DISQUS

Thanks, guys! I'm sure happy I'll be there!

Jeff, I wouldn't miss that CSWP event for anything, so count me in the list of those sneaking out early!

Al, I think I already own every single DVD of the Wiggles. :-( Well, OK, I have to admit that Greg has a nice singing voice and I'm kind of partial to Wiggly Safari, but only because it features Steve Irwin and I used to be a huge fan of him. By Crickey! :-) His death was such a great loss for this world!

Oh, Josh! You are cruel! Making fun of my ignorance in Photoshop in such a mean way! The horror! The shame! LOL I should really learn to use Photoshop, though. In the past, I never thought I would need it... My sister is a graphics designer, and she uses this kind of software all the time. I always thought engineers wouldn't need it for much... I guess I was wrong. :-)

Hey, I bet you could give some REAL tips for Photoshop. Why don't you?

Thanks, Josh! My original plan for this particular image included taking a nice picture of my driveway and placing the car as if it was parked there, right next to my husband's jeep, but I never got to do that, so I thought about the decal instead. It's been busy here... and I most admit I sort of procrastinated on this one too. Oh well, there's always next time!

Yeah, that was my fault... I tried to give it a special effect by using a decal, but it backfired on me. :-( Live and learn, I guess! :-)

Thanks, Josh! I know you are just saying that... thanks anyway! :-)

Gabi

Thanks!

Thanks, Richard! It is really fun! You should try it with those housing units you were working on. I bet you could get some awesome renderings.

Thanks Rob! I simply love this book and all that PhotoWorks can do and that I never knew before! This is the artistic side of SolidWorks. It's awesome! Right now I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to simulate the kind of light that comes out of a flame, like a candle. I haven't found a way yet...

I didn't even know that cameras existed and now I love them!

Andy is having a slushie called icee. It was a mix of several flavors, including cherry, watermelon, lemon and blueberry. It may just be the same thing as that icepack you are talking about, because it's much too sweet.

Thank you for the comment, Richard! Glad to know it's helpful!

Thanks for the comment, Matt! Blocky solids from now on! I did read both the help file and the what's new document before trying, by the way. The funny thing is that according to both, this new feature can be used when the solid body is an imported sheet metal body. Aside from warning you that the body/imported sheet metal part must have a constant thickness and that sheet metal parts made with forming tools won't convert correctly, there's no more info on what kind of bends won't be recognized. Oh, well...

If I do go, I think I would like to clone myself just to be in several places at the same time, but Vince Adams is DEFINITELY in my list of must see.

Hi Kenneth,

Thanks for the comment! That's precisely what I tried to do, but I think I must be doing something wrong, because my dents disappear from the part once it's folded and all I can see is holes.

Thanks, Brian!

Thanks, Anna! I'm actually doing that right now. While keeping an eye on any openings, I'm also gathering all the documents that are required here in California to be able to apply for that kind of job. I need to have my diploma and other certifications validated, for instance, because I studied in a foreign country. It may take a while...

So, it's really convenient, right? This offer sounds really good! I wonder if it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or if they plan to repeat this kind of promotion some other time.

Thanks Ricky!

Thanks, Kenneth! I guess when you see it that way, it's really not a bad thing I didn't take that job with the VAR. :-)

I'm also leaving my resume in staffing firms, hopefully they'll have something for me to do! It just takes some time...

From what you say, it seems like you are in the 30 min tutorial. I really can't see why you're stuck. I went through the exercise myself just now and everything happens according to the instructions. Maybe there's an option you may need to adjust in Tools, options, System options or Document options. If not, well, try the books I told you. That particular tutorial has a lot of information in it, perhaps you need to go little by little. If everything else fails, tell your boss to pay for training with a VAR.

Venting helps to release some of our stress and frustration, but it's not a long-term solution to our problems. If your boss wants you to learn SW2008 and you like your job, you better start looking for ways to do just that, instead of looking for reasons not to do it. But I do understand frustration... Maybe you'll have better luck with the books or with the VAR.

Thank you, Josh! That's really nice!

Hi,

Sorry to hear you're still struggling with it after so many hours. I can only imagine your frustration. Were you coming straight from some 2D CAD application or from some other 3D modeling software? What exactly do you find not-user friendly about SW2008? What are you struggling with the most? The first version of SW I used was 2007. Aside from some minor differences in the user interface and some new functionality, 2008 is practically the same. The tutorials that come with SW are good, yes, but I've found that they can be a bit fast paced when you are not really used to thinking in terms of 3D modeling. Perhaps, you should first spend some time getting familiar with all the different sketch tools and entities available in SW,practice adding dimensions and relations to sketches, and then move up to the basic features, like extrude, extrude-cut and revolve, and go adding one new feature at a time. Then move up to basic mates and assemblies. There's plenty of books available that explain these tools in detail and provide lots of examples. You could pick up SolidWorks for Dummies, or SolidWorks 2008 for Designers, by Sham Tickoo. Those are excellent books to get started with. And of course, you can also ask as many questions as you need, here and in the SW forums!

I don't know what specific example I could give you of how SW is user friendly or easy to learn. I just know that, same as me, many users out there are completely self-taught, so it can't be that hard. I think you are probably just stuck in some little issue there, but once you pass that bump you'll progress quickly, you'll see!

Thanks, Tony! Those are great ideas too!

Thanks, Chris! That's a really good point that I hadn't considered. I'll use the next meeting of my local SWUG as an opportunity to network with the other guys in attendance, and perhaps something good will come from it.

Thanks for the comment and the link,John!

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the comment! I'm glad someone thinks I'm a good writer, because it's something I really enjoy doing! I mean, I also enjoy contact with people, but I'm kind of shy and a bit of an introvert, so writing comes easier to me.

I think I would really enjoy teaching. I know it's not exactly the same, but I used to tutor other kids when I was in highschool and later on in college. It all started as a required contribution the school made from those of us with the best grades in the class, but soon I found that helping others often helped me to learn, as well, so it was a win-win situation.

Doing any of those things you mention would be awesome, but I'm not holding my breath on any of that. SolidWorks has been wonderful to me in all this time I've been a blogger, but they have their own plans about what things they want to do and how they are going to do them and, even though that plan is completely unknown to me, I kind of doubt that having me do any of that is part of it, and that's OK. I'm grateful to them for all the learning and growing opportunities they've given me so far, for providing this space for me, and for all the wonderful people I've met through this blogging activity. Who could ask for more? ;-)