photorealistic rendering application. According to the company, Bunkspeed SHOT simplifies the process of 3D object rendering, putting photorealistic imagery directly into the hands of designers, photographers, engineers, architects, creative agencies, and other creators of 3D content. Bunkspeed was the first to offer a "virtual digital camera" in the form of interactive real-time ray tracing with its introduction of HyperShot, whose workflow enabled digital designers to bring their creations to life, in minutes not hours-freeing them from the complex technical processes so often related to 3D rendering tools. According to the company, Bunkspeed SHOT's ability to use either the CPU, GPU, or both promises to be faster than ever before, scaling on one or more machines to make optimal use of different hardware configurations. Bunkspeed SHOT's integration with mental images' iray rendering technology, fully exploits the powerful parallel processing power of NVIDIA CUDA-enabled GPUs, encouraging more rapid iterations with stunning photorealistic accuracy. The next generation of Bunkspeed SHOT fully integrated with iray rendering technology will be available starting Q2 2010 and will be available as a free 30 day trial, an upgrade to all current Bunkspeed HyperShot customers, and no charge to all those on maintenance or pre order.
New ScanTo3D Support for SolidWorks 2010
ReverseEngineering.com announced that its newest product, ReverseEngineering.com 2010, measurement-based reverse engineering and inspection software, has been optimized for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations. ReverseEngineering.com supports 64-bit supported CMM hardware under Windows 7. ReverseEngineering.com 2010 is designed for feature measurement, inspection, and CAD-to-part comparison directly in SolidWorks using popular 3D scanners, laser trackers, and portable manual CMM arms. ReverseEngineering.com 2010 is a Certified SolidWorks Gold OEM plug-and-play tool-set integrated with SolidWorks 2010 3D mechanical design software. Engineers and designers use SolidWorks with ReverseEngineering.com 2010 to capture and measure data from existing parts, while working directly within the SolidWorks environment. ReverseEngineering.com 2010 is designed specifically to support MRO.
SpaceClaim Records Significant Sales Growth in 2009
SpaceClaim announced strong sales growth and a sharp increase in new global customers in 2009. Compared to 2008, SpaceClaim's sales grew 253%, with new license sales growing more than 188%. New and unique global customers included industry leaders in automotive, aerospace, medical devices, consumer goods, as well as educational engineering institutions. New commercial and educational accounts included Rolls Royce, Cooper Tire, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Bosch, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Eaton Corporation, IBM, Herman Miller, 3M, Purdue University, Dresden University, and Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University. SpaceClaim's development process resulted in two major and three service pack releases in 2009, all of which delivered new capabilities. New products and capabilities included:
- SpaceClaim 2009, the fourth release of the Company's products -- SpaceClaim Engineer and SpaceClaim Style
- Service packs that delivered customer-requested enhancements in model repair, preparation for simulation, and surfacing
- Strengthened enhancements for model preparation and product design and editing, and an enhanced, seamless bidirectional integration with ANSYS 11, 12.0 and 12.1;
- SpaceClaim 2009+, the fifth release of SpaceClaim Engineer and SpaceClaim Style, featuring major enhancements for direct modeling, model preparation for simulation, direct beam and shell modeling, and support for multi-touch user interaction.
This Week
Lead Story
On The Ground and In The Clouds At SolidWorks World 2010
Product and Company News
'Siemens PLM Softwares Technology Used by Almost All Automakers Participating in the Washington Auto Show
Kensey Nash Selects PTC Windchill for Product Lifecycle Management
VOX Amps Up New Designs with Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk Showcase Software
SpaceClaim Records Significant Sales Growth in 2009
e-dynamics: STAR-CCM+ used in design of world's biggest wing
ATA Engineering Selected by Siemens PLM Software as Preferred North American Provider of NX Nastran and NX Response Simulation Training
Field Precision releases textbook "Finite-element Methods for Electromagnetics"
AMD Professional Graphics Certified For Autodesk Design Software
Siemens PLM Software Technology Used for Collaborative Development of Award-Winning Ford Vehicles
Moldex3D Announced the Official Release of NX Plug-in - Moldex3D eXplorer for NX
ideas* Uses Autodesk Inventor on Advanced Construction Recycling Facility
PLM Technology “Critical to the Future of the Aerospace Industry”
Geometric releases version 2.1 of DFMPro for Pro/ENGINEER and SolidWorks
VISTAGY Continues to Gain Ground by Supporting Entire Engineering Process with Software and Services
DLR and ONERA select LMS as Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) partner
Pointwise Partners With Go Virtual for CFD Meshing
'Geometrics DFMPro recognized as a top innovation at Innovations 2010
Sustainable Minds and MAGNET Partner to Advance Sustainable Product Design for Ohio Manufacturers
UK Small and Medium Businesses Overcome Economic Challenges with PTC WINDCHILL
Moldex3D Announced the Official Release of Pro/ENGINEER Plug-in - Moldex3D eXplorer for Pro/ENGINEER
Quickparts Celebrates 10 Years
IDES Prospector Plastics Search Engine Available in 5 Languages
Bluebeam PDF Revu 8 Debuts Must-Have Tools for Digital Workflows
mental images Introduces RealityServer AppLab for Easy Setup and Sharing of 3D Content on the Web
Lattice Technology Releases Updated Converter Products
Cypress PSoC 3 FirstTouch Starter Kit Selected For 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition
PTC Extends InSight Product Analytics Solution with Environmental Impact Analysis Technology
VISTAGY Signs Contract with Lear to Supply Seat Design Environment™ Software
CD-adapco Launches Roadshow: Realistic Simulation for Electronic System Thermal Management
Autodesk Consulting and BOXX Technologies Deliver First Turn-Key Rendering Solution
Altair Adds Moldex3D by CoreTech System to Its HyperWorks Enabled Community
MSC.Software Honored With Multiple Industry Awards in China
Paradigm Imaging Releases imageFLOW2.O
Euklid CAD/CAM AG selects ModuleWorks Simulation technology
Kubotek USA Donates Software for SkillsUSA Championships Contestants
ASIA Company Reduces Wire Harness Design Cycle Time Using Mentor Graphics CHS Tools
New Version of Patchwork3D Renders Designs in More Detail in Real Time (A009)
'SYSTIME and Oracle Unveil Oracles Application Integration Architecture Process Integration Packs for Oracles Agile Product Lifecycle Management and Oracles JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
'Euklid CAD/CAM is Latest Application to Benefit from Siemens PLM Softwares D-Cubed 2D DCM
PLMIG calls for input to drive new PLM Standards
Clearpath Robotics Announces Space Research Partnership With University of Toronto
Ashlar-Vellum Announces Graphite v8 SP2
'CCEs ODX libraries updated to support NX7 and SolidWorks 2010
Delcam launches integrated CAM for SolidWorks
CNET 5-Star Rated DoubleCAD XT Turns v2
Cimatron Offers Free Trial of Injection Molding Simulation
Schott Systeme Showcases Technical Documentation Tools
'Sescois WorkPLAN Enterprise ERP Software Achieves Certified Integration with SAP Applications
Theorem Solutions integrates with Etrage Plot Services for Windchill
Delcam's ArtCAM 2010 has new interface to boost productivity
PARTsolutions Reports Nearly 35 Million CAD Downloads in 2009
Winners of ZWCAD Design Contest 2010 Announced
Razorleaf Corp. Announces the Release of CADFIT File Inspection Tool
Z Corporation Engages Broadleaf to Create Virtualized Server and Storage Infrastructure for Improved Application Availability and Manageability
Kubotek USA makes Donation to Ivy Tech Community College
MIE Dashboard Workgroup Collaboration Software 2010 Released From MIE Solutions
SAIC Purchases Simulation & Collaboration Product Line From Forterra Systems Inc.
'Introducing Doctor Walts New KeyCreator Users Online Help Lessons at DWU
Arena Wraps Up 2009 With Strong Growth in Annuity Bookings Despite Deep Global Recession
Related MCAD News
SAP Delivers New Templates for Manufacturing Execution
Boeing Commercial Airplanes Leadership to Focus on Execution Today and Into the Future
PolyOne and MPC Inc. Produce Eco-Friendly Engine Cover for Award-Winning Ford Fusion Hybrid
Semprius and Siemens Announce Agreement to Advance Innovative Solar Energy Technology
Boeing Completes 747-8 Freighter Taxi Tests
U.S. Manufacturing Slips in Competitiveness, According to AlixPartners Study
Mentor Graphics Enhances Signal and Power Integrity Solution with Full-Wave 3D Analysis
Explorer Software uses Virtual Business Model to drastically cut CO2 levels
Boeing 747-8 Freighter Successfully Completes First Flight
General Motors Announces B20 Biofuel Capability for New, 2011 Duramax 6.6l Turbo Diesel
Medical Device Manufacturer NDC Selects Epicor(R) to Improve Business Processes and Maximize Profitability
Boeing Reports Strong 2009 Revenue & Cash Flow on Solid Core Performance
Océ Large Format Printers/Plotters and Scanners Receive High Rating from Users in National Office Products Analyst Survey
IDES Prospector Announces Improved Display for Dry & Conditioned Plastics Data
Siemens Provides Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative with an Advanced Meter Data Management System for Its Smart Grid Project
HP Board Declares Regular Dividend
ATI Radeon HD 5570 Graphics Brings a Big Visual Experience to Small Form Factor PCs
Dassault's Falcon 7X BMW Interior Option Wins Design Award
Mentor Graphics HyperLynx PI (Power Integrity) Wins the 2010 DesignVision Award for System Modeling and Simulation
Manufacturing Operations Management: Benchmark Performance
Boeing Unveils First 787 Dreamliner Interior on 3rd Flight-Test Airplane
COADE releases CAESAR II Version 5.20 updates
Market Consolidation Necessary to Attract Investments Into the Asia Pacific Aerospace Manufacturing Market, Says Frost & Sullivan
Corporate Moves
SME Honors its Most Loyal Members with the 2010 Award of Merit
Autodesk Establishes R&D Presence in Israel
Industry Events
Bridging the Manufacturing Gaps; SME Annual Conference Focuses on Innovation and Leadership
Registration Opens for 2010 Collaboration & Interoperability Congress
Mori Seiki Co., Ltd., to sponsor ESPRIT World Conference 2010
Rapidform announces 2010 training conference for 3D scanning industry professionals
EASTEC Leads Precision Manufacturing into Growth Mode
Alliance of Top Industry, Academic and Non-Profit Organizations Team Up to Launch National Robotics Week
ESPRIT 2010, by DP Technology, at Industrie 2010, Paris, France March 22-26
Autodesk Extends Invitation to Join its Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2010 Financial Results Conference Call Tuesday, February 23, 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Delcam to launch 64-bit PowerMILL at WESTEC
i GET IT Announces New Features and Promotion at SolidWorks World 2010
Adaptive Technology Solutions and Planit Hosts EdgeCAM Efficiency Workshop
Delcam to launch 64-bit PowerMILL at Industrie
Boeing Provides First Look at 787 Stall Tests
BOXX Demos World's Fastest SolidWorks Workstation at SolidWorks World 2010
Lectra Showcases Lean Manufacturing With Dedicated Software and Cutting Solutions at COMPOSITES 2010
Delcam's Sales Partner Meeting Attracts Record Attendance
Manufacturing Professionals to Introduce Cool Careers to the Next Generation
Planit Software Limited Attends Southern Manufacturing Show
GibbsCAM 2010 to be demonstrated at SolidWorks World 2010
New elecworks release to be announced and shown at SolidWorks World 2010
SEMATECH Unveils 2010 Knowledge Series on Tough Industry Challenges
HP Announces Participation in Upcoming Investor Conferences
Sescoi continues with popular series of Indian productivity seminars
'COADEs Delgadillo to Present at SPAR on February 9 on How to Turn Point Clouds into Intelligent 3D Models
Corporate Newsletters
Delcam - Issue 45b February 2010
2009 Collaboration & Interoperability Market Report and Survey
Longview Advisors Publishes 2009 Collaboration & Interoperability Market Report
You can find the full MCADCafe.com event calendar here.
To read more news, click here.
-- Jeff Rowe, MCADCafe.com Contributing Editor.