One of the problems many of us deal with is remembering to check to see if we have the latest software drivers on a regular basis.  It can be a pain to check for updates for your video card, CPU, bios, monitor, printer, etc. 

 

If you own an HP workstation, you can use the FREE Tuning Framework software to automatically check for updates for all hardware and peripherals connected to your workstation.  If your machine is less than a year old, it already has the software on it.  However, if you have an older workstation and you want the free software, you can download and install it and it will work just fine.

 

 

I participated in a roundtable discussion at SolidWorks about 3DContent Central.  Now, I use 3DContent Central.  I really like it.  Anybody can download content from there.  You don't have to be a SolidWorks user.

 

One of the participants mentioned that you should be careful of any content that includes a macro, because that macro could carry adware, spyware, or a virus.  He asked that SW create some sort of warning so users know if the file they are requesting includes a macro, so they have the option of cancelling the download.

 

Now, I hadn't even thought about that possibility, but the user is absolutely correct that a macro could indeed carry some code that you might not want on your computer.  This won't stop me from downloading content, but I will be more cautious about the type of content I download.

 

At SolidWorks World, I took a couple of labs and I really liked the screensaver they were using that displayed different renderings done in SolidWorks.  Upon further investigation, what someone had done was download several jpg files from picasaweb and organized them into a folder to create a screensaver.  Anybody can do this.

 

Just right click on your desktop, select Properties, then select Display, then set your screensaver to Photos and set which folder you want to use.  In Vista, select Personalization, then select Screensaver.

 

I really wanted to see the renderings they were using and so I went to Picasa and did a search on SolidWorks.  Wow!  So many gorgeous renderings to choose from...I felt like a kid in a candy shop.  I did a seach under Autodesk Inventor and was more than a little disappointed.  I also seached for Revit and ADT renderings with poor results, so this looks like a strictly SolidWorks sort of place.

 

 

So, why were Autodesk people at SolidWorks World?  I spent some time with Rich Uphus, who consults for Autodesk and works with AUGI, to gain some insight into their visit.

 

One reason was curiosity.  At this point, SolidWorks World has become a successful event in it's own right.  Lynn Allen wanted to see if she could get some ideas on ways she could improve AU.  (I was kind of hoping she would take some classes on how to design in 3D.)

 

Rich told me that next year's AU attendance may be more than 12,000 people.   Rich was curious about how the SolidWorks LUGs work and hoping to find a way for Autodesk people to present for SolidWorks LUGs.  I asked him if Autodesk would reciprocate and allow SolidWorks users to present at AUGI CAD Camps and Rich admitted that this would be unlikely.

 

Rich wants to see if there can be a way for Autodesk and SolidWorks to work together to support the users without worrying about poaching each other's customers.  I pointed out to Rich that the companies are arguing over the same guy, because most SolidWorks users also know how to use AutoCAD and many AutoCAD users would like to learn SolidWorks.   The days when it was an either-or proposition are dwindling.  Users don't care which software they use as long as it meets their requirements.

 

 

Check out these Kinetic Sculptures from Theo Jansen