Today's CAD Students, today's, not tomorrow's, entrepreneurs

I truly love teaching CAD at Palomar College, San Marcos, CA. I dig being around people that have a shared passion for all things CAD, mechanical things, and ideas about changing our world for the better.

Above is a photo of one of my students. He came up with an idea to create a small inexpensive hydroponic container. He modeled the idea using SW CAD and printed it on his own 3D printer at home. Amazing! Now he's in the process of gathering data about how the container works, if it needs iteration, etc. Note that a "Drawing" was not required up to this point in his project, cool!

The world is changing. I hope the new world of low cost CAD, Onshape and others, low cost 3D printers, and low cost CAM will enable anyone to change our world for the better.

Hang on to your hats, it's an "E ticket" ride.

Cheers,
Devon Sowell
Onshape Consulting Partner
Professor, Engineering Technology, Palomar College, San Marcos, CA
CarlsbadCAD
sowelldevon@gmail.com
760 809 9046

Raymond Loewy Modernism Designs

BoXZY: CNC Milling, Laser Etching, & 3D Printing from one machine

This looks interesting. Click on here to go to their website.

"Generative Design" I'm looking forward to this.

"Generative Design" starts at the 17min 5sec mark in the following video.

Vintage Chris Craft Boats Friday

My Opinions About The SOLIDWORKS Strategy Update April 9, 2015

Today I watched the 35 minute SOLIDWORKS Strategy Update webinar. A few new products, new to me anyway, were shown along with some existing products. The speed of the demo was very fast and along with the accents of the two main speakers, who I respect, it made it difficult to keep up and understand exactly what they were talking about. I felt like they were trying to cram in the entire DASSAULT/SOLIDWORKS portfolio into a single short session.

They went right into talking about The Cloud, which I believe they call the 3D EXPERIENCE. They have a blue circular logo for that. They stressed that choices are available to either use The Cloud or not with SOLIDWORKS(I'm burnt out on all these CAPS, LOL). However, to use the 3D EXPERIENCE platform in The Cloud is going to cost, and it seems expensive to me. For example they quoted their INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER, software that connects SOLIDWORKS to 3D EXPERIENCE, as costing $1,995.00/year. After a web search, I found the cost of MECHANICAL DESIGNER, another connector to The Cloud, is $2,988.00/year.

I still don't understand how using two software packages to design is cost effective. I certainly don't want to make CAD parts twice and go back and forth, no way.

Next they demo'd, again way too fast, the practically instantaneous creation of a refrigerator and used multiple SOLIDWORKS SIMULATION programs on the CAD file. All I could think about was the total cost of what I'd seen so far. Well north of $15,000.00 is my best guess.

At this point in the demo they had demonstrated SOLIDWORKS, INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER, MECHANICAL DESIGNER, SOLIDWORKS COMPOSER, SOLIDWORKS ELECTRICAL, ENTERPRISE PDM, and so many top level Simulation products that my head was spinning and my wallet had zipped itself closed!

Oh yes, yet another different very quick view of the V6 CAD software. After almost 7 years of hearing about V6, well, I just can't go there anymore. I'm very confused about V6.

Please excuse me if you can. I don't mean to be negative, but re reading this post I can't think of another way to express my opinions. I use SolidWorks, I have for over 15 years. But right now, Onshape has my full attention these days.

Best Regards,
Devon Sowell
CarlsbadCAD
sowelldevon@gmail.com
760 809 9046

Art Deco Friday

I'm fascinated by Art Deco Designs