|
April 22, 2010 04:26:24
Posted By Christine Longwell
|
I have been following Oleg’s PLM Blog about advanced visualization, and wondering what robust, existing tools are out there to display data. I came across a few nice ones, but they all seem to be young and limited products. As I started thinking about what I would like to see, I realized that SolidWorks can do that. Almost any parameter in SolidWorks can be driven by Excel, and then the only question is what do you want to vary for that particular data set? Revenue, time, and organization, translates into Height, Volume, Appearance, and Distance.
3d representation gives an all new meaning to “Slicing the data”.
Using a full-fledged 3D CAD system to display statistical data is a bit like riding your Ducati to pick up the mail. It’s not worth investing in one for precisely that purpose, but if you have one at your disposal it’s still worth the trip. Many companies that have PLM tools also have CAD tools at their disposal. It would be interesting to see things like lead time vs. inventory and projected sales displayed in some new formats.
|
|
April 14, 2010 12:25:06
Posted By Christine Longwell
|
So, with 12 years of SolidWorks experience, you would think I could pass any exam SolidWorks throws at me, right? Well, um… that’s not true. In addition to the exams testing your understanding of the SolidWorks toolset, they also test your attention to detail, and execution speed. I’ve always been a “big picture” kind of girl, which is why it benefits society in general that I focus on engineering workflow and data management rather than designing Airplane components. (Not that I WON’T design aviation components, but I think it’s probably best if someone else were to check them afterwards.)
After passing the CSWP last year, I was one of many who had had mixed feelings when the CSWE was announced last year. Where once we were the best, suddenly there is another elite echelon to strive for. Heck, I’m a bit out of practice, and there is certainly no telling if I could even pass it. For now, my interim goal is simply to qualify to take it before SWW 2011.
In order to qualify, you need to pass the CSWP and 3 advanced CSWP specialty exams. I think I’ll take Weldments, sheetmetal, and surfacing rather than Simulation or MoldTools. I don’t have Simulation, and I’ve never designed a Mold.
I’m a big fan of weldments, and I think I’ll do that one first. I’ve already realized I’m not quite as good with 3D sketch relations as I thought I was. I’ll try to put my insights into another post.
|
|
February 14, 2010 07:03:55
Posted By Christine Longwell
|
While putting together a presentation on PDMWorkgroup, I came to the realization that my own document management is lacking, and it’s probably time to practice what I preach. My processes are certainly a lot different from users in a production environment. I don’t produce products, and frequently work with other people’s data. I also churn out a lot of junk for illustration purposes. Also, there’s the “If you got hit by a bus” test for your data. Sorry, but as my own boss, I’m not worried about my data if something happened to me.
However, saying that my files are different isn’t really a good excuse to not adopt a process. I recently heard someone use the colloquialism “The cobblers kids have the worst shoes” to describe the problem and I’m ashamed. I’m ready to come clean, and here is my confession. Today alone:
· I came across several sets of duplicate files. These are file sets with the same part names in different directories. It’s probably my number 1 sin. Which one is newer? If I go to the “recent files” section, how do I know I’m really getting the one I want? Why are there multiple files? Obviously I wanted to leave one of the file sets in a “different state”. In other words, I wanted to make a “Revision”. Heck, I could even go crazy and leave myself a note explaining WHY I wanted to make a revision.
· I opened a 2009 file set and accidentally saved it in 2010. SolidWorks is so good about reminding you to save your work as a default that it can actually be difficult to NOT save your work if you’re not careful. Fortunately I had a copy of the files on a thumb drive, so I was able to get them back, but suddenly I’m violating rule number 1 again.
· I repetitively used File - > Open to browse for my documents. I waste a lot of time looking for things because what makes sense in one context suddenly doesn’t work in another. When I started running 2010 in parallel with 2009 I wanted to be sure to keep my files separate, and I made a different folder. Sounded good at the time, but suddenly I had to remember which customer is on which version, and as a customer migrates I would end up with data in both directories. Even worse, it could be duplicate data, once again violating rule number 1. (PDMw can handle data in various SW versions.)
That being said, I am committed assessing my own unique data concerns. I realize it will likely be a somewhat iterative process, but regular process auditing is core to any successful organization, no matter how small. It is not reasonable to expect a “one size fits all” solution to data issues, and we all have to remember to focus on infrastructure in the lulls between busy times.
|
|
February 6, 2010 10:22:35
Posted By Christine Longwell
|
SolidWorks World is over, and we have all headed home and back to work. With the big announcement about data on the cloud, a lot of people are wondering what the implications might be to them. Rather than talking about CAD, I have an example of how cloud computing is going to help me run my business better.
So, I hate all of the back end work that I have to do as a business entity. Quotes, Invoicing, Expense tracking, etc… all seem like a distraction from the real work I want to be doing, and I am going to bring in a college student to do some of these things for me a few hours per week. I had my credit card out, and was about to buy Quickbooks, and I hesitated. I thought “Gee that’s a lot of money for a software package I’m hardly going to use. What computer am I going to install it on?” Well, as it turns out, Intuit, the makers of Quickbooks has an application on the cloud.
Then again, wouldn’t it be nice if my financials integrated with my address book and list of nebulous projects I have hanging out there? Well, for that I use an online CRM (Corporate Resource Management) tool.
Choosing a CRM tool is like picking a spouse. While theoretically, you could leave your current system and go to another one, but there is a good chance that would make you miserable. No, your old CRM tool will not take half your assets, but you might not get all of your data out in a manner that’s transferable cleanly to your new system. Zoho had me at “I’m Free”.
If you want to check out a great example of cloud computing, sign up for a free account at www.zoho.com . In addition to the native CRM application, there are other Apps you can add to your “Dashboard”. It handles email from any Pop account, and it has a money manager, an online meeting tool, as well as a full suite of office tools.
|
|
January 31, 2010 06:27:24
Posted By Christine Longwell
|
I can’t remember exactly who said it first (not me), but it reflects the general feel of the conference. I wrote my user group data management presentation on the flight out, and I guess I will simply be rewriting it on the flight back. Maybe next year I’ll learn.
In the morning I saw some excellent content on 3D instant website. No, it’s not new, and No, I’ve never used it either. You can create password protected, highly interactive websites. Phillip Thomas also did a really cool trick with a model on his iPhone. He lost me a bit on the details, but I’ll be stalking him later to ask. (Don’t worry Phillip, I’m harmless.)
The afternoon was the CAD manager’s boot camp, better named “Every SolidWorks User on the Planet should attend if you want to get the Most Return on your Investment”. I guess that title was too long, but it was still quite well attended. I was a bit worried when Greg Jankowski started talking about processors, memory, and hard drives, because I have always viewed hardware as a necessary evil.
Here are a few of the great tips I picked up:
· Excluding SolidWorks files from the virus scan process can help your performance.
· Windows 7 – 64 bit is really that much better than Vista 32 bit.
· I felt admonished for bad computer maintenance.
I’m off to the welcome reception at the partner pavilion. I caught a peek at the Extensible CAD booth, which looked awesome, but this time there will be snacks and beer. There is certainly some fun to be had this week as well.
Next year, I won't be packing heels.
|
|
|
|
