Can 140 Characters Really Change the World?

If the right person enters Dassault Systèmes’ new “IF WE Challenge,” one tweet could change the world for the better. Any individual (not a company) can share his or her world-changing dream by submitting a 140-character statement—in English and starting with “#IFWE”. You can also enter via Twitter, Facebook, etc., but the official contest page is the easiest way to learn about it. Read full article »

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An Overview of Common CATIA Performance Issues

All CATIA users want to increase speed and accuracy—without paying more than they have to for performance improvements. Use the advice in this paper to meet your performance challenges and boost your overall productivity.

CATIA Is Always in Fashion for JAY AHR

Ask most engineers whether they thought a CATIA user would be featured in Apparel magazine and you might get a strange look, but that’s exactly what happened to Jonathan Riss, artistic director of the JAY AHR fashion brand.

Dassault Systèmes nominated Riss for the magazine’s 5^th annual Top Innovator awards. The designer was one of 35 people chosen for “exceptional IT-related implementations, product launches and other outstanding business strategies that are changing the industry.”

Riss is part of Dassault Systèmes’ FashionLab, a technology incubator dedicated to spreading CAD/CAM goodness among the ranks of fashion designers. Now, while I’m not making any plans to go to any of the world’s Fashion Weeks this year, I have to say that these guys are producing some pretty cool stuff with CATIA. A few months ago, for example, you may remember that I posted enthusiastically about the futuristic 4N watch.

Riss is using CATIA to create embroidery and elaborate jewelry pieces that contain anywhere from 30,000 to nearly 1 million precious stones. Read full article »

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Implementation Case Study: CATIA Performance Gains on Different Hardware Configurations

CATIA users can realize significant performance gains with the right hardware configuration. Other factors, such as monitor size, resolution, memory, operating system, and video drivers can also be manipulated to enhance your CATIA experience.

Everyone Wins with GrabCAD’s SolidWorks Tips & Tricks Tutorials Challenge

GrabCAD, the community for (and founded by) mechanical engineers, recently launched a challenge that’s right up our alley. According to the site, the SolidWorks Tips & Tricks Tutorials Challenge was “all about educating ourselves [by] sharing tips, tricks and shortcuts of SolidWorks in order to get more work done with less time.” That’s music to our ears at CAD/CAM Performance!

Honestly, I was debating whether or not to do this post because the deadline for the challenge already passed us by, but then I decided that we could all learn a few things (and prepare for similar challenges in the future) by checking out the top 10 submissions.

The site received 66 step-by-step tutorial submissions. First-place winner Fateh Merrad’s tutorial on “How to Create Car Surfaces Based on BMW X6”  received the most “It worked” clicks—and $50.

Here are the links to the other top ten tutorials:

Read full article »

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An Overview of Common Performance Issues for SolidWorks

Every SolidWorks user wants to do more, faster, with fewer mistakes. Here’s a quick look at the top performance issues SolidWorks users are facing and some advice on what you can do about them.

Reality TV Gets a Redesign—And You Could Win Big

SolidWorks is the exclusive CAD sponsor of Reality Redesigned, a new design competition with a reality show twist. In partnership with the SME Educational Foundation, the show host Jeremy Bout, said the goal of the competition is to let students and the general public see that “the invisible world of manufacturing” is populated by cool people with “skills that rival those of a doctor or surgeon.”

Win a Pimped-Out Mountain Bike
The first season is showcasing the close relationship between the mountain biking and manufacturing industries. Students and bike enthusiasts from Canada and the U.S. are encouraged to submit designs in one of three mountain bike categories—suspension, component, or frame.

After all the submissions are collected by the February 24 deadline, distinguished judges will choose the top three in each category. From March 12 through April 9, the general public will be able to vote for their favorite designs: The submission with the most “yes” votes will win a pimped out Intense bike. Read full article »

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Implementation Case Study: SolidWorks Performance Gains on WorkStation Configurations

Getting the most out of SolidWorks includes upgrading your software and having the best hardware configuration to support it. Here’s an example of the types of gains you can see from better hardware setups.

Do You Deserve an AutoCAD/Lenovo Tech Makeover?

Fewer system crashes. Better design decisions. Faster time to market. Imagine how you could increase your CAD/CAM performance by winning up to five licenses of the Autodesk^® Design Suite software of your choice and up to five fast, powerful, secure and energy efficient Lenovo ThinkStation E30 workstations with 24-inch ThinkVision monitors. If you think you deserve this performance-enhancing technology makeover, you’ve got to enter this Facebook contest!  Read full article »

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Optimizing AutoCAD Performance: Getting the Most From Your System

Every AutoCAD user wants to do more work faster with fewer mistakes—without breaking the bank. Here’s a look at top performance issues and some advice on what you can do about them.