SOLIDWORKS Largest User Group Meeting Ever (SLUGME)

Five years ago, Todd Blacksher had the vision to create an event that would connect friends and colleagues across the SOLIDWORKS Community.

At the time, Todd was the leader of the SOLIDWORKS User Group of Nebraska. Using his network connections, he planted the seed of an idea for a global user group meeting.

Why not get every SOLIDWORKS User Group in the world to participate in the largest meeting of it’s kind?

He quickly partnered with a few other leaders and they got to work planning the first SOLIDWORKS Largest User Group Meeting Ever (SLUGME).

1st Annual Event

In December of 2016, the 1^st Annual SOLIDWORKS Largest User Group Meeting Ever (SLUGME) was held.

SOLIDWORKS CEO, Gian Paolo Bassi, attended and gave the welcoming remarks.

Over 50 SOLIDWORKS user groups from around the world participated (1,000 users) – some as far away as Australia and India.

Over 200 pizzas were consumed globally during the meeting!

Since that inaugural event, there has been a “Largest User Group Meeting” held every year and the momentum has not stopped.

Over the years, the event has continued to grow, with SWUGN members from around the world coming together at a specific date and time each year. 

There is still interest to connect and engage with each other in between larger events.

Who would have thought that five years ago the idea of a ‘virtual’ user group meeting would become the standard for 2020?

On November 17th, user groups from around the globe joined together once again virtually for the 5^th Annual SOLIDWORKS Largest User Group Meeting Ever (SLUGME 5).

Kam Smith, user group leader for the Aberdeen Proving Ground SWUG, hosted the evening.

We were all treated to two dynamic presenters and SOLIDWORKS ‘power users’ – Eric Beatty and Ed Eaton.

Eric gave an insightful overview into how OMAX is using both SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform in their designs.

Ed Eaton helped users understand how they can best address Design Tree Errors with this “Trees of Blood” presentation.

DriveWorks has enjoyed being a sponsor for this event for the last 5 years.

Cheers to all of the SOLIDWORKS User Group Leaders who have made this event successful over the last 5 fives – and here’s to many more!

Supporting SWUG

With the support of our resellers, customers and partners, we have attended lots of SWUG meetings, sponsored meetings and helped group leaders to find presenters with interesting presentations since 2015.

We love being a part of the SOLIDWORKS Community and look forward to continuing to support the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network.

If you would like us to sponsor your group, get in touch and tell us about your meetings!

HW Ventilation, based in Rescaldina Italy is a leading company in the ventilation and air movement systems industry.

They design, produce and sell axial impellers and ventilators for industrial use. This includes engine cooling systems, compressors, industrial plants and HVAC systems.

Automatically Generated 2D Drawing created using DriveWorks Solo

Designing Before DriveWorks

Before implementing DriveWorks, their lengthy design process required an engineer to draw every new product or variation of an existing product from scratch inside SOLIDWORKS.

Automating the Design Process

Automating this process now enables them to quickly draw 3D models of any type of fan, based on a set of standard variables, such as blade and hub types, fan diameter, material and colour rotation.

The DriveWorks Solo project also automatically generates brand new SOLIDWORKS files and manufacturing data, such as bills of materials and 2D drawings, based on each individual form input.

When describing the time savings achieved with DriveWorks Solo, Ing. Morlacchi, the main DriveWorks user at HW Ventilation says:

“Our design process using DriveWorks Solo is 10 times faster than our previous manual process. Our engineers also don’t have to waste time making drawings, and instead can focus their time on more rewarding projects.”

Responding to Customer Demand

Implementing DriveWorks Solo has enabled HW Ventilation to respond to customer demand faster and with more efficiency, as they now spend a lot less time drawing the same but different designs.

Their customers now receive a drawing of the product they require almost instantly, and personalised quotes are sent out much quicker.

Future Plans

Having achieved their target of reducing engineering time spent on repetitive and low value-add activities, HW Ventilation are looking to the future of what they can accomplish with DriveWorks.

Ing. Morlacchi says that their next step will be to scale up their current DriveWorks Solo projects to DriveWorks Pro and implement an online configurator that will enable their customers

AMCA 210 Test Chamber

“HW Ventilation are looking to the future of what they can accomplish with DriveWorks.”

Download and Use DriveWorks Solo Free for 30 Days

Follow the 3 easy steps below to download the DriveWorks Solo 30 Day Free Trial and see what time savings you can achieve.

Automate SOLIDWORKS Parts, Assemblies and Drawings.

Save time, reduce errors and innovate more.

Read Glen’s Software Updates Feature in November’s DEVELOP3D Magazine

In this month’s DEVELOP 3D magazine, DriveWorks CEO Glen Smith talks about software updates: When you should go for it when you should hold back, and how you should decide which version is the ‘right’ version for your organisation.

This is part of a series of articles by Glen that will be featured every month in the DEVELOP3D magazine.

In the November edition of DEVELOP3D, Glen talks about the importance of software updates and the risk if software is not kept up to date.

Glen explains the problems and risks that come with using outdated software. Drawing on the NHS Tack and Trace programme in the UK as an example, Glen points out what can go wrong when using old, unsupported file formats and the best practice to avoid this.

“Using an old, unsupported file format doesn’t just risk data loss, as we’ve seen here. It can also be a massive security risk.”

“Software and hardware may be updated regularly with shiny new features to draw us in, but the security improvements they contain are often even more important.”

“It’s about making an educated decision. If a new version has features that will save you time, then upgrade it.”

DEVELOP3D Magazine is free to read online, read the full article on page 17.

A New Way of Connecting DriveWorks Users From Around the World

Sharing technical know-how and practical experience informally with each other is something we know many people using DriveWorks would like to do. It’s certainly always worked well at DriveWorks World.
However as DriveWorks World is only once a year, we’ve decided to use technology to set up a new digital event to help you all connect more often and without the need to travel.

We’re excited to introduce you to – DriveWorks Drivers.

This is an opportunity to connect with DriveWorks users from around the world, share ideas and talk DriveWorks!

Virtual Networking Meetings

We’re aiming for 4 meetings per year, and we hope you’ll join us at the first one to help shape them going forward. The meetings aim to connect DriveWorks Users from around the world, invite guest speakers to share experience,s and encourage questions and dialogue about the technology.

These virtual networking meetings will be hosted by us, as a value add for people using DriveWorks Solo or Pro who have an active subscription.

We will also welcome authorized Applications Engineers from our VARs with a DriveWorks focus, who can contribute to the conversations too.

The first DriveWorks Drivers virtual networking meeting will take place on Thursday 10th December.

We’ll be releasing more information closer to the event, but please register your interest by getting in touch with us.

We can’t wait to welcome you at the first meeting!

The DriveWorks Team Begin Their Movember Journey

For the past few years, members of the DriveWorks team have taken part in Movember.

This year more of the team are taking part than ever before, 18 of our team are giving it a go!

Movember involves growing a moustache during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues.

Movember fund thousands of men’s health programmes, find out about the causes Movember supports on their website.

Check back here for updates on this year’s moustache and fundraising journeys…

See who is taking part, track their progress and support the cause via our Team page.

Our DW Mo’s

Day 30

Track their Progress

See who is taking part, follow the team’s progress and support the cause via our Movember Team Page.

FIRST® is a not-for-profit public charity working to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.

The charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

It inspires them to become leaders and innovators, and enhance their 21st-century work-life skills.

The exciting mentor-based programs foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

The FIRST® Robotics Competition

One of the programs run by FIRST® is the FIRST® Robotics Competition. Combining the excitement of sport with the rigours of science and technology, the FIRST® Robotics Competition is the ultimate Sport for the Mind. High-school student participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have”.

Under strict rules, limited time and resources, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors.

It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. Each season ends with an exciting FIRST® Championship.

How are we supporting FIRST®?

To create their robots, teams can request a variety of resources from the network of FIRST® sponsors.

SOLIDWORKS® are a sponsor of the program, providing access to a dozen SOLIDWORKS® products, tutorials and a Kit of Parts, which they can use to create quick assemblies and models of their robots.

With their SOLIDWORKS® licenses, FIRST® Robotics Competition teams also had access to DriveWorksXpress, included free inside every seat of SOLIDWORKS.

By using DriveWorksXpress, students are able to automate parts of their robot design to save time and reduce errors.

Improving Skills & Gaining Knowledge

Not only are they improving their robot and the team’s performance, they’re also adding to their CAD skills.

Investing in the future and supporting STEM is very important to us. We launched our DriveWorksXpress Training & Certification Program to help students learn the design automation skills they need and gain a certification to prove their knowledge and skills.

Two students from Ayer Shirley FIRST® Robotics Team (Andromeda One) were the first high school students in the world to become Certified DriveWorksXpress Associates.

Becoming a Sponsor

We want to help even more students learn extra skills that will help them in future STEM careers, so we are also a FIRST® Robotics Competition Sponsor.

As part of the FIRST® Robotics Supplier Sponsorship, FIRST® Robotics Competition Teams can now request a free 12-month license of DriveWorks Solo.

Using DriveWorks Solo will help teams automate their repetitive SOLIDWORKS tasks and free up students and mentors to focus on quality robot design.

In addition to the software, students have access to resources to support their learning, including DriveWorks Solo Technical Webinars, Online Training, How-to Videos, Extensive Online Help Files and much more.

We are excited to be part of the FIRST® Robotics Competition, supporting teams with useful resources, learning opportunities and new skills.

Problem Solving Through a Pandemic

After a successful launch to the season in 2019, in the spring of 2020 FIRST® made the decision to cancel the FIRST® Robotics Competition season in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Many teams did not bring their visions and robots to completion, nor did they have a chance to compete and network with their mentors, peers, and friends.

As an organisation that teaches young people how to solve problems and innovate, FIRST® responded to the pandemic in a way they would want students to.

While the on-site competitions were cancelled, the mission of FIRST® stuck– “…to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders…” and that’s what they have worked hard to continue.

Staying Connected

Even though the competition season had to be cancelled, FIRST worked hard to ensure that teams were staying connected and continuing developing skills and learning from home.

In May 2020, FIRST @ Home was launched as a way to offer free, creative activities for their community to engage in online learning and skills building.

To help keep young people engaged during this time,  FIRST^® created this as a shared space to learn about opportunities for online learning/skills development, FIRST^® supported activities, and provide a place to stay connected to the FIRST^® community during this global pandemic.

How can FIRST® teams get support from us?

FIRST® Robotics Competition Teams can request a license of DriveWorks Solo Design Automation Software for a period of one year.

Get in touch with our team to Request Your License.

How else are we supporting STEM?

We continue to actively promote and support STEM. The DriveWorksXpress Training & Certification is available completely free to anyone who has access to SOLIDWORKS. Students and professionals can learn DriveWorksXpress and get certified in 3 easy steps.

Our team also attend events – both in person and online – to teach students about DriveWorksXpress and to inspire them to follow STEM careers.

Investing in our own team and their future is also hugely important to us. We have an Investors in People Silver Award and we take on placement students and graduates across multiple disciplines. Many of our students continue their careers with us and most of our team started their careers here as a student.

We’re Here For You

On Thursday, 5th November, England entered a second lockdown due to Coronavirus.

Just as we adjusted to the first lockdown, we’re doing the same now.

Although we love being in the office, we’ve made sure we can work from home successfully when we need to, and that we stay connected as a team.

Following the latest government guidelines, we are fully operational, selling and supporting our software across the globe.

We thought we would take this opportunity to share some of the things we’ve been up to during this time and our upcoming plans.

Working from Home and Embracing Digital

Our investments in technology and our commitment to digital transformation means we are well set up for working remotely. Our transition to home working this year has been smooth and we have remained open and operational throughout the pandemic.

All our teams have continued to work and support you as usual via email, by phone and web meeting where appropriate.

When we first made the move to home working, we reassured you that we’re here as normal for anything you need. We promised it would be business as usual.

As we’ve settled into this new way of working, it hasn’t actually been business as usual. If anything, it’s been business with a boost!

Our team have really embraced this time as an opportunity to improve, create and innovate.

Two New Software Releases

We’re proud that we’ve released not one but two software versions, rigorously tested (and used by us!) during a global pandemic whilst our team are working remotely.

In April we released our latest major version, DriveWorks 18, and presented about the new features and enhancements during Digital DriveWorks World.

Since then, we continued to work on DriveWorks 18 Service Pack 1. Less travel and more time in the office over the past few months has enabled us to dedicate a lot of time to work on adding new enhancements and updates to this service pack release.

Hosting a Digital Event

Whilst the current global situation stopped us from hosting a face to face event, we still wanted to provide an opportunity for DriveWorks users to learn and connect. So this year we made DriveWorks World a digital event.

We were joined by over 200 DriveWorks customers, resellers and partners for a week of learning, networking and sharing ideas – all online.

During the event, we revealed What’s New in DriveWorks 18 and presented digital training, hands-on learning and advanced sessions all through live webinars and downloadable content.

Using technology, we created an event that was completely online. The sessions are available to download for anyone who missed them, or for anyone who needs a recap.

We’re already working on dynamic content for the next one in April 2021 – whether it’s physical, virtual or blended.

Growing Our Team

Every year we welcome new staff and placement students across many of our teams. We’ve always valued the importance of investing in new talent and supporting the future of digital, and this year is no different.

Through the pandemic, we were excited to welcome four new placements students and three full-time staff to the DriveWorks team.

Whilst the office doesn’t have its usual friendly buzz, our new employees have still had plenty of chance to get to know each other, and the rest of the DriveWorks team.

Adding to our team’s knowledge and expertise with new people and new skills means we can be really productive during this time and continue to improve and innovate.

Education

This year, the local education community in Warrington have been really embracing digital. The Cheshire & Warrington Pledge have been running online workshops and events for students and young people in the area.

We are proud to have been involved in these events – educating young people about how to be productive during this time and using it as an opportunity to add value for their future careers.

Over the past few months, we have taken part in lots of different events as part of The Pledge Partnership.

We have been educating young people about how to be productive during this time and using it as an opportunity to add value to their future careers.

Thanks to the virtual learning platform Learn Live, we have been able to speak to thousands of students across the country – digitally of course.

Our team have invested our time and resources into helping the future and inspiring students.

For each session, we have joined we’ve also been available in the live chat facility for students to ask questions directly.

It has been great to be involved in these events and to see such a positive response from young people wanting to learn.

Part of the Community 

Shortly after returning from 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020, all ‘in-person’ SWUG meetings were placed on hold indefinitely.

In true SOLIDWORKS problem-solving style, the community responded.

Shifting gears and using the technology tools they had been given. SWUG groups became virtual.

As time goes on, virtual SWUG meetings are occurring more frequently and have developed a more routine schedule.

It’s been great to see groups working together to collaborate on larger, regional meetings and be a part of it.

Attending Virtual Events

Normally during this time of year, our team would be heading out all around the world to attend our reseller’s SOLIDWORKS launch events.

Although we haven’t been able to attend events in person, technology and innovation has brought communities together and enabled us to join lots of great virtual events!

Last year we attended 53 SOLIDWORKS launch events, in 14 countries held by 22 different resellers.

This year with the help of technology we have been able to join events anywhere in the world!

Team Work

Whilst most of our team are back working from home, we have still managed to stay connected and work together to achieve!

We are continuing our normal team communications, we’re holding weekly company-wide meetings online and sharing news of what we are getting up to outside of work!

From taking up new hobbies to sharing recipes we’ve enjoyed – we love to know what everyone’s been doing!

For the past few years, members of the DriveWorks team have taken part in Movember.

Movember involves growing a moustache during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues.

This year is no different. We are pleased to say that we have 18 people taking part in Movember this year (A DriveWorks record!).

You can track their progress and support the cause via our Team page.

But that’s not all we’re up to.

The entire DriveWorks team are continuing to create great software and a wide range of resources to help sell and support our software worldwide!

Our Customers Are Innovating

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve heard from our customers who have been using this time to improve and work on projects they don’t usually have time for.

They’re making time for developing their DriveWorks projects, adding features and functionality to help them move forward and continue to work smarter.

It’s been great to learn about our customers and their continued success during this time!

Connect With Us

Read the latest updates from the DriveWorks team on our blog and connect with us on social media to stay updated on product information, events and learning opportunities available.

Let’s connect!

Industry Trade Events

Trade shows have long been a feature in the CAD and manufacturing industry. Trade shows and events are a big part of our year and we have always loved attending trade events around the world.

Throughout October and November, our time is spent usually attending SOLIDWORKS launch events.

Last year we attended 53 SOLIDWORKS launch events, in 14 countries held by 22 different resellers.

How the Pandemic Has Changed Things in 2020

Most in-person events have been cancelled this year.

Although we can’t be attending events in person, technology and innovation has enabled us to use web-based platforms to hold virtual events.

From virtual conference centres to live chats taking place on an online booth, there’s been a really positive adoption of technology.

Whereas before online events might have seemed daunting starting a conversation with a stranger through the screen, now it seems completely normal!

Now more than ever we have got used to joining meetings from our own homes, using our webcams and microphones, engaging with others without a handshake to introduce ourselves.

When we are usually attending trade events it would mean booking flights, hotels and other costly business expenses. Now, all we need is a laptop and a coffee to join!

This new era of events are meaning huge savings for businesses, not only saving money but also time.

Events online are much less time-consuming.

Before when visiting a trade show no matter where in the world, it meant time was needed to travel to and from that destination, with enough time to set up our booth.

Now we can join the event from anywhere in the world!

Normally during this time of year, our team would be heading out all around the world to attend our reseller’s SOLIDWORKS launch events.

Although it’s a huge shame we can’t be there, it has worked well joining the events online.

Even with language barriers and time differences we’ve managed to attend events around the world.

We’ve also found that we have more of our team members joining these events.

Normally it would be a small group heading out to these events, especially ones further afield.

But now we’re able to have as many team members as we want to join us on the booth, answering questions, presenting and networking.

For many members of the team who wouldn’t normally get to attend these events – it’s been a great chance for them to get involved.

Virtual events have also brought us the ability to join multiple events. We can now do the impossible – be in two places at once.

We no longer have to worry about schedule clashes and making sure we can attend both.

From the events we’ve attended we have seen just a handful of the different types of virtual event software there are on the market.

From the Vfairs Platform to Accelevents and many more we have seen there’s a huge range of capability and flexibility in what the software can offer.

Some offer a very realistic look and feel of a traditional trade show, with a reception lobby, an auditorium and exhibit hall. By clicking around an attendee has the ability to navigate themselves around.

Similar to real-life events, vendors have their own booths set up with videos, data sheets and details about their products advertised. Attendees can visit these booths to learn more and spark a conversation in the online chat.

Other kinds of software have more of a webinar-style layout where an attendee registers individually for the presentations or breakout sessions they would like to join.

Rather than a visual layout, the event is split up into web pages and still offers vendors their own space.

One of the features we particularly enjoyed was having a live video feed. It meant that while the event was taking place we could be giving live demonstrations of our software – like we would usually be doing on our booth.

Another feature we found useful was the ability to hold round table sessions, where members of our team could join with their webcam along with our reseller experts to answer any questions or start up a conversation around DriveWorks with anyone who wanted to join.

This type of set up made it feel much more like a real event and created a buzz around our booth.

Our Experience of  Hosting a Virtual Event

Right at the beginning of lockdown, we reimagined our own annual technical training event DriveWorks World as a virtual one.

Hosting our event online enabled us to reach a much wider audience and gave more people from all over the world the opportunity to join in. It also meant we reduced travel, improved communities and engagement by increasing learning and networking opportunities for everyone.

We’re already working on dynamic content for the next one in April 2021 – whether it’s physical, virtual or blended.

Events

Take a look at all upcoming webinars and see which events we are attending!