A look inside SolidWorks World 2011

SolidWorks World 2011 is finally over. It was the second time for International Metalworking News for Asia to be invited. And just like the first time, there's something amazing when you see 5000+ SolidWorks enthusiasts coming together for three days of learning and networking at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Jeff Ray opened the first day, as he has for the past seven years. This year, however, was his final one. Jeff is moving on up into Dassault Systemes and Bertrand Sicot is taking over as CEO of Dassault Systemes SolidWorks (DS SolidWorks). Jeff talked about how SolidWorks software was involved with the Chilean mine rescue, while Bertrand assured all that SolidWorks would always be available as a local install. But one of the great pleasures is hearing the two men, Commander Capt. James Lovell Jr. and Gene Kranz, lead flight director, who helped save the Apollo 13 crew 40 years ago by finding ingenious solutions to catastrophic mechanical problems. Their heroics provide an inspirational example of engineering under pressure. 

The second day of SolidWorks World 2011 started off with Richard Doyle, who manages the SolidWorks User Group Network, hailing the local SolidWorks user communities, followed by SolidWorks's founder Jon Hirschtick who introduced several cool DS SolidWorks customers. A special tribute was given to Michelle Pillers, one of the SWUGN founders and a respected user group member, who passed away last year while fighting with cancer. Next on stage were Rony Abovitz, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of MAKO Surgical, as well as Mike Pisani, Senior Vehicle Engineer and Head Builder Trainer for Local Motors, a company who builds cars based on crowdsourced design efforts. 

And before the second day morning session ended, the crowd grew even more excited as soon as Discovery Channel's Casey Pieretti and Bill Spracher of Bionic Builders were up on stage. Casey lost his leg at the age of 19 but that was not an end for him. He devoted his life to work for amputee people and together with Bill, he work on inventions that turn amputees to do what they want to like swimming, cycling, mountain climbing and much more. Beside this he also work as Hollywood stunt man and has featured in movies like Spider-Man 2, Starship Troopers and Serenity. The energy these guys have was amazing to see and so were the inventions they have done. 

The third and last general session was the day enthusiasts wait to learn about the new products and what's new in the next release of SolidWorks. Fielder first gave an overview of SolidWorks Live Buildings, a 3D conceptual design tool focused on integrated planning and early cost estimation. It's an easy-touse tool for professionals in the AEC industry. DS SolidWorks is planning general availability for the second half of 2011. Next was a demonstration of SolidWorks n!Fuze (former code name SolidWorks Connect). It is the first online PLM product aimed at meeting the simple collaboration and data sharing requirements of SolidWorks customers, SolidWorks n!Fuze is planned for release in Q2 2011. Another new product is Post3D (former code name 3DVIA Scenes and SolidWorks Design Centre). It gives users an easy way to communicate their vision in 3D through an online, immersive experience. Users can invite friends, co-workers, clients, or anyone to share and experience their 3D creations online in an intuitive and interactive interface. 

Everyone's favourite part was what's coming up in SolidWorks 2012. The next release of SolidWorks will help customers do their jobs better, including: refined the functionality to simplify and speed-up daily use of SolidWorks; additional new tools to extend current SolidWorks design capabilities, allow specification-driven design, and fundamentally change the way users estimate and make design decisions related to the cost of manufacturing products; and expanded support for coAir VaporMax Shoes