Graphics Systems SolidNotes

DraftSight: 2D CAD for everyone -- on the house!

Yesterday, Dassault Systems launched a new 2D CAD product called DraftSight. This is a completely new software package that edits files with .dwg and .dxf files, and saves not only in those formats, but other formats including .pdf, .emf, .svg and .png.

The product is free -- all you have to do is activate it with your email address. It's designed to be an easy to use 2D CAD tool that works in a way familiar to most people with 2D CAD experience.

It's a 43MB download -- yes, that's megabytes, not gigabytes. It downloads in a few minutes for most folks.

Compared to other 2D CAD tools, it seems to be very fast and efficient. Large plant layouts that take a few minutes to load in other 2D CAD tools come up in mere seconds with DraftSight.

I encourage everyone to check it out -- current 2D users, 3D CAD users, professionals, educators, hobbyists -- this is a tool for everyone. It's fast and it's free, so you've got nothing to lose! Just head over to www.draftsight.com, which not only has the download, but also has free documentation, instructional videos and community-based support.

Engineering the joe!

A few weeks ago my colleague, Jeff Setzer, blogged here on SolidNotes about his iPad, SolidWorks, and the effect technology has on engineering.  I discovered recently that a tool I use almost daily and contributes to my work as an engineer is designed in SolidWorks.  Its not my laptop, memory stick, or even my new office chair. It is a portable espresso maker.

 

A few months ago I received as a gift the handpresso Wild DomePod.  I already am a profficient coffee drinker: I roast my beans on a small commercial roaster, I blend almost exsclusivley for espresso brewing, and my home-machine has been modified with a PID controll to help me dial in for specific temperatures depending on the roast and blend.  But as for office coffee I would always bring in (and still do) an extra shot or two for that cafe' Americano later in the morning or afternoon.  I needed something that would travel well (I teach SolidWorks and Simulation classes at our satellite offices), pack well, but still pull an acceptable shot.

When the handpresso first arrived to the market, it was the result of brainstorming and idea-generation from an industrial design firm, Nielsen Innovation. They struggled with the same problem I had: "I'm an engineer, I thoroughly enjoy coffee, how can I enjoy the two.. all the time?" Nielsen came up with the novel concept of using something akin to a portable bike tire pump and combined it with the ease of ESE pods.  For my audience who has no clue what this three letter acronym means, ESE stands for Easy Serve Espresso.  They're pre-packaged coffee pods ground for espresso machines.  Last year, on a trip to New York state I had the pleasure of trying this version of the handpresso at the United States distributor, Importika. The handpresso was exactly what I needed and this past winter saw the introduction of the DomePod model; now you can use your own fresh ground coffee!

 How does the DomePod fuel my days?  Simple, really. View this photo to see the handpresso being readied for use.  The ground coffee is packed in to a small basket.  Pump the handle about 40 times. Hot water from the breakroom tap is poured into the clear resevoir.  The filter cap is screwed on and the pressure is released with a press-button on the unit's body.  A pressure gauge built in to the handpresso allows you to make sure you've pumped it up enough.  When the shot it pulled and you're ready to clean it the whole thing comes apart as it went together.  The spent coffee grounds easily "pop" out of the basket and in to the trash.  (ESE pods are even easier!)

Do I mind the stares or jeers from my co-workers?  Not all!  I know they're jealous because they wish they had an ultra-compact, portable, very well built espresso maker designed in SolidWorks.  I wonder if the folks at handpresso used Flow Simulation to optimize the design?

SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Tips and Tricks - Faster Browsing with a Preview

How can you make EPDM (SolidWorks Enterprise PDM) browsing seem faster?  Simple, just turn on the bitmap preview for SolidWorks files. Why would you do this? You still want to be able to zoom and rotate in the preview (eDrawings), and you’re not about to give that up right?  Here’s the good news you don’t have to give up your full eDrawing preview.  All you need to do is click on the bitmap preview and wait a few seconds for eDrawings to load.  When you enable bitmap preview for SolidWorks it is much faster than having the eDrawings preview because every time you change the selected file a new eDrawing doesn’t have to load inthe preview window(assuming you have the preview tab selected).  This means that you can now flip through dozens of SolidWorks files in seconds see a quick preview of each one, and then when you find the one you want, just click on it wait a few seconds and there’s your eDrawing ready for you to zoom, pan and rotate to your heart's content.

To enable this option  you will need to right click in the explorer window’s right pane(not the folder view) and you must not be right clicking on a file either.  The white space below the files is good or in the checked out by column is also a good option.  Find “View” in the list and as you guessed make sure “Show bitmap for SolidWorks files.” is checked.

While we’re at it, a few more suggestions are to enable the same option for dwg files and also to enable the full eDrawings UI… if you’ve been using enterprise for a long time don’t worry the UI buttons in the preview are really tiny now not like older versions so they are actually very useful. 

One other minor detail to this trick it must be done per computer per user.  There is no global place to set this by default.  It is a viewing option and each person has to decide if it is right for them.

Running SolidWorks From An iPad

So I've been living with an iPad for two weeks. Has it changed how I consume, share, and even create digital content? Absolutely. But not just at home -- also in the office.

How's that possible? A little $12 app called Desktop Connect. It allows me to log into my Dell M90 remotely, using RDP protocol built into all corporate flavors of Windows from XP through 7. All I have to do is turn it on in the Control Panel of my machine, and that's it. I fire up Desktop Connect on my iPad, tap on the computer I want to log into (it automatically populates a list from the network), and log in. Instantly, I'm looking at my desktop, just as I had it before I logged in remotely. All my application windows and documents are up as running ... it's almost like I'm moving my desktop to a remote device like in Avatar. So when I walk away to a collegue's desk, go into a meeting room, or just catch someone in the hall, everything is there. Including SolidWorks.

Even though none of my PC applications (Outlook, SolidWorks, Catalyst) are meant for multitouch, the interface through Desktop Connect allows a good amount of functionality. I can pull up drawings and 3D models in SolidWorks. I can interact with them, rotate and zoom, and send them to a nearby printer, be it an HP Laserjet or a Dimension 3D printer.

I can even model a simple part from scratch, do a Simulation on it, make changes to the model, and rerun the Simulation to see the results of my change. Not that I would do an entire project like that, but again, we're talking out-of-box functionality. That's pretty awesome!

SolidWorks Content and Weldment Profiles

For SolidWorks 2010 users there exists a small but good assortment of various 2D profiles available to create weldment members from.  The list includes angle iron, pipe, and square tubes in a plethora of sizes. It is a good place to start but you may have not known that SolidWorks provides the user with many more profile choices.  This data is stored in an area in the Task Pane called "SolidWorks Content."

The Content is not exclusively for weldments but also includes blocks for drawings and components for SolidWorks Routing.  To "download" this content to a folder location on your computer, simple hold down the CONTROL key of your keyboard and click one of the library files (such as "Ansi Inch" from the Weldments folder).  SolidWorks will prompt you for a location to store the compressed files to.  Once saved, open a WIndows browser and extract or unzip the file.

Particularly for weldment profiles, SolidWorks needs to know where the profiles are stored.  For example, if you installed SolidWorks with all of the default locations then the default profiles would look something like this...View this photo 

SolidWorks needs only one path for the weldment profiles.  You may either replace this path with the location of the Content you extracted or extract the Content and move it in to the existing location of your weldment profiles.  Regardless, the path folder structure is important.  

The top-level folder is the starting path SolidWorks needs set in the Tools, System Options, File Locations, Weldment Profiles.  The first sub-folder is the Standard (if you've downloaded Ansi Inch then this would be the name of the first sub-folder).  Subsequent folders make up the Type.  And within each of these folders are the actual SolidWorks library part files that host the sketch used to generate the profile along a path. An example path may look something like this...View this photo

Creating new profiles is very easy, then.  Use SolidWorks to open one of these library part files (.sldlfp), save the document as a new name, and modify the sketch as you desire.

As always your Reseller can assist you with this and any other questions you may have regarding SolidWorks' Weldment Profiles.  Additionally feel free to leave me a comment at the bottom of this blog.

The iPad is going to change the engineering world

The iPad has landed, and the computing world will never be the same. That goes for our little corner of that world in engineering and design, too.

Before I go any further, I'd like to state that I am not a "Mac fanboy." I've never owned a Mac, and even when I was working with them at the University of Rochester 20 years ago, where Macs outnumbered PCs 20 to 1, I firmly believed that Microsoft was going to become the world standard desktop computing plaform -- which it inarguably has.

That being said, in the mobile world, the iPhone has set the standard. If you're looking to do something on a mobile device, chances are it'll be available in the iPhone. And with the innovation that Apple has enabled with the platform, people are doing things on their iPhones that nobody would believe could be done on a small mobile device just a few years ago.

So when Apple announced the iPad a few months ago, I was very curious. The iPhone can do lots of things -- users can Tweet, Facebook, blog and even look at 3D models with 3DVIA Mobile. But the small form factor that makes it perfect as a smartphone also limits it's ability to do the things that can be done with a larger screen, such as a laptop or netbook. On the other hand, a netbook really isn't a device that can be used as naturally as an iPhone; the desktop-oriented nature of Windows gets in the way. Enter the iPad.

The iPad has only been out for a few days, and things are changing rapidly. Already, I have used SolidWorks Lab's "Drawings Now" to view uploaded SolidWorks drawings, and while  the 3DVIA Mobile app for the iPhone doesn't look all that great scaled-up on the iPad, it works.

Using a $12 remote desktop connection app, I am also able to connect to my Dell M90 wirelessly, and use full-blown eDrawings that way. It's pretty slow to rotate 3D models over the remote connection, but for 2D drawings it works quite well. I can double-tap zoom into views, use the measure function, and even a few of the redline tools. It's not perfect, but I'm doing all this stuff on a device that's only been out for 72 hours using tools that weren't designed for the iPad in the first place.

Oh, yeah -- I've also dropped the PDF versions of the SolidWorks and Enterprise PDM Installation and Admin guides, the What's New In SolidWorks 2010 document, and a few technical whitepapers. Folks, as an e-reader the iPad is a no-brainer. I've got about twenty pounds worth of printed material in the iPad right now, and they are available any time, right alongside any computer I'm using -- just like a printed manual or library book. Except these electronic books have hyperlinks in their tables of contents :)

As time goes on, I am sure there will be bigger and better things coming for the iPad with respect to engineering data access (and even content creation, I believe). Stay tuned to SolidNotes and I'll be sure to give updates as they happen.

But I can say this: the iPad really is a game-changer.

My Favorite Features & Benifits of EPDM

Secure Access
 
Secures your product design data with managed access to authorized individuals over a network or via the web.

Revision Control & Full Document Preview
Ensures your design team avoids overwriting files. EPDM can assist purchasing and manufacturing to order and produce the correct parts. Provides the capability to view or print over 250 different file types. This includes SolidWorks, PDF, Microsoft Office, images, animations, movie files and 2D CAD files.

Built as a Shell Extension of Windows Explorer
Supports common Windows commands such as rename, copy, and paste.

Find & Reuse Design Data
Locates documents quickly by predefining, saving and sharing searches. Find documents based on their name, contained data, workflow state, and many other parameters.

Customizable & Scalable
Configures to work effectively by applying your business rules for your unique team structure, design process, and industry. EPDM easily expands as your design organization grows to ensure you will work with the same high level of speed.

Distributed Design Teams
Supports document vault replication for multisite environments. This makes current design information immediately available wherever needed.

Process Automation
Customizable workflow diagrams allow you to model the path which product design-related information must follow through. EPDM’s built-in notifications guarantee that the right personnel review and approve product designs, changes, and production releases.

Audit Trail
Quickly obtain product development history to meet internal and external compliance reporting requirements such as ISO and FDA requirements. Highlight process issues and drive continual improvement to maintain a competitive advantage.
 

SolidWorks Workgroup PDM: “Yellow” Warning Sign

Suddenly your local view displays a warning icon. What does this indicator mean? Workgroup PDM is letting you know that the document in the vault was modified by another user and this document should not be checked in. This warning is initiated when two users “open” the same document. Remember Workgroup PDM will not allow two users to “check-out” the same document.

For example, let’s say my co-worker Matt and I are using Workgroup PDM. I find a part that is located in the vault. It is also in my working directory and I release ownership. I open the part file and save it in SolidWorks. When I look at my local view I notice a green up arrow icon next to the part. Matt opens the same part file from his computer, saves the part in SolidWorks, and he also notices a green up arrow icon in his local view. Matt then "checks-in" the part to the vault as the next revision. I will now see from my local view a yellow warning icon.

On The Road To Solidworks World 2010

The journey began with a short flight from Milwaukee to Minneapolis. Our connecting flight to Anaheim is delayed an hour so I can take a few moments to start blogging about SWW 2010.

We flew up with the crew from DCI Marketing, and are now meeting compatriots from our Oakbrook Terrace office and the regional SolidWorks office. It's so cool when we fly out to SWW and folks from around the world meet along the way.

I just got a call from our own Paul Niedfeldt, letting me know how much fun he had being a judge at the Milwaukee FIRST competition today. We saw Dean Kaymen at a precious SWW and a few of us got interested. Look for a more in-depth blog from Paul in the future regarding FIRST.

I'll be blogging a few more times over the next few days, so stay tuned!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Free FEA Weldments seminar

I'm not one to be self-aggrandizing but I would like you to consider joining me February 9th, 10th, or the 11th for a FREE seminar on how to leverage structural FEA for sizing fillet welds.  Graphics Systems and Sim3 will be hosting these three, free, half-day events at our offices in Oakbrook Terrace (Illinois), Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, and Green Bay, Wisconsin.  You can register on-line at http://www.gxsc.com/events_weldments_analysis_seminar.html and we'll be posting videos on our YuoTube channel sometime afterwards.

If you're wondering who should attend this, I'm catering it towards the engineer who may have an idea of and even a little FEA experience and who designs welded structures.  But even if you don't have any exposure to FEA, the first 1/3 of the seminar will swim through some of the basics to aid in your understanding.  We'll then look at something called the "throat shear" method of weld sizing, and we'll cap the morning off with some of the advanced tools SolidWorks has packed in to their Simulation Professional package.  Even if your company hasn't considered looking at FEA but you do weldments, you should attend this free event.  You may see that you can save time and cost up-front before that steel gets flamed and welded.

Thanks.

(now, that wasn't too self-aggrandizing... was it?)

"Tired" of looking for your S-N curves in SolidWorks Simulation 2010?

If you've come to rely on SolidWorks Simulation Fatigue studies, you might at first be frustrated with not finding the material's S-N curve in 2010.  Do not fret: your curve data is still available and SolidWorks has added a new report plot available for users of Simulation Professional.

Previously, in SolidWorks Simulation 2009, the material's S-N curve was located with the editing of the material itself.  View this photo 

However, in 2010 you'll not see the familar Fatigue Curve tab within the material properties. View this photo  Instead, when you either open an existing Fatigue study from a previous release or start a new Fatigue study, a new item will be in the Study tree.  A material folder where, upon right-clicking and editing, your S-N curve data tab! View this photo  To summarize, in order to modify or create new S-N curves for your materials you must have a fatigue study started or have one existing from a previous release.

Does this seem like alot of work?  It is not, really.  But just to make things easier on us, the folks at SolidWorks have added a new reporting tool within Static studies.  Since a static study is needed as a precursor to a fatigue study, a new Fatigue Check Plot is available within the static study. Right-click the Results folder of your freshly completed static study. View this photo 

The Property Manager of this new plot type (View this photo) allows you to change the loading type, the strength factors, and add scaling.  That is easy and efficient.  Two things this engineer appreciates.

Check out the other new features within SolidWorks Simulation!  Contact us with your questions or leave comments below.