Jeff's Tool Shed

This goes out to anyone who attended my SolidWorks Crashes & Slowdowns presentation. I’m sorry. I just watched the video of my presentation and I’d have to say it was, without a doubt, one of the worst presentations I’ve ever seen. Even though I was nervous as hell, coupled with the fact that I couldn’t view my notes, you, the attendee, deserved better. So it is to you, the poor attendees who sat through my rambling presentation, that I offer my apologies. I promise that I will do better in the future, should anyone ever allow me to speak again. If anyone reading this apology was at the aforementioned presentation, any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

The one bright spot about this apology is that I think it applies to a lot fewer people than the apology I extended at SWW ‘09.

It’s like it’s the day after Christmas; all the toys have been played with, food and drink consumed and the relatives have left. Now, I just have this weird empty feeling. Not as bad as losing your best friend, though. Close, but…

As I’ve come to expect, SolidWorks put on a great show. I really liked the layout of the Anaheim Convention Center. I didn’t feel like I had to walk miles to get to wherever my destination was. Which isn’t to say I didn’t do a lot of walking, ‘cause I did. I’m quite confident that I lost a couple of pounds. Well, extremely hopeful anyway. As has become the norm these past few years, I spent more time observing than attending with most of my observing taking place in the Vendor Fair. It’s here that I thank those companies that have given me the opportunity to try out their products, while meeting with new companies. The amount of partner products out there is pretty impressive. There are times when I want to say “there’s an app for that”, then look over my shoulder to be sure the Apple police aren’t coming after me for copyright infringement. This year’s Vendor Fair was well attended by vendors from all segments of the industry: rapid prototyping, CMM, CAM, PLM, PDM, etc. Need a model of a human body for your Weird Science experiment? Zygote has your back (and front…left foot). Design automation? DriveWorks or TactonWorks will duke it out for your business. How about a new computer? Boxx, HP and Dell will regale you with stories of why there PC kicks the other guys’ butt! What about a cool 3D model of your completed Weird Science experiment? Zcorp, Objet or Solido would be more than happy to impart their wondrous knowledge of all that is 3D printing upon you.

One of the greatest things about SolidWorks 2010 was the arena where the general assemblies were held. Rather than a large conference room where the people in back had to stand to see, the Anaheim convention center had an arena with 2^nd and 3^rd level seating. I think this helped to get everyone “close” to the stage. It also seemed to lessen the running of people to get to the front of the venue. A lot of people seemed quite happy to sit in one of the upper levels. James Cameron was a great choice as the keynote, too. Much better than Wozniak a few years ago.

I’d say my biggest complaint was the Tuesday night event, a complaint that is being voiced by many. It was held in the same huge room that we ate breakfast and lunch in and was really a step down from previous years. An Aerosmith cover band was the entertainment and BBQ was the food. For a 3D software conference event, it was rather one dimensional. Too loud, too dark, too few seats, too few food choices. I’m trying to find out why there was such a deviation from years past. If I get anything, I’ll let you know.

Would any of the above stop me from going to San Antonio next year? Hell no! I think the plusses way outweigh the negatives and wouldn’t miss it for anything. I hope to see you there.

In just over 24 hours I’ll be boarding a Virgin American plane (my current favorite airline) for Anaheim, and I can’t wait. Ever since my first SolidWorks World, way back in 2005, I’ve been hooked. Each and every one I’ve been to has been remarkable in one way or another. Aside from the fact that I’ll be presenting for the first time, this year won’t be any different I’m sure.

While I’m planning on going to some sessions while there, inevitably I’ll end up altering my schedule. There’s always something, or someone, to see. It truly is one of the most hectic weeks during the year, but worth every single energy sucking moment. The rush of seeing thousands of users pouring into the general assembly, the wide-eyed stares of first timers, the camaraderie of friends who see each other only at SolidWorks World. I don’t think I can do it justice with my feeble writing.

There is going to be a ton of info coming out of SolidWorks World next week. Blog posts, tweets, Facebook posts…it’s going to be insane. I wonder who will put out the most info? Personally, my money is on Mr. Mings. If you go to the SolidWorks Blog, there’s a list of places for you to be able to keep up with all the goings on. If you are going, and you see me, please introduce yourself. It’s always nice to meet the people who take the time to read my drivel.

That’s right, SolidWorks World 2010 is right around the corner. Like so many other SolidWorks addicts, I can’t wait! Thousands of SolidWorks users from around the world all converging upon hapless Anaheim for an orgy of learning, networking and, yes, partying.

This year marks a milestone for me, too. It will be my first time presenting at SolidWorks World outside of Stump the Chumps I 2 years ago. I was nervous enough about it, then I was informed that my session, SolidWorks Crashes & Slowdowns: It’s not always the software’s fault (read: it’s your fault), was going to be streaming L-I-V-E live! Great, now not only can I make a fool of myself in front of a room 1/4 full of people, but potentially hundreds of people online. Great. Just great. I wonder if it’s frowned upon to have a cooler under the podium. You can find out more about all four available webcasts on the SolidWorks World website. I’m willing to bet that the other three are completely worth it.

Thankfully, after that stress inducing session I get a bit of a break before getting together with the rest of the chumps for Stump the Chumps II. (We really should have come up with some sort of cool sequel title. Well, maybe next year.) This years panel may be a bit more subdued than its predecessor, though Mr. Mings is a bit of a wild card. If that doesn’t help to relax me, there’s the big bash that night.

It’s going to be an incredible week. I just wish you could all be there with me.

No, this isn’t a post about the wrap feature in SolidWorks. It’s about wrapping up another year. All things considered, I’d say it was a successful year. I’m (mostly) healthy. I finally quit smoking. My boys are healthy and happy. I only spent three months unemployed. These are all things to be thankful for.

There’s more though. I’m thankful for this blog, and the opportunities it has given me. It’s been three years since Mr. Doyle gave me the opportunity to start it, and helped me get it going. In those three years I’ve been able to try out a slew of hardware and software and meet some of the coolest people. Strangely enough, were it not for an ankle injury 12 years ago, I probably wouldn’t be here writing this. It was indirectly because of that injury that I ended up teaching myself SolidWorks and starting down this path. I guess that makes me thankful for weak ankles as well.

I’m looking forward to seeing what 2010 has up its sleeve. With any luck it’ll include much health and happiness, continued employment and more partner products to review.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I’m the only SolidWorks user in the company and, up until now, haven’t been using PDMWorks. Part of the reason is I don’t trust our server. We’re a small company and the server’s stability worries me. Presently, I have everything on my computer, with a backup on an external hard drive. The only things I put on the server are pdf’s of completed drawings.
I’ve been contemplating creating a vault on my hard drive, with a backup on the external drive, for a while now. The thing is, I’m just not convinced it’s the way to go. I’ve used PDM plenty of times, and think I’m pretty well versed in the positives in a multi-user environment, but I just can’t quite wrap my head around using it solo. Yes, I’ve heard the “what if the company grows” argument, but it just isn’t enough to get me to make the switch.
Are you using PDMWorks in a solo environment? If so, why? How do you feel it enhances your work flow? If you’re not using it, why not? Curious minds want to know.

Where this is my personal blog, I figured I’d do a shameless plug for the new company I’m working for. It’s still SolidWorks related as that’s what we, and by ‘we’ I mean me, use here.

Ultimate Survival Technologies is a company that produces safety/survival equipment for first responders, the military and outdoorsmen. We have everything from tinder to portable chemical decontamination facilities. The coolest thing, though, is that I’ll be recreating all of our products in SolidWorks. A lot of it is going to require old school reverse engineering (calipers and tape measure) as there just isn’t any documentation. Just the kind of challenge I like!

Also aligned with UST is Status Racing. Status Racing designs and manufactures racing seats for the “Tuner” or the professional. Memory foam, carbon fiber and kevlar are just some of the materials that go into these seats. These, too, need to be modeled up. This is an even bigger challenge for me as my experience with surfacing is all but nil.

That’s all. Just a shameless plug for the new company. I’m sure this will get burned on Pulse.

It’s only Tuesday, and I’m already having a great week. I received a job offer yesterday that is going to simply rock. I’ll be working at http://www.ultimatesurvival.com/, doing a multitude of things: designing, redesigning, 2D to 3D conversion, line improvement, lean manufacturing, trouble making. The best part of all of it is I’ll be working for a former boss, one whom I greatly respect and consider to be the best manager I’ve ever had. Actually, the best part of it is I’ll only be 15 minutes from home versus the 230 miles away that I am now. Couple all that with the fact that I fly to Orlando on Friday for SolidWorks World, and you’ve got the ingredients for a great week!

I’ll be posting as much as possible from SWW. I have a couple of interviews lined up, plus I hope to line up some more product reviews. With all the vendors that’ll be there, that shouldn’t be too hard to do. It’s good to have such great things to look forward to during these tough times.

Remember, too, only 11 more days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training!

One week ago, today, I was let go from my position as a SolidWorks AE. Honestly, I wasn’t overly surprised by it and, coincidentally, I’d been looking for another position anyway. (I could go off on a rant right now about the whole situation, but it would serve no purpose.) While I enjoyed being an AE, I didn’t like certain aspects of the company I was working for so, ultimately, it’s for the best. One of the good things about it is I can look for a new position freely, without having to do it on the "downlow". I will say, though, I hate job hunting and all that goes along with it. I know that I don’t interview well, which causes a bit of consternation when I do go to interview. Usually, I’m up front about it so the interviewer knows before-hand. My hope here is that they won’t be too critical afterwards. I don’t know that it actually works or not…

Anyway, I know it’s been a while since I posted anything worthwhile, but I plan to get back on the horse soon and regale you all with witty posts. So, be patient my loyal reader (not a typo by the way), I’ll be back soon.

I started following Roopinder Tara’s training diary, and it’s brought back some memories of when I started using SolidWorks.

Back in ‘98 or ‘99 is when I started using SolidWorks. Keep in mind, I’m not an engineer and I had no experience with CAD, aside from about 20-30 hours with AutoCAD. (I actually referred to myself as an "uneducated hack" when I sent Roopinder some words of encouragement). I followed the online tutorials, learned the basic functionality and went off on my merry way. Thankfully, most of the parts I had to model at Genie were, for the most part, quite simple. Very few parts were "complex" and this allowed me to start creating the models from the AutoCAD drawings almost from the get-go. Yes, there were plenty of pit-falls along the way, and zippo outside training (not my choice), but I wanted to learn SolidWorks. I knew it was my way out of the box I’d been put in. Now, I’m a CSWP and I have a job, as a CAD Administrator, that I never would have been considered for without SolidWorks.

If the opportunity is there, I strongly suggest anyone learning SolidWorks get some training. Whether it’s from your VAR, SolidProfessor or a consultant, learning how to do things correctly the first time will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

One other thing…Network with other users. There are plenty of forums. Two of my favorites are eng-tips forums and the SolidWorks forum. You can learn tons of stuff from all the users on both of these sites. There are others as well…comp.cad.solidworks comes right to mind.

Remember, too, that just because you can’t get it to work doesn’t mean it’s a bug. Matt Lombard actually has a great post about learning to ask to learn, which may help out new users when asking questions in one of the forums.

Ok, I’m done for now. I’ve actually forgotten why I started writing…gotta love Mondays…