SolidWorks Robotics Summer School

[Brandon Martus]

Learn SolidWorks.
Keep Math Skills Sharp.
Design Better Robots.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/misc/SolidWorksThankYou.jpg (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xkQvNWfW6yP9N_2bklFhJcZA_3d_3d)

Click here to sign up. (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xkQvNWfW6yP9N_2bklFhJcZA_3d_3d)
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/misc/SolidWOrksThankYou.jpg

[GBilletdeaux930]

can we get some more information? I dunno maybe i just missed something. Is it online? Or is there like a physical place it would be held?

[tdlrali]

Any additional info on this would be great!

[Andrew Bates]

It appears this is a sign-up to get more info.

[gibbyrawr]

I signed up, I suppose you'll receive more info later.

[technoL]

I have nothing to do this summer. Sounds cool whatever it is. I signed up.

[Tottanka]

assuming they are asking for the country you are from, that will probably be online...

[JulieB]

i wonder if college mentor can sign up :D

[mplanchard]

To answer your questions:

You fill out a survey, SolidWorks will send a DVD in the mail with a special code for you to install on your home computer.

Offer is good in US and Canada - sorry to other countries - we have export legal issues and collection of data online from students.

Mentors, if they are in college can apply. You must be a student

Each week, a new lesson in July and August will be posted online at www.solidworks.com/robotics. These lessons are not there yet. Our first step is this large distribution to all robotics competitions. You will go through certain SolidWorks Tutorials - then a specific issue will be addressed in robotics and math.

Why SolidWorks software - too many people asked me in Atlanta how could they use SolidWorks and too many people were sad they missed the Chief Delphi raffle.

Why math - I used to teach math to engineering students - you have go to be good - even without a calculator. You need to do math every day.

Why design robots better - there is functionality in SolidWorks that will make your life easier. The questions that were asked at the Boston Regional, Manchester Regional, and in Atlanta would save time in robot design. Some tips you may know; others come from being an engineer for a laboratory robotics company (the best job for a mechanical engineer)

What if I use another CAD product? Doesn't matter. I have used at least 10 in my career - the more tools you know the better. You need to experience different user interfaces and different techniques.

Post any other questions and I will try to answer promptly.

Marie

[technoL]

Thanks mplanchard for the clarification!

I've wanted to learn Solidworks for a while now and this seems like a really interesting approach. Do you know what type of math will be taught with this? Geometry? Calculus? A bit of everything?

Also, how long is the student copy good for? Is it a 1-year license like the other student editions?

[Adam Y.]

I wish there was some type of confirmation because I honestly have no idea if I signed up earlier and I didn't particularly feel right signing up twice.

[fimmel]

i signed up. we will see what happens

also i suggest for people that like SolidWorks to look for solidworks user groups in your area i go to one in northern Vermont and they have meetings bi-monthly where they do feature demos and let people share solutions to their problems. its a great experience! sometimes they give things away like ipods, hats, backpacks, t-shirts, and i even won a copy of SolidWorks 2008 student edition (which is great)

...forest

[mplanchard]

Math level: Basic Math (such as perfect squares/perfect square root from 1 - 20. For example is someone said 15^2 would you know the answer with no calculator)

Algebra, Geometry, Trig (definitely my favorite), Combining Geometry with Trig - such as a unit circle. There is just little Calculus - by more applied and how it relates to the robot; such as center of mass, moment of inertia. However, even when I taught Calculus or Differential Equations most students made Algebraic mistakes.

Although I believe in using a calculator, TI is a great customer, you need to realize, that there are engineering professors that will not allow calculators on a test. This is a fact that surprises many high school students when they get to college. You are at an age where you can figure things out in your head - with math you just have to exercise your brain. Sometimes in the summer students forget.

Also, there is not exam, no PSAT, SAT, AP exam, State standard exam, classroom exam, no test - what about just learning for learning, with no pressure? Marie

[mplanchard]

i signed up. we will see what happens

also i suggest for people that like SolidWorks to look for solidworks user groups in your area i go to one in northern Vermont and they have meetings bi-monthly where they do feature demos and let people share solutions to their problems. its a great experience! sometimes they give things away like ipods, hats, backpacks, t-shirts, and i even won a copy of SolidWorks 2008 student edition (which is great)

...forest

You can find user group meeting throughout the world at
http://www.swugn.org/pages/calendar/calendar.html

[JulieB]

I signed up. I would love to learn solidworks since i am a drafting major.

[DanDon]

I signed up- any info on who the lucky 1,000 were would be great :]. And I loved the Solidworks car pins in Atlanta.

[IbleedPink233]

I signed up for it, too - I just started learning Solidworks and I love it. This is an awesome idea. I think that FIRST could benefit by using this same system to help train students for the next season in other design software, programming, animation, etc.

[HighLife]

I also signed up.

[Andrew Bates]

Signed up, always wanted to learn how to use solidworks to it's full potential.

[cooker52]

Signed up too.
Love doing that kind of stuff and figured I may as well throw my hand at whatever is offered.

[MGoelz]

I signed up. I've had a copy sitting by my computer that has yet to be used. It's a 90-day thing from VEX, but I never got around to it. I know a lot about Autodesk Inventor, and I want to learn something a little different; I want to expand my horizon a little. :)

[Justanotherguy1]

signed up

[swaknight]

im guessing that means that you missed the cutoff

i signed up a few hours ago, but it would still be nice to get some feedback.
I'm trying to expand on my skills and this looked like the perfect way

[Justanotherguy1]

well i don't know if i missed the cutoff, anyone who signed up right away know?? And when does the DVD come? What happens if you missed the first 1000 cutoff?

[Andrew Schreiber]

Also, will the tutorials be available to anyone or just those 1000?

[cooker52]

that's a good question.
If we can't get the software, some of the tutorials will still be extremely useful.

[DanDon]

Also, will the tutorials be available to anyone or just those 1000?

From what I understood, the tutorials will be available to everyone, but only the first 1000 get the free copy.

[NickE]

I just signed up.

I started playing around with solidworks a few weeks ago, and its awesome.
It'd be sweet to have some robotics-specific tutorials for it

[Richard McClellan]

I signed up! Solidworks is awesome.

[mplanchard]

This morning we have almost 500 students - so if you have registered yesterday - you are in good shape.

We will place all the tutorials on our website for all students to use at www.solidworks.com/robotics

The first 1000 students will get the SolidWorks Student Edition. This is a one year license with all the analysis tools including COSMOSMotion and COSMOSFloWorks.

The second 1000 students will get the SolidWorks Student Design Kit. This is a 5 month license that will take you through SolidWorks Robotics Summer School.

Some of the tutorials you will review are in the product, others will be on line. Instructions will be given in June.

For now - we are trying to mail a large volume of software out before college students go on vacation. SolidWorks Robotics Summer School is also open to college students that design for MATE, Battlebots, RoboCup.

Be certain to double check your mailing address and completely fill out the form. If the address is not complete - we cannot ship.

Marie

[Brandon Holley]

Any chance at getting 2008 copies?

I currently use 2008 at my job, and I am really loving the revamped user interfaec.

[James1902]

signed up

[mplanchard]

Brandon - you are one of our biggest fans. You and the Nutrons have supported so many schools. We haven't produced the 2008-2009 Edition yet. Wont be ready until late summer.

Marie

[JoshD]

I signed up. This looks really good because our team is trying to expand out of our old design approach. I'll share this with some other members of the team.

[Brandon Holley]

Brandon - you are one of our biggest fans. You and the Nutrons have supported so many schools. We haven't produced the 2008-2009 Edition yet. Wont be ready until late summer.

Marie

Well as soon as those are ready myself and the NUTRONs would be more than willing to try it out for you guys ;)

Solidworks rules and I am glad to see that you guys are finally getting some recognition for your support of FIRST, which for years has been dominated by autodesk.

Looking forward to the summer workshops...

The beantown blitz is may 31st, you should definitely come and stop by!

[CameraManWill]

This is cool that they're opening it to mentors in college also, i'll have to relay this to some other team members.

[StephLee]

I just signed up, hopefully I can still get a copy...

[Torboticsmember]

Signed up, hopefully I made the cutoff, and it should be fun.

[ggberg]

I shoulda done it ysterday but decided to do it today. Hopefully I still made the cutoff but looking at the ammount of views and how people sent the links to anyone they knew, I probably dind't

I wish they sent an email wether you made it or not..

[Molten]

The number of views doesn't say much though. This is my third time reading this thread to get info. And yeah, I signed up too. If I don't make the deadline, then that is fine...I still hope I made it though.

[MWagon]

Marie:

My son signed up yesterday morning, but has not recieved any sort of confirmation. Does he wait to see if the DVD arrives?

[Branden Ghena]

Signed up

Probably too late, but what the heck, it can't hurt! :D

[mplanchard]

Summer school enrollment has been expanded. We have opened this class up to 2000 students. It will take between 7 to 10 business days to receive your software. Marie

[MWagon]

Great news Marie! Thank you SolidWorks. :)

[zachjo]

it is odd that they are using survey monkey and not their own site but very cool deal.

[cooker52]

That is awesome! I'm truly glad that Solidworks is doing this. It's a great opportunity for everyone. And the fact that their expanding means that many are taking it. This is awesome.

[ggberg]

Summer school enrollment has been expanded. We have opened this class up to 2000 students. It will take between 7 to 10 business days to receive your software. Marie

Awesome! So I should i made it.. i hope :eek:

Will we receive any sort of email conformation?

[Andy L]

We haven't CADed in all our years as a team. Middle of this season I got a VEXplorer kit that came with the free 150 days of Solidworks I taught myself how to use it and I'm already teaching some of my team members the basics. Tutorials like this should be really helpful to use.

[Equinox]

I signed up... got some 3D modeling experience but not CAD kind of experience.

[mplanchard]

Why do we use Survey Monkey? Because there are legal issues in entering students names into the SolidWorks Corporation database. We cannot store this information. Survey Monkey allows us to easily delete names, once we ship software.

The legal process is different after you install SolidWorks software. We will then ask you to enter your email address and we do keep track of these in our SolidWorks database.

Since SolidWorks Summer School is open to students of all ages, we cannot assume students are over 18.

Marie

[mplanchard]

Awesome! So I should i made it.. i hope :eek:

Will we receive any sort of email conformation?

If you were able to fill out the survey monkey, you will receive software.

Again, we limit our email back due to legal issues with minors. However, we can ship things the old fashion way.

This process does work; we ship thousands of copies of SolidWorks to the Formula SAE teams and and college robotics teams that use our products in competitive engineering design. We protect our software and we protect our students according to the law. Marie

[A_Reed]

Wow that was fast, I received my software today.

[fimmel]

Yup i received mine today. 12 months solidworks 2007 with cosmos :D

i cant wait for the tutorials... maybe i can pick up some new stuff

...forest

[ggberg]

Yup i received mine today. 12 months solidworks 2007 with cosmos :D

i cant wait for the tutorials... maybe i can pick up some new stuff

...forest

dang thats fast.. :0

[ggberg]

If you were able to fill out the survey monkey, you will receive software.

Again, we limit our email back due to legal issues with minors. However, we can ship things the old fashion way.

This process does work; we ship thousands of copies of SolidWorks to the Formula SAE teams and and college robotics teams that use our products in competitive engineering design. We protect our software and we protect our students according to the law. Marie


Thank you for explaining.

[swaknight]

hopefully i'll get mine tomorrow. but im looking forward to it.

[aksimhal]

I got mine today...I'm so excited. Thank you SolidWorks!

I was wondering if SolidWorks allowed for licneses to be transfered? (Autodesk has something where you can install the product on multiple computers and switch off the licnesses between computers)

Thanks!

[gibbyrawr]

got my solid works software in the mail today =)
is knowing cad in advance going to help me?
or is this completely different?
and when are the online tutorials going to be posted up

[cooker52]

got my solid works software in the mail today =)
is knowing cad in advance going to help me?
or is this completely different?
and when are the online tutorials going to be posted up

I believe it would be because you won't have to learn all over again how to design models and the such.

If you are refering to Auto CAD, then it will be different, and you might have to think in different ways, but you'll get used to it.

As far as the software, I haven't gotten it yet.

And I'd bet that the tutorials would come up starting in June, maybe late May.

I don't know for sure, but I can't wait for it.

Correction: The lessons will begin in July and go through April
Here's the post-http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showpost.php?p=740588&postcount=9

[neoshaakti]

this is sooooo cool! Im so excited to learn how to CAD !

I got my CD today
Thank you Solidworks!

[cooker52]

how many has used autodesk inventor before?

I use it all the time, it's what we have at school, so I'm pretty familiar with it.
And how different is it from solidworks?

[AdamHeard]

how many has used autodesk inventor before?

I use it all the time, it's what we have at school, so I'm pretty familiar with it.
And how different is it from solidworks?

At first, because inventor is familiar, inventor will seem better.

Once you use solidworks for a while, you realize how much better it is overall; I can't quite pinpoint what I like better about solidworks, but I know it 25% as well as inventor and I still like it more. Also, an added bonus is that inventor isn't very commonly used in industry/college compared to solidworks.

[A_Reed]

how many has used autodesk inventor before?

I use it all the time, it's what we have at school, so I'm pretty familiar with it.
And how different is it from solidworks?

I have used a little bit of both, I am in an engineering computing class that is teaching it. it is IMO about 90% the same, the inter-part references are allot better though unlike Inventor. My only peeve is the controls, I am used to right clicking and dragging to pan in Inventor but SW invokes the rotate command, I am getting used to it in 3D but in a drawing it would be nice to still be able to pan, I haven't figured out how to remap the controls yet. but basically what I have done on it it is pretty awesome.

[Lions for First]

i cant wait for my copy to come i hope its here as soon as possible i want to get started

[vikram31291]

I just got my copy in the mail yesterday! Got here (richmond, va) pretty fast.

[DanDon]

I hate to put up a "me too" post, but I just got my copy of the software in New York, NY. Thanks Solidworks!!

[cooker52]

At first, because inventor is familiar, inventor will seem better.

Once you use solidworks for a while, you realize how much better it is overall; I can't quite pinpoint what I like better about solidworks, but I know it 25% as well as inventor and I still like it more. Also, an added bonus is that inventor isn't very commonly used in industry/college compared to solidworks.

I have used a little bit of both, I am in an engineering computing class that is teaching it. it is IMO about 90% the same, the inter-part references are allot better though unlike Inventor. My only peeve is the controls, I am used to right clicking and dragging to pan in Inventor but SW invokes the rotate command, I am getting used to it in 3D but in a drawing it would be nice to still be able to pan, I haven't figured out how to remap the controls yet. but basically what I have done on it it is pretty awesome.

I seem to hear some controversy in opinions. I've talked to some of my mentors about which the prefer, and they seem to prefer Autodesk.

It seems to me that it's interesting that inventor isn't widely used, cause some of our mentors companies are switching over. That, and Inventor is all I really know. Guess you can call me sheltered.

Does anyone know if Solidworks has some of the same features as Inventor's Design Accelerators?

[Alex.Norton]

Does anyone know if Solidworks has some of the same features as Inventor's Design Accelerators?

SolidWorks has something similar in their Design Library. The design library lets you put different features in the part itself and then also lets you put bolts, bearings, keys, clips, sprockets, gears, pulleys and structural members in the assembly. This works differently than SolidWorks and quite frankly I prefer the design libray to the Design Accelerators.

I have used both and while I haven't used inventor as much as I have SolidWorks so I might be a little biased, I much prefer SolidWorks.

They have a lot of the same features but SolidWorks makes the implementation easier, especially in the sketches. Sketching is what stood out most in my mind, I can define complicated things with much fewer dimensions using SolidWorks and overall the sketching just works so much better. I think I also remember the assemblies working better with SolidWorks.

[mplanchard]

I got mine today...I'm so excited. Thank you SolidWorks!

I was wondering if SolidWorks allowed for licneses to be transfered? (Autodesk has something where you can install the product on multiple computers and switch off the licnesses between computers)

Thanks!

The SolidWorks Student Edition is non-transferable. This is an individual copy. One Student Edition per one machine - for home use.

If you are a commerical customer and use a SolidWorks commerical license, you can transfer your license from work to home any time you want.

In schools, some institutions use license borrowing where the SolidWorks Education Edition network licenses can be transfered to dorm or home use.
But this is only with the network licenses installed at schools.

Marie

[mplanchard]

I have used a little bit of both, I am in an engineering computing class that is teaching it. it is IMO about 90% the same, the inter-part references are allot better though unlike Inventor. My only peeve is the controls, I am used to right clicking and dragging to pan in Inventor but SW invokes the rotate command, I am getting used to it in 3D but in a drawing it would be nice to still be able to pan, I haven't figured out how to remap the controls yet. but basically what I have done on it it is pretty awesome.

Adam:

Three short cut tips to help you with your mouse:

Rotate - Middle Mouse button
Zoom in/out - Shift + Middle Mouse button
Pan - Ctrl + Middle Mouse button

Other helpful short cut key.
f - Zoom to fit (fits the model or sheet to the graphics window)

For setting short cut keys, Select Tools, Customize, Keyboard.

Many have been preset. My favorites are Ctrl 1 through Ctrl 7 that rotate the model through the standard views Front, Top, Right etc. Ctrl 8 rotates the part to a normal to (perpendicular) view but you have to select the face).



Marie

[cooker52]

SolidWorks has something similar in their Design Library. The design library lets you put different features in the part itself and then also lets you put bolts, bearings, keys, clips, sprockets, gears, pulleys and structural members in the assembly. This works differently than SolidWorks and quite frankly I prefer the design libray to the Design Accelerators.

I have used both and while I haven't used inventor as much as I have SolidWorks so I might be a little biased, I much prefer SolidWorks.

They have a lot of the same features but SolidWorks makes the implementation easier, especially in the sketches. Sketching is what stood out most in my mind, I can define complicated things with much fewer dimensions using SolidWorks and overall the sketching just works so much better. I think I also remember the assemblies working better with SolidWorks.

I've done some crazy sketches before, so that'll be interesting. As for the design library compared to the design accelerator, it sounds like SolidWorks is more efficient. But (I'm not looking for an argument, just stating an observation), Inventor's accelerator, for how it sounds about SolidWorks, is better for more complex and custom parts.

For what I do, I think I'll be better off with SolidWorks for now.

The SolidWorks Student Edition is non-transferable. This is an individual copy. One Student Edition per one machine - for home use.

If you are a commerical customer and use a SolidWorks commerical license, you can transfer your license from work to home any time you want.

In schools, some institutions use license borrowing where the SolidWorks Education Edition network licenses can be transfered to dorm or home use.
But this is only with the network licenses installed at schools.

Marie

Adam:

Three short cut tips to help you with your mouse:

Rotate - Middle Mouse button
Zoom in/out - Shift + Middle Mouse button
Pan - Ctrl + Middle Mouse button

Other helpful short cut key.
f - Zoom to fit (fits the model or sheet to the graphics window)

For setting short cut keys, Select Tools, Customize, Keyboard.

Many have been preset. My favorites are Ctrl 1 through Ctrl 7 that rotate the model through the standard views Front, Top, Right etc. Ctrl 8 rotates the part to a normal to (perpendicular) view but you have to select the face).



Marie

Sounds like somebody knows their stuff.
These are great tips, I'll be sure to keep note of them. I love to move my objects around (surprised I don't give anyone motion sickness).

Thanks for answering my questions guys. It's very helpful.

Cooker

[mplanchard]

I've done some crazy sketches before, so that'll be interesting. As for the design library compared to the design accelerator, it sounds like SolidWorks is more efficient. But (I'm not looking for an argument, just stating an observation), Inventor's accelerator, for how it sounds about SolidWorks, is better for more complex and custom parts.

For what I do, I think I'll be better off with SolidWorks for now.





Sounds like somebody knows their stuff.
These are great tips, I'll be sure to keep note of them. I love to move my objects around (surprised I don't give anyone motion sickness).

Thanks for answering my questions guys. It's very helpful.

Cooker

Hi Cooker,

Learn about design from others, even in a totally different industry - I have been designing robots for years and yet still keep learning. Just watching movies and reviewing model files from Trek Bikes taught me you can design the best product in SolidWorks but you also have to use SolidWorks interference tools to make certain you have room for a wrench to fasten a bolt. This is the same for robots. You can model anything on a computer - but you have to be able to manufacture and assemble it. http://www.solidworks.com/pages/programs/trek/

Marie

[Brandon Holley]

I have been using inventor for 4 years, solidworks for 3 and pro/E for 2. I learned on inventor so it was easy to say "inventor is better" because they are the same program and i know this one better. Fact is they aren't the same program and as your designs get more advanced and more complicated you will see that solidworks surpasses inventor and pro/E.

1 word for starters: Cosmos...
Cosmos takes solidworks to the next level. It is pretty simple to use and you can learn so much about your design from it. I bet anyone who has used a CAD system before would have a need for using cosmos.

Solidworks 2008 is pretty different from the earlier versions, but is definitely awesome.

[Mike Nawrot]

So I've installed Solidworks from the DVD I received in the mail, and I've had a few chances to mess around with it, but the project I'm working on currently has all been done in Inventor. Thus, I'm still primarily using Inventor for the design work I'm doing, but I would like to use COSMOS to analyze a specific part I made in Inventor (COSMOS has a larger materials library, and it seems better than the Inventor stress analysis). One problem.. Cosmos doesn't have a license, according to my computer, and Cosmos express does appear to do torsion.. Help?

[mplanchard]

So I've installed Solidworks from the DVD I received in the mail, and I've had a few chances to mess around with it, but the project I'm working on currently has all been done in Inventor. Thus, I'm still primarily using Inventor for the design work I'm doing, but I would like to use COSMOS to analyze a specific part I made in Inventor (COSMOS has a larger materials library, and it seems better than the Inventor stress analysis). One problem.. Cosmos doesn't have a license, according to my computer, and Cosmos express does appear to do torsion.. Help?

Hi Mike

You have to request a COSMOS license. SolidWorks installs automatically, then to install COSMOS you will be prompted to get a license and will receive one via email.

When you are in SolidWorks, go to Tools, Add Ins. Select COSMOSWorks, COSMOSMotion or COSMOSFloWorks - depending if you want to do stress, motion, or flow analysis. The help files for these are very nice to assist you.

Marie

[swaknight]

i was wondering if there was any way to get a confirmation via email about address and what not becuase i signed up on the first day and still havent seen heads nor tails of the DVD

[mplanchard]

i was wondering if there was any way to get a confirmation via email about address and what not becuase i signed up on the first day and still havent seen heads nor tails of the DVD

Email me a private message with your full name, address and email and I will help you. Marie

[Richard McClellan]

I got my copy in the mail yesterday! Thanks for the awesome offer!

[ketaki_shashank]

I signed up on the Monday after Championships, and I see that many people have gotten their CDs already. But I haven't gotten it yet, and neither has a friend of mine, and we live in Connecticut. Should we be worried?

don't mean to complain.

[Andrew Bates]

I haven't gotten mine and I signed up the first day it appeared. I wouldn't worry, with 2000 slots to fill and thus 2000 copies to mail out I'm sure they aren't having an easy time mailing everything out.

[mplanchard]

I signed up on the Monday after Championships, and I see that many people have gotten their CDs already. But I haven't gotten it yet, and neither has a friend of mine, and we live in Connecticut. Should we be worried?

don't mean to complain.


Please give us some time, we are processing about 100 SolidWorks Student Editions a day, but still it takes time to get these out. If you registered by April 30 and you do not receive your software by May 20, send me a private message with your name, address and email.


For the three students Andrew, Julie and James who contacted me, we have your names. You are in the process.

Marie

[James1902]

Thank you for the help:D Your awesome:D

[ketaki_shashank]

Please give us some time, we are processing about 100 SolidWorks Student Editions a day, but still it takes time to get these out. If you registered by April 30 and you do not receive your software by May 20, send me a private message with your name, address and email.


For the three students Andrew, Julie and James who contacted me, we have your names. You are in the process.

Marie

Thank you very much.:)

[swaknight]

Thank you

[swaknight]

I just got it today, thank you

[cooker52]

Please give us some time, we are processing about 100 SolidWorks Student Editions a day, but still it takes time to get these out. If you registered by April 30 and you do not receive your software by May 20, send me a private message with your name, address and email.


For the three students Andrew, Julie and James who contacted me, we have your names. You are in the process.

Marie

Wow, that's great! Processing about 100 a day. Incredible!

I finally got mine today. Thanks, you guys, for the hard work you are doing to get this to us.

[mplanchard]

Attention SolidWorks Robotics Summer School Students

We are developing a virtual summer school that will be easy to access and easy to use. In the past, our classes have been designed for our commerical users.

We want to design a virtual classroom with what you like, designed by you. This is a place to learn and have fun.

What websites do you learn from - besides Chief Delphi?

What would you like to see in terms of content delivery?

Marie

[tdlrali]

I'd be nice if there's a tutorial for each lesson with pictures explaining steps. The tutorials that come with SW are pretty well made, I like the style.

Definitely provide all the files we need as well as solutions as a download.

Also, give us the option to either send us an email every time a lesson is added or to use a RSS feed.

[ggberg]

I'd be nice if there's a tutorial for each lesson with pictures explaining steps. The tutorials that come with SW are pretty well made, I like the style.

Definitely provide all the files we need as well as solutions as a download.

Also, give us the option to either send us an email every time a lesson is added or to use a RSS feed.


>>RSS Feed would be extremely useful.

--tdlrali's comments are great and to add to that:

#Allow us to share what we create/our results from the tutorials??
#I don't know if you guys would be able to, but perhaps have a few or 1 or 2 good tutorials that are in video formats?

But so far, I'd say its becoming better everyday. =]

[comphappy]

I like the style of the tutorials that come with solidworks, I have also used the class teaching curriculum DVD with the bridge and some other stuff, and found those a little less then what I expected. The built in ones were much better.

I dont know if it has been fixed in this version, but the last one I always had trouble with the automated bolt mates, that might have also been partially the computer I was using, as it was somewhat slow. A tutorial on doing that correctly would be nice.

[technoL]

I got my copy today! Thanks SolidWorks!

As far as the virtual school goes, I've been taking classes with the Florida Virtual School for a few years now, and the online learning environment is great. It would be cool if the tutorials are available in several formats for each lesson, such as text, picture walk-throughs, and video tutorials. I second the idea of an RSS feed. Also, I don't know if it has previously been mentioned, but a community to go along with the tutorials will probably be useful too so that users, students rather, can interact with one another and discuss their challenges and successes with other students. Will there be "teachers" available to assist? Weekly challenges could be another interesting factor, perhaps to promote some more creativity and innovation within the community. I'm really looking forward to it...

Can't wait for AP exams/finals to be over so I can try it out!

[ComradeNikolai]

As others have said, multiple formats would work rather nicely. Also, possibly having formats which would work well on computers with slightly lower system requirements (just enough to run the program) would be nice, since that's my situation.

I got my copy today! Thanks SolidWorks!
Can't wait for AP exams/finals to be over so I can try it out!
Ah, yes.... I'm studying for the AP English Language exam now... but next year, I'm taking 3 AP classes (would take more, but only AP History is available beyond that, and history is not fun to me.)

[IbleedPink233]

I'll jump on the bandwagon and let everyone know that I got my software today. Now I just need a computer to put it on. . .

[James1902]

Copy has been recived.
Just in time to design that lasershooting, flying, bad guy busting, robotic exoskeloton i've always wanted:D

[mplanchard]

I dont know if it has been fixed in this version, but the last one I always had trouble with the automated bolt mates, that might have also been partially the computer I was using, as it was somewhat slow. A tutorial on doing that correctly would be nice.[/QUOTE]

I will definitely cover bolt assembly this summer, but for now I will give you a few pointers.
First method. A bolt requires a Concentric and Coincident mate with a hole in the assembly. Open the assembly. Open the bolt part. Tile the two windows. Click and drag the circular edge at the bottom of the bolt head into the assembly window. Drag the mouse over the hole edge. Release the mouse button when you see the Coincident/Concentric symbol on the hole's edge.
Second method. Use HoleWizard for the holes and Toolbox for the bolts, to automatically size the bolts for your holes. Smart Fasteners will size all holes on one face. Always choose the first seed feature in a pattern and use derived patterns in the assembly, Marie

[mplanchard]

I got my copy today! Thanks SolidWorks!

As far as the virtual school goes, I've been taking classes with the Florida Virtual School for a few years now, and the online learning environment is great. It would be cool if the tutorials are available in several formats for each lesson, such as text, picture walk-throughs, and video tutorials. I second the idea of an RSS feed. Also, I don't know if it has previously been mentioned, but a community to go along with the tutorials will probably be useful too so that users, students rather, can interact with one another and discuss their challenges and successes with other students. Will there be "teachers" available to assist? Weekly challenges could be another interesting factor, perhaps to promote some more creativity and innovation within the community. I'm really looking forward to it...

Can't wait for AP exams/finals to be over so I can try it out!

Thanks for the input. We will take in your suggestions. We will also have assistance as best we can. Good luck on the AP exams - Marie

[mplanchard]

As others have said, multiple formats would work rather nicely. Also, possibly having formats which would work well on computers with slightly lower system requirements (just enough to run the program) would be nice, since that's my situation.


Ah, yes.... I'm studying for the AP English Language exam now... but next year, I'm taking 3 AP classes (would take more, but only AP History is available beyond that, and history is not fun to me.)

If you have lower system requirements and cannot run SolidWorks, all summer school students will receive the DWGeditor; it comes with the SolidWorks Student Edition. The DWGeditor allows you to create and modify files in .dwg format. Although working with dwg file format will not be the focus of this class, we do have 2 dwg lessons on our teacher blog http://blogs.solidworks.com/teacher/2d_dwg/index.html.

We dont make a light version of SolidWorks. The Student Edition is based on our commerical premium product with all our analysis tools -motion, flow, and stress analysis - plus toolbox (component library) and photorealistic materials and the ability to create animations. The System requirements are posted on the back of the box or on our website. Marie

[aksimhal]

Are the classes (or tutorials) going to be live (as in one has to be logged on at a certian time) or they are just going to be posted periodicly? If they are going to be live, I would appreciate it, if there was an easy way to see lessons again, if you aren't able to attend that day.

Thanks!

[Woody1458]

-mplanchard

Signed up before I realized there is no OSX version of Solid Works. boooo. You guys should get on that.

But I really respect you guys going out on a limb to educate people. For free no less! Stay classy SolidWorks.

[StephLee]

Got mine yesterday, about to install it now. Can't wait to play around with it!

[mplanchard]

-mplanchard

Signed up before I realized there is no OSX version of Solid Works. boooo. You guys should get on that.

But I really respect you guys going out on a limb to educate people. For free no less! Stay classy SolidWorks.

I dont know much about Macs since it is true that SolidWorks Corporation does not official suppor this operating system. However I will try to help you, check the "General" category of SolidWorks Forums http://forum.solidworks.com/
There are many SolidWorks users that help other SolidWorks users. You will find that the professional SolidWorks community is very help to design and engineering students. Marie

[mplanchard]

Are the classes (or tutorials) going to be live (as in one has to be logged on at a certian time) or they are just going to be posted periodicly? If they are going to be live, I would appreciate it, if there was an easy way to see lessons again, if you aren't able to attend that day.

Thanks!

On June 1 we will post on Chief Delphi, at www.solidworks.com/robotics, and email students who registered for school. The site is not live yet. All lectures will be recorded. We will cover many topics. There are middle school, high school and college students so we need 24 hours access. SolidWorks supports 15 different student robot contests - from robots underwater to robots that fight fires to robots that want to go into space. There will be basic instruction and the examples from different featured robots. There will also be other product designs. Ofcourse - just a little math to keep you from getting rusty over the summer. Marie

[swaknight]

ok, i am on the tutorial that has you safe a drawing format under the
a - landscape.slddrt, but everytime i try, i get an error that says failed to save document.

also, whenever i start, i get an error from edrawing that is all in chinese, is this anything that i need to worry about?

[mplanchard]

ok, i am on the tutorial that has you safe a drawing format under the a - landscape.slddrt, but everytime i try, i get an error that says failed to save document.also, whenever i start, i get an error from edrawing that is all in chinese, is this anything that i need to worry about?When you select File, Save Sheet Format, the <install_dir>data complete path needs to be selected. Most likely you need to select C:\ProgramFiles\SolidWorks\data. If you want to change a sheet format, right-click in the drawing, select Properties. There you will see the path to all your sheet formats. Companies usually create custom sheet formats with their own title block information. The sheet formats contain your title block information. This title block can be very powerful when you link properties to the part or assembly- such as mass, material and surface finish. A drawing template contains the sheet format + units + size of paper + dimensioning standard (ANSI, ISO).

Try File, Save As, Select eDrawing for file type. If this is Chinese, you probably selected this language during installation instead of English. Install eDrawings agian. Marie

[swaknight]

I disabled cosmos and edrawings and those errors disappeared and i can save the drawing format

[Akash Rastogi]

Got my copy today:)
Now to build my quad core that I've been putting off for like months ^_^

[GBIT]

I got mine today too :)

now i just need to get a copy of XP and VirtualMachine for my mac hehe

[hipsterjr]

Got mine. Time to break out the help manuals. All I have used in the past is Autodesk inventor and Revit. I look forward to tackling this and adding it to my portfolio. Big Thanks SolidWorks:D

[GBIT]

im sure it is said before in this forum but it is late... does anyone know when the class starts and do we know the website for it

thanks..

[Ricki E.]

I got my couple like a week ago. What do I do now? Install it?

[Vikesrock]

im sure it is said before in this forum but it is late... does anyone know when the class starts and do we know the website for it

thanks..
here ya go:
On June 1 we will post on Chief Delphi, at www.solidworks.com/robotics, and email students who registered for school. The site is not live yet. All lectures will be recorded. We will cover many topics. There are middle school, high school and college students so we need 24 hours access. SolidWorks supports 15 different student robot contests - from robots underwater to robots that fight fires to robots that want to go into space. There will be basic instruction and the examples from different featured robots. There will also be other product designs. Ofcourse - just a little math to keep you from getting rusty over the summer. Marie

[mplanchard]

I got my couple like a week ago. What do I do now? Install it?

The best thing to do in the month of May is install SolidWorks Student Edition. You have a unique 16 digit serial number inside the DVD case. You must enter this number to install SolidWorks. Separate licensing for the COSMOS (Analysis) products using a license file is required. Follow the directions on your Installation, Registration, Getting Started and Support card - inside the box. The license file is a data file sent to you via email. The steps are written on the installation card.

I know the month of May and June are filled with AP Exams, SAT II, Finals, State Exams. Some schools get out in May, others in June. Now is the time to concentrate on your school exams. All SolidWorks lectures will be recorder and will be available to you at your own pace starting June 1 - but only begin SolidWorks after you have complete your school exams. Once you start designing, you wont be able to stop; it's fun and creative, you wont realize where the time has gone and there is always more to learn. Marie

[Generalx5]

How many registered so far? I wished I had seen this sooner, I just registered today, and was wondering if that 1000 capacity has been reached yet....If else, I guess Ill just have to wait and see.

[Equinox]

Got my package yesterday, thank you very much.

I installed it and I read that it's for personal use only. Does this mean that:
a) We can't use it for robotics competitions (that's pretty understandable, though);
b) We can't make models and show them off to other people?

[Andrew Bates]

Probably means you can't install it on a public computer.

[Ricki E.]

The best thing to do in the month of May is install SolidWorks Student Edition. You have a unique 16 digit serial number inside the DVD case. You must enter this number to install SolidWorks. Separate licensing for the COSMOS (Analysis) products using a license file is required. Follow the directions on your Installation, Registration, Getting Started and Support card - inside the box. The license file is a data file sent to you via email. The steps are written on the installation card.

I know the month of May and June are filled with AP Exams, SAT II, Finals, State Exams. Some schools get out in May, others in June. Now is the time to concentrate on your school exams. All SolidWorks lectures will be recorder and will be available to you at your own pace starting June 1 - but only begin SolidWorks after you have complete your school exams. Once you start designing, you wont be able to stop; it's fun and creative, you wont realize where the time has gone and there is always more to learn. Marie

Thank you so much Marie!

[diviney]

Has anyone else noticed that the system requirements for the SolidWorks Student Edition specifically state XP Professional? I would suspect that many [most?] home users are running XP Home.

I have not tried the install yet, and thought perhaps someone on the forum could shed some light whether SolidWorks will operate under XP home.

[Rebecca Leung]

I have not tried the install yet, and thought perhaps someone on the forum could shed some light whether SolidWorks will operate under XP home.
I have XP Media Center Edition and SolidWorks installed without a glitch.

[AdamHeard]

I have XP Media Center Edition and SolidWorks installed without a glitch.

I believe media center edition has pro as a base, I may be mistaken.

Solidworks installed just fine on my home version of xp though.

[mplanchard]

How many registered so far? I wished I had seen this sooner, I just registered today, and was wondering if that 1000 capacity has been reached yet....If else, I guess Ill just have to wait and see.

We have surpassed 1000 - but we are still fulfilling request until we reach 2000. Marie

[mplanchard]

Got my package yesterday, thank you very much.

I installed it and I read that it's for personal use only. Does this mean that:
a) We can't use it for robotics competitions (that's pretty understandable, though);
b) We can't make models and show them off to other people?

What this means is that the SolidWorks Student Edition is for your own personal computer. It cannot be installed on a school network and shared by multiple students. Drawings are watermarked that say "For Educational Use Only"

You can share your models with other students, teachers, friends., Even send a eDrawing to your mother or grandmother that don't have SolidWorks.

If you design a product in SolidWorks Student Edition and then want to start your own company to produce this product, legally we will ask you to purchase a commercial edition. Marie

[PHSmom]

my son received his CD in the mail but we did not receive any emails to accompany it (key code?)

[Tottanka]

my son received his CD in the mail but we did not receive any emails to accompany it (key code?)

i just received mine today, in mail (Woot for delivery to Israel!).
the cdkey is written in the box itself, above the CD.

[markulrich]

Each week, a new lesson in July and August will be posted online at www.solidworks.com/robotics. These lessons are not there yet. Our first step is this large distribution to all robotics competitions. You will go through certain SolidWorks Tutorials - then a specific issue will be addressed in robotics and math.
Marie

I already have Solidworks on my home computer; can I go to that URL and access the same lessons, so there is no reason for me to sign up?

Thanks,
Mark

[cooker52]

I already have Solidworks on my home computer; can I go to that URL and access the same lessons, so there is no reason for me to sign up?

Thanks,
Mark

Unless they do have a system for that, you can get the software and let another team member have it and then share the password and/or codes for the website.

If they do have a system where you can just log in without having to get the whole setup, that would be great.

[AdamHeard]

Unless they do have a system for that, you can get the software and let another team member have it and then share the password and/or codes for the website.

If they do have a system where you can just log in without having to get the whole setup, that would be great.

I believe Marie at one point said they would give 2k copies of solidworks, but unlimited summer school classes. So, I would assume he can just use it as is.

[zachjo]

I got my copy in the mail. yippy time to model some cool stuff.

[richalex2010]

Got mine a couple of days ago. I like it a lot... runs well enough on my laptop (1.7GHz dual core, 2gb memory, NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 with ~550mb shared video memory running Vista Home Premium). Takes a much nicer computer to run really well, though.

Been working on CAD for a T-shirt-launching robot, which will most likely have to be integrated with some Inventor work later. Should be interesting.

[mplanchard]

Unless they do have a system for that, you can get the software and let another team member have it and then share the password and/or codes for the website.

If they do have a system where you can just log in without having to get the whole setup, that would be great.

Please tell your team mates register to get their own copy. Dont try to share serial numbers because then both copies will fail and this gets really messy. The SolidWorks Student Edition with COSMOS is ment to be installed and registered with a unique serial number and a unique email address.

We were a little overwelmed and delivered 1000 copies in 3 weeks. So we printed 1000 more. SolidWorks robot summer school will be on line and anyone can join in. Marie

[cooker52]

Please tell your team mates register to get their own copy. Dont try to share serial numbers because then both copies will fail and this gets really messy. The SolidWorks Student Edition with COSMOS is ment to be installed and registered with a unique serial number and a unique email address.

We were a little overwelmed and delivered 1000 copies in 3 weeks. So we printed 1000 more. SolidWorks robot summer school will be on line and anyone can join in. Marie

Never had any intentions of sharing the software (mine, mine, mine).

What I meant was only share the online license, but that was before I understood that the online classes were for anyone (me and my crazy ideas :rolleyes: ). Since the guy has his own copy but wanted the classes, that was my solution.

Thanks for the clarification, though. I forgot that they were unique licenses.

cookie

[Akash Rastogi]

Hmm...

I just got a second one in the mail and didn't sign up a second time. Not complaining:rolleyes: but did anyone else get 2 w/o signing up twice?

[astephen68]

Hi I am just wondering, i have vista home premium and when i installed solid works which i got in the mail when i try and load a new project it says error and closes the program
does anybody know how to fix this problem?

[A_Reed]

I have had my copy for a while now but I have just now had the time to install it (finals are done yay!), but I can't seem to find the serial number. the pamphlet says it is under the DVD but is it not there, was there supposed to be a sticker underneath it? Or was it on the packaging, on the shipping label I remember seeing some numbers under my address, was that it? if it was, it has be gone the way of a refuse heap for a while now and I have no way of getting it back.

[artdutra04]

Hi I am just wondering, i have vista home premium and when i installed solid works which i got in the mail when i try and load a new project it says error and closes the program
does anybody know how to fix this problem?Go into the C:\Program Files\SolidWorks directory or wherever the program installed and find the SLDWORKS.exe file. Right click on the file, go to Properties, and then check run as Administrator and run in XP SP2 Compatibility mode. I've tested this on Vista Home Premium, and it allows SolidWorks to run correctly if there was problems with Vista.

[tdlrali]

I have had my copy for a while now but I have just now had the time to install it (finals are done yay!), but I can't seem to find the serial number. the pamphlet says it is under the DVD but is it not there, was there supposed to be a sticker underneath it? Or was it on the packaging, on the shipping label I remember seeing some numbers under my address, was that it? if it was, it has be gone the way of a refuse heap for a while now and I have no way of getting it back.
There should be a white sticker above the CD. It should say something like "SolidWorks w/COSMOS 12 month". The serial number is the number on the second line of the sticker.

[A_Reed]

I have a lack of stickers, lol. I just now opened the case too. I wonder if there is anything I can do to get a number?

[tdlrali]

If you're absolutely sure you don't have a sticker (it's pretty hard to miss, so I'm pretty sure you don't have one :p), PM "mplanchard". I'm sure she can help you out, she's awesome!

[astephen68]

Go into the C:\Program Files\SolidWorks directory or wherever the program installed and find the SLDWORKS.exe file. Right click on the file, go to Properties, and then check run as Administrator and run in XP SP2 Compatibility mode. I've tested this on Vista Home Premium, and it allows SolidWorks to run correctly if there was problems with Vista.

Thanks I had to run it as adminsistrator now it works thanks so much

[mplanchard]

I have a lack of stickers, lol. I just now opened the case too. I wonder if there is anything I can do to get a number?

Sorry about the sticker not being there. We will send another out today.
Marie

[NickE]

Now is the time to concentrate on your school exams. .... only begin SolidWorks after you have complete your school exams. Once you start designing, you wont be able to stop; it's fun and creative, you wont realize where the time has gone and there is always more to learn.

good advice

[Generalx5]

I just got mine 2 days ago, I was unable to control myself! I had to see what the similarities are between Solidworks and Inventor....I likes it! Im so glad I had signed up for this.

[takeegan]

i dont know if this has already been asked, and if it has then im sorry, but is it possible to import solidworks projects into 3ds?

[mplanchard]

Yes.

From a part or assembly, Click File, Save As.

Select .STL from the drop down list of Save as Type .STL.

You can apply materials, decals and scenes in SolidWorks with PhotoWorks. Select Tools, Add Ins and then Check PhotoWorks. You can do motion animations with Animator. Select Tools, Add Ins and then Check Animator.

Marie

[Branden Ghena]

So... I got my copy of Solidworks and am really psyched to learn how to use it this summer. I am looking into getting a laptop, and really want it to be able to run Solidworks so are there any computers that would be really good at running it?

What type of ram, processor, etc. should I have beyond the min requirements to get the best results?

Would it work on a boot camped mac?

Thanks for any replies.

[Andrew Bates]

Well I have a desktop but my specs aren't great.
With a:
3.6ghz processor
1gb ram
256mb video card

I can make most models pretty well. I've been using it to build VEX robots and it's fine until I get about half of a VEX robot built and then it starts to slow down. Going into large assembly mode helps but also makes it more difficult. I don't think you would have a fun time with anything less than what I have. Hope that helps.

[fimmel]

take a look at the supported video cards on the solidworks website. also the more ram and the better the graphics card the better. processor is important but not as much.

...forest

[takeegan]

thanks, im an animation guy so being able to use 3ds and solidworks is pretty cool. and to the last question i have 1.86 ghz ram, 2 gig's a ram and a 512 graphics and it runs amazingly. the abilitly to duel screen with a laptop is also pretty cool. one thing to keep in mind when getting a comp is fps. ive had freinds get a 3 ghz proccesor and my laptops still better cuz i got the highest fps. hope this helps

[takeegan]

sorry thats fBs not fps

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Seeing how I applied only a week ago is there any chance I'm going to recieve one :o Or am I too late? I didn't see a deadline anywhere.

[Andrew141WOBOT]

Does it cost anything to sign up?

[Andrew Bates]

Nope it's free.

[alex1699]

yay i got mine now only if i didnt blow up my dvd drive...

[swaknight]

yay i got mine now only if i didnt blow up my dvd drive...

ouch, that has to suck.

any updates on the online tutorials?

[mplanchard]

ouch, that has to suck.

any updates on the online tutorials?

Early June, We will post when the site is up on Chief Delphi and send everyone who registered and email.

Marie

[Bryan Herbst]

Seeing how I applied only a week ago is there any chance I'm going to recieve one :o Or am I too late? I didn't see a deadline anywhere.

They have said in previous posts that if you could fill out the survey/registration, then you will get a copy. Once 2,000 people have registered, the page will be taken down.

[cooker52]

So, those who've gotten a copy, where have you gotten with learning SolidWorks?

I'm ashamed to admit, I haven't learned much, between school assignments and what not.

[A_Reed]

So, those who've gotten a copy, where have you gotten with learning SolidWorks?

I'm ashamed to admit, I haven't learned much, between school assignments and what not.

Fortunately I have had access to Inventor for the past four years and more recently this past semester I have had access to SolidWorks also. I have had some time and a little training to get to know SWs little bells and whistles combined with my previous experience with Inventor, so the learning curve wasn't bad at all. I don't know why but I have found with limited access to SW that I am a little quicker with it than I am on Inventor.

[cooker52]

A little quicker with Solidworks than Inventor? What might this mean for upcoming build seasons?:ahh:

No, but I do find that interesting. What have you made with SW? Can it compare to some of the stuff you've done in Inventor?

[Andrew Bates]

I've gotten assembly's down pretty well, it least with VEX parts. If you head over to the VEX forum you can see some of my models in the gallery, if you search corpralchee they should come up. Unfortunately anything else besides VEX I have no idea what to do...

[A_Reed]

A little quicker with Solidworks than Inventor? What might this mean for upcoming build seasons?:ahh:

No, but I do find that interesting. What have you made with SW? Can it compare to some of the stuff you've done in Inventor?

It's not one thing compared to another really, it is more the feeling that the sketching and assembly constraints are allot easier to use, more efficient per se. Really I don't know if it is or not it's just my experience with it.

[Adam Y.]

Wow. I finally figured out the best way to make the Vex Standoffs to the Vex frame. If someone shows me a way to do it with less than three mates I think I might cry.

[cooker52]

Wow. I finally figured out the best way to make the Vex Standoffs to the Vex frame. If someone shows me a way to do it with less than three mates I think I might cry.

lol

responding back to A_Reed, if you've used inventor for 4 years and solidworks for not even half, then it may be because of how comfortable SW is.

Personally, I like the way Inventor feels. But that's because of experience.

[tdlrali]

Wow. I finally figured out the best way to make the Vex Standoffs to the Vex frame. If someone shows me a way to do it with less than three mates I think I might cry.

Are you talking about mating the standoffs to your assemblies?

[Adam Y.]

lol
You should here me talking to Solidworks. Im yelling at it because it's moving the wrong part.
"Solidworks don't move that part. It's fully constrained."
"There you go. That's better. You fixed it."
Though Im kind of confused as to why it's acting this way. When I am mating parts it will move a part that is fully constrained. After I finish mating I will move the component that was fully constrained and it will fix itself. It probably has something to do with the symmetric mate.
Are you talking about mating the standoffs to your assemblies?
Yes I've had a hard time mating the standoffs to the square hole. Not anymore though I could still be doing it in an extremely dumb way.

[cooker52]

You should here me talking to Solidworks. Im yelling at it because it's moving the wrong part.
"Solidworks don't move that part. It's fully constrained."
"There you go. That's better. You fixed it."

I don't think there is a soul that hasn't talked that way to a program of some sort. Especially in FIRST.

[Andrew Bates]

I mate a screw to the square hole and then the standoff to the screw, so 3 mates on the screw 2 on the standoff.

[Adam Y.]

I mate a screw to the square hole and then the standoff to the screw, so 3 mates on the screw 2 on the standoff.
Yeah but how do you mate the screw to the square hole.

[alex1699]

aby one want to send me a dvd drive for my computer..:ahh:

[JulieB]

dose anyone know if they meet 1000 people yet?

[intellec7]

The way I deal with the Square Hole, round peg issue is I add a point to the center of the square hole (this can be done many ways, I prefer to use the 3 point arc tool and make an arc where the 3 defining points are the midpoints of three edges of the square hole. You can also draw a perpendicular bisector from the one edge to the opposite edge, and the midpoint of the bisector segment is the center of the hole, etc)

Once you have the hole in the center, you need to add an axis. Insert-> Reference Geometry -> Axis. You will select the center point, and the plane/face that the square hole is on. It should automatically draw the axis, but if it doesn't, basically you want to use the axis generation mode where you select a point on the axis and a plane perpendicular to the axis.

So that's how you can get your screw or standoff aligned. Then you can do a Coincidence mate on the face of the plate and the back of the screw/standoff to fix it onto the plate. This constrains the entire piece except for it's rotation in the hole, which really shouldn't be important.

[mplanchard]

Wow. I finally figured out the best way to make the Vex Standoffs to the Vex frame. If someone shows me a way to do it with less than three mates I think I might cry.

Adam

I believe you are talking about square shafts and square holes. This has been an issue. SolidWorks recreated all VEX components from the VEX Starter Kit for Square Bot and they are posted on www.3dcontentcentral.com. Search for the parts with a May 25, 2008 or later creation date such as Shaft-3000 and VL-PLATE-5-15 Rev A. You will see that these components have Axis build down the center of Square Holes and the parts have what are called Mate References. Mate Reference allow you so select coincident of concentric geometry when you insert a new part into the assembly - like Toolbox components. I can get your mates down to two or even one depending on the position in the assembly because the new VEX parts in SolidWorks are very smart. These are competition standard, materials have been assigned and mass has been confirmed with the physical shape of Square Bot components.

Marie

[JulieB]

did anyone else have a problem installing cosmos?

my says Error 1406

[Adam Y.]

Adam

I believe you are talking about square shafts and square holes. This has been an issue. SolidWorks recreated all VEX components from the VEX Starter Kit for Square Bot and they are posted on www.3dcontentcentral.com. Search for the parts with a May 25, 2008 or later creation date such as Shaft-3000 and VL-PLATE-5-15 Rev A. You will see that these components have Axis build down the center of Square Holes and the parts have what are called Mate References. Mate Reference allow you so select coincident of concentric geometry when you insert a new part into the assembly - like Toolbox components. I can get your mates down to two or even one depending on the position in the assembly because the new VEX parts in SolidWorks are very smart. These are competition standard, materials have been assigned and mass has been confirmed with the physical shape of Square Bot components.

Marie
Actually, I was refering to the standoffs that you mate to the square hole though it seems like the same solution. I ended up cheating and prayed to design gods that the standoffs were symetrical. I ended up constraining the part using two symmetry constraints. I will try using the reference geomtry that I see in your videos. Also, is there any form of collision detection in Solidworks? I have a model of the Vex tank tread but I ended up jumbling it up into one giant mess of collisions.

[mplanchard]

For Collision Detection - select Move Component from the Assembly toolbar. Select "Collision Detection". Choose the option "These Components" and review the other options if appropriate.

Sometime I find also find it help to use Tools, Interference Detection. This shows me the volume of interference between components

Marie

[mplanchard]

dose anyone know if they meet 1000 people yet?

We are well over 1000 still fulfilling requests until we get to 2000. Demand has been high.

Also, you will be sent two emails after you install the product. One to license SolidWorks. This is a long number, copy and paste this when prompted. Make certain you have the DWG icon and the eDrawing icon on your desktop.

You will receive a second email, this contains the license data file for COSMOS. Refer to the instuctions on the installation card. You will also need your computer address. Marie

[JulieB]

o thanks i just i read it full next time :(

[Dr. Osemwengie]

I think coaches should be allowed to participate in SolidWorks Robotics summer School, just as PTC allowed coaches to participate in their Pro/Engineer summer boot camp. If coaches know how to use a program, students in their teams are more likely to use the learn software.

[mplanchard]

Any coach, mentor or teacher can participate in Robot Summer School. We have over 50 mentors registered for the program. In fact we have two additional programs for teachers:

1. For all instructors - engineering, math, science, technology, robotics etc. - SolidWorks STEM Teacher Grant www.solidworks.com/stemgrant. Here teachers can received professional development points, SolidWorks certification exam - but the instructor must supply a lesson to our teacher blog to share at http://blogs.solidworks.com/teacher to share with other teachers,

2. SolidWorks First Teacher program. This summer program is between the industry mentor and a teacher involved in robotics. SolidWorks will provide the teacher 1 - 5 month copy of Commerical SolidWorks to work at their industry mentor facility for the summer. www.solidworks.com/firstteacher.

Marie

[mplanchard]

SolidWorks Robotics University is now live and Summer School has started. For those that registered, you will receive an email from me today. Check your Junk Mail box just in case you have filters on.

Review a lesson on my blog, check out a featured robot, add photos, videos, invite a friend and have fun.

Thank you for participating in the program.

Marie

[GBilletdeaux930]

what would the website be? Because its not solidworks.com/robotics because thats still displaying the same stuff as before.

Sorry I'm a little too impatient to wait for the email.

[Andrew Bates]

It is http://www.solidworksroboticsuniversity.com

[technoL]

This is cool. It's like Facebook for robotics, but better (no apps) + learning at the same time.

[GBilletdeaux930]

Is there anyone besides me who hasn't recieved an email yet?

btw thanks for the url corpralchee

[swaknight]

i havent received one either

[Lions for First]

i havent yet and i need one to log in

[cooker52]

To all who haven't gotten an invitation yet:
If you PM me with your e-mail address, I can send you an invitation so you can get access to the Solidworks University. The only deal is that the e-mail can't be a @aol.com, otherwise it doesn't want to work with us.

Cookie

[mplanchard]

You can request an INVITE to SolidWorks Robotics University by sending an email to SRURequest@solidworks.com.

Here you can attend summer school and learn about SolidWorks and designing robots in My Blog.

To help robotics teams that do not have easy access to web page development, you can form a GROUP on SolidWorks Robotics University.

Marie

[astephen68]

How do i get to the site to log in after i gett the invittation to do solid works

[mplanchard]

Stephen

To request an invitation, send an email to SRURequest@solidworks.com

You are then required to create an account.

To go directly to the site, www.SolidworksRoboticsUniversity.com

Marie

[astephen68]

Stephen

To request an invitation, send an email to SRURequest@solidworks.com

You are then required to create an account.

To go directly to the site, www.SolidworksRoboticsUniversity.com

Marie

Thank you very much