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  #1  
Old 08-01-2008, 12:48 PM
mramseyISU mramseyISU is offline
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Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Does anybody out there have any tips for a guy like me who's been using Solidworks for the past 8 years on how to use this software? I just started a new job about a month back where CoCreate is the 3D package in place. I gotta say I'm not enjoying the switch. It really feels like I've moved back to using Mechanical Desktop except it's harder to find the commands. Do any of you have any tips for making my transistion a little less painless?
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  #2  
Old 08-02-2008, 04:48 AM
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Hi.
What about these?
http://www.ptc.com/products/cocreate/modeling
The webinars were helpful.

And...
http://osd.cad.de/
Or
http://osd.cad.de/index.en.htm
(Above is Wolfgang's contribution)

The rest has been here as far as I'm concerned.
P.S.
And I am not familiar with SW.
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  #3  
Old 08-02-2008, 09:16 AM
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

A while ago, I collected a few general links at http://www.clausbrod.de/CoCreateModeling/OsdmFaqIntroduction#learn .

And welcome to the forum!

Claus
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  #4  
Old 08-03-2008, 10:31 PM
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Hi,

it's important to realise that SW and OSD are completely different in their working principle. Don't try and "do things the old way", because it will always be frustrating. When new pople enter our R&D department, I see 2 typical reactions: some love OSD from the first minute, and some want it to behave the way their previous system behaved. Be sure you find a way to really learn how OSD "thinks". OSD is really a powerful CAD program, and a very easy one, but only if you use it the way it's supposed to be used. The same goes for for any software program, by the way

Kind regards,
Jaap
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Old 08-04-2008, 09:27 AM
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Thumbs up Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Here are some online materials that will be helpful to you - Especially when switching from a parametric 3D CAD system, like SolidWorks, to an explicit 3D CAD system such as CoCreate Modeling.

CoCreate Modeling Quick Refrence Card
http://www.ptc.com/WCMS/files/74556/en/2008_Modeling_Quick_Reference_Card.pdf

Getting Started with CoCreate Modeling Personal Edition - Part 1
http://www.cocreate.com/learn/2007_Getting_Started_PE1.aspx

Getting Started with CoCreate Modeling Personal Edition - Part 2
http://www.cocreate.com/learn/2007_Getting_Started_PE2.aspx

Online Demo: CoCreate Modeling and it's Explict Approach to 3D Design
http://www.cocreate.com/learn/Demos/Intuitive_Explicit_Modeling_Demo.aspx

Online Demo: CoCreate Modeling Part & Assembly Functionality
http://www.cocreate.com/learn/Demos/Part_Assembly_Modeling_Demo.aspx

Online Demo: CoCreate Modeling and Working with Imported 3D Data
http://www.cocreate.com/learn/Demos/Modeling_with_Imported_3d_data_Demo.aspx

CoCreate 2008 Feature Showcase - What's New
http://www.cocreate2008.com
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  #6  
Old 08-07-2008, 07:31 AM
mramseyISU mramseyISU is offline
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Thanks for all those links guys. I'll have to bring in some headphones to work so I can watch some of those webcasts.
I'm a month into this endevor and I fall into the catagory of I hate this because it doesn't do things the way I'm used to.

Since Pro-E owns them maybe the next module could be a pro-e skin to make it run like that so I could figure out what I'm doing.
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Old 08-07-2008, 07:54 AM
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Wink Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

CoCreate Modeling has a fundamentally different approach to 3D design then SolidWorks. CoCreate Modeling (SpaceClaim included) is an "explicit" 3D CAD system while Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks, Inventor (to name a few) are "parametric" 3D CAD systems. That CoCreate Modeling doesn't do things the way you're use to in SolidWorks is almost expected by the foundational nature of their respective 3D approach.

Out of curiosity, where are you having the most issues? Creating 2D profiles, creating new 3D geometry, loading and managing part & assemblies... Sometimes ease-of-use is relative and to help you out, can you provide us with some perspective on the issue at hand.
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Last edited by dszostak; 08-11-2008 at 07:56 AM.
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  #8  
Old 08-07-2008, 08:22 AM
mramseyISU mramseyISU is offline
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

What is the hardest concept for me to grasp I would say is creating 2D profiles. Take for example something I'm working on now. I have a flange provided by a potential customer and I'm trying to get a pump to fit. I'm given some coordinates by the customer to generate my hole pattern. What I don't get is how do I take these coordinates that in the parametric would be a simple sketch and dimension and constrain them so I know they are not moving.
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Old 08-07-2008, 09:03 AM
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Red face Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Good example - Just a little more clarification please...

Is the issue creating the correct 2D profile for the flange, including the hole pattern...?
or
Is it once you've extruded the flange, you want to verify that the hole pattern is not going to move and stay properly contrained...?
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Old 08-07-2008, 09:45 AM
mramseyISU mramseyISU is offline
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Quote:
Originally Posted by dszostak View Post
Good example - Just a little more clarification please...

Is the issue creating the correct 2D profile for the flange, including the hole pattern...?
or
Is it once you've extruded the flange, you want to verify that the hole pattern is not going to move and stay properly contrained...?
Lets start with the correct 2D profile of the flange. The drawing I was given doesn't have a base circle it gives a 0,0 cooridinate of the whole part and then the hole centers are given as a x,y coordinates. parametricly I'd use an origin point and dimension the circle locations from there. Here I don't see that as an option I know I can specify those coordinates with the user input line but what frustrates me is how is that in improvement over 2D autocad? Except with autocad I could snap to a midpoint of a line or the center of a circle. Maybe I can here too but I havn't figured out how to snap to anything but an end point.

Last edited by mramseyISU; 08-07-2008 at 10:12 AM.
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Old 08-07-2008, 11:05 AM
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Thumbs up Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Ok... now we're getting somewhere. Thanks.

As you noticed, the CoCreate Modeling workplane doesn't feel like a Pro/ENGINEER sketcher or SolidWorks sketch plane. You’re right, what it feels like is a 2D CAD system, CoCreate Drafting or Autodesk AutoCAD.

To help you understand why the workplane doesn’t feel like a sketcher or a sketch plane… the answer is found in how an explicit, versus a parametric 3D CAD system, modifies the 3D model. The answer becomes obvious when you start asking the question, “How will I modify the 3D model when there is a design change?”
  • In an explicit 3D CAD system, desgin modifications happen on-the-fly and “explicitly” on the 3D model with commands such as Move. No 2D profile or dimension is retrieved.
  • In a parametric 3D CAD system, modifications to the 3D model are made base on 2D profiles used to create it, hence that is why there is a “feature tree” or “feature manager” tracking every operation you execute.
Each approach - explicit or parametric - is different and each approach offers its own benefits and applications. Many products can be designed in either approach. However, which approach is best for a company is based upon its product strategy, its design strategy, and its new design cycle length.

Therefore, the first mind shift in coming from a parametric 3D CAD system and using CoCreate Modeling is that the workplane doesn’t use persistent dimensions in a 2D profile to help you create or modify a 3D model. Once you have extruded the 3D model, all modifications thereafter are done in 3D, not 2D.

The benefits to you and your company with an explicit 3D CAD system is that it frees any team member to contribute to and carry a design forward in the same way that anyone can pick up a Microsoft Word document and make changes. An explicit approach interacts intelligently, on-the-fly from a 3D model so designers don’t have to comprehend the sequence of modeling operations originally taken to create a design in order to make changes to the 3D model.

To learn how to be productive with creating 2D profiles on the workplane, watch these to videos first and then report back and let us know what you think. I'm here to learn from you as much as you want to learn from us.

Online Demo: Benefits of 2D CoPilot (Text only, no audio)
http://www.cocreate.com/assets/Demos/2D_Copilot_Benefits/Benefits_of_2DCopilot_eng_viewlet_swf.html

Online Demo: CoCreate Modeling and it's Explict Approach to 3D Design
http://www.cocreate.com/learn/Demos/Intuitive_Explicit_Modeling_Demo.aspx
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Last edited by dszostak; 08-07-2008 at 11:46 AM.
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  #12  
Old 08-07-2008, 11:30 AM
mramseyISU mramseyISU is offline
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Like I said I need to grab a set of head phones from home.

I can see the reasoning behind a system like this so I don't want to sound like I'm knocking it (just frustrated with it). I was brought in to do FEA work but I would like to know how to model because anybody that's used FEA knows that you have to fiddle with the models to get them to mesh from time to time. I just worry about losing design intent when you don't have those parametric relationships (like the flange I was working on). When you've got 8 years of doing things one way and suddenly you have do everything and I mean everything differently it's a bit overwhelming. To me it feels like the pope just decided Jesus's name was really Bob and now I have to go edit all the bibles in the vatican.
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Old 08-07-2008, 11:44 AM
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Smile Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

Sounds good... and thanks for the honesty. In my exchanges, I'll be honest as well about the product. And BTW... that last line you wrote was funny - it made me laugh!

We're here to help and we're also here to learn. Through your experience and our knowledge, we'll all learn something new from using CoCreate Modeling. Our exchanges will only help impact the usability and user perception/experience of the product.
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  #14  
Old 08-07-2008, 12:10 PM
mramseyISU mramseyISU is offline
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

I appreciate that, from my SW background forums like these are generally the best place to get answers. I realize that because of the sheer size of the market share there are more "experts" in the solidworks forum and you'll get faster answers there. I really need to start knocking out those webinars soon. I can make some basic things but I'm just so used to being able to extrude a block then cut-extrude a hole without having to make a tool. I realize that when you get down to it that I was making a tool all along but it still seems alien to me.
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Old 08-13-2008, 06:56 AM
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Re: Tips for migrating from SolidWorks?

I think you have to work with parametric module in CoCreate.
Forget 2D profiles, use them fast and furious, make a simply 3D model rusty and just "looks like", put parameter on the model and force parameter in what you need.

ciao

P.S.; ASAP i will refer to the Pope about your written!
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