See SolidWorks 2004 at the All-Texas Conference

You can see one of the first public showings of SolidWorks 2004 at the
All-Texas Conference in Austin. Greg Jankowski of SolidWorks Corporation
will present a special "Sneak Peek" preview on Monday, July 14th. This
session is free and open to all SolidWorks users and partners. You MUST
pre-register by email, see the website for contact information.

There is still time to register for the entire conference. Registration fee
is only $50.00 now, $100.00 at the door. The conference starts on Sunday,
July 13th and runs through Tuesday, July 15th. A partner exhibit, technical
sessions, food and more are all included in the admission price. We are also
pleased to have Jeffrey Rowe, a top CAD industry researcher and analyst as
our keynote speaker.

For more information, visit the conference website at
http://www.ctsug.org/2003_Conference_main_page.htm

 

Hows about a 'sneak peek' at a copy of 2003 that works

 

I'll second that

The President of our company is so disenchanted with 2003 performance
and the work slow down we are experiencing he actually said "Maybe we
should go back to AutoCAD or upgrade to Inventor"

And I wasn't about to tell him 2004 will solve all our problems. In
his words "anyone that installs 2004 will be fired!" And he meant it.

So, I will now go back and take another look at Inventor and determine
if there is justifiable cause to switch. sigh

Semi-OK software doesn't cut it. The effects extend far beyond the
engineering department and ultimately impacts a companies bottom line.

Kman

 

Sure would be nice to be a fly on the way at some places just to see what
the heck they are doing that causes reactions like this. Perhaps it isn't so
much the software as it is the use of it. Now we can hear all the "this
stinks" email from, what 10, maybe 20 folks who have a REAL issue with it.
We had a real problem when 2001-plus came out. We fixed our problems to work
WITH the software, instead of continuing to fight it.

I use to use Pro/E and what a real treat it was when they went to the
wondermous windows icon interface instead of the simple flop down design.
Hey, remember when AutoCrap went and did the Windows thing? What a massive
(negative) improvement in speed that provided huh? How about that awesome
(awful) version 13...

AutoCrap is great. Go back. Everybody ought to go back to the only version
of software that still needs it own "special" print drivers. Awesome stuff
that is...

 

Dear Mr Pickles,
you're obviously still in the honeymoon period in your relationship with SW.
When you start trying to do some serious work with SW let's hear you
opinions then.
I've been dipping in and out of this NG since '97 and the story is always
the same.
If you're so confident, find my earlier post and take up the challenge.
Person sees SW at show - mind blown (by simplistic well rehearsed demos)
Person buys SW and does basic training course - mind blown (by simplistic
tried and proven tutorials that don't highlight the bugs)
Person starts modelling basic parts/assemblies - mind blown ( a couple of
little glitches, but shits on ACAD eh? SW rocks, lets do the happy dance)
Person starts modelling more complex and larger parts/assemblies - mind
blown (things are starting to slow down but hey, shits on Pro-E. A walz
might be more appropriate)
Person starts modelling very complex and very large parts/assemblies - mind
not so blown, hair starting to thin (now how do you fill out this
enhancement request?)
Person starts explaining to boss or worse still, clients that their jobs are
going to miss their deadline - income blown (but hey I've now got more time
to write sycophantic drivell to this NG)
Regards
Alex

 

Honeymoon period? Yeah, I guess, since I only have 3 years of working
with it. Prior to that, 4 years of Pro/E.

Maybe you need your ears cleaned. I don't think I said that this SW
stuff is bug-proof and the best software since...?

I believe this software is pretty good. If you have some major
catastrophic issue that forces your happy leader there to start
canning folks who install an upgrade, then you have beigger problems.
Lets see, it sure wouldn't be your hardware, and it sure wouldn't be
your modeling skills. It has to be the software.

Sounds like you folks are some of the biggest boobs out there. SW saw
you looking and landed them a big fish. I encourage you and your
leaders there to go get some Inventor or better yet, some SolidEdge.
Maybe we all do, huh? I mean SW isn't an Editors choice in the latest
Cadence or Cadalyst, but SE is in there

 

Alex:

If you are having the kind of trouble you describe with SW, then I
seriously would recommend one of two things:

1) Buy a different CAD package that you think you can be more successful
with

or

2) Hire a professional to troubleshoot your SolidWorks installation and
practices.



There is no reason why you or anyone should have to put up with problems
with your tools that get in the way of doing your work if there is a better
option. I'd be willing to bet that the second option would work wonders
for your company.

 

That is supposed to be SolidWorks job (fly on the wall).

Reply: That reply sounds like something our VAR does say. Yet with all
the files we have sent them they haven't been able to pin the fault on
our software abilities. The users in our department have been
continuously using the software since SW99 and would hope we have a
reasonable level of knowledge and skills with this software.

Reply: We work with files that may have 100-5,000 parts, multiple
configurations and design tables. Our computers are top of the line
business machines with plenty of ram, high end graphic cards and used
by experienced SolidWork users (all things being relative).

Reply: Your commentary and responses elude to some of the
conversations that have taken place in our company! Do we know each
other? Got a real name you would like to share?

Now we can hear all the "this

Reply: Out of 250,000 user's only 10-20 you say? How scientific or
factual is that statement (1-10 with ten being most factual)? Not
everyone uses the software the same way and therefore might experience
different problems and issues.

Reply: What kind of problems did you fix to work with the software?
How much time do you spend "fixing" the software? Have you experienced
any problems with configurations reverting to default, lost mates,
drawing sections, bom, and converstions to AutoCAD dwg that turn on
all the OFF layers assigned in SolidWorks?

Reply: How did AutoCAD (correct spelling) get dragged into the
conversation from my comment switching from SW to Inventor?

Reply: We have customers that still demand the deliverables be in
AutoCAD format. Would you tell your customers to go back from whence
they came because they still prefer AutoCAD to SolidWorks? Good luck

Reply: Many of the original users migrated from AutoCAD to SolidWorks
because of some of the issues you mentioned and others (including
myself). Least we forget AutoCAD was the leading technology at one
time and has its place in history. Dissatisfaction is a driving
element of ingenuity and progress (founders of SolidWorks case in
point.)

Kman

 

problems 2003 have created sometimes generate more hours for me.
When a company is well into a major project where tens of thousands of
dollars have already been spent, it can't very well say "lets switch
packages" or "stop work". So, living in hope that the next service pack will
fix all the problems, the company continues, albeit slowly.

line? Or the vars who are lightning quick to come up & install the latest
wizzbang bit of software you've paid for, but strangely mute when you show
them problems.
Matt we've spent thousands on IT and network expertise since 2003 because of
the suggestions by SW reps that it's not SW that's the problem. You can't
honestly tell me that there wasn't a degradation in the product when 2003
came out. The only yardstick to use is PRODUCTIVITY, not the variety of
skins available or displaying gradient backgrounds or any of the other
useless crap that has been added over the years.
Nobody in their right mind would want software that isn't constantly being
improved on but those improvements must increase productivity.
Most engineering design is nuts & bolts, bread & butter stuff.
I use SW to make a living.
The company uses it to make a profit.
As far as I know, you only sell it.
Enough said

 

Maybe I look at things a little bit differently. I see two basic ways of
approaching problems with software:

1) Expect the software to lay it all out at your feet in black and white,
and blame the software when you can't make it work. Believe that whenever
you have a problem with the software, it is automatically the software's
fault.

2) Understand that software is a tool, and there are usually many ways to
use (or misuse) a tool. Some of them are by the book and some of them
require more imagination. Problem solving always requires imagination.

You still haven't been specific about what your problem is, so it's
impossible for anyone to point you in a useful direction.

No. I mean someone who really knows what they are doing. Not every
reseller has people who fall into this category, and ironically the people
answering the phones are not usually the people who know the software best.
I don't just mean someone with a CSWP, or 7 years on the software, I mean
someone who also has a bit of intuition with the software.

I do mainly plastics and mold design, and some sheetmetal. In my use of
the software, I have not seen a degradation in productivity with SW03. What
I do see is that I have new tools at my displosal that I didn't have
before, and I try to understand when to use which tool to my best
advantage. When I have a problem, my first assumption is that I have done
something the software didn't expect, and I try to figure out what it did
expect so that next time I don't go down that road again. Sure, I report
plenty of bugs and enhancement requests with the software, and haggle with
tech support about how things are "supposed" to work, but I know in the
end, as you say, "productivity" is the yardstick.

I don't think you'll find any arguments there, but there are two sides to
the productivity equation, and it may turn out that you don't understand
one of the sides as well as you think you do.

I'm not saying this just to be an ass, I've seen it happen with good
SolidWorks users, where one little switch (not in SW or the OS) that tech
support and IT missed caused a 60% improvement in load times of large
assemblies.

Some people on this newsgroup call me a SolidWorks apologist, and
SolidWorks and reseller folk think I hate the software. Really my goal is
just to know the software well enough to use it efficiently, and to help
other people do that too. SolidWorks and its resellers have the tendency
to not acknowledge the negative, and I think that there are some users who
won't acknowledge the positive, or don't know the software well enough to
be able to find it when it is not right on the surface.

The possibility exists that you're completely correct, and there is nothing
you can do that you haven't tried already. There are plenty of bugs in the
software, and plenty of places where the advertising and even training and
tech support will unintentionally mislead you (because in some cases, even
SW doesn't understand how best to use the software). But I find that most
of the time there is some sort of a rational explanation that doesn't
require a SolidWorks Corp. conspiracy or incompetence theory when things go
badly wrong.

Where are you located? I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is, are
you?

matt

 

bob z. has plenty of scars on his hands and body from using the wrong tool
for the job. :~)>
a lot can be said for having the right tool for the job. anybody here ever
see a chrysler (rear-wheel drive) upper ball-joint socket? well, they
(nascar) use the same ball-joint on their cars. it is round with 4 flats.
the socket will cost you about $45 at your FLAPS.
try removing one of those without that socket. oooooh-weeeee!!!

does bob z. have a point with this? yes, but he will not say what it is.
bob z. doesn't want to take sides in this. everyone reading this can just
assume good ol' bob z. is on their side. you know what? he really is. he
really likes all of you. he wants to be your friend.

bob z. had an algebra teacher in 9th grade that wanted to be everybody's
friend. he called everyone, "my friend..."

--
bob z.
p.s. you don't have a monopoly on sorrow, some of it is sure to come my way

"people with less brain power than you are doing more difficult things
everyday"©

 

funny? that is truly the intent!
--
bob z.


"people with less brain power than you are doing more difficult things
everyday"©