“On Tuesday 14th June 2016, I once again hit the road for an exciting SWUGN tour – this time my destination was the Pacific Northwest. While some of you have already heard of my attendance at SWUGN meetings in Detroit, Boston and the Midwest, this was my first time on the road where I alone would be presenting as well as providing a brief demonstration of DriveWorksXpress – and I was excited to take on this task!”
“As I stepped off the plane in Portland, Oregon, I was immediately greeted with the fresh and crisp air known to this part of the country. My first stop was Clark College where I met up with Cory Derico at the Portland Area SOLIDWORKS User Group Meeting (PASWUG).
The meeting was attended by around a dozen people and I found this group to be very familiar with each other and were able to freely share their comments, questions and also ideas for future meetings.
After we dined on sandwiches and cookies (which were delicious after a long day of travelling) it was time to share with the group information about both DriveWorks and DriveWorksXpress. As I had mentioned that this was my first time on the road on my own presenting as well as showing the software, it was a true testament to the ease and simplicity of the product that I was able to load up a part and successfully demonstrate the simple steps in how to create a project in DriveWorksXpress.
That evening we raffled off many prizes and the main prize of the Amazon Fire TV stick was awarded to a local attendee Baldur Steingrimsson.”
“Next up on my route was Yakima, Washington to visit with Chris Scarlett and the Yakima SOLIDWORKS User Group. The road trip from Portland to Yakima was nothing less of breathtaking as I navigated the 100+ miles and travelled through Columbia Gorge.
Once in Yakima, I made my way over to the Yakima Maker Space where the user group meeting was held. After dining on pizza and pop with a small and more intimate user group, Chris conducted a very informativemeeting which included presentations by Holly Cheek, Technical Marketing Engineer at Hawk Ridge Engineering who demonstrated Master Modelling.
Once again I was able to give a very informative presentation on DriveWorks and DriveWorksXpress. Miguel Chavarria was the lucky winner of the Amazon Fire Tablet that was raffled off at the end of the meeting.”
“Meeting up with Jeff Mirisolawas great and wehit the Seattle area to attend the Seattle Area SOLIDWORKS Power User Group meeting held at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology.
After enjoying a great lunch at the Red Hook Brewery with both Jeff and his co-leader Phil Mello, we had some time to meet up with Mark Driscoll of 3Dconnexion at the waterfront for a brief visit (and Gelato) ahead of the evening’s meeting.
While the expectation for this meeting was to present DriveWorks to a smaller group of about 12 or so, people continued to walk in the door and I lost count at around 30 attendees. What a great meeting turnout! Not only were the attendees engaging with each other ahead of the meeting but also continued to talk with each other through the different presentations; if there was a question that an attendee had, it was not uncommon to have another attendee with more knowledge or experience to chime in to help.
Banter between the presenters and the crowd added a ‘fun’ layer to this meeting that made leaving at the end of the night bittersweet. At the end of the meeting we raffled another Amazon Fire Tablet and the winner was no other than Eric Beatty (who was the founder of this user group!)”
“What a great week presenting about DriveWorks and having the chance to meet so many SOLIDWORKS and DriveWorks users I’m looking forward to where my next trip takes me!”
The European Championshipis an international football competition that takes place every four years. It began in 1960 and has expanded since then. This year, there are 24 teams taking part. The tournament is being hosted in France, with the host nation also being the favourites to win the trophy.
In true DriveWorks style we’ve created a cool project that automates theDriveWorks Fantasy Football league for the European Championship.
The project was created by our Technical Team Manager, Phil, and itinvolves selecting players who earn points for a variety of things, for example if they score a goal.
The idea arose when one of our Reseller Application Engineers created an NFL fantasy draft project using DriveWorks. The excitement of having DriveWorks running our Euro Fantasy League meant that many more people here at DriveWorks wanted to take part.
The project didnt take very long for Phil to create. He emailed everyone asking their thoughts on the Monday and the project was complete by Thursday. Firstly, he compiled a list of all 552 players in the tournament and matched them to their position – either Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder or Attacker.
He then created variables with DriveWorks to make it easier to filter and search for players. Not everyone entering had extensive football knowledge, so this made it possible for them to identify players from the teams that were tournament favourites.
The next task involved assigning each selected player to the fantasy team. This was relatively straight forward and done by using a Group Table export document to add the name in a Selected By column in the list of players.
Once a player had been selected, they have to be removed from the list of available players. This involved going back and adding checks to the filter variables to remove any players where Selected By was not blank, guaranteed that players could not be selected twice.
Ensuring that people could only pick the correct number of players in each position based on their chosen formation was done by first creating a list of all the selected players and their position and then doing a count of the items in the list and comparing them with the selected formation. If it exceeded the maximum, a warning message would appear.
With all of this complete, it was ready for the start of the tournament on Friday 10th June. Every Friday, we treat ourselves to Fish and Chips – a DriveWorks tradition!
We completed the draft whilst eating them and the draft order was selected randomly, each pick had to be made within 30 seconds. This made it a high pressure environment with many entrants having done lots of prior research. A few members of the teamarrived with huge lists of players that they would choose from in addition to elaborate plans of the order they would pick each position.
A nice feature that Phil added was the randomise feature. Anyone could hit the random player button and the project would select a player randomly and add them to the squad. This created added fun and suspense to the draft. Once every team had 11 players selected, the teams were locked in. Phil then sent a graphic of every team and updates the leader board after each game.
As DriveWorks is a rules based system the idea of using it for our league works really well and the draft selection went smoothly. In order to improve the project, having a way of tracking the points automatically would save manually entering them. The ideal scenario would be to link the project to a free web service with a list of points scored by each player. Phil says that the manual process doesnt take long but he would rather spend that time having a beer and watchingthe games!
The project has been thoroughly enjoyed by all of the DriveWorks Team so far but it’s not over yet! Watch this space!
As part of our Women in Engineering series to celebrate National Women in Engineering Day, we’re finding out more about some of the inspiring women we’re surrounded by…
Name: Florica
Job Title: Mechanical Designer/Automation
Industry Type:Manufacture Equipment/Machinery
BSH in Mechanical Engineering
I am currently creating an automation project for conveyor systems, designing the following new custom products using SOLIDWORKS:
“Go fulfil your dream, do not get intimidated, get the power to develop or try out new technology, and have fun doing it!”
Previous to this job, I successfully designed the following Pharmaceutical Equipment:
And before that, I also designed these custom products:
2008 CSWE – Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert
2013 CDWP – Certified DriveWorks Professional
I have always liked to challenge myself to create new projects and to make things happen!
Go fulfil your dream, do not get intimidated, get the power to develop or try out new technology, and have fun doing it!
I loved sport so I probably would have followed that path.
As part of our Women in Engineering series to celebrate National Women in Engineering Day, we’re finding out more about some of the inspiring women we’re surrounded by…
Name:Maryline
Job Title:Technical Sales Specialist for SOLIDWORKS
Company Name: DASSAULT SYSTEMES
After completing a technical degree in Industrial Product Design, I spent 4 years in the health industry as a method technician.
Then I joined the SOLIDWORKS channel, where I have had the chance to meet the DriveWorks Team by the way! I held the position of training specialist and then applications engineer before joining the SOLIDWORKS team.
“Engineering is fascinating. If you are interested in it, go ahead and never give up!”
“The most important thing is having fun!”
As a technical sales specialist, I have 2 main missions:
The first one consists in informing, training, certifying and helping our resellers with SOLIDWORKS solutions.
The second one is to provide the best solution and advice to prospects and customers. This part is very interesting because it allows me to meet a lot of different people in different industries.
I have received 3 internal awards at the last SOLIDWORKS World for my work.
I am certified in DriveWorks Solo and DriveWorks Pro making me a Certified DriveWorks Professional (CDWP) and I have 15 SOLIDWORKS certifications.
I found my way in life very early on. When I was young, I was always creating things and I was full of idea. I always wanted to know and understand how things work. So choosing engineering was obvious for me.
Engineering is fascinating. If you are interested in it, go ahead and never give up!
The most important thing is having fun!
Hum probably something related with food and travelling
As part of our Women in Engineering series to celebrate National Women in Engineering Day, we’re finding out more about some of the inspiring women we’re surrounded by…
Name:Karolina
Job Title: Marketing Specialist
Company Name:SOLIDEXPERT, a SOLIDWORKS and DriveWorks Value Added Reseller.
I have a degree in Management and Production Engineering from Cracow University of Economics, Department of Commodities.
I also have a master’s degree in Management and Production Engineering, specialising in Porduction Management, from Cracow University of Science, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
As Marketing Specialist I prepare all of the marketing materials for my company. In order to do this I need to know the products that we sell and I need to have all the necessary knowledge to convey to our clients, who are also Engineers. Having contact with customers requires me to speak confidently in a technical language and understand their needs.
“If you are passionate about engineering, technology, science etc. you should do it! It doesnt matter that you are a girl, if you truly want something, you can succeed!”
I have received SOLIDWORKS and DriveWorks Certifications, technical training, engineering practice and technical skills.
Since I remember I was interested in engineering, I especially loved to tinker when I was a kid. I was very passionate about watching how something was created and manufactured. I thought that working as an engineer would be even more enjoyable for me so I decided to study Management and Production Engineering.
If you are passionate about engineering, technology, science etc. you should do it!
It doesnt matter that you are a girl, if you truly want something, you can succeed!
I would be a graphic designer
As part of our Women in Engineering series to celebrate National Women in Engineering Day, we’re finding out more about some of the inspiring women we’re surrounded by…
Name:Abi
Job Title:Ezi Quote Support & Marketing Administrator
Industry Type:Agricultural & Industrial Engineering
I was a student at Kingsmead Community School where I achieved all of my GCSEs to a grade C or above.After finishing school I went to work rather than college because I was unsure of what I wanted to do for a career.
I later attended Exeter College at the age of 19, where my chosen course was Mechanical Engineering, I also took evening classes to get my qualifications in CAD.
“Engineering is one of the most rewarding careers you will ever enter into, but you have to be able to have fun along the way.”
I work for a company who design and manufacture grain handling and drying equipment, my job role is very varied within the company. Some days I am using SOLIDWORKS to produce 3D representations of machines, other days I produce marketing material such as banners or brochures, I also maintain our website and online quoting system.
Because my job role is so varied I get to work closely with our sales team and our design team to ensure that our website, quoting system and marketing material is both accurate and appealing. I am very lucky in that my job allows me to do new things on a regular basis.
I achieved my NC & HNC in Mechanical Engineering with Exeter College. I attended one day a week for 4 years which allowed me to continue working full time, in my final year I was awarded the student of the year award for a DriveWorks project that I had developed.
I have completed evening courses in both SOLIDWORKS and AutoCAD and I am a certified DriveWorks and Adobe (Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign) professional.
When I left school I had a few little jobs, telesales, shop assistant and that kind of thing, until my Dad needed someone to do some filing work at his exhaust manufacturing company. I went along to help him out and ended up staying there for 8 years.
My Dad was looking for someone who was computer savvy to learn how to use SOLIDWORKS so that they could finally move off of the old drawing boards, he had one of his friends show me the basics and it went on from there really. He eventually sent me on some training courses & then put me through my HNC once I had decided that engineering was where I wanted to base my career.
I absolutely loved my time working with my Dad, but felt like I needed to make my own name too so decided to apply for a design engineers job with the company I currently work for, needless to say my application was successful and 5 years on I get to enjoy a varied, challenging and rewarding career.
Honestly I owe most of my success to both of my parents for pushing me and supporting me in my career choice, without both of them encouraging me Im 100% sure I wouldnt be where I am today.
Have a sense of humour! Engineering is still a very male dominated world and mens humour is a bit different from womens. If you can learn to enjoy the humour and give as good as you get, you will succeed. Engineering is one of the most rewarding careers you will ever enter into, but you have to be able to have fun along the way.
Thats a tricky one. I cant really imagine myself doing anything outside of the engineering world now, but I suppose I would probably be in a graphic design career.
As part of our Women in Engineering series to celebrate National Women in Engineering Day, we’re finding out more about some of the inspiring women we’re surrounded by…
Name: Nicole
Job Title: Manager of Systems Interface & Application
Industry Type:Heavy Equipment Manufacturing
I studied engineering at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I worked CAD related jobs to put myself through college.
I have run 3 different SOLIDWORKS User Groups around the country. Worked in several heavy equipment manufacturing companies.
Worked as an Application Engineer instructing, implementing, and providing technical support for software.
My role as Manager of Systems Interface & Application is to ensure the streamlined operation of Manufacturing & Engineering Systems to create alignment with the business objectives of the organization.
I plan, coordinate, train and consult with all areas of the business in regards to software integration as it relates to information flow to and from the manufacturing environment.
I was the 2015 SOLIDWORKS User Group Leader of the Year
I have the following SOLIDWORKS Certifications:
“Take what you are passionate about and desire to be the best you can be in that area. Take being different from the norm in engineering and make it your own.”
My dad was a maintenance man by trade and his ability to fix things even when they were broken, peaked my interest at a very early age. I loved figuring out how things worked and what kept them working properly over time. Thus my passion of problem solving software and figuring out how to optimize situations was born.
Take what you are passionate about and desire to be the best you can be in that area. With that being said, get involved in STEM programs. Take as many higher level math and science classes as you can. Dont underestimate yourself or your abilities. Take being different from the norm in engineering and make it your own.
The other avenues I was interested in at the time that decision was made were Culinary School and Photography. If I were to pick something different now, it would be to follow my passion for inventions. I currently have several patents pending.
As part of our Women in Engineering series to celebrate National Women in Engineering Day, we’re finding out more about some of the inspiring women we’re surrounded by…
Name: Crystal
Job Title: Training Manager & Applications Engineer
Company Name: CAPINC (Computer Aided Products INC), a SOLIDWORKS and DriveWorks Value Added Reseller.
Graduated with a BS from Purdue University in Computer Integrated Manufacturing Technology. Then spent 8 years in the engineering world, working as a design engineer in industrial equipment, consumer products and shaft coupling industries before joining CAPINC as an AE. Has worked at CAPINC for 6 years as of July.
“Dont be afraid to be the only girl doing something. Whether it be a fun project or a class at school.”
“Do it because you love it!”
As Training Manager, Crystal is responsible for organizing CAPINC’s Training schedule, including adding, cancelling, and rescheduling classes as needed. She also works with sellers and customers to define and schedule custom training. Part of Crystal’s role is to ensure that all CAPINC classes are fully equipped and staffed to run smoothly. She spends time promoting quality and consistency of all CAPINC instructors. As well as analysing business performance of Training activities at CAPINC. Crystal is always looking to develop ways to increase Training revenue and improve the positive business impact of Training.
Alongside this, Crystal continues her role as an Applications Engineer as well. These duties require her to teach the core SOLIDWORKS classes (Essentials, Advanced Parts, Advanced Assemblies, Advanced Drawings, Surfacing, Sheet Metal, Weldments, QuickStart, Reboot and Educator classes). As well as cover CAPINC’s tech support phones and emails to support customers in SOLIDWORKS, DriveWorks, and 3Dexperience products. She also creates SOLIDWORKS API/Macro programming as a service to their customers as well as supporting CAPINC’s marketing department with technical blog posts and webinars.
Crystal has achieved the following SOLIDWORKS Certifications:CSWP,CSWI,CSWPA-SM,CSWPA-WD,CSWPA-SU,CSWSPA-DT,CSWE,CSWS-D,CSWS-MC,CSWS-3DX,CSWS-MD16 andCSWA-SD and has presented at SOLIDWORKS World for 6 years in a row.
Shealso has Certified DriveWorks Professional (CDWP) status after completing certifications in DriveWorks Solo and DriveWorks Pro.
Where did your initial interest in Engineering come from?
Loved to tinker with things. I got this from watching my dad do DIY projects. I would always help.
If you weren’t an Engineer what would you be?
Disney World Tour Guide
What advice would you give to young women interested in Engineering?
Dont be afraid to be the only girl doing something. Whether it be a fun project or a class at school. Do it because you love it!
Join Jessica and Danielle for the DriveWorks World 2017 Location Big Reveal webinar!
We’ve been busy making plans for DriveWorks World 2017 and we’ve had lots of interest in the event already.
Lots of you have been asking where DriveWorks World will be held next year and now is your chance to find out!
We’re really excited to share the location with you as we’ve chosen it based on the area’s fun culture and ease of access.
We’ll also be giving you a first look at the DriveWorks World website and the opportunity to be one of the first attendees to register!
Being part of the SOLIDWORKS community, we have always recognised the importance of championing women in engineering and our own team is made up of almost 40% women.
We’ve always taken a keen interest in the SOLIDWORKS’ Women in Engineering Recognition Program and just yesterday we attended a STEM careers event to inspire young men and women to consider a career in STEM.
That’s why we’re getting involved in National Women in Engineering Day 2016.
National Women in Engineering Day was set up by the Womens Engineering Society (WES)to focus attention on the great opportunities for women in engineering, ata time when it has never been more important to address the engineering skills shortage. By encouraging girls intoengineering careers we will not only be increasing diversity and inclusion a business imperative but enabling us tofill the substantial future job opportunities that have been predicted in this sector.
The idea behind National Women in Engineering Day is to encourage all groups to organise their own events insupport of the day, and link them together for maximum impact through the use of the NWED.
This year National Women in Engineering Day will take place on June 23rd and throughout the week we will be posting profiles on the women here at DriveWorks as well as some of our friends in the industry.
The Women’s Engineering Society want National Women in Engineering Day to focus on the opportunities for women in engineering to address the engineering skills shortage, and here are some of the reasons why:
There are lots of ways that you can get involved in #NWED2016, here are some of the easiest:
See what else you can do at www.nwed.org.uk
Our Return on Investment Calculator is a DriveWorks ProCPQ project that lets you calculate the Return on Investment for DriveWorks Solo online based on automating one of your own products.
Calculate the savings you could make and see how soon you could benefit. Enter your details and you’ll receive the ROI breakdown, a boss’ justification letter and a quote, all automatically created and emailed to you by DriveWorks.
Because this is such a powerful tool that really helps you to see how much automation can benefit you, we’ve just updated the ROI calculator to make it even more impressive.
Not only has the entire form been given a makeover, the ROI project now also includes the new HTML email functionality that was added to the latest release of DriveWorks Pro, DriveWorks 14. This means that the email you’ll receive includes an eye catching background and our logo as well as the graph that explains the ROI clearly.
The documents that are emailed to you have also been refreshed, including the same background and logo, to match our branding, and has impressive shared images.This clearly demonstrates how easy it is to customize the look and feel of your own DriveWorks driven documents.
All of this functionality is available to you with DriveWorks Pro so you can maximize consistency and professionalism when responding to customers.
Before
After
Sample ROI Calculator Email
With DriveWorks Pro you can create a custom configurator that anyonecan use.DriveWorks software is modular and scalable so you can set up and use the products to your advantage and at your own pace.
DriveWorks Pro has individual software modules to suit your requirements and it is idea for any business involved in order-specific design.
If you’d like to learn more about the individual modules that collectively make up DriveWorks Pro then this short video is the perfect introduction.
It’s a quick and easy way to learn more about each module and how they work together, including:
This great resource is available in three languages; English, German and French.
Get to Know the DriveWorks Pro Modules
Einf端hrung In Die Module Von DriveWorks Pro
Introduction Aux Modules DriveWorks Pro
We’ll be at at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) interactive careers event at Beamont Collegiate Academy on Tuesday 14th June 2016!
We’re really excited to meet students and promote some of the STEM related occupations within our organisation.
When?Tuesday 14th June from 1pm – 3:35pm
Where?
Beamont Collegiate Academy
Long Lane
Warringon
WA2 8PX
The Beamont Collegiate Academy is keen to represent a multitude of aspirational and innovative career pathways alongside the more well established traditional opportunities.
Gemma from the DriveWorks Teamwill be at the event along with our Kiosk which was made by DriveWorks Design Club and manufactured at the Manchester Fablab.She’ll givestudents the opportunity to interact with our online sales configurator allowing them to see first-hand the power of design automation and the relevance of a sales configurators in todays consumer lead market.
Gemma will also introduce students toDriveWorks products, our company and the various departmentsa software company needs in house in order to operate efficiently.
Shewill also talk to students about CAD, engineering, design and all things related to design automation. Ouraim is to give students a real world look at how a business operates, how their skills can fit in to multi-disciplined roles and inspiring them to see past the basics and in to their future aspirations.
Winder Power specialises in the design, build, deploymentand management of power transformers and distributiontransformers. They serve a wide range of customers in theutilities, renewable energy, and industrial sectors acrossthe UK and internationally.
Before using DriveWorks, Winder Power designed to orderusing SOLIDWORKS, design tables and equation basedparts.
Winder Power began with DriveWorks Solo and thenupgraded to DriveWorks Pro. They have found that themove to DriveWorks Pro has allowed them to merge theirexisting DriveWorks Solo projects together, which hasstreamlined the interface for their users.
We have also taken advantage of the additionalfunctionality available within DriveWorks Pro in order todirectly extract information from excel spreadsheets thatexist elsewhere in our organization. Luke Beeson – Mechanical Design Engineer.
Winder Power are currently using DriveWorks in theirengineering department for generating models anddrawings for several components within their designprocess.
These include:
– Full transformer assemblies
– Transformer active part clamp systems
– Oil conservators
– Cooler bank A-Frames
– Transformer rating plates
These components are all based on standardised designrules and are either generated complete with the drawingsand assemblies, or partially generated. The partiallygenerated projects are then developed to completion bytheir engineers.
DriveWorks Pro has allowed Winder Power to designcomponents in much shorter time frames, with reducederrors due to the more rigid design process. Therefore theycan offer their customers a reduced product lead time.
Overall the main benefits of using DriveWorks for WinderPower are the time savings and also the ability to buildfixed design methodology into their projects.
Merging projects further and adding additionalfunctionality is a continuous process for us now, and Iestimate we add additional functionality at least everycouple of months. We are also currently looking intowhat benefits DriveWorks Pro can offer differentdepartments outside of engineering.
