Archive
Are You Getting All the Good from Autodesk Screencast?
Some CAD processes require a long, long list of instructions to explain, whereas a short video can make the steps clear and easy to replicate. This is a nifty feature of Autodesk Screencast, a free app that captures your screen output, commentary, keystrokes, and menu selections in a video you can share on the cloud.
How many times have you seen a presentation and the presenter kept clicking and clicking away, but you had no idea if they were left clicking or right clicking or hitting keys on the keyboard? With Screencast, you’ll never have this problem again — and the uses are limitless.
Explore the Many Possible Uses of Screencast
Before going into the technical details, let’s explore why Screencast is so useful. Screencast is an easy, no-hassle way to collaborate with other workers, even if they are located geographically far from where you are. With this tool, you can bring all the workers on a project together, so that each member of the team is wholly on board with what’s being done. But collaboration isn’t the only use for Screencast. It’s also useful for helping walk clients through complex CAD processes that you can’t seem to fully communicate via a phone call or email.
Screencast is also useful for training new workers and getting them on board with the projects you’re working on. In addition, it can be a powerful tool for documenting problems — such as a technical issue that is difficult to explain, but easy to showcase in a brief video of the problem as it happens. These are just a few of the uses CAD professionals have for Screencast.
A Screencast video shared by Donnie Gladfelter on his CAD Geek blog shows how the tool captures mouse clicks and other key information to explain a quick task in AutoCAD Civil 3D. A step-by-step process that would have taken quite a while to explain in writing took only 51 seconds to demonstrate using Screencast — and was likely more helpful in the end.
Play With the Default Settings
The default settings of Screencast are pretty smart. It uses a screen resolution of 1280×800, but this is easily changed in the settings if you are enlarging a window during a presentation. Try the default resolution and see how that shows up on your Screencast video. If necessary, change the resolution to accommodate your particular screen.
By default, the recordings are captured at an aspect ratio of 16:10, which works for the majority of videos. But you can also play around with this to see if it works best for your purposes. If you change this ratio and it isn’t working, you can reapply the default ratio by clicking the red capture rectangle while you’re recording.
Choose How to Publish Your Screencast
There are three different ways to give others access to the Screencast videos you create: Public, Unlisted, and Private. The Public setting allows anyone to see your video, which is great for promotional purposes or to establish a database of instructional videos for the public. The Unlisted setting is the most commonly used. It allows anyone who has the link to access the video, but it isn’t searchable. People have to know it’s there and access it via the link to get to your Screencast. Finally, the Private setting is available, which gives access to users or groups of users that you designate. This setting is ideal for collaborating and training purposes where a small set of people need access to the Screencast.
Autodesk Screencast lets you record video audio audio for any type of desktop software application, SaaS, or web browser. The Screencast Timeline (with commands, dialog boxes, and menus) is available on Autodesk Fusion 360, AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, and their verticals.
For more information about CAD software and hardware technologies, visit Cadalyst.com.
The Dell Precision T1700 Entry Level Workstation Review: Worth All the Hype?
When Dell announced the new Precision T1700, reviewers went wild. Is this compact workstation truly that innovative? After all, Lenovo and HP already had compact workstations well before Dell jumped on the mini wagon. As a latecomer to the world of CAD compactness, the true innovation in the Precision T1700 is not so much the size of the machine as the price. This workstation sells for about the same amount as a high-end desktop computer. Is it worth raving over?
Dell Precision T1700: The Design
The most innovative aspect of the T1700 Entry-Level Workstation is its price.
The Precision T1700 comes in two designs: the compact mini tower and the small form factor design (SFF). It’s ideal for situations where there isn’t space available for a full-size CAD workstation. The small size is made possible by the innovative chassis design, which layers the components inside on top of one another. The only downside to this configuration is that it makes internal expansion almost impossible. Servicing the components can also be an issue in the confined space.
Dell Precision T1700: The Power
Powered by a single Xenon quad core processor and Quadro graphics, the Precision T1700 offers a total of eight USB ports, four on the front and four on the back. Two of the ports on the front are 3.0 ports, ideal for high speed hard drives. The rest are 2.0 ports, perfect for slower peripherals like a mouse and keyboard. It also features an Ethernet port, two audio ports, a serial port and three display ports (one on the motherboard and an additional port on the Quadro K600 card). Additionally, the Precision T1700 offers one VGA port and one DVI port. It is ISV certified, and features a tray loading DVD drive.
Another limitation of the Precision T1700 is that it will only accept two monitors at a time. While this isn’t a problem for most managers and supervisors who only need to review and sign off on the work that’s already done, it isn’t usually adequate for CAD production workers, who need greater levels of performance.
Dell Precision T1700: The Usability
The Precision T1700 is ideal for managers and supervisors, especially if office space is limited.
The Precision T1700 is also quite lean in terms of preloaded software. Its operating system is essentially Windows 7 Pro, and it does feature the Dell Precision Performance Optimizer, which tweaks the system settings for performance when running ISV certified programs. The workstation also comes with Autodesk Maya and Dassault Systems SolidWorks, and does feature enough memory to download and run free CAD programs and the normal data sets and apps used by engineers and scientists.
For the exceptional price (under $1,000), the Dell Precision T1700 offers a solid performance CAD workstation. It’s ideal for managers and supervisors in the scientific, medical, and engineering fields, as well as many graphic artists whose work doesn’t necessarily demand the highest level of CAD workstation performance. But it won’t cut the mustard when it comes to hands-on, in the trenches CAD work. Essentially, it’s an upgrade from a desktop PC, and a downgrade from a full size, high powered CAD workstation.
For CAD users, Cadalyst is the brand of CAD information provider that offers the most complete and up-to-date information about CAD. Get useful information and helpful advice on the latest products and trends today at Cadalyst.com.
Sources
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425310,00.asp
http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-t1700-workstation/pd
Click to access Precision-Tower-T1700-Workstation-Spec-Sheet.pdf
AMD’s Accelerated Processing Unit: Will It Make Your New CAD Hardware More Affordable?
It’s about time. After a hiatus from its role as a viable alternative to Intel for workstation-class CPUs, AMD is back. Instead of its traditional server/workstation focused Opteron line, this time the company is — quite wisely — choosing to target the market with a combination CPU/GPU part, what AMD refers to as an Accelerated Processing Unit, or APU.
New to the market are two, professional-caliber versions of its recent “Trinity” part, workstation-branded as the FirePro A300 and A4320. And while having two such parts represents a drop in the workstation bucket, as compared to Intel’s position, any new competition should only help CAD professionals find better products — or at least better deals on those products — in the future.
A New Strategy
While AMD has never given up plying its professional-brand FirePro GPUs in workstations, the same can’t be said for professional-brand CPUs. After a promising start and a firm foothold in the market, AMD’s CPUs are today, for all intents and purposes, absent in workstation platforms.
The company’s Opteron processor began making significant inroads into workstation platforms back in the mid-2000s. With Intel’s offerings at that time looking comparatively poor, Opteron steadily picked up workstation OEMs, but the end of 2003 having all major suppliers in tow with the exception of Dell. That increased OEM presence translated directly to increased market share, up to 4% of the overall market in mid-2006, and to a more 10% of dual-socket workstations shipped.
Then came the steady, inexorable decline, which by the end of 2011 left Opteron without any major OEM on board and virtually no market share. Truth be told, it wasn’t like AMD was ignoring the workstation CPU market out of ignorance or incompetence. Rather, it was a case of triage. The company knows full well it doesn’t have the wherewithal of its chief rival, Intel, and accordingly it’s always had to be careful about which markets it targets and which it doesn’t.
Competitive Pricing
And that begs a question: why now does AMD think it should invest its time and money marketing CPUs for workstations, when it didn’t before? It’s not like Intel’s CPUs are struggling like they were back in 2005. Heck, more than ever, AMD is looking for arenas to sell CPUs that don’t directly compete with Intel. No, AMD’s renewed interest in workstation CPUs has more to do with its competitive positioning in GPUs than CPUs.
Ever since the CPU duo began building and marketing combination, all-in-one CPU+GPU parts (first with Intel’s Westmere in 2010, followed by AMD’s first Fusion parts), a unique opportunity fell into the AMD lap. As we’ve been pointing out for some time now, AMD now finds itself in the rare position where it can make a compelling, competitive case over both its chief rivals, Intel and Nvidia. Intel’s reputation for performance graphics has been poor, and despite the company’s largely successful attempt to boost its graphics profile (with 2011’s Sandy Bridge and 2012’s Ivy Bridge), AMD still owns the undeniable edge over Intel in graphics. Nvidia, meanwhile, which could argue graphics supremacy, doesn’t have x86 technology, making it impossible to compete in the new CPU+GPU segment.
Pitching an ISV-certified, professional-caliber version of Trinity to workstation OEMs can be convincing, especially given which end of the market that part could play. The dominant and still fastest growing segment of the workstation markets is the Entry class, particularly the low end of that class … precisely where the cost-effectiveness of the integrated part can appeal. The capabilities of parts like Trinity and GPU-integrated Ivy Bridge aren’t record-breaking, but they’re too good for workstation-shipping CAD professionals too ignore … especially those on tight budgets.
And given Intel virtually owns the market, OEMs like Dell and HP ought to welcome an enthusiastic re-entry by AMD. After all, no business wants to be beholden to one supplier, even if it’s a supplier of essentially infinite volume, like Intel.
What Does It Mean for CAD Professionals?
So after doing some comparison shopping, will you end up with a workstation with neither Intel nor Nvidia inside? Maybe, maybe not. But either way, you’ll be much more likely to get the machine you want at a lower price, regardless of whose brand is on it. Because while Intel’s been doing an impressive job as of late delivering the type of hardware professionals demand, any competition is welcome competition. And that not only benefits OEMs like HP and Dell, it should only help when it comes to keeping down IT costs for CAD.
Are Intel’s CPU-integrated GPUs Good Enough for CAD? (Part 2)
As I mentioned previously, the low-cost Entry 3D segment has seen steady gains over the years, for a logical reason … as average street prices fall and capabilities climb, the Entry class satisfies more and more of the workstation community. But then right around the start of 2011 — precisely when Sandy Bridge comes out of the chute in workstations like HP’s Z210 —Entry 3D shipments start to flatten and then decline (albeit modestly).
Professional graphics unit share history, by class. (Source: Jon Peddie Research)
Why are Entry 3D sales more indicative than other segments of a possible erosion from integrated Sandy Bridge graphics? Well, if recent buyers were to opt for Sandy Bridge graphics, the discrete card they’d most likely be opting against would be an entry-class product. Those shopping for a mid-range or better card aren’t going to be enticed by CPU-integrated graphics. Such buyers have both the need for performance and the dollars to pay for it. So if Intel’s new push into professional-brand integrated graphics were to have an impact, we would logically see the effects first in Entry 3D. And that appears precisely to be the case, albeit at a far-from-dramatic rate.
Don’t expect the impact of CPU-integrated graphics to be either dramatic or fast-paced. For the near term, while Intel’s “good enough” graphics performance can satisfy a big chunk of the mainstream, it will be an appropriate choice for only the most budget-conscious professionals. Still, the trend line, as it was in mainstream graphics, is pointing just one way: up. Sandy Bridge’s successor, Ivy Bridge, has just recently begun shipping in the market, and it again provides a substantial bump in performance and features over its predecessor.
Give it time, and integrated solutions will eventually hold significant share among CAD pros … not to the extent it does in mainstream PC markets, but significant share nonetheless.
Are Intel’s CPU-integrated GPUs Good Enough for CAD? (Part 1)
Intel had been promising that its latest generations of graphics-enabled CPUs would make CAD professionals think twice about paying extra dollars for a discrete graphics card on their next workstations. And it appears those promises are holding true … not in dramatic fashion, but valid nonetheless.
The thought of CPU-integrated graphics is a new proposition for buyers of professional-caliber looking to speed their CAD workflows. Prior to Intel’s Westmere generation, released in early 2010, virtually ever workstation shipped with a professional-brand graphics add-in card installed. The vast majority have been Nvidia Quadro models, with a minority share of units bearing AMD’s FirePro brand.
Westmere’s CPU+GPU combination first raised the question — could integrated graphics perform well enough for CAD duties to allow buyers to save some cash on the add-in card? The answer in 2010 was generally “no.” Performance was not up to snuff, even for entry-class CAD use, and as a result, most workstation OEMs still required the presence of a Quadro or FirePro card in any machine leaving the factory. That choice made sense, as the last thing HP or Dell would want for their professional customers is a poor graphics experience that might turn them off workstations altogether.
But then came 2011 and the launch of the Sandy Bridge generation of die-integrated graphics. With Sandy Bridge, Intel more than anything else focused performance improvements in graphics. And for the first time, the company began actively marketing its graphics for professional use (the “P” prefix in the P3000 signifying “professional” grade). The combination of Intel’s posture and Sandy Bridge’s substantially improved graphics were enough to get OEMs like HP to (for the first time) allow buyers to choose integrated graphics and pass on the graphics add-in card.
Now, Sandy Bridge’s graphics can’t compete head-to-head with Quadro or FirePro … it’s not intended to. What it is intended to do is provide competent graphics for CAD professionals who don’t have the highest demand for performance and whose budgets are especially tight. How did Intel do on its goals? Well, a look in the past few quarters at the add-in card attach rates for low-end systems and the distribution of the add-in cards sold should give a clue.
Professional graphics unit share history, by class. (Source: Jon Peddie Research)
Anecdotally, OEMs are reporting that, while attach rates remain quite high, they have dropped with Sandy Bridge. And those reports seem to be validated by shipment numbers seen for professional graphics add-in card segments, specifically the low-cost Entry 3D segment. That segment sees steady gains over the years, for a logical reason … as average street prices fall and capabilities climb, the Entry class satisfies more and more of the workstation community. But then right around the start of 2011 — precisely when Sandy Bridge comes out of the chute in workstations like HP’s Z210 —Entry 3D shipments start to flatten and then decline (albeit modestly).
Next week, I’ll continue this discussion by explaining why Entry 3D sales more indicative than other segments of a possible erosion from integrated Sandy Bridge graphics.
Intel’s Ivy Bridge Processors Hit the CAD Workstation Marketplace
The incessant pace of progress and innovation for workstation technology never slows.
Less than a quarter after every major workstation OEM launched a full trio of models based on Intel’s Sandy Bridge-EP (a.k.a. Xeon E5), the industry leader in CPUs has already released its follow-on processor generation, code-named Ivy Bridge. And subsequently, we are now seeing the first Ivy Bridge workstations hitting the market, including Dell’s Precision T1650 and HP’s Z220.
How Does Ivy Bridge Affect the CAD Workstation Market?
What benefits can Ivy Bridge offer to those plying their trade in CAD? Well, there’s the usual broad-based boost in performance that any good generational upgrade will provide, as Intel expects a 20 percent performance improvement for general computation from Ivy Bridge (though of course mileage will vary by application). But there’s more appeal for this upcoming product family than just the usual generation-to-generation performance bump. Because while that appeal extends across applications and usage models, there are a few special nuggets of technology in this generation that will pique the interest of workstation-wielding CAD professionals.
Intel’s lead in silicon process manufacturing continues to grow, and the benefits of Ivy Bridge should prove an ideal vehicle to showcase that lead. Just as competitors are getting their 32 nm process, with Ivy Bridge Intel’s jumping a full generation ahead with a 22 nm process that allows for millions more transistors in the same silicon area.
That’s a win for workstation buyers especially, as they represent a professional community that certainly care about CPU performance, but demand a lot more. First off, a shrink buys room for more cores, and we’ll eventually see some Ivy Bridge SKUs with eight or more cores (not at first launch, but later in the product lifecycle). Far from being one-trick-ponies, today’s MCAD professionals have to be jacks-of-all-trades — a competitive market, tight budgets and tighter schedules all demand it. Drawing is just one piece of the daily workflow, complemented by a host of other critical compute tasks, from simulation to styling. And chores like finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics multi-thread quite well, making 50% more available cores a serious weapon in driving computation time down and achieving the ultimate goal — boosting productivity.
Improved Integrated Graphics
The extra silicon space also allowed Intel to dial up the performance and functionality of its integrated graphics hardware. For example, Ivy Bridge’s P4000 GPU populates more on-chip graphics engines and supports advanced features like hardware tessellation, a proven tool that can deliver finer, more realistic 3D surfaces in less time. With its range of upgrades, Ivy Bridge can claim full DirectX11 support that its predecessor could not. And with more of those bigger, faster graphics engines, Intel can claim a 30% increase in performance for Ivy Bridge’s graphics over Sandy Bridge’s. And that means CAD professionals on a budget can now more seriously consider choosing a low-cost CPU-integrated graphics solution like the P400.
Support for Three Monitors
But looking beyond performance, Ivy Bridge’s graphics is going to provide another big draw for the MCAD professional: native support for three monitors. While the mainstream is now just discovering the benefits of dual monitors, many mechanical designers are already using three: for example, one for drawing, one for simulation and one for visualization. Prior to Ivy Bridge, a desktop with three high-resolution monitors mandated at least one discrete add-in graphics card. But with this generation, a cost-conscious MCAD user could go three-wide and stick with base platform graphics.
MCAD Users: Same Performance, 50% Fewer Watts!
With more cores to speed CAD simulation and ultra-realistic rendering, as well as a 30 percent graphics improvement, Ivy Bridge promises to be a tide that raises all boats, as all workstations — deskside or mobile — will benefit. But there’s one unique advancement debuting in Ivy Bridge that’s a particular boon to the MCAD pro on the go. You see, Ivy Bridge’s 22 nm technology introduces a revolutionary new transistor structure called TriGate that offers the same performance at 50% fewer Watts than Sandy Bridge’s 32 nm.
And that’s allowing leading vendors HP, Lenovo, Dell and Fujitsu to introduce new mobile workstation models that dramatically extend battery life at the same performance level, or deliver far more performance, with the same battery life. Either way you look at it, it’s a win when computation demands are high. And few corners of the computing world demand more performance/Watt than mechanical designers trying to accomplish demanding design work on the road.
This post reflects industry analyst Alex Herrera’s views and does not necessarily reflect the opinions, product plans or strategy of either Dell or Intel.
How Much Should You Spend on a New CAD Workstation? Part 1: Entry-Level Systems
Nearly two-thirds of workstation purchases in Q1 2011 were entry-level systems. (Source: Jon Peddie Research)
Here at CADspeed, we sometimes talk about hardware in general terms, using descriptions like “entry-level” and “high-end” to describe the different categories of computer systems available on the market today.
But what does “high-end” mean when it comes to the dollars in your budget? This post defines those general categories to help our readers understand what CAD workstations cost and how much they are going to have to spend to find a machine that meets their CAD production needs.
The CAD Workstation Marketplace
In tracking the workstation market, Jon Peddie Research breaks workstations into several categories: mobile, low entry desktop, premium entry, mid-range, and high-end. Not surprisingly, the higher the category, the steeper the price.
Entry-level Systems
For a CAD workstation, anything below $2500 is considered to be an entry-level system. Here at CADspeed, we know that the need dictates the hardware. While you obviously need a system that works efficiently with your CAD software, buying a beefy system when you don’t need that level of power is simply wasteful, in terms of both money and efficiency. So depending on your CAD needs, $2,500 or less can buy a nice system in today’s market.
Until recently, the lowest desktop category was entry, plain and simple, composed of high-volume, single-socket machines. But with Intel’s introduction of the Westmere platform generation in 2010, the entry category split into two discernible subtiers: low and premium. Low entry machines are typically minitowers and low-profile, small–form factor machines.
Today’s premium entry system is most often a mini-tower configuration with two PCI Express x16 slots for graphics and perhaps more drive bay capacity. Mini-towers have fewer slots and bays for additional add-in cards and drives.
Small–form factor machines put a real premium on capacity, with perhaps only two drive bays and space for one low-profile PCI Express card for graphics. Small–form factor workstations have found a compelling home in certain installations that don’t necessarily demand maximum performance and where priorities include noise and heat reduction and space optimization. These installations are not typically CAD oriented.
For CAD production, a mini-tower will be a better bet in most cases and will allow for future upgrades of your graphics card, memory, or storage if needed.
Next we’ll describe what you’ll find in mid-range and high-end CAD workstations.
TwitterChat Archive: SolidWorks Optimization with Josh Mings, SolidSmack
SolidWorks Optimization with Josh Mingsby cadalyst_magDell- and Cadalyst-Sponsored TwitterChat abput optimizing your system for SolidWorks.
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| “ | RT @DellEnterprise: Live #CAD chat! Join Dell, @Cadalyst_Mag, & @SolidSmack at #DellCAD, Thursday 4pm East. Info- http://del.ly/6019Rzi5 | ||
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| “ | RT @Cadalyst_Mag: Using #SolidWorks? Join our @SolidSmack TwitterChat today 3pm CST #dellcad http://t.co/3juQzy1 | ||
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| “ | RT @SolidSmack: RT @Cadalyst_Mag: Using #SolidWorks? Join our @SolidSmack TwitterChat today 3pm CST #dellcad http://t.co/3juQzy1 | ||
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| “ | Do you use SolidWorks? Join our chat with @SolidSmack & @Cadalyst_Mag that starts –in just 3 hours– using #DellCAD http://del.ly/6012RzUe | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: Do you use SolidWorks? Join our chat with @SolidSmack & @Cadalyst_Mag that starts –in just 3 hours– using #DellCAD http://del.ly/6012RzUe | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: Join us, @SolidSmack and @Cadalyst_Mag TODAY at 3pm Central for a TwitterChat on #SolidWorks. Hastag = #DellCAD http://del.ly/6012Rzmu | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: Join us, @SolidSmack and @Cadalyst_Mag TODAY at 3pm Central for a TwitterChat on #SolidWorks. Hastag = #DellCAD http://del.ly/6012Rzmu | ||
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| “ | RT: Do you use SolidWorks? Join our chat with @SolidSmack & @Cadalyst_Mag that starts –in just 3 hours– using #DellCAD http://t.co/vY2U7gd | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: Join us, @SolidSmack and @Cadalyst_Mag TODAY at 3pm Central for a TwitterChat on #SolidWorks. Hastag = #DellCAD http://del.ly/6012Rzmu | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD TwitterChat in 1 hour with @SolidSmack: Performance optimization with #SolidWorks. http://t.co/3juQzy1 | ||
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| “ | 30 min until our tweetchat w/ @SolidSmack & @Cadalyst_Mag to talk SolidWorks performance & workstations. #DellCAD http://del.ly/6011RzSt | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: 30 min until our tweetchat w/ @SolidSmack & @Cadalyst_Mag to talk SolidWorks performance & workstations. #DellCAD http://del.ly/6011RzSt | ||
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| “ | 20 minutes till @joshmings fills your tweet stream with sweet #SolidWorks Performance Q&A. Grab a ham and follow #DellCAD @Cadalyst_Mag | ||
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| “ | Live Twitter chat on CAD starting now! See #DellCAD to join in the conversation. | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD TweetChat in 5 min with @SolidSmack. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s talk #SolidWorks. http://t.co/3juQzy1 | ||
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| “ | Twitter chat with @solidsmack starting in 4 minutes. Shantanu Kedar from the SolidWorks Partner Team will be helping out on our end #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | getting ready to hang with @joshmings to chat about SolidWorks performance and workstations – join #DellCAD (I’ll be there as @DellSMBnews) | ||
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| “ | RT: @DellEnterprise Live Twitter chat on CAD starting now! See #DellCAD to join in the conversation. | ||
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| “ | Welcome to the #DellCAD TwitterChat with @SolidSmack. We’re talking about #SolidWorks optimization right now. | ||
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| “ | I’m Michelle with @Cadalyst_Mag. Please use #DellCAD to follow along as we chat with Josh Mings of @SolidSmack about #SolidWorks. | ||
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| “ | One of Cadalyst’s favorite bloggers, Josh Mings @SolidSmack is ready for your questions. Use #DellCAD to ask a ?. | ||
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| “ | We’re excited to be partnering with @CADalyst_Mag and @SolidSmack today to talk workstations and SolidWorks performance at #DellCAD! | ||
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| “ | Want to optimize the gravy bits out of #SolidWorks on your workstation? Tell us your story at #DellCAD right about… now. | ||
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| “ | Please introduce yourself at any time in the conversation by using the #DellCAD hashtag. | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD tweetchat starting now. Join the discussion about optimizing your workstation performance for #SolidWorks | ||
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| “ | Remember to use #DellCAD in your tweets to join in the conversation about optimizing #SolidWorks. | ||
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| “ | My favorite way to optimize SolidWorks? Smart modeling practice – minimize external ref, reduce relations, complex features last #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | checking out #DellCAD looking forward to what Josh has to say John |
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| “ | RT @Cadalyst_Mag: I’m Michelle with @Cadalyst_Mag. Please use #DellCAD to follow along as we chat with Josh Mings of @SolidSmack about #SolidWorks. | ||
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| “ | RT @LaurenatDell: #DellCAD tweetchat starting now. Join the discussion about optimizing your workstation performance for #SolidWorks | ||
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| “ | @waldenweb nice to see ya John. How’s the SolidWorks performance these days? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Jumping into TwitterChat now w/ @SolidSmack #DellCAD – I’m mostly a PDM/PLM guy, but Josh is 2 cool to miss and I’ve been a SWX fan for yrs | ||
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| “ | #SolidWorks optimization on the hardware side? Maximize CPU speed. You’ll be glad you did. #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @jonathanpscott: Jumping into TwitterChat now w/ @SolidSmack #DellCAD – I’m mostly a PDM/PLM guy, but Josh is 2 cool to miss and I’ve been a SWX fan for yrs | ||
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| “ | RT @LaurenatDell: #DellCAD tweetchat starting now. Join the discussion about optimizing your workstation performance for #SolidWorks | ||
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| “ | How do you optimize file colaboration with Solidworks? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @SolidSmack: #SolidWorks optimization on the hardware side? Maximize CPU speed. You’ll be glad you did. #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD: Josh, we’ve got a reader who needs to upgrade to run the latest #SolidWorks. What do you recommend? | ||
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| “ | RT @LPT: getting ready to hang with @joshmings to chat about SolidWorks performance and workstations – join #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Running SW2010 on Windows 7 64bit with 8G Ram, working pretty well #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | If upgrading to SolidWorks 2011, go Windows 7 64bit, 6GB RAM minimum (It’s cheap!), 1GB graphics card is nice too. @Cadalyst_Mag #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Ooh, question about #SolidWorks file collaboration optimization on #DellCAD – now you’ve got my full attention! | ||
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| “ | RT @Cadalyst_Mag: #DellCAD: Josh, we’ve got a reader who needs to upgrade to run the latest #SolidWorks. What do you recommend? | ||
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| “ | RT @johnevansdesign: RT @LPT: getting ready to hang with @joshmings to chat about SolidWorks performance and workstations – join #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @Cadalyst_Mag: One of Cadalyst’s favorite bloggers, Josh Mings @SolidSmack is ready for your questions. Use #DellCAD to ask a ?. | ||
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| “ | @waldenweb – 8GB of RAM — worth it, you think? I believe the more RAM, the better. #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | @bcbenton file collaboration: two ways – 1) work off network with established file name convention #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @SolidSmack: If upgrading to SolidWorks 2011, go Windows 7 64bit, 6GB RAM minimum (It’s cheap!), 1GB graphics card is nice too. @Cadalyst_Mag #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | @bcbenton file collaboration (cont) 2) invest in PDM system. sad but true with that. pricey but worth it for med to large company. #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | On the @solidsmack tweet stream listening to @joshmings #SolidWorks performance Q&A #dellcad | ||
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| “ | RT @SolidSmack: If upgrading to SolidWorks 2011, go Windows 7 64bit, 6GB RAM minimum (It’s cheap!), 1GB graphics card is nice too. @Cadalyst_Mag #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | @Cadalyst_Mag – your reader that is upgrading might find our workstation advisor tool helpful, too: http://del.ly/6011RztB #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @JohnEvansDesign: RT @LPT: getting ready to hang with @joshmings to chat about SolidWorks performance and workstations – join #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | I like answer #2 to @bcbenton question on SWX file collaboration – use PDM if you can afford it. You get collab AND other benefits #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Did you know Dell Precision workstations are specifically designed for professionals like those of you who use #SolidWorks? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | @Cadalyst_Mag @waldenweb running one rig with 2 Processors and 24GB of RAM…. wooooow, worth it. #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | lightweight components and large assembly mode will help with the optimization. #Dellcad | ||
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| “ | @jonathanpscott what are your thoughts on how PDM helps optimize SolidWorks and Workstation? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | I just drooled a little: @SolidSmack @waldenweb running one rig with 2 Processors and 24GB of RAM…. wooooow, worth it. #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Questions about CAD hardware configurations? Ask a #Dell expert – @DellRonnie – on #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | true, and SpeedPacks! @lazytrax: lazytrax: lightweight components and large assembly mode will help with SolidWorks optimization. #Dellcad | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD @SolidSmack One big way is thru view/search ability – non-PDM SWX users sometimes load everything into session just to find 1 part | ||
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| “ | @SolidSmack @bcbenton 1/file share or 2/PDM is pretty much all what available today mainstream for collaboration. #dellcad | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD: We’ve got another reader who is new to #SolidWorks RealView. Any tips on hardware or software optimization? | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD @SolidSmack Another PDM plus is managing the 3D->2D link. SWX is OK on the 2D->3D direction. But can cost time to find drws from 3D | ||
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| “ | RT @dellsmbnews: @Cadalyst_Mag your reader that’s upgrading might find our workstation advisor tool helpful http://del.ly/6011RztB #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @LaurenatDell: Questions about CAD hardware configurations? Ask a #Dell expert – @DellRonnie – on #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Is anyone using/not using #SolidWorks RealView? Why or why not? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @Cadalyst_Mag: One of Cadalyst’s favorite bloggers, Josh Mings @SolidSmack is ready for your questions. Use #DellCAD to ask a ?. | ||
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| “ | If there are any specific #Dell questions about CAD workstation configurations, let me know! #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | unreal RT @Cadalyst_Mag: I just drooled a little: @SolidSmack @waldenweb running one rig with 2 Processors and 24GB of RAM.. #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | @Cadalyst_Mag One way to ensure a good RealView experience is to have a professional level graphics card. #DellCAD http://bit.ly/brRb6X | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD @bcbenton One more collab tip for SWX is using “multi-user env” options – bad news is it doesn’t always play nice with PDM systems. | ||
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| “ | A SolidWorks certified GPU will help with RealView. Can view here… some req’ additional file http://bit.ly/oyunZT @Cadalyst_Mag #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | @Cadalyst_Mag – speaking of drooling… here’s a fun workstation-related video for motorcycle fans joining #DellCAD http://del.ly/6013Rzt3 | ||
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| “ | Introduce yourself at any time in the conversation by using the #DellCAD hashtag. | ||
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| “ | #Dellcad RealView feels distracting/unnecessary, not real. Zebra stripes w/surfaces and preview w/PW pretty much removes the need also | ||
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| “ | #Dellcad that should be: preview with PhotoView, PV, not PW | ||
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| “ | RT @bcbenton: RT @dellsmbnews: @Cadalyst_Mag your reader that’s upgrading might find our workstation advisor tool helpful http://del.ly/6011RztB #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: @Cadalyst_Mag – speaking of drooling… here’s a fun workstation-related video for motorcycle fans joining #DellCAD http://del.ly/6013Rzt3 | ||
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| “ | @SolidWorks: Graphics cards! Such a hot topic on #CADspeed. Great link: http://t.co/jy0baxR #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | def for heavy surface modeling! @tonyisme: Zebra stripes w/surfaces and preview w/PW pretty much removes the need for RealView #Dellcad | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: Did you know Dell Precision workstations are specifically designed for professionals like those of you who use #SolidWorks? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @LaurenatDell: Questions about CAD hardware configurations? Ask a #Dell expert – @DellRonnie – on #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Questions about CAD hardware configurations? Ask a #Dell expert – @DellRonnie – on #DellCAD #dellcad | ||
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| “ | and not to leave F1 fans in #DellCAD out, we’ve also got video of Dell workstations helping Cosworth build engines: http://del.ly/6016Rztu | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD Anybody using Solid State Drives to help their #SolidWorks performance? Made a huge difference on my laptop! | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD If you missed Josh’s blog on #CADspeed: Optimize #SolidWorks & be a happier user – http://t.co/BJ1A8MC | ||
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| “ | RT @SolidSmack: Is anyone using/not using #SolidWorks RealView? Why or why not? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Do you have a dedicated computer just for #SolidWorks? or do you run everything on one? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Another hot topic – opinions? @jonathanpscott: #DellCAD Anybody using Solid State Drives to help their #SolidWorks performance? | ||
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| “ | Dell Precision certified Workstations are optimized for #Solidworks. Check out our latest workstations: http://t.co/YylUTNW #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | @solidsmack I run SWX alongside all my other apps – but then again, I am a PDM guy… #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @Cadalyst_Mag: #DellCAD If you missed Josh’s blog on #CADspeed: Optimize #SolidWorks & be a happier user – http://t.co/BJ1A8MC | ||
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| “ | Have you checked out the CADspeed blog yet https://cadspeed.wordpress.com #dellcad | ||
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| “ | @jonathanpscott #Dellcad ssd impr. file loading a lot. Not much to gain on modeling or sim performance though. The CPU still needs to chew | ||
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| “ | RT @jonathanpscott: #DellCAD Anybody using Solid State Drives to help their #SolidWorks performance? Made a huge difference on my laptop! | ||
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| “ | @jonathanpscott exactly! you are running SolidWorks (btw me too), but actually not using it (lol) @solidsmack #dellcad | ||
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| “ | @olegshilovitsky #DellCAD Oleg – you are right about that! LOL I rarely model much more than a plate. 🙂 | ||
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| “ | @Cadalyst_Mag @jonathanpscott @solidsmack I’m using SSD. Not only for Solidworks. It helps a lot for performance. #dellcad | ||
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| “ | @cadcompany : Questions about CAD hardware configurations? Ask a #Dell expert – @DellRonnie – on #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Follow a workstation guru > RT @DellRonnie: Dell Precision certified Workstations are optimized for #Solidworks. dell.com/precision #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @olegshilovitsky: @Cadalyst_Mag @jonathanpscott @solidsmack I’m using SSD. Not only for Solidworks. It helps a lot for performance. #dellcad | ||
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| “ | SSD and SATA combination environment is a good way to optimize speed and storage. SSD’s getting cheaper. @tonyisme @jonathanpscott #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | @DellRonnie: Any advice on switching to SSD? #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @SolidSmack: SSD and SATA combination environment is a good way to optimize speed and storage. SSD’s getting cheaper. @tonyisme @jonathanpscott #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | RT @Kylee_Dell: Have you checked out the CADspeed blog yet https://cadspeed.wordpress.com #dellcad | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD Not all SSDs are created equally – remember to check the specs. Its like the difference between 4200 RPM drives and 10k RPM drives. | ||
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| “ | @SolidSmack @jonathanpscott #Dellcad SSD for system disk & SATA for storage/simulation dumping ground <- would be my ideal combo | ||
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| “ | @tonyisme Sounds like a good combo. #DellCAD @DellRonnie – are there Precisions that have multiple HDD config options? | ||
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| “ | RT @jonathanpscott: #DellCAD Not all SSDs are created equally – check the specs. Its like the diff between 4200 RPM and 10k RPM drives. | ||
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| “ | RT @jonathanpscott: #DellCAD Anybody using Solid State Drives to help their #SolidWorks performance? Made a huge difference on my laptop! | ||
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| “ | In case any #DellCAD tweeters need a new workstation quick, 17’’ Precision M6600 w/LCD touch screen now Ships Fast http://del.ly/6014Rztk | ||
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| “ | @jonathanpscott @tonyisme Yes! All of our Precision workstations support multiple HDD configs with RAID options #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | This #DellCAD TwitterChat is sponsored by #Dell. Thanks to @DellSMBNews for their support! | ||
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| “ | @SolidSmack: Is anyone using #SolidWorks RealView? Not often – hurts my eyes when doing detail work #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Thanks also to @AMD_Unprocessed for its support for #DellCAD TwitterChat and the #CADspeed blog. | ||
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| “ | Special thanks to one of our favorite bloggers, Josh Mings @SolidSmack for a great #DellCAD TwitterChat. | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD: @solidworks Thanks to the #SolidWorks team for their support! | ||
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| “ | @DellSMBnews you need to remove the insanely annoying floating “wanna chat” box. Seriously #Dellcad #offtopic | ||
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| “ | A full transcript will be available after the TwitterChat. Watch for #DellCAD or follow @Cadalyst_Mag for the link. | ||
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| “ | @Cadalyst_Mag – you’re very welcome. And thanks to you, @SolidSmack and everyone else who joined us for #DellCAD today! | ||
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| “ | The #DellCAD TwitterChat is officially closed. Please feel free to keep chatting amongst yourselves. Thanks to all for participating! | ||
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| “ | RT @Cadalyst_Mag: A full transcript will be available after the TwitterChat. Watch for #DellCAD or follow @Cadalyst_Mag for the link. | ||
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| “ | #DellCAD Thanks, Josh (@SolidSmack). Good TwitterChat. | ||
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| “ | @Cadalyst_Mag great initiative! #Dellcad | ||
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| “ | learned about tweet chat made by #dellcad and @solidsmack. maybe we need to have one about #PLM? | ||
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| “ | Also, check out the #SolidWorks performance article here on the CADSpeed blog http://bit.ly/papOs0 #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Thanks @solidsmack @cadalyst_mag @DellSMBNews for a nice TwitterChat today #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | While today’s #DellCAD tweetchat has officially ended the conversation doesn’t have to stop! Continue to use the hashtag, follow @DellRonnie | ||
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| “ | RT @SolidSmack: Also, check out the #SolidWorks performance article here on the CADSpeed blog http://bit.ly/papOs0 #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | Also > RT @SolidSmack: […] wondering about SolidWorks/Workstation performance email josh@solidsmack.com or stop by solidsmack.com #DellCAD | ||
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| “ | And > RT @Cadalyst_Mag: A full transcript will be available after the TwitterChat. Watch for #DellCAD or follow @Cadalyst_Mag for the link. | ||
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| “ | @razorleaf – you’re very welcome! thank you for joining #DellCAD ~LPT | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: In case any #DellCAD tweeters need a new workstation quick, 17’’ Precision M6600 w/LCD touch screen now Ships Fast http://del.ly/6014Rztk | ||
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| “ | RT @DellSMBnews: In case any #DellCAD tweeters need a new workstation quick, 17’’ Precision M6600 w/LCD touch screen now Ships Fast http://del.ly/6014Rztk | ||
|
| “ | RT @DellEnterprise: Live Twitter chat on CAD starting now! See #DellCAD to join in the conversation. | ||
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AutoCAD WS: Go Mobile and Collaborate in Real Time
With over 2 million downloads in less than a year — AutoCAD WS has become quite the mobile sensation. Thanks to Cloud technology, you can now upload your drawings to AutoCAD WS — and access them from any iOS (iPod touch, iPAD, iPhone) or Google Android device.
For the AutoCAD user, that means the ability to take your drawings to the job site, with or without an internet connection, and use the markup features to update the drawings remotely. If you happen to have an internet connection – your coworkers back in the office can actually see your edits in real time!
And did I mention it is free of charge? (and we all love free!).
Alert: This is how you’re going to get your boss to approve a iPad or tablet!
AutoCAD WS isn’t just for remote use – it’s also a strong player in collaboration. You can share your drawing files with others (even if they don’t have AutoCAD) and invite them to an online collaboration session. AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD for Mac have tools built right into the user interface to managing your drawing and sharing super easy.
Click for larger image.
So let’s say you want to share a drawing file with someone. Simply select the Share drawing option in AutoCAD and entire the email address of the intended collaborator. You can decide whether they can edit and/or download the drawing (as opposed to just viewing the drawing file).
Click for larger image.
Or maybe you just want a safe and secure place to keep your drawing files. With security as tight as your bank (which I like to think is super secure) you can upload your drawing files at the end of your work day and access them from anywhere. Maybe you decide to work at home the next day – not a problem as you can just grab your saved drawing files from AutoCAD WS.
The online version of AutoCAD WS (http://www.autocadws.com/) has a decent set of drawing and editing tools for basic markups. You can even turn layers on and off – or create new layers (great for markups). I love the Timeline option (and certainly wish AutoCAD had this) that allows you to go back in time and check out the various revisions.
Click for larger image.
So how many files can you post on AutoCAD WS? As many as you want! (and did I mention it is free?). There is a 15mb limit per drawing but other than that the storage capacity is limitless – it doesn’t get much better than that.
Give AutoCAD WS a try — you won’t believe the capabilities you get at such a tiny price tag (and $0 is about as tiny as you can possibly get!)
Did you miss the Dell-Sponsored TwitterChat on AutoCAD WS web service with Lynn Allen last month? Click here for the archive!
Author: Lynn Allen, Autodesk Evangelist. Find more tips from Lynn Allen on Cadalyst.com.
From the Editors of
CADspeed 