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We just returned from the SolidWorks World 2007 International User Conference and Exposition. Held February 4-7 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, this year’s SolidWorks World 2007 attracted well over 3,500 attendees to the city that welcomed and hosted the event.
The speaking program of events included 170 breakout sessions and a preview of SolidWorks 2008 3D CAD software. The diverse categories of the breakout sessions included everything from design automation to sheet metal to surfacing to tips and tricks. In other words, something for just about any SolidWorks user.
There were over 100 SolidWorks solution partners displaying their newest products, services, and technologies in the Partner Pavilion with plenty of room to accommodate the attendees anxious to see all of their newest offerings. The products ranged from the latest innovations in 3D CAD-related hardware, to new software including viewing, collaboration, and optical design tools.
The Partner Pavilion Theatre was also popular for many attendees with live product demonstrations conducted by several certified solution partners over the course of SolidWorks World.
Below are just some of the SolidWorks solution partner companies that caught our eye:
In the coming weeks we’ll be discussing each of these companies and their products that were showcased at SolidWorks World 2007.
The Product Design Showcase was also located in the Partner Pavilion and featured over 150 products designed by SolidWorks customers with a total value of over $2 million.
On the subject of new products, I discovered that three out of the four finalists’ inventions on the popular ABC reality show, “American Inventor,” were designed with SolidWorks 3D CAD software.
The conference also featured its first sustainable technologies forum, moderated by journalist Pam Waterman. The forum discussed one of product design’s fastest growing issues: meeting customer demand and regulatory requirements for environmentally friendly products. Waterman’s guests were Rick Woodbury, president of Seattle-based Commuter Cars Corp.; Ben Eadie, a Calgary-based engineer who designs solar cars; Anna Jaffe, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student working on the Vehicle Design Summit 2007 project; and Kishore Boyalakuntla, national technical manager for analysis products at SolidWorks Corp. Their discussion focused on design engineering’s role in producing energy- and material-efficient products with minimal environmental impact.
“There is a lot of curiosity about sustainable design in the product design and engineering communities. People hear about its use in the architectural world, but aren’t as savvy about its broader implications or how it could affect their own work,” Waterman said. “Our goal was to give them a frame of reference by describing current projects that specifically embrace sustainable design concepts and tools.”
The first afternoon in the Product Design Showcase of the Partner Pavilion, SolidWorks unveiled the 2006 Factory Five Racing 65 MK III roadster – the world’s best selling replica of the famous 1965 Ford Shelby Cobra. An anonymous collector purchased the car for $70,000, all of which was donated to the New Orleans Center for Math and Science. More than 40 employees were involved in building the machine from a Cobra replica kit from Factory Five Racing, a Wareham, Massachusetts company that uses SolidWorks software.
The first night of SolidWorks World 2007 was literally kicked off with a SuperBowl Sunday party that served as an excellent icebreaker for the remainder of the conference.
Jeff Ray, SolidWorks’ COO, led things off the next morning by welcoming all attendees to SolidWorks World 2007. He spoke of 125,000 new SolidWorks users for a total of over 600,00 users – with about half each for commercial use and educational use. He also announced that 92% of SolidWorks’ product enhancements come directly from users, and that for SolidWorks 2001-2006, 82% of customer-requested enhancements had been implemented.
Colonel Lewis Setliff, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was the guest speaker during the first day’s keynote address. He discussed in great detail the ongoing on efforts to rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding area. While the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita was overwhelming, Col. Setliff and the Corps of Engineers made incredible progress in beginning to rebuild major parts of the local infrastructure needed to protect the city from future storm-related water damage.
Directly related to Col. Setliff’s efforts was the fact that the conference showcased some SolidWorks customers whose products and services contributed to Hurricane Katrina relief. Some of the Katrina relief products showcased included SolidWorks users such as Vermeer, which makes high-reliability wood chippers for debris cleanup, and Homac, which develops power lines that are easy to repair after a natural disaster.
On the second morning’s general session, Steve Wozniak (also known as “Woz”), co-founder of Apple Inc., SolidWorks World 2007’s keynote speaker, shared his story of becoming “a computer nerd” with the audience, explaining that his drive to explore as-yet untapped technology drove him toward his success at Apple. He also reminded the audience the relationship between computers and their users is symbiotic. “Computers can do a million things a second. People can only do about one thing a second at best. It takes algorithms and clever approaches to make computers efficient. It’s the interaction between humans and computers that makes things happen,” he said.
Woz had some sound advice to hardware and software vendors – “Listen to your users, keep things simple, and keep technology transparent. In other words, the smaller the user manual, the better the machine. Companies have to decide which is more important – people or technology. If you’re smart, you’ll focus on the user. Bend hardware and software on ease of use for the user, not the other way around.”
Day 3 of SolidWorks World ended with a party at Mardi Gras World – a showcase of Carnival where sensational sculptured props and giant figures literally came to life. It was a Cajun Creole–inspired tailgating party that featured great food, interactive games, and all sorts of music and street performers. Major sponsors for the event included SolidWorks platinum partners Intel and Microsoft.
The last day’s General Session discusses enhancements to the next versions of SolidWorks products and is always the most popular event at SolidWorks World. Some of the new features and capabilities highlighted in SolidWorks 2008 included:
In closing, SolidWorks CEO, John McEleney, said that he was glad that SolidWorks had chosen to come to New Orleans as the site for this year’s SolidWorks World, as he declared, “New Orleans is open for business.”
Before adjourning the final day’s general session, Mr. McEleney announced the location and dates for SolidWorks World 2008 that will take place January 20-24, 2008 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.
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.
CD-adapco Announces New Capability For Analyzing Fluid-Structure Interaction
CD-adapco a coupled-analysis capability for fluid-structure interaction (FSI) utilizing STAR-CD, their computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, and ABAQUS, from the SIMULIA brand of Dassault Systèmes . This new FSI solution builds on the strategy of CD-adapco to partner with technology providers to deliver a broad range of multiphysics simulation solutions. The bi-directional coupling leverages a strong partnership with Dassault Systèmes and the independent, open solution for the coupling—MpCCI software from Fraunhofer SCAI—to enable STAR-CD and ABAQUS to work together to solve a wide range of
important FSI problems. The new offering enables users to study the influence of fluid flow-induced forces and heat transfer on structural integrity as well as the impact of nonlinear material response on fluid flow behavior. This functionality allows them to evaluate a broad range of conditions, such as flow-induced vibrations in structures, in-vivo vascular flows, valve dynamics, tire aquaplaning, and fluid-structure applications in consumer goods and packaging.
MSC.Software Signs OEM Agreement
MSC.Software announced a new OEM relationship with manufacturing specialists FEMUTEC GmbH that will focus on simulating materials forming. Under the new agreement, FEMUTEC will add to their existing manufacturing portfolio, providing worldwide development, sales and technical services for MSC.Software's manufacturing solutions Superform and Superforge, technologies developed specifically for the material forming and forging industries. Based on the finite volume 'meshless' Eulerian technology from MSC.Software's Dytran solver, Superforge is suited for modeling the flow characteristics of hot forging
applications. By way of complement, Superform utilizes the more traditional Langrangian implicit finite element technology from MSC.Software's Marc solver, together with advanced adaptive re-meshing to address a wide range of bulk and sheet forming applications.
SolidWorks Unveils New Certification Program
Building off the momentum of the Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) certification program, SolidWorks announced a new, more effective way for teachers and potential employers to ascertain students' 3D CAD skills and their grasp of fundamental engineering principles. The Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) exam tests students' abilities to model objects in 3D, their understanding of the overall design process, and their familiarity with industry best practices - crucial knowledge for engineering careers. The CSWA joins the CSWP exam, which tests professional engineers' abilities, as the two industry benchmarks for gauging
SolidWorks and COSMOS software skills. Brigham Young University, which has been teaching SolidWorks for more than four years, is using the CSWA exam to determine the ability of its industrial design students to use SolidWorks to communicate their designs to others, especially their engineering colleagues. The online test will be offered at participating educational institutions around the world. Instructors at these institutions and Certified SolidWorks resellers will proctor the exams.
FreeDesign Releases FreeDimension Version 1.1 With NURBS Output
FreeDesign Inc., creators of the 3D surface modeler FreeDimension, announced the update of its signature software. FreeDimension v1.1 provides enhanced output capabilities, and the release includes an optional output module, which enables FreeDimension models to be output in a NURBS format for use in downstream CAD applications. FreeDimension represents a different approach to surface generation in 3D models. The new technology enables designers to stylize 3D models intuitively, unburdened by the need for complex tools to create curved surfaces. With a remarkably easy user interface, the software quickly expedites what used to be the most
difficult task in 3D models: the molding of naturally looking organic shapes, ergonomic surfaces, and rich three-dimensional textures.This new freedom in design is possible because FreeDimension departs from the usual method of CAD surfacing, which uses NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines). FreeDimension instead employs a new flexible technique of curve-creation called "n-sided" surfacing. FreeDimension V 1.1 enhances surface output to the SketchUp modeler from Google. Improved surface handling means that surfaces exported into SketchUp will appear the same as in FreeDimension, and hides facets within the surface that were previously displayed in the software. The upgrade is free to
current licensed users and is included in the FreeDimension 1.1 package.
Dassault Systemes Enables Semiconductor Design Collaboration
Dassault Systemes announced it has extended its presence in PLM for the semiconductor industry by releasing three new technoogies that improve semiconductor business performance. More than 120 organizations, including 13 of the top 15 semiconductor companies, use Dassault Systemes semiconductor technologies. ENOVIA MatrixOne's Synchronicity DesignSync 5.0 is the newest version of the company's semiconductor design data management (DDM) platform and is the first unified DDM system to span the entire semiconductor design chain, from specification through the completed integrated circuit. Also newly available, are the MatrixOne Semiconductor
Accelerator for IP Management and the MatrixOne Semiconductor Accelerator for Team Collaboration. The new semiconductor accelerators are built on the ENOVIA MatrixOne PLM platform and are integrated with MatrixOne's Synchronicity DesignSync solution. They extend the value of DesignSync 5.0 by bundling semiconductor business process applications with industry-specific terminology, data models, pre-defined work processes, reports, and role-based user interfaces.
Jeffrey Rowe is the editor of
MCADCafé and MCAD Weekly Review. He can be reached at
Email Contact or 408.850.9230.
This Week
Lead Story
SolidWorks World 2007 Affirms New Orleans Open For Business
Product and Company News
Why Do You Want To Be An Engineer?
ESI Group's PAM-QUIKFORM for CATIA V5 Now Available
Graphics Systems Top DriveWorks Reseller
Dassault Claims 25% PLM Market Share Milestone
Seemage and Auto-trol Deliver Technical Illustration
Dassault Systemes Announces New Capability With ABAQUS And STAR-CD
KOMPAS-3D Model Recognition Add-On Simplifies Model Exchange
Collaboration Between Materialise And Dimension
IronCAD Doubles Productivity For Customer
VISTAGY Poised For Growth
CadWorks Delivers New CustomWorks 2007 Release
Theorem Launches TPM Application
LMS Test.Lab Enables Customer To Cut Time For Qualification Tests
Stratasys Completes Major Milestones In Direct Digital Manufacturing Contract
Computer Aided Technology Selects SolidProfessor Training and Support Services
MAHLE Powertrain Selects PTC Windchill To Streamline Product Development Processes
CoCreate Software Drives Plastic Bag Production Machinery
SoftInWay Conducts AxSTREAM Course
Dimension 3D Printing Group Introduces The Dimension Elite
STS PLC To Implement TeamCenter Express
Computer-Aided Products Awarded Number One In SolidWorks North American Customer Satisfaction
Tech Soft 3D Adds Office
Cimmetry And Skire Partner To Deliver Collaboration Platform
What’s New In MachineWorks v6.4
ANSYS Reports Q4 2006 Operating Results
AutoSolids 2007 Announced
Solid Concepts Selects EOSINT P 700
American Precision Prototyping, LLC (APproto) Acquires Spectrum 3D
3D3 Solutions Announces FlexScan3D Academic Versions And Pricing
SAACKE To implement Teamcenter Express
Avatech Solutions Reports Profitable Q2
Brandenburg GmbH and Lambda Research Corporation Announce LucidShape 1.6 and LucidDrive 1.1
Delcam's FeatureCAM Boosts Productivity
SoftInWay Introduces FEA-Opt Technology As Taiwanese Distributor
Stratasys Reports Record Q4 And FY Financial Results
Related MCAD News
Norm Crawford Wins IBSystems Annual Award For Most Read MCADCafe.com User Submitted Article in 2006
Second Boeing Dreamlifter Takes First Flight
IBM Unveils Linux Web-Tier Consolidation Machine
Visteon Announces Q4 And FY 2006 Results
Ubiquity Software Announces New Developer Connection For Microsoft Connected Services Framework
Dassault Aviation : 2006 Results
DAC Names Exhibitor Liaison Committee
LMI Aerospace Announces Preliminary 2006 Results
Corporate Moves
3D Systems Replaces CFO
Industry Events
Dr. Joel Orr, Engineering Software Visionary, Joins World-Class Speakers to Open Geomagic's "Convergence 2007"
CoCreate Unveils 2007 Release Webinar Series
2007 ANSYS U.S. Regional Conference Series: CALIFORNIA
ecVision CEO To Discuss PLM Optimization Solutions
PTC World 2006 Draws Well In Asia And Europe
ISCEA Members To Earn Credits For Attending Conference
Special Webcast Event: PTC Winning Product Development Strategies for Small and Medium Business
ANSYS CEO To Present At Conference
You can find the full MCADCafe.com event calendar here.
To read more news, click here.
-- Jeff Rowe, MCADCafe.com Contributing Editor.