SWW Advanced Modeling presentations

The "Advanced Modeling 101 and 201" presentation and files are now
available for conference attendees in the Monday section at:

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/swworld/agenda/sessions/sessions_toc.html

Previously, SW part and assembly files were not part of the zip file
for both presentations (including the Art of Real presentation on
Wednesday). They are now included in all three presentations.

Regards
Mark Biasotti
SolidWorks Corporation

 

What does this link do for use it just takes us to the solidworks world
2006 stuff. These is nothing to download to look at or anything else.
Why post something like this if it take us to where the files are so we
can look at them. I guess if you did not get to attend you are just out
of luck on seeing what solidworks have to offer even if your maintance
is paid.

 

Unfortunately, you're right. Only attendees can access the files from
SWW. I'm thankful that my boss realized how worthwhile it would be to
send us. Hopefully, he'll be in the same frame of mind for SWW2007 in
New Orleans.

 

It is too bad...

In comparison... The SWW conference could be treated like the OSA, SPIE,
IEEE meetings (and I am sure there are others). If I pay my yearly "member"
dues (Ultra low in comparison to SW) I still have access to presentations,
either free or for a small fee. However SW is not a "Society" it is a
business, and therefore needs to seek profit.

<rant on>

As for this years SWW2006, I had to call SW and cancel due to an accident
the week before, so I too am "out of luck".

The comparative cost of SW maintenance and "my use" of a VAR, says that I am
basically paying $2Kyr for SW software updates. As a side note, my Florida
VAR was in the middle of dissolving and reforming last year, so the one time
I called, of course, the message was never returned. I got the answer here
on this newsgroup... Sometimes a VAR does not actually add value, it does
not mean they cannot, I just mean they might not help out that company or
person for the current years subscription fee. Sometimes I get a warranty,
and hopefully never use it. For me the subscription service is like a
warranty or insurance... I only use it when needed, and sometimes not at
all.

I always get more help from this group than from most any other source,
Thank You All! I think the main reason the group is helpful is because it
is a wide cross section of people from diverse fields... much like a
"society".

I love SolidWorks, it is by far the best in many ways (and yet affordable)
3D CAD software out there, but as a small business, it is difficult to keep
up with the subscriptions every year, basically $166.67 a month to use the
software I "bought" for about $9K... I am paying that now, and would think
the SWW info could be included as an extra.

Does the SWW registration fee pay for the SWW Lectures/Product Demos
sessions? Or does it break even? If so then extra costs are needed.

Maybe I (or we) could pay a little more subscription service fees per year
and have a "Premium" version of the "SW Office Premium Subscription", and
thus have access to the SWW Lectures/Product Demos for free? Or maybe, a
software subscription fee exclusive of a VAR. i.e. You get software updates
only, for those not needing/wanting help. Or does SW want us to need
help??? I hope Microsoft doesn't hear about this!

Do advanced users of SW actually use a VAR's services?

We all see even medium sized businesses be hurt be all of the extra fees, I
do not even want to think of multiple seats, yikes!

And one more thing which fits in because it is update and subscription
driven: and that is backwards file compatibility. I bring this up because I
must wait to use my new version (up to a 3 or 4 months) that I paid big $$
for waiting for the "shops" to play catch up. I have also waited on large
companies with very little or no cash problems, just due to the "IT" issues
of installing more than one seat...

The solution allows anyone for example at SW 2003 (or higher) to communicate
and share drawings with the most current version (SW2006 - sp3.4 at the time
of this post) at all times. Simply have a version selection button
(example: 2003, 2004, 2005) on the most current version of SWs. If say
SW2004 is selected, then the current SW2006 software does not use features
available after that SW2004 version. That way when the file can be read by
the SW2004 version user (at the small shop) even though it was created by
the newest version of SW, which as said before has 2005 and higher functions
"grayed" out. At least you could work back say a few versions/years without
too much remembering "older" ways of functioning features etc. Even back
one version would help speed the change over, at least for me. You can
upgrade and still know you can talk to someone who is "SW update lagging"
for one reason or another.

<rant off>

I do not mean to upset anyone, I have great respect for everyone here...
But I would like to know others feelings on this...

Aron
SW2006 - sp3.3, & Current Subscription Service

 

I can guarantee you that large multi seat clients aren't paying $1,300
per seat for support. VAR's rake 50% of the subscription cost off the
top. So the first thing they would offer a large seat installation is
a subscription discount. Additionally if the numbers are beyond a
certain size (200 if memory serves me correct) SolidWorks corp gets
involved in the "negotiations". This is how the piping module came
about many years ago. Halliburton (yes that Halliburton) wanted to be
able to do piping and they were looking at 200 seats and thus it
became so.

Good luck. It won't come close to getting to him. CEO's surround
themselves with so many layers of hierarchy to minimize having to
relate to the "real" world of their customers.

===========================================================================
Chris

 

Aron, I and others have said similar things, and indeed we need to get
the ear of SolidWorks people to get proper input, which is hard.

Mark Biasotti, of SolidWorks, started this thread, and he noted in
another thread today/yesterday that he will be attending the "post-op"
on SolidWorks World with SWks management shortly. So there is some
hope he brings good issues into the discussion @ Swks.

My feeling for getting myself heard when the noise level is high is to
stick preferably to one issue, maybe two, and never more than 3 in a
note, and label them 1, 2 (& 3 if you must). It is almost impossible
for an employee of a large company like SolidWorks to read all the
posts out in cyberspace about their product and weed out the
Cliff-hangers and find the nuggets, so give them concise points, and we
hope it works.

Bo