This service pack is now available to Subscription Service customers. To download, log into the SolidWorks Customer Portal

A team of Virginia Tech students is trying to make this possible by helping blind drivers see with their hands and ears. Blind individuals have been driving Virginia Tech’s specially equipped dune buggy in parking lots throughout the summer YouTube Video.They have full control of the steering, accelerator, and brakes.

Check it out here!

Scott Holden’s Tauntaun Costume 2009

http://tinyurl.com/yf2ebfz

Scott made this amazing costume from scratch. Using designs made in Solidworks, he started to outline the Tauntaun. The head mold was detailed using clay, then a mold was made , then it was cast, and on and on. The horns were made in almost the same manner.

InspectionXpert ® for SolidWorks® Adds Support for SolidWorks 2010

Ballooning your SolidWorks drawings and exporting the dimensions to Excel® is even easier with the latest version of InspectionXpert

APEX, NC – November 12, 2009 – Extensible CAD Technologies, a leading provider of quality inspection software, today announced that InspectionXpert for SolidWorks now supports SolidWorks 2010.  The InspectionXpert product line which includes InspectionXpert for SolidWorks, is a quality control oriented platform used to quickly and accurately generate quality inspection report forms and ballooned inspection drawings directly from SolidWorks.

InspectionXpert for SolidWorks can extract nominal dimensions, plus/minus tolerances, units, geometric tolerances, hole callouts, surface finishes, weld symbols and notes directly from inside of SolidWorks and then export them to Microsoft Excel.  Uniquely numbered inspection balloons are added next to each extracted inspection characteristic (e.g. dimension, geometric tolerance, etc.) for easy navigation between the drawing and the inspection report form.

These capabilities result in dramatically increased efficiency in the quality inspection process and dramatically decreased project lead times.

InspectionXpert offers a key benefit to customers:  significant time-savings over manual inspection report, and ballooned drawing creation.

Visit http://www.inspectionxpert.com for more information.

About Extensible CAD Technologies

Since its founding in 2004, Extensible CAD Technologies has focused on the needs of CAD and PLM users. Extensible CAD Technologies has been able to leverage its tremendous experience and expertise to provide innovative and high-quality solutions to its customers. For the latest news and information visit the company’s Web site (http://www.extensiblecad.com) or call 1-800-379-0322.

Press Contact: Jeff Cope
Phone: 919-249-6442
email: jeff.cope@extensiblecad.com

Get the most out of your 2010 SolidWorks upgrade with SolidProfessor’s Update Training Course. This course provides a comprehensive review of each enhancement and how to best use it in design. Lessons cover all of the fundamental changes to Sketching, Parts, Features, Assemblies, Detailing, Drawings, Sheet Metal and Weldments, as well as lessons for Premium Add-ins such as Routing, and Simulation, SustainabilityXpress, and SimulationXpress.

Learn More Here!

Donates $1 for Each Download of  SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress Solution to Hybrid Auto Design Competition

CONCORD, Mass.– Dassault Systèmes (DS) SolidWorks Corp. has  launched a donation program to promote  environmental sustainability among designers of products as simple as water bottles and as complex as industrial machinery.  

SolidWorks will donate $1 for every download of its SolidWorks^® SustainabilityXpress solution, up to $10,000, to Formula Hybrid™, an international competition of university engineering students to develop high-performance fuel-electric hybrid vehicles. SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress is professional-grade software providing advanced functionality that aides engineers in determining a product’s carbon footprint, energy consumption, air and water impact. By downloading SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress, engineers and designers will help educate the next generation about environmentally friendly design while gaining a tool to help them create “green” designs today. SolidWorks’ goal with this new program is to spread the idea that any product can be designed with the lowest possible environmental impact.

“Environmentally sound principles apply to every product, not just those we automatically think of as ‘green,’ like wind turbines and solar cells,” said Rick Chin, SolidWorks director of product innovation. “A water bottle can be designed around environmental principles if the engineer considers the material they use, how much of it they use, how and where it’s manufactured, and what happens when the bottle isn’t useful anymore. Is it made of injection-molded plastic? Or formed aluminum? Those are the kind of basic decisions that any product designer can make to reduce the environmental impact of their designs, given the right tools and the right mindset.”

SolidWorks’ donation will help offset the cost of Formula Hybrid’s annual May competition, where students from North America, Europe, and Asia test their designs for speed and fuel economy in a professional-style race. Last year’s winning team, from Texas A&M University, used SolidWorks to design its vehicle. Formula Hybrid Deputy Director Wynne Washburn said “Putting sustainability tools like this into the hands of engineers/designers at the earliest stages of the design process is innovative, forward thinking, and vitally important for the future of all product and process design.

“SustainabilityXpress will aid in student’s decision making process regarding sustainability and life-cycle of any one component and/or material that is used in building their plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles for the Formula Hybrid Competition. This product gets students thinking, from the very beginning of the process, about where their resources are coming from,” Washburn said. “If they know a certain material is created through a process that’s not environmentally sustainable while an alternative material is sustainable, they can decide to use the sustainable material. Today, issues of sustainability are critical; this tool sheds light into an area where, previously, there has been very little information.”

SolidWorks Drives Custom 3D CAD Models, Helping the Company Outperform Competition

CONCORD, Mass.  — The maker of the world’s highest-performing wheelchairs has also brought exceptional efficiency to its design studio and shop floor, using SolidWorks^® CAD software to save an estimated $400,000 per year over traditional methods.

TiLite, of Kennewick, Wash., automates the design of its custom titanium wheelchairs using SolidWorks, CAMWorks^® CAM software, and specialization in the assembly stage. These measures produce superior-performing chairs fitted to each client as snugly as a knee brace.

“Without SolidWorks we wouldn’t have achieved the success we have,” said TiLite Vice President of Engineering Alan Ludovici. “We save about $400,000 a year by automating our designs, documentation, and part creation instead of paying 100 skilled craftsmen to draw designs up from scratch and cut every tube.”

TiLite makes wheelchairs for everyday use and sports like basketball and tennis. Most have titanium frames, making them lighter, faster, and easier to propel than twice-as-heavy steel chairs. Performance is as vital to everyday users as it is to athletes, since propelling a chair inevitably wears down shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints.

Highly trained TiLite sales consultants configure wheelchair specifications based on each client’s size, shape, weight, disability profile, activity patterns, and taste. SolidWorks automatically produces custom chair and manufacturing drawings. The data is fed into CAMWorks, a SolidWorks Certified Gold partner product, which helps automate cut lengths of titanium tubing. TiLite delivers chairs within two weeks but can turn one around in a day if necessary. According to Ludovici, It would take twice as long without design automation.

“We’re like the shops that make high-end motorcycles to order,” Ludovici said. “The difference, however, is that every chair is completely documented as a SolidWorks model, meaning if it’s lost or stolen, we can clone you a new one in a couple of days. SolidWorks documentation also enables us to be FDA-compliant in our custom work, which is a rarity in the industry.”

TiLite uses SolidWorks Simulation Professional software to help make TiLite chairs safer, lighter, and more affordable. For example, Ludovici’s team recently discovered aluminum footrests were prone to overheating and developing sharp edges. The team virtually prototyped injection-molded composite replacements, validated the design with the help of SolidWorks Simulation, and saved $11 per chair in materials costs.

Elite wheelchair tennis player Ronald Vink of the Netherlands used a TiLite to reach the doubles finals at September’s US Open and win two Wimbledons previously. “I need to get to the ball fast, stop on a dime, then chase down the next ball,” he said. “TiLites are the quickest, most comfortable, and most agile chairs I’ve ever used. I definitely have the edge.”

More info? Check out www.solidworks.com

Input devices like the SpacePilot, SpaceExplorer, and SpaceNavigator help designers and engineers improve their processes from start to finish. by Jim Romeo | Published November 1, 2009

Your mouse can add another dimension to engineering design. By moving within your design space in three dimensions using just your mouse, your engineering freedom is suddenly expanded.

3Dconnexion’s 3D mice have the potential for opening up the possibilities for design engineers who embrace the technology. To understand the company’s product and its approach to the market, we spoke to Froi Lomotan, director of advanced software technology for 3DConnexion.

What Sets 3Dconnexion 3D mice apart and what do they offer the design engineering community?
Lomotan: 3Dconnexion 3D mice provide an immersive design experience that dramatically improves the design process from start to finish. Unlike traditional mice confined to motion on one flat plane, 3Dconnexion 3D mice enable design engineers to move in all three dimensions simultaneously, using six degrees of freedom.
At the heart of 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice is the controller cap, which makes otherwise complex movements simple and streamlines the entire design process. Unique, pressure-sensing technology allows the cap to become a virtual extension of the designer. Gently pushing, pulling, twisting, or tilting the cap a fraction of an inch enables users to simultaneously pan, zoom, and rotate 3D imagery with complete precision. In addition, a subtle increase in pressure accelerates movement and a decrease in pressure enables users to make intricate adjustments.

Using 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice provides a blended navigate-command flow instead of a linear navigate-command process. The result is a much more natural and intuitive way to interact with 3D content. This includes a streamlined design workflow, reduced interaction with the interface, allowing greater focus on the design, reduced physical fatigue and discomfort, and increased productivity—on average, more than 20 percent 3Dconnexion’s professional series of products include the SpacePilot and SpaceExplorer, and the standard series of products include the SpaceNavigator and Space Navigator for Notebooks.

Are multi-dimensions in engineering software important nowadays? Do some in the industry still not work in 3D?
Lomotan: Multi-dimensions are an intrinsic part of the nature of the work performed by the design engineering community, evidenced by the growing number of applications integrating expanded 3D capabilities and functionality. In addition, applications are growing more complex, underscoring the need for a more intuitive and natural way to interact with 3D content. 3Dconnexion 3D mice enable design engineers to decrease time spent on managing application complexity and allow for more time on the design itself.

However, there is still a portion of the industry that is not working in 3D. And, there always will be. It is not a matter of 2D or 3D—it is a matter of 2D and 3D.
We’re seeing an increasing demand for our 3D mice in 2D environments. Even though it offers six degrees of freedom, providing a consistent interface across multiple applications and environments, both 2D and 3D, is very useful to the design engineering community.

Can you tell us how your product brings efficiency to the designer?
Lomotan: A recent survey found that CAD design engineers are dramatically more productive and efficient when using 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice. A majority of the survey’s 190 respondents said that using a 3D mouse significantly increased their productivity and design performance and made it easier to identify problems, improving the overall quality of designs. More than 80 percent of respondents said that using a 3D mouse increased their productivity, most noting the increase within the first week of using their 3D mouse. In addition, almost half of the respondents stated that their overall productivity increased by 20 percent or more.

While the whitepaper provides additional insight regarding the productivity gains provided by 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice, it is also important to understand how 3D mice work within a typical design workflow.

The controller cap allows a user to zoom, pan, and rotate simultaneously. With a 2D mouse, you typically can only perform two of these functions at a time and an interruption or change in context is required to change to another set of two degrees of freedom. 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice are designed to work in your non-dominant hand. If you are right handed, this would be the left hand. The dominant hand is still used by the 2D mouse for command selection. Using both hands significantly decreases the time between design manipulation and command execution.

Is your product designed to interface with off-the-shelf software and other applications? How important is this for the design engineering environment?
Lomotan: The vast majority of 3Dconnexion’s professional design engineering user base utilize applications that are purchased from resellers or direct from the ISV, not off the retail shelf. However, 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice are designed to work with off-the-shelf software. IMSI’s TurboCAD is an excellent example of this. As is the case with other control and input devices, since there is no industry-standard 3D interface, 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice may not work with all software applications automatically.

In addition, 3Dconnexion’s software development kit (SDK) is free and available on the website at 3Dconnexion.com, including code samples and documentation, enabling developers of 3D design and visualization applications to quickly and easily implement support for 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice. A typical implementation only takes one week.

How can the product be configured for multiple users? Can it be set up for a group as well as an individual access?
Lomotan: 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice are designed for use by a single user, similar to traditional mice. However, they can be easily moved from workstation to workstation as needed.

In your view, what does the design community need in today’s engineering environment and how can software help them get there?
Lomotan: Design engineers and other professionals with similar workflows are typically using complex applications hours upon hours each day. As a result, they are always looking for ways to streamline the design process while increasing the quality of their designs. In addition, the design community needs interfaces that connect them directly to their content. A user interface should ‘drop away,’ allowing direct interaction with the design.

Design engineers also need a streamlined review process where they can verify designs iteratively in less time with as little cost overhead as possible. 3Dconnexion 3D mice significantly improve the design and review process by allowing design engineers to focus on the design itself and not maneuver through the application, making it easier to identify problems or design flaws. This can have a significant financial impact on the product development process, as it helps to ensure that costly changes are minimized in the final stages of design.

More than 80 percent of CAD design engineers surveyed in the “The Economic Payback of 3D Mice for CAD Design Engineers” study believe that using a 3D mouse improved their product designs and indicated that using a 3D mouse made it easier to identify any problems with the design.

Looking forward, where do you see engineering software going and how will 3Dconnexion 3D mice be a part of that?
Lomotan: The growing complexity of 3D applications has generated a need for more advanced navigation and control that cannot be attained with a traditional mouse. As such, the application interface and 3D environment along with the hardware needed to support the complete design process are paramount.

Future applications will continue to blur the distinction between where the application ends and the interface for the 3D device begins. For example, in the future we expect to see design engineers using devices that have application content on them. 3Dconnexion’s goal is to continue to evolve our 3D mice to provide greater comfort, increased control and expanded performance with the latest technologies to continue to help designers interact more naturally and directly with their designs.

Can you give us some examples of what industries and more specifically, some projects that have used your product?
Lomotan: 3Dconnexion 3D mice are used in leading organizations across a wide-range of industries, including CAD, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), digital content creation (DCC) and geographic information systems (GIS).

When you speak to prospective customers, what is it about your product that usually gets their interest and leads to them becoming a customer?
Lomotan: The substantial productivity and design performance that design engineers can gain make a 3Dconnexion 3D mouse a “must have” design tool for today’s 3D professionals. Key benefits for design engineers as they look to enhance their design performance and overall workflow with a 3D mouse include ease-of-use and easy integration into design processes; learning time is minimal compared to the time savings a user can expect to achieve; easier to identify problems, improving the overall quality of designs; help in decreasing time spent managing application complexity and allow for more time on the design itself; reduced physical fatigue and discomfort; and support by more than 130 of today’s leading 3D applications.

The CAD Academy Edition No. 3 was developed to prepare students for advanced education and the careers of the new design economy where sustainability is taking center stage.

•  Does your program featuring industry certification for students?
•  Does your mechanical engineering program feature a software title which is requested 12X more frequently by industry employers?
• Does your civil engineering program prepare students with the same resources utilized by United States Army Corps of Engineers and 47 of 50 State Departments of Transportation?
• Does your architectural design program feature a BIM tools which allow for one click energy performance analysis of buildings?
• Does your program feature comprehensive software tools for student to learn sustainability as it relates to manufacturing and building?                                                                                                                                                                               
• Does your program allow for student software downloads, schools to receive software + curriculum updates on demand and instructors access to a learning portal?

The CAD Academy features industry leading 3D engineering, architectural and related design software titles; curriculum which maps to state and federal standards; green + sustainable design tools and learning resources; instructor training + student certification programs.  Today’s student must be able to compete in a global market where sustainability regulation will govern design. The CAD Academy was created to prepare students for advanced education and the job opportunities of the new design economy.

Software Included:  SolidWorks + Sustainability Express; Bentley MicroStation + Learn Server; Graphisoft ArchiCAD + EcoDesigner; A+CAD 2010; Blender & 3D VIA Shape

Program Features:

• Certification – Validation of student industry competencies
• The CAD Academy certification programs provide academic institutions with a proven methodology for effective measurement of program, instructor and student industry competencies. Academic program tracks for mechanical, architecture and civil  prepare students for industry and software certification.  The CAD Academy enables students to develop a digital portfolio to include: resume, certifications, design projects and research completed. Open the doors of opportunity for your students today with The CAD Academy.
• Mechanical Engineering featuring SolidWorks – 12X the number of job opportunities for students
• Everything in our man-made world has a carbon footprint association. Green regulation is impacting and will continue to impact design decisions as it relates to manufacturing. SolidWorks is more than the industry leading 3D mechanical design software it is leading the sustainability movement as it relates to mechanical design with Sustainability Xpress. Sustainable design is more than blue skies, clear streams and green fields it is JOBS! Prepare your students today with The CAD Academy.
• Civil Engineering featuring Bentley solutions – Standard of US Army Corps of Engineers + State Departments of Transportation
• Civil engineering solutions learning is simplified with Learn Server from the Bentley Institute. Learn Server featuring a blended learning approach allows you to prepare civil engineering students to succeed with the software and resources used by The United States Academy at West Point to prepare cadets for advancement into the Army Corps of Engineers. Bentley software is the standard the Army Core of Engineers and 47 of 50 State Department of Transportation. Bentley software is used to create airports, rail terminals, subdivisions, urban complexes, parks, campuses, golf courses, dams, drainage, utility, floodplain projects, commercial buildings, plant and manufacturing sites the world over.
• Architecture featuring Graphisoft ArchiCAD + EcoDesigner – BIM centric featuring Energy Analysis for Green Building
• Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability. ArchiCAD is the most powerful BIM solution available for architects and now features EcoDesigner. EcoDesigner provides invaluable feedback on the energy performance of buildings so designers can make educated decisions on energy efficiencies and conformity to regulations. Give your students a competitive edge as they learn how to deliver simpler, smarter and more sustainable designs with The CAD Academy.
• Green + Sustainable Design – 4 million jobs in the United States by 2012
• Sustainable Design will account for an estimated 4 million jobs in the United States by 2012. Green regulation is impacting and will continue to impact design decisions as it relates to energy performance, material selection and manufacture location. The CAD Academy is committed to preparing students for the new design economy where green and sustainable design is center stage. We will accomplish by providing green and sustainable resources used by leading industry professionals the world over.     www.thecadacademy.com/green
• In Network Benefits Program Introduction for Schools
• Starting with the shipping of Edition No. 3 we will be announcing our “In Network Program”. Schools will be considered “In Network” for a 12 month term from their initial purchase or program update. We are not referring to this program as subscription as our program is perpetual. In Network benefits will include access to (4) portals: STUDENT, SCHOOL, INSTRUCTOR and TCA COMMUNITY.

STUDENT Portal Includes: Student Software Downloads, Basic Software Tutorials, Internship Opportunities, Student Design Competitions + Student Portfolio Developer

SCHOOL Portal Includes: Software Title Downloads and Curriculum Updates on Demand

*INSTRUCTOR Portal Includes: Installation + Curriculum Guides, Software Quick Starts and more

*TCA Community Portal: Subscribers will receive key trick and tips from our experts and be able to post questions for our program development team to answer

*All TCA schools will have access to these resources (IN & OUT of Network)

www.thecadacademy.com

www.dfeacademy.com

Join us at the next West Michigan SolidWorks User Group Meeting for food, networking opportunities, 2 presentations, and SolidWorks giveaways. See details below!

Date: November 10, 2009

Where: Haworth Inn (click for map and/or directions) – Holland, Michigan

Time: 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Agenda::

• Food & Networking
• Nathan Garrett (Cruxtone Product Development) – Reverse Engineering
• Topics covered include intro to reverse engineering, face naming, repairing holes, boundry surfaces, and the use of the deform tool
• Short break (networking)
• Ken Denton (3D Connexion)
• SolidWorks 2010 Roundtable (time permitting)
• Closing & Giveaways

Please send a quick RSVP so we can make sure there is enough seating and food!!