Category: All

  • The S Key Experiment – Part 2

    The S Key Experiment – Part 2

    It has been a little over a week since I turned off ALL my Toolbars AND the CommandManager and so far I can say with certainty I have not DECREASED my efficiency by just using the S Key command.  It still takes a little getting used to but so far I REALLY like it.  Over…

  • The “S” Key Experiment Part 1

    The “S” Key Experiment Part 1

    Ever since the “S” key shortcut command was added in SolidWorks 2008, I’ve heard some users comment that they use it quite often.  This lead me to question whether or not you could function inside of SolidWorks in an efficient manner by JUST using the “S” key shortcut menu.  NO CommandManager.  NO Toolbars.  Just in…

  • SolidWorks Video Tip: Layout Sketches and Planes

    SolidWorks Video Tip: Layout Sketches and Planes

    This SolidWorks Video Tip shows off a few tricks in the utilization of layout sketches in parts and how to create planes that can change with the sketch.  As I talk to different users from across the world, one of the options that seems to be forgotten in the Plane creation dialog box is the…

  • Mach 4 PhotoWorks Contest Winner!!

    Mach 4 PhotoWorks Contest Winner!!

    Congratulations to Cilas Gimenez who won Rob Rodriguez’s November 2008 PhotoWorks Contest featuring my Mach 4 Racer.  It was REALLY cool to see all the different ideas incorporated into the renderings.  You can view the entrants and the voting results HERE. Don’t forget you can still download the model from my Downloads page. Stay tuned…more…

  • Vote for Your Favorite Mach 4 Rendering!

    Vote for Your Favorite Mach 4 Rendering!

    Rob Rodriguez’s PhotoWorks Rendering Contest for November is now closed and voting has begun.  Click the image above to go to the voting site.  There are some EXCELLENT entries this month which featured my Mach 4 model so make sure you check it out and VOTE!  The winner receives a FREE SolidWorks backpack! Stay tuned….more…

  • All NEW Content Rich Site Design!!

    All NEW Content Rich Site Design!!

    Today marks the next phase of my site changeover to WordPress which started back at the beginning of August.  I’m proud to present to you a brand new site layout which I think takes this site beyond being “just a Blog”.  I have upgraded the site to a WordPress Premium theme in an effort to…

  • Only 3 Days Left to Submit Your Mach 4 Rendering!

    Only 3 Days Left to Submit Your Mach 4 Rendering!

    There’s only 3 days remaining to submit your rendering of the Mach 4 Racer to Rob Rodriguez’s November PhotoWorks Rendering Contest. The contest closes Friday October 21, 2008 and voting will end the following Friday, October 28, 2008. I would love to see us break some records for the number of entries so fire up…

  • Richard Branson to be Keynote Speaker at SolidWorks World 2009

    Richard Branson to be Keynote Speaker at SolidWorks World 2009

    Hot off the presses today is the news that entrepreneur extraordinaire Richard Branson will be a Keynote Speaker at SolidWorks World 2009.  Richard is the man behind the Virgin Group which started as a record company but has since expanded to include airlines, mobile phones, broadband, and commercial space flight just to name a few.…

  • SolidWorks Video Tip: Surface Extraction with ScanTo3D

    SolidWorks Video Tip: Surface Extraction with ScanTo3D

    Today’s SolidWorks Video Tip shows an example of how you can use ScanTo3D to extract surface data from mesh files.  This example was inspired by a file I recently helped fellow Blogger Mike Puckett with.  ScanTo3D is part of SolidWorks Premium.  It allows users to open Point Cloud and Mesh data in various formats with…

  • SolidWorks Video Tip: Using Multiple Split Features

    SolidWorks Video Tip: Using Multiple Split Features

    This SolidWorks Video Tip shows the use of multiple trim tool features in the Split command.  The example shows the creation of a simplified polyurethane tool using the Combine and Split commands found inside the SolidWorks Part environment. I have finally solved the audio lag issue that you might have noticed in previous videos that…

  • Additional Notes to the Knoxville User Group Post

    Additional Notes to the Knoxville User Group Post

    I added some additional notes and links to photos tonight to the previous post on the Knoxville User Group Meeting that I attended last night.  All of the additional notes were in reference to Jon Hirschtick’s discussion of the Future of CAD.  Check it out when you get a chance!

  • Knoxville SolidWorks User Group Meeting

    Knoxville SolidWorks User Group Meeting

    Tonight I had the privilege of attending the Knoxville SolidWorks User Group meeting which featured SolidWorks founder Jon Hirschtick.  I’ve been hearing LOTS of great things about this group and their new leader, Jeff Bohanan.  I was not in the least disappointed.  It was evident that Jeff had meticulously planned EVERYTHING in detail for the…

  • Download and RENDER The Mach 4 Racer!

    Download and RENDER The Mach 4 Racer!

    The Story Most if not ALL of the items I design on a daily basis are proprietary which means I cannot share the models with the public.  One of the goals I set this year was to create a complex model in SolidWorks that I COULD share with the SolidWorks/CAD Community.  Over the years I…

  • SolidWorks Video Tip: 2009 Missing Reference Ghosting

    SolidWorks Video Tip: 2009 Missing Reference Ghosting

    When working with any parametric modeling package references are something a user constantly has to be aware of.  Often times when you make modifications to a model, child features based off of entities changed can fail to regenerate properly due to the nature of the changes made. SolidWorks 2009 introduces some time saving enhancements that…