The Silicon Valley SolidWorks User Group Network (SWUGN) held its first meeting of 2015 on April 16th. This meeting marks the Hacker Dojo as its new home since moving the chapter from the Campbell Community Center.
Chairman of the Silicon Valley Chapter, Brian Titus said, “This is a great place for users to come together and discuss anything and everything SolidWorks. I want to expose new features and tools to the user community that they may or may not be aware of. It’s a good opportunity to learn from one another.”
Titus is a Certified SolidWorks Professional. He is an active member of the SolidWorks community for the last 20 years, which is why he’s an enthusiastic advocate for this tool.
“I’m a Mechanical Engineer by profession. I had exposure to how different companies in industries such as medical device, semiconductor, aerospace, and even start-ups, utilize SolidWorks,” Titus said. “SolidWorks gave a lot to me so I want to give back to the community.”
In the last meeting, the group did a presentation of what took place during the SolidWorks World 2015 Show. The conference, which showcased newly released products of SolidWorks and multiple user group trainings, was held in Phoenix, AZ on February 8 to 11. Since not everyone was able to travel to Arizona, Titus wanted to treat the group to some highlights from the show. One of the most exciting products they covered is the newly released SolidWorks Industrial Design (SWID) software. According to SolidWorks, SWID allows industrial designers to streamline their design process by combining freehand sketching, parametric solid and surface modeling, and realistic product rendering into one application.
Also in that meeting, a Sunnyvale-based company called zSpace presented a demonstration of its virtual reality product to the members. This product allows users to see their designs in a 3D holographic format which makes the image look like it is floating out of the computer screen and be maneuvered in different angles with a hand-held stylus. Titus said of this product, “It was like something out of an Iron Man Movie. This product is very Tony Stark-like.”
This was a typical meeting for the Silicon Valley chapter. Titus said it’s not just a gathering to discuss all things SolidWorks, the group is always open for people to present different CAD perspectives, company news and hi-tech product demonstrations.
The next meeting will take place on June 24 at Hacker Dojo, located in 599 Fairchild Drive Mountain View, CA 94043. Titus encourages mechanical engineers, designers, drafters, CAD administrators and new users to attend the event. “It’s a great networking/technology experience,” he said.
SoloPoint Solutions has been an active supporter of the Silicon Valley SWUGN and the CAD community for over 7 years. SoloPoint Principal Dean Le said, “We feel that it is important to support the ecosystem of mechanical engineers and the tools that enable them to create their designs.”
To stay updated with the Silicon Valley chapter and to see when their next meeting will take place, please visit their website at: http://www.swugn.org/swugn/calendar/ugdetails.htm?id=293