| This, the last day of the conference is usually when SolidWorks rolls out their preview of the next version, and today was no exception.
Every year a new technique is used. This year the new features of the next version were centered around specific customer needs.
After a keynote presentation by two of the team from “Prototype This,” the Discovery Channel show about engineering, the SolidWorks product marketing team reviewed the top upcoming functions for SolidWorks 2010. Each year the team creatively presents ways to frame the needs for the new functions. This year they framed it around user needs of specific leading edge users. These new functions include:
1. ViewMates which allows viewing selective information about assembly mates;
2. Mirror Components which mirrors not only components but also all their connections;
3. Optimization of parts by entering design goals and altering parameters to achieve a best fit for the goals, which may include structural and parameter goals;
4. Mutli body sheet metal;
5. Easier reference plane creation;
6. Assembly visualization tools that can color assembly components by weight, cost, etc. to provide an easy view of overall items that may need additional work;
7. Assembly configurations in the Feature Manager;
8. Enhanced drawing tools for annotation and tables that ease management of notes, balloon sizes, and BOM table updating;
9. A heads up display of dimensions for easier direct editing of tolerance style, text; as well as better stacked dimension plcement, and finally – smart center lines;
10. Direct editing tools for editing of imported data, including adding hole dimensions and circular pattern recognition, all retained in the feature tree.
11. An environmental impact analysis function, called SAGE, that provides a dashboard for comparing the environmental impact of various alternatives such as material type and country of origin.
I also had a chance to speak with NI about their upcoming version of LabView and its impact on mechatronics design, as well as fascinating software from the new company, Vuuch. More about these later.
|
