Entries from June 2008 ↓

If you frequent any of the SolidWorks forums around the web you have probably seen discussions relating the differences and nuances of Colors and Appearances in SolidWorks 2008.  This is a subject that does have a few users up in arms.  To their defense, it can be a bit hard to get your arms around the whole concept of it without some background information.

First off, let’s define Colors and Appearances.  Colors are what we have had in SolidWorks for years.  You have the ability to apply Colors to parts, features, faces, bodies, & assembly components.  Appearances have similar capabilities in how you can apply them to SolidWorks parts and assemblies.  They carry with them not only colors but textures and other effects that make the Appearance more realistic when RealView is enabled.  Appearances also transfer to PhotoWorks with great success most of the time.  This can save time when you get around to creating a rendering of your product.  When RealView is ON, Colors (and Textures) cannot be applied or changed.  Depending on how and when the Colors where applied, you can get some varying degrees of results in RealView/Appearance mode.

The first thing you need to remember is that if you turn on RealView and apply Appearances, the “color” used in the Appearances applied is transferred to the same entity selected in Colors.  Where this can go wrong for many users is when they spend all their time applying colors in Color mode to various entity types.  When they switch over to RealView/Appearances they are shocked to find that NONE of their colors have transferred!  An import thing to remember is that this occurrence applies specifically to parts or assemblies that have had the Colors applied in SolidWorks 2008.  If you open a model from a previous version of SolidWorks that have had Colors applied in a similar manner, all the Colors (no matter if you selected faces, bodies, features, etc.) are automatically ported to RealView/Appearances.

To avoid these issues, apply the “colors” with RealView ON using Appearances. If you turn off RealView, your Colors should look the same (without all the RealView effects of course).

I can tell you that changes are being made in SolidWorks 2009 that will simplify this issue but since that information is still under NDA I cannot elaborate.  If you want to check out the changes in detail, I highly encourage you to visit the Customer Portal and participate in the SolidWorks 2009 Beta program.

CLICK HERE to view a video that demonstrates the details outlined above.

There is a GREAT presentation on RealView given by Ron Bates and Mark Biasotti from SolidWorks World 2008.  You can download this presentation at the Customer Portal in the links section under “SolidWorks World 2008″.  You can find their presentation in the Wednesday 1:30 time slot.

Here is some good reference information on Appearance Callouts posted by The SolidWorks Geek (Alex Ruiz).  I mention this because I used Appearance Callouts a few times in the above video demo.

Stay tuned….more to come!

There seems to be LOTS of things going on right now.  SolidWorks 2009 Beta 1 is just past it’s first week of Beta Testing.  I really like what I am seeing so far and there are more goodies to come in Beta 2.  Check it out at the Customer Portal if you haven’t already.  (Must be on subscription to participate.)

I’ve been working on a “project for fun” that I’ll be ready to share soon.  Much of the work I do cannot be shared with the SolidWorks Community due to proprietary circumstances so this little project was designed from the beginning as something I CAN share.  The only hint I will drop on it is that it has roots in a movie that was recently released.  Stay tuned for this in the coming weeks.

I also had another rather LARGE side project dropped in my lap that is due to begin hopefully next week.  This one will take about two months to complete and should be VERY interesting.  :-)  More on that later as well.

Stay tuned…..more to come soon!

SolidWorks 2009 Beta is fast approaching.  Word on the street is the software is slated to be made available Monday June 9, 2008 around lunch time EST.  As Mike Puckett reported earlier today the Beta Homepage is being readied for launch.  Here are a couple of things you need to know about this year’s Beta program.

You will need a Customer Portal account tied to licenses of SolidWorks to participate.  Beta access will be restricted to subscription customers only.  If you meet the two previously mentioned requirements, you should be able to access the Beta Homepage HERE. (You may have to click the link twice as the first click will log you into the Customer Portal.)  The Beta Program is scheduled to last 8 weeks.  The Beta Forums are already up and running and the discussion has begun.  Prizes for this year’s contest have also been posted.

If you want an early look at the What’s New document, the link has now been posted to the Beta site. (From the Beta Homepage select “Beta References” then look at item 11 in the “Getting Started” section.)  As soon as the NDA period is lifted I’ll post a direct link.

Also, to receive Beta Updates you will need to change a setting in your Customer Portal profile.  Select  “My Profile” from the Quick Links area.  In the “My Preferences” section make sure you check “Notify me for Beta Programs:”

Stay tuned……more to COME!

UPDATE - 6/9/08, 5:24 CST: Looks like the planned release date of today hit a snag as the download has not been posted yet.  It appears to be coming soon as most of the Beta Pages have now been taken offline for what can be presumed as final updates for the release.  I’ll update this post as soon as it is made available.

UPDATE - 6/10/08, 1:36 CST: The Beta Home page is back up and SolidWorks 2009 Beta 1 has been posted.  Let the downloads begin.  Happy Beta testing!

My eight year old son never ceases to amaze me with his computer skills.  He called me over to the computer the other day and showed me his latest discovery on the web.  Before I reveal what it was I want you to stop for a second and think about just how many people in the world have played with LEGOS.  I’d be willing to bet that most everyone has put together some LEGO Bricks at least once in their lives.  Did you know that you can build LEGOS now using 3D software?  No…..it’s not SolidWorks or any other CAD package.  Its a package called LEGO Digital Designer…and it’s FREE!  Let me tell you, this program is FUN!!

The software is only a 27 megabyte download (Available for both Windows and MAC).  It installs quickly and automatically downloads all the LEGO brick components the first time you run the program.   The Bricks are categorized in a Brick Palette which is organized by several different LEGO kit series.  An interactive screen showing all available Bricks can be found here.

As you drag components into the screen they snap into position based on how the cursor is positioned on existing components and the way the components are designed to go together.  You can build models using one of their starter kits or “freeform” build your own model from over 750 LEGO Bricks available.

Models can be saved to your computer so you can work on them at your own pace.  Once you complete a model, you can upload it to the LEGO Gallery.  You can even order the parts used to assemble your model so you can build the kit for real!  LEGO even includes some options that allow you to design the box it will be delivered in.  Here is a Quick Video showing how easy it is to build LEGO models.

LEGO Digital Designers saves the files to your computer using a proprietary format (.LXF).  Since it has the look and feel of a 3D CAD system, I did a little digging into the background of the software.  Quicktime and the Ageia PhysX engine are mentioned as primary components of the software.  Codev Limited in London has LEGO Digital Designer listed on their web site under “Projects” so it can be assumed that they had a major role in the design of the software.  The only component I found in common with mainstream CAD applications was the Ageia PhysX engine which is used in SolidWorks.

If you have a few spare moments, check out LEGO Digital Designer.  It will definitely bring out the kid in you.  My son can attest to that!