Each year, SolidWorks World holds the biggest gathering of CAD users, primarily Mechanical Engineers, Designers and Drafters. This year, SolidWorks World was held in Los Angeles, CA and was attended by over 5000 CAD enthusiasts where they were able to see first-hand the new SolidWorks additions. Here are some features that were highlighted at the event as reported by Design World Online:
Gian Paolo Bassi, the chief executive officer of CAD maker SolidWorks kicked off SolidWorks World, held on February 5-8 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, by introducing SolidWorks CAM, to help manufacturing companies with “smart manufacturing.”
Smart manufacturing, he said, uses all the content in 3D models to:
- Recognize how features will be manufactured
- Learn how much it will cost to manufacture
- Understand how to read tolerances and surface finishes
- Obtain information to make smart decisions about how to manufacture and assemble your products
SolidWorks CAM, powered by CAMWorks, will be included on all desktop versions of the CAD software, Bassi said.
At the event, Bassi also spoke about his company’s plans to take CAD online. Last year, the CAD maker previewed its Xdesign, a browser-based design tool. That project now includes a capability Bassi calls computer augmented design. Xdesign recommends to designers the starting shapes they could best use at the beginning a project.
SolidWorks is also developing topology optimization that will connect simulation and geometry, Bassi said. It will help engineers anticipate how to reach engineering goals and then to 3D print intricate micro structures, using technology from SolidWorks partner nTopology.
Bassi also spoke about the more than 250 features and 520 enhancements included within SolidWorks 2017, introduced in September.
New features include one that converts a chamfer to a fillet for flexible modeling, enhancements to import mesh files, a wrap feature, an offset surface enhancement, and magnetic mates with speedpack enhancements that makes it makes it easy for engineers to manage large modular assemblies.
To learn more about what happened at SolidWorks World 2017, go to www.solidworks.com.
If you’re a SolidWorks user currently looking for a career move, contact the helpful recruiters at SoloPoint Solutions at (408)246-5945 or (714)708-3639.