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2018 Rollouts - Highlights

Question asked by Todd Blacksher on Oct 31, 2017
Latest reply on Oct 31, 2017 by Todd Blacksher

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We are in the midst of 2018 VAR Rollout season (I'm going to the local one on Thursday)

I thought it would be a good idea to have a place for everyone to share some of their favorite things that they picked up at their local event.

So, after you go to your local Rollout, review your notes (I can't be the only one that takes notes), and share some of the new stuff here.

Also . . . Who is your VAR? What did you think of their presentations? Was there anything missing?

A few of you have already been to a Rollout, so please start sharing your stories!

No one else has this question

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Austin Broeker Oct 31, 2017 12:57 PM
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VAR - Fisher/Unitech. I always enjoy going to their rollouts, this year they held ours at a chocolate factory (sorry to say they did not employ any oompa-loompas )

Our rollout was yesterday. Here are some of my favorite additions to 2018:
- ability to mirror 3D sketches
- automatic tab-and-slot feature (this will be a FANTASTIC tool for us if it works well)
- "Branch and Merge" tool in PDM
- free Solidworks CAM included with SW subscription (maybe not so great for people who already have CAM software, but we don't, so I'm excited by this one)
- finally adding an "undo" button to the data card editor in PDM
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Rick Becker @ Austin Broeker on Oct 31, 2017 1:07 PM
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Austin Broeker wrote:
- free Solidworks CAM included with SW subscription...

Is this a temporary "free"? Limited time, restricted content or with adds?
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David Durston @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 1:15 PM
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Rick,
Each licence of SOLIDWORKS (Standard, Professional and Premium) that is on subscription will be able to use SOLIDWORKS CAM. So rather than free it is an additional product that is included in your existing subscription cost.

David
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Rick Becker @ David Durston on Oct 31, 2017 1:18 PM
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Thank you David.
My second question, is there a plan to "phase-out" included (say on release of 2019 version)? Is there discussion to charge a module fee for future upgrades or enhancements?
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Craig Schultz @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 1:24 PM
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I doubt it. The one that's included is alright. But all good things come at a cost --> SOLIDWORKS CAM Matrix | Hawk Ridge Systems

I bet it's because of the Fusion 360 integration.
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Todd Blacksher @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 1:25 PM
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It is my understanding that the 2.5 axis "version" will always be included, but you will need CAMWORKS (or another package) if you want to step up to 3 or more axis.
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David Durston @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 1:26 PM
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Rick,
From everything I have heard I do not expect this to be the case.
SOLIDWORKS have released CAM standard which is included and free for users who are on subscription, there is a higher level product CAM Professional that can be purchased as an additional product.

Essentially we understand it will work much the same as Visualize does for customers with Professional/Premium licences.

David
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Craig Schultz @ Austin Broeker on Oct 31, 2017 1:28 PM
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- automatic tab-and-slot feature (this will be a FANTASTIC tool for us if it works well) - I wish this was available at my last place. There were a bunch of robot welding I could've saved time on.

- "Branch and Merge" tool in PDM - I didn't get it at the alpha session, but now that they rolled in some of the suggestions, I see the benefits.

- finally adding an "undo" button to the data card editor in PDM - I put this in every year as an enhancement request.....so happy when I saw it in the alpha session at SWW.
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Dan Pihlaja Oct 31, 2017 1:32 PM
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*sigh*....if wishes were fishes...
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Rick Becker @ David Durston on Oct 31, 2017 1:34 PM
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David Durston wrote:
...Essentially we understand...
David, do you work for Dassault?
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David Durston @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 1:35 PM
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Nope but I do work for a VAR
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Paul Risley Oct 31, 2017 1:35 PM
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Rollout with Symmetry Solutions/Hawk Ridge.

1-Would be the add on of importing Step files as recognizeable parts. (3d Interconnect)

2-Free form of non concentric hole mating.(Would like to see this expand to non planar surface anomalies as well.)

3-Tab slot function should be a great tool for welding(Other applications may see a use for it as well)

4-Not for me, but the upgrades to Solidworks Electrical looks promising.

5-Solidworks cam, The true upside I see here is the memorizing of how you machine and program. In the software it will remember how you pocket mill so it will save your preferences if you choose so you can select features and it will auto recognize how you did the last part and incorporate that into the new part.(Downside: File size could be an issue, I could not get a straight answer on how big the file size would be. Again it would be a variable, but if the part was in an assembly of say 100 pcs and each one had a program built into the part that could bog a system down.)

7-Mirror of 3d sketches. Along with the function of mirroring sketches across planes.(My personal pet peeve, they did not address the mirroring of holes across 2 parallel surfaces. Pisses me off when I have holes mirrored on 2 DIFFERENT surfaces and it gives me a total count for both sides of the part.)

I am sure there were more these are the ones from my notes in no particular order.

I have gone to 2 rollouts the latest being with my VAR. The first one was with another VAR whom I cannot remember right now. The presentations at both were pretty good. I will say that I look forward to wading into 2018 when the time comes, but after the last 3 years of "glitches" I am in no big hurry to install this on my computers.
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Rick Becker @ Dan Pihlaja on Oct 31, 2017 1:37 PM
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Dan Pihlaja wrote:
....if wishes were fishes...

we'd all swim in riches.
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Rick Becker @ Paul Risley on Oct 31, 2017 1:40 PM
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Paul Risley wrote:
5-Solidworks cam, The true upside I see here is the memorizing of how you machine and program. In the software it will remember how you pocket mill so it will save your preferences if you choose so you can select features and it will auto recognize how you did the last part and incorporate that into the new part.(Downside: File size could be an issue, I could not get a straight answer on how big the file size would be. Again it would be a variable, but if the part was in an assembly of say 100 pcs and each one had a program built into the part that could bog a system down.)

File size shouldn't be an issue at all. Just get a bigger hard drive.
The programming will need to be put thru a post-processor and a simple text file is what the machine sees. Same as it is now.

Which brings up another issue. Where will the post-processors come from?
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Alex Lachance Oct 31, 2017 1:40 PM
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My VAR is SolidXpert. I've been to 2014's rollout only. Thought the whole thing was pretty cool but wasn't worth a 3 hour drive.

Personally, I found that the presentation was too fast paced and they skimmed through stuff too quickly, but then again it's a presentation for over 200 person so obviously they won't have time to adress every question personally.

Might go to SolidWorks 2019 Rollout next year, will see.
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Paul Risley @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 1:41 PM
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Rick,

The basic provided cam software will be standard. It will basically allow you to machine simple parts. If you have a horizontal mill with a tombstone or use an indexer in a vertical mill you cannot program with the basic.For most places the basic would go pretty far though for machine programming from what I saw of it at our rollouts. We just wouldn't use it often enough to justify it.

Since I can't get Premium Solidworks and our toolmakers are running Gibbs cam 2016, I don't see a premium license of camworks in my future. Oh well, I still get to play with the basic which will be fun. I am interested to see how it applies post processing and if it would be on par with Gibbs as that is what we have in use here.
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Rick Becker @ Paul Risley on Oct 31, 2017 1:48 PM
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Paul,

We have 2 seats of Premium on subscription (5 seats total on subscription).
We have 14 VMC, 2 Mill/Turn, 4 CNC Lathes, 12 WireEDM and 6 Swiss Style
We use MasterCam for all except Swiss Style.
What we really need is a programming center for Swiss Style (specifically Tsugami Swiss Style)

I guess I'll wait and see if SWCAM can be used to program our WireEDM's or Swiss Style's.
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Paul Risley @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 1:54 PM
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There is some concern on our end for file size because of the storage currently used.
This is a VNC file created from Gibbs cam and there are plenty more like it at this size or bigger, while the file of our solids should only have the post processed TXT file attached, my concern would be update and rebuild times due to the programming side having to update as well.

One can only speculate at this point as to what the effect will be on the software as a whole. All in all it looks promising and I would love to spend a couple of weeks messing around with it developing tool libraries and basic program memory. More likely though I will get 20 minutes a week to mess around with it to get a feel over the next year what it can and can't do. Still will be fun t delve into it.
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Edward Poole @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 2:55 PM
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Probably...
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Craig Schultz @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 3:00 PM
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Any contouring....pro. Any lathes....pro. See the link I posted earlier for the matrix.

And like I replied to you before (and then failed to follow up) about Swiss style, good luck. We haven't found anything off the shelf that will handle our programming.
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Edward Poole @ Craig Schultz on Oct 31, 2017 3:11 PM
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Mastercam
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Rick Becker @ Edward Poole on Oct 31, 2017 4:02 PM
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Ed, MasterCam does not program Swiss Style. They tried and failed and abandoned their attempt.
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Craig Schultz @ Edward Poole on Oct 31, 2017 4:23 PM
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Go to SWW....run through the gauntlet of software dealers. You'll get the same info I got. We had a follow up from MC about a year and a half ago. The sales guy was all "Yeah, no problem, we do DMG installs all the time....oh wait, what model? Sorry we can't"
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Edward Poole @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 4:43 PM
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That explains why they emptied their shop of Swiss-style machines and swapped in some awesome machining centers!
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Rick Becker @ Rick Becker on Oct 31, 2017 4:45 PM
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If wishes were horses then beggars would ride,

If turnips were swords I’d have one by my side.

If ‘ifs’ and ‘ands’ were pots and pans
There would be no need for tinker’s hands!
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