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The Monday and Tuesday general sessions have taken place here at SolidWorks World 2010 and I have to say I’ve been totally blown away by them.  They haven’t been particulary flashy or overally dramatic but they have contained entertaining and interesting content.  Here’s a quick run down of some of the things we’ve seen.

There are about 5000 attendees at SoldiWorks World this year which is amazing given the past and current state of the economy.  There was an explosion of registrations in the early weeks of 2010 which helped the 5000 attendee number to be reached, maybe this is a sign  economic times are improving for 2010?

Dassault Systems 
Bernard Charles, CEO of Dassault Systems was present at his first SolidWorks World ever.  Bernard spent a lot of time talking about the past the future and the strength of commitment Dassault has to its product line including SolidWorks.  He talked about the goal of providing “life like” 3D to everyone in the world and how the Dassault product line is going to achieve this.

I think the strongest message I pulled from his speech was the melding of Dassault and SolidWorks.  It’s only been the last couple of years (when Jeff Ray assumed the CEO role at SolidWorks) that Dassault and SolidWorks have started portraying the “family” message.  It appears that the family tie between Dassault and SolidWorks is getting stronger I think we’re going to start seeing this stronger tie in the form of better product collaboration.  I have the feeling we’ll be hearing about some new product announcements at the Wednesday general session and those announcements might include products that span the entire Dassault family.  In the short term,  maybe SolidWorks will finally be able to read / write Catia files?

Cloud Computing
Normally previews of new technology is reserved for the Wednesday General session.  This year a fair amount of time was spent showcasing cloud computing.  I don’t know a whole lot about the technology but in a nutshell your files and software live on a server(s) somewhere in the world (the cloud) and you can be anywhere in the world and have access to that software and data on any type of system.  What was shown was said to be totally running live for the presentation and has been being tested (in secret) for over 2 years.  The cloud computing platform hand a very modern, fresh looking interface and I thought it was pleasing to the eye.  It reminded me of CGI software more than CAD software.  There were many demonstrations shown of the benefits of this type of platform including, reliability, OS independant and performance.  There was also some new technology showing direct editing, touch style interfaces and content search and re-use.  I’m not sure this is specific to cloud computing but was being shown as a “this could be the future” type of statement.

In my opinion over the last couple of years SolidWorks has been really quite about what the future looked like.  While other CAD vendors have been showing, selling or making available for download software which has direct editing, new UI and touch interfaces SolidWorks has remained quite.  I welcomed the technology preview at the Monday general session.  It’s nice to know SolidWorks is investing heavily in the future.  They may not be hyping that investment but it’s being made and they are working.  All this technology might not be available for a while but Jeff Ray did say some of it would see users later this year.

James McLurkin
James McLurkin is a roboticist/inventor/researcher/teacher who was up after the technology preview.  His presentation got off to a rocky start with some technical difficluties but once it was rolling it was GREAT.  James talked about programming robots to live and work in the human world.  He brought about 15 very small rover robots with him on stage and showed some demonstrations of what they could do.  All very interetsting stuff but what really made the presentation was his sense of humor.  James was as much an entertainer as educator and I have to think his students benefit from his style.  He put on a great talk.

CSWP Event Report
Avelino Rochino and Mike Puckett took the stage to give the CSWP report.  There are now over 25,000 CSWP worldwide and they also announced the new CSWP Expert exam.  They also brought Jeff Ray on stage to play a round of “hole in one”.  Jeff  Ray’s task was to answer  some questions from the CSWA exam.  Every time he answered a question correctly he received one put.  Think Drew Carey and the Price is Right.  Jeff won 5 puts but it only took him two to make a “hole in one”.  For the ”hole in one” put he won a Team Associated RC truck for John Matrishon, leader of the Western Mass SolidWorks User Group.  It was an entertaining Skit. 

James Cameron Interview
The highlight of the Tuesday general session was the James Cameron interview given by Former SolidWorks CEO John Hirshtick.  The interview covered a wide range of topics all revolving around 3D technology of course.  I was impressed by James’s depth of knowledge in a number of areas.  He made it clear he wasn’t an engineer but has spent many hours working with engineers on projects covering  deep sea exploration, films, film equipment, camera design and a variety of other things.  He talked about how building bonds and relationships in his work with others was more important to him than awards and money.  This seemed to really resonate with the audience.  One thing that stuck in my mind was a statement he made.  When he’s ready to launch a project he assembles his team and writes a phrase on the white board for them all to ponder.  The statement…….Hope is not a strategy, luck is not a factor, fear is not an option.  Words to live by I think?

I have a another busy day today.  A PhotoView 360 presentation in the afternoon, Stump the Chumps following that and then a meeting with the Luxology team at their press dinner.  Exciting stuff.  Stay tuned.

I spent the day Saturday alpha test SolidWorks 2011.  There were about 15 other users there doing the same along with the SolidWorks product definition and usability teams.  Of course I can’t really talk about anything I saw at alpha testing since that would violate my NDA but I was impressed with some of the functionality.  One area in particular caught my interest (you can probably guess what that was) and I think I can safely safe past PhotoWorks users will feel very comfortable with SolidWorks 2011.

A lot of people began arriving Saturday after noon for SolidWorks World and by early evening there was a pretty good crowd forming in the Hilton Lobby.  I’m noticing SolidWorks hats, shirts and back packs everywhere and this means we are getting closer to the Sunday evening kick off in the partner pavilion.  In the picture to the left you’ll see some of the other SolidWorks bloggers.  We all met up for dinner and caught each other up on what’s been happening over the last year since SolidWorks World is really the only place where most of us see one another.

It’s Sunday morning now and while my official schedule is 100% open today until 5:30 I do have a lot of stuff to finish up before Monday morning.  First on the list is to register for the event.  Looks like all attendees at World will be receiving some really nice SolidWorks branded backpacks this year.  This is great since my old one is showing its age.

Next I have to check my session rooms and be sure the correct files have been loaded onto all the computers for my hands on session.  I’d hate to have to do this 10 minutes before the session starts since there are about 30 systems that will need to be checked.  I’ve also gathered up all the hand out material and have that ready for the session.  Small things really but it will ensure a smooth presentation when the time comes.  It’s nice to have time to do this on Sunday since the pace will be non stop once things get started on Monday. 

I have a little clean up work to do for my sessions and I’ll try and finish that up today.  They are 98% complete but I need to rehearse them one last time and revise a few things.  The sessions need to be submitted to SolidWorks a couple weeks before SolidWorks world so they can get them ready for posting after the conference.  Just because they have been submitted doesn’t mean they are 100% finished.  I’m not sure what others do but typically my presentations are evolving right up until the session. I want to make sure I give the best session I possibly can.  For that reason the best place to download my presentation after SolidWorks World is my website.  It will contain the most current copy.

I’m going to meet up with Paul McCrorey  for lunch.  Paul and I have been chatting over the last year  by e-mail and phone but have never met face to face.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  One of the great things about SolidWorks World is meeting people face to face you otherwise wouldn’t.  Paul is one of those people.

Of course at 5:30 I’ll be attending the reception in the partner pavilion.  That’s when Solidworks World officially starts and then I’ll be heading over to a user group leader party organized by Randy Lennox of the Boston Area SolidWorks User Group.  Rumor has it about 100 people have RSVP’d for that event so it should be a good time.  From there it’s off to the House of Blues for the Twitter/blogger social event being hosted by Matt West of SolidWorks.

So, even though officially my schedule is open all day you can see I’m still going to be pretty busy!  That’s part of the fun of this event!

Service pack 3 for Modo was released on January 26th.  If you’re a SolidWorks / Modo user this is good news because as of SP 3 Modo now supports the SolidWorks 2010 file format.  You’ll also notice the SolidWorks importer now converts SolidWorks/PV360 appearances and decals better.  Now, if we could only convince SolidWorks we need an importer that’s compatible with 64 bit Modo.  Service pack 3 is free for all Modo 401 customers.  You can view a complete list of Modo SP 3 changes here.

We had to wait on the runway for about an hour because of high winds and the ride was a little bumpy for a while but the 65 and sunny weather here in Anaheim is so much nicer than the 5 degrees and snow I left at home. :)  It’s Friday afternoon and I just had lunch with Randall Bock.  Randall leads the Happy Valley SolidWorks User Group.  I found him exploring outside the convention center.   The conference doesn’t offically start until Sunday evening with the partner reception but I came in a couple days early for some SolidWorks 2011 alpha testing.  I’m excited to see what’s been done with PhotoView 360 since the 2011 release is when it will fully replace PhotoWorks.

Stay tuned.  I’ll be reporting on the conference happenings as time permits.  I also have an interview lined up with Ron Bates.  Ron is the Manager of Graphical Applications at SolidWorks.  I’m hoping he can share some information with us about PV360 2011.  I’ll be at the Luxology press event as well where I have the feeling some interesting announcements will be made about Modo.

If you’re attending World this year hurry up and arrive.  I’m here and I’m ready to get this thing started!

I’ve been absent here for a while.  Reason being I’ve been completely swamped with work and really just haven’t had time to post.  I’m currently working on an animation about 1 minute 30 seconds in length and created entirely with SolidWorks Motion and PhotoWorks.  This fully rendered animation is approximately 1150 images (frames) and will require approximately 100 hours to fully process.  So, since I just set it to process a couple hundred frames I have a free moment to write.  There has been a lot going on in the CAD / rendering world.  I haven’t been posting about it but have been following along and other bloggers are doing a great job of brining you this type of information.  So, let’s take alook at what’s been happening.

PhotoWorks Meltdown:
The news of a critical issue with PhotoWorks and 64 bit versions of SolidWorks was a total shocker.  It surprised me since I’ve been using PhotoWorks and SolidWorks 2010 x64 SP1 for a while without issue.  Apparently the problem arises when you enable PhotoWorks during a SolidWorks session and SolidWorks is using more than 2 gigs of memory.  What saved me I think was the fact I typically have photoWorks set to enable at SolidWorks start up.  Glad I did since the results are reported to be pretty harsh.  SolidWorks did a good job of getting a hotfix out quickly although the thought that such an issue ever made it to the public is a little unsettling.  I do give SolidWorks credit, they posted bulletins, sent e-mails, got the word out and offered a fix quickly.  That’s more than I can say for another company who’s software I own.

HyperShot Implodes:
If you read Develop 3D you probably also follow their blog.  They broke the news about BunkSpeed losing the rights to sell HyperShot.  According to the Develop 3D article Luxion pulled the HyperShot licensing rights from BunkSpeed because they didn’t pay their bill.  BunkSpeed says there are other issues which caused the split between the two companies.  I have the feeling there is a whole lot more going on than the public will ever know but honestly I really don’t care.  All I really care about is wheather or not my license of HyperShot is now worthless.  Both BunkSpeed and Luxion say, “no” and both say thay will have new software for customers soon.  The word “soon”, it’s so vague isn’t it.  What I’d like to know is why Develop 3D had to tell me BunkSpeed was no longer able to sell HyperShot.  Why wasn’t BunkSpeed sending notices to their customers letting them know the situation?  It seems a little shady to me and honestly if I were a person who relied on HyperShot to make a living I’d be a little nervous.  Luckily I just play with HyperShot here and there, I don’t use it for any real work.

SolidWorks World 2010:
Doesn’t seem possible but SolidWorks World 2010 is only about 10 days away.  I’m really excited to attend and it will be nice to get away for a while.  I’ll be giving 2 sessions this year and both cover PhotoView 360. 

One session is titled “PhotoView 360: Instant Images“ and it will be a hands on session.  It’s essentially the same session I gave at SolidWorks World 2009 but it’s been updated to show some of the new features of PhotoView 360 2010.  It’s geared for beginners and I think it gives them some good tools and information to move deeper into rendering. 

The other session is titled “PhotoView 360: Achieving Maximum Realism“.  This session is more for the intermediate to advanced user and will cover a number of tips and tricks to create better images.

I’m also going to be involved with the “Stump the Chumps” session.  I was originally going to be present for the entire 90 minutes of the session but a conflict came up so I’ll only be there for the first 30 minutes.  It should be a good time and there have been some really good questions asked already.

The CSWP event is shaping up to be very unique.  It’s been a long time since I’ve raced remote control cars and this event should be a ton of fun. It’s so cool to know these cars were designed with SolidWorks.  I wonder if they render their products?

I’m also really excited to meet up with the crew from luxology again.  I haven’t had as much time as I would like to learn Modo but I’m making progress.  Rumor has it Luxology will be making some announcements at SolidWorks World.  I have a pretty good idea of what they’ll be and if you’re a SW/Modo user user I think you’re going to like them.

Of course it will be great  to see all the people I only see at SolidWorks World and I look forward to meeting some new faces.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend SolidWorks World you should take it.  It’s time well spent.

NVTSWUG:
I founded the Northern Vermont SolidWorks User Group (NVTSWUG) about 5 years ago and have been leading the group ever since.  It has been a great experience which has allowed me to meet a lot of people.  I’ve also learned a lot along the way and its really given me an appreciation for how much time and work goes into organizing a user group meeting.  Pats on the back for all the user group leaders out there.  Thanks for investing your time and energy for other SolidWorks users.  I say all this becasue I’m stepping down as leader of NVTSWUG in February.  The group will continue on under new leadership.  I now have the luxury of just showing up at the meetings.

Keep watching this blog over the next few weeks.  I’ll be posting live from SolidWorks World and I might even be able to share some of the projects I’ve been working on.  3 weeks in and 2010 is already shaping up to be an interesting year.

Rob

The next Northern Vermont SolidWorks User Group Meeting will be Thursday November ,19th from 6-9pm at the Waterbury Best Western in Waterbury, Vermont.  If you’re a SolidWorks user in the area feel free to stop in.

Here’s more information about the meeting.

This will be one of the best meetings we’ve ever held, here’s why.
 
If you’re a SolidWorks user you’ve no doubt been frustrated at some point by color, textures, appearance and RealView.  Right?  Depending on which version of SW you’re using they work differently.  Right?  Widely used and really basic functionality like this shouldn’t be confusing.  Right?  I think the answer to all that is “right”.  Over the last 3 releases SW colors, textures, appearances and RealView have  evolved and that evolution can be confusing.  Luckily for NVTSWUG members that confusion is going to be cleared up.  We’ll have Ron Bates, Graphical Applications Manager from SolidWorks.  Ron is going to talk about colors, textures, appearances and RealView.  He’s going to explain how they have evolved over the last  3 releases, future changes and explain why and what has been done.  This is the same session Ron will be giving at SW World 2010 so if you can’t make SW World and you want a taste of what a SW World presentation is like this is a good one to catch.
 
Have you ever had an SolidWorks installation issue?  Do administrative installs confuse you?  Do you have a difficult time with the SW Install Manager?  Have you wondered why you have to download 3 gigs of information to install a service pack?  Again if you’re an NVTSWUG member you’ll get  the answers to these questions and any other install questions you might have.  Melissa Appel is a Product Definition Specialist at SolidWorks and she’s been heavily involved with the SolidWorks installation process.  Like Ron her NVTSWUG presentation on installing SW will be the same presentation she gives at SW World 2010.
 
The REALLY great things about these presentations is they cover information EVERY SolidWorks user needs to know.  It doesn’t matter your industry, your job title, your specific task, your product……………………..if you’re a SolidWorks user you need to be well versed in installation and colors.
 
The two presentations described above alone are reason enough to attend the November meeting but if you need a bit more than how about this.  We will not be having pizza at this meeting!  Yes, that’s correct, “we will NOT be having pizza at this meeting”.  I’m going to change up the food bit for this one.
 
Still want more?  Ok.  We will be having cake at this meeting.  Why?  It’s the 5 anniversary of NVTSWUG and I think that deserves some cake.
 
Oh, almost forgot.  We’ll have some prize giveaways as we typically do.
 
We also need to talk about electing new group leadership for 2010 so that might be another reason to attend this meeting.
 
Whew, can we pack all this into 3 hours.  We’ll try but I have to admit this meeting might run a little long for the diehard’s.
 
So, honestly I don’t think we’ve ever had a meeting with technical content this good.  If you only go to 1 NVTSWUG meeting in your life this one should be it.
 
OK.  I’m done.  Really
 
See you Thursday November, 19th at 6pm at the Waterbury Best Western.  Don’t be late
 
Rob

The holiday season is coming up quickly and to celebrate Luxology is holding a Holiday image contest.  Who’s Luxology you ask?  Luxology is the developer of  the Nexus architecture which is the underlying technology behind Modo and PhotoView 360.  The contest has very few rules and is open to PhotoView 360 users.  So, have a look at the official rules and submit an entry.  Hurry, contest ends December 15th.

PhotoView 360 2010 introduces a lot of new functionality that makes it a more capable product and moves it closer to replacing PhotoWorks in the 2011 release.  I’ve created eight tutorial videos in cooperation with SolidWorks to explain and expose users to this new functionality.  The videos will be appearing at the SolidWorks Gallery  website along with the other PhotoView 360 tutorial videos and gallery images in the very near future.  Until then I’m going to give you a sneak peak at all of them right here at my blog!  Check the blog posts for the previous eight days to view the other videos or watch them all at the SolidWorks gallery.

PhotoView 360 2010 adds floor visibility options.  Users can choose to show a shadow on their floor, a reflection or hide the floor entirely.  The floor options work independently of the environment and background image.  Watch the video to learn more.

Click Image To Play Video

PhotoView 360 2010 introduces a lot of new functionality that makes it a more capable product and moves it closer to replacing PhotoWorks in the 2011 release.  I’ve created eight tutorial videos in cooperation with SolidWorks to explain and expose users to this new functionality.  The videos will be appearing at the SolidWorks Gallery  website along with the other PhotoView 360 tutorial videos and gallery images in the very near future.  Until then I’m going to give you a sneak peak at all of them right here at my blog!  I’ll be posting one video a day for the next two days, be sure and check back each day to view them all.

PhotoView 360 2010 adds orthographic and spherical camera projection options to go along with perspective.  The orthographic camera projection allows you to view models in PhotoView 360 the same way you would in SolidWorks.  PhotoView 360 2010 also adds standrad views so if you just want the front, top, right or left views of your model they are now only a click away.   Watch the video to learn more.

Click Image To Play Video

PhotoView 360 2010 introduces a lot of new functionality that makes it a more capable product and moves it closer to replacing PhotoWorks in the 2011 release.  I’ve created eight tutorial videos in cooperation with SolidWorks to explain and expose users to this new functionality.  The videos will be appearing at the SolidWorks Gallery  website along with the other PhotoView 360 tutorial videos and gallery images in the very near future.  Until then I’m going to give you a sneak peak at all of them right here at my blog!  I’ll be posting one video a day for the next three days, be sure and check back each day to view them all.

PhotoView 360 2010 adds depth of field.  Depth of field allows the user to define the in and out of focus areas of their image.  It’ss a nice effect that can greatly add to your rendering.  In PhotoView 360 2010 depth of field happens in realtime in the preview window, no post processing and what you see is what you get. Watch the video to learn more.

Click Image To Play Video