SOLIDWORKS (3) Page 3

SOLIDWORKS PDM is a phenomenal tool that can help you stay on top of your data. While using SOLIDWORKS PDM for storage of my files, or to show someone how to use PDM, I find myself using a few tools over and over. It is surprising to me how often our clients do not use these options, so I thought I’d share five of my favorites, and hopefully make your work a little easier.

Topology Optimization is key if you are looking for a better way to design a model that meets all goals efficiently, looks aesthetically pleasing and comes in under budget. This blog article covers modeling tools and is the third and final entry in a series of blog articles covering a practical workflow and best practices for using the Topology Optimization module within SOLIDWORKS Simulation.

In case you missed the first two:
>> Part 1: Topology Optimization: Introduction to Part Creation
>> Part 2: Topology Optimization: Simulation

The idea of using cloud computing for product development is not a new idea. In fact, there are almost as many purported cloud solutions as there are product development processes. With all the opportunities that this technology offers it is easy to see why there's so much excitement around it, but it can be hard to understand how this abstract idea can be applied to a real-world process. 

In this multi-part video series, we will be walking you through the concept, design, simulation and production of real product prototypes using SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. This will give you a great idea of how this tool can empower you and your team to create using a real-time ecosystem that connects people, ideas and data.

When SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional (formerly known as Enterprise PDM) was introduced it was bundled with Microsoft SQL Standard server and user licenses. Anyone who bought SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional during this time also received licenses for Microsoft SQL Standard bundled in with the purchase. SOLIDWORKS has made several announcements over the past couple of years, regarding future updates and how they would interact with SQL licenses, and a significant change is coming with the release of SOLIDWORKS 2022.

While there are many improvements and new roles in the latest functional delivery in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform (FD06), today we are focusing on the improved features for those that are using the most typical workflows from a mechanical engineer’s point of view.

In my engagement with customers that have been using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, many have yielded similar questions and feedback for features that we have taken for granted on the desktop products. What happens when you want to take a project and duplicate it, or pull up a bill of materials without entering the CAD application? What about the deployment of that software? Do you have a centralized system to push out a standard set of software options for those that are in a collaborative environment?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. With that said, this blog is a high-level review of the latest features, and there is much deeper and more comprehensive detail on these attributes and more that you will learn as you work within the platform.  

Topology Optimization is key if you are looking for a better way to design a model that meets all goals efficiently, looks aesthetically pleasing and comes in under budget. In this second installment of our series on this topic, we will be studying how the simulation stage, where we create a topology optimization study, plays a critical role in creating successful modeling results. 

DriveWorks is a Complete SOLIDWORKS automation and online 3D CPQ configurator software. DriveWorks software is used in collaboration with SOLIDWORKS for design automation and sales configuration by companies of all sizes. Whether you are an engineer that needs design automation for your SOLIDWORKS models and manufacturing data, or a company wanting to provide a 3D product configurator on your website for customers and vendors, DriveWorks software can get you there.

A SOLIDWORKS Electrical Project Template is used to start a new project with a variety of choices and configurations. Utilizing templates allows you to save time by configuring settings to meet the specific needs of a company or project that may need the same parameters repeated. Any other information needed for a project can also be stored in a project template. Some common areas incorporated into a template are title block, library data, and revisioning style. Once a template is configured, you can easily use it again for future projects that require the same settings.

SOLIDWORKS Motion Simulation tools are extremely powerful and often overlooked. In this series, we are working hard to help you see the value of using these tools. In our last installment, we learned that by using blocks we can make layout sketches for machine design that can contain sub-structures for faster performance, effective change control and motion.

Up to now, we have only considered sketching in a single plane. In this post, we will look at how a single 3D sketch can play host to any number of 2D sub-sketches. This gives you the power of 3D linkages whenever you need it and the ease of 2D control for the rest of your motion elements.