Those of you from other businesses that have been interested in hiring me to work on projects, please check back again in a few months. I may be able to post what I have been working on after the information has been released to the public by CVG.

Push Reel Mower

In 2009, when it was time to replace my worn-out gasoline push mower, I decided to explore other options. As an engineer, I tend to believe in the simpler the design, the better. This translates as fewer moving parts if possible. I did not like changing the air filter, spark plugs, and oil on my mower, and I always seemed to be out of gasoline when I needed to mow the lawn. Although I do maintenance on my car, I tended to not be as disciplined about maintenance when it came to my lawn mower.

So I carefully researched the reel mowers (Compare major reel mowers: http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/mower_compare.htm), and my major concern was to be able to mow a lawn when the grass is high after days of heavy rains (typical of the Ohio spring). In 2009, I proceed to purchase the Easun NaturCut Classic Push Reel Mower, previously Sunlawn (see here), for $219.00: http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/sunlawn-reel/classic.htm

Easun NaturCut Classic Push Reel Mower Technical Specs (2009):

• Mower Cutting width: 40 cm (16 inches)
• Weight: 25 pounds
• Cutting height approximate: 1.5 to 3.5 inches

Based on my experience of owning a reel mower for a few years, here are some of my observations:

Pros:

• Low maintenance: no fuel, oil, air filters, spark plugs, or anything else associated with a gasoline powered engine.
  • Because the blades are no contact, the reel blades do not make contact with the bed knife very fine manufacturing tolerances, I have not yet needed to sharpen the blades.

• Less mess and no gasoline smell on my clothes after mowing the lawn.
• Overall less noise, although when the thumb screw loosens on the height adjustment, it sounds like a rattle trap when mowing the lawn.
• Easy to store in the garage as it requires little space and the reel mower can be placed on a robust wall hook for storage.
• Great exercise and it only takes 15 minutes more time to mow than my previous gasoline push lawn mower (1 hour versus 45 minutes).
• It is claimed better lawn health due to scissoring action of cutting blades.

Cons:

• If the lawn is very high after heavy rains, you may need to barrow your neighbor’s lawn mower.
• Not great a cutting weeds, and no practical edging capability.
• Maybe too strenuous for people who are not physically in shape even for small lawns.
• Not practicable for lawns greater than 10,000 square foot.
• May not be suitable for all grass types, so read the information on the reel mower before purchasing.

Of course, purchasing a reel mower is not necessary the best decision for everyone. Your neighbor’s may look at you strangely and think you are a tree-hugger. I do care about the environment, which may be due to my Native American Indian ancestry (approximately 20% – autosomal DNA test) from my birth-father, but my decision to purchase a reel lawn mower was based more on practicality and economics than my concern for the environment.

SolidWorks CSWP - logo

The CSWP – Mold Tools exam is the latest Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) specialty exams in-which I have received certification. Of the specialty exam series, I still have yet to take the CSWSP-FEA exam (simulation tools), and of the CSWP specialty exams I have taken, the CSWP – Mold Tools is the most unusual of the series. I say this because the questions seem to require a different way of thinking from the other exams, and this is the only CSWP exam where I was able to finish before the time clock expired. In-fact, I was able to finish at a rather leisurely pace. However, because this CSWP exam had fewer questions to answer, miss just answering one question correctly and you may fail the test.

The CSWP – Mold Tools exam (see here) criterion is shown below:

Exam Length: 90 minutes

Minimum Passing grade: 80%

All candidates receive electronic certificates and personal listing on the CSWP directory* when they pass.

Note: You must use at least SolidWorks 2008 for this exam.  Any use of a previous version will result in the inability to open some of the testing files.

Exam features hands-on challenges in many of these areas of the SolidWorks Mold Tools functionality:

• Parting Line Creation
• Parting Line Surface Creation
• Draft Analysis
• Shut-off Surface Creation
• Imported Part Repair
• Cavity Tool
• Parting Line Split Face

*This option must be set in your online certification account to show up in the directory

Import geometry problem (AutoDesk Inventor)

Personally, I have less experience in using Mold Tools than Surfacing, Sheet Metal, or even Weldments. However, I suggest taking the CSWP – Surfacing exam first as you will need to know how to repair / replace / heal corrupted geometry from an imported solid or surface part model (imported part repair). I would also suggest having a thorough knowledge of how to use the Parting Line & Parting Surface tools as these features must be defined in the model tree before the Tooling Split feature can be created. Although not necessary, I highly recommend being familiar with the Copy / Move Body tool to translate the core / cavity in the part file. Yes, the part, core, and cavity are initially created as solid bodies in the part file itself.

I would like to add that all SolidWorks licenses: Standard, Professional, and Premium include Mold Tools, and it is not a separate add-in. PTC offered a Pro/Mold module for Pro/Engineer (Pro-E) that was priced a few thousand dollars more if not already included in a company’s current Pro-E license. As the PTC product structure is changing, the current name is Creo Elements/Pro Complete Mold Design (see here). For tips on mold design using Pro-E, refer to this link (see here) on mold design using Pro-E . Because I have not used Pro-E’s (Creo Elements/Pro) mold design module or app, I cannot directly compare it to the mold tool functionality that exists inside SolidWorks, except to say that Pro-E appears to have more functionality than SolidWorks. As SolidWorks mold tools does not cost extra, this is a definite plus for SolidWorks users.

Below are additional reviews / tips on the CSWP – Mold Tools exam:

• CSWP Advanced Mold Tools Certification test review (Matt Lombard): http://www.dezignstuff.com/blog/?p=2976
• Parting Line Creation- CSWP Mold Tools (3D Engr): http://www.3dengr.com/2010/01/parting-line-creation-cswp-mold-tools.html

Replace fillet with fill surface (repair)

Before closing, I would like to focus on repairing imported geometry inside SolidWorks. This week, I had received STEP file of an assembly that was created by an engineer in AutoDesk Inventor 2010. Before I could use the part in an assembly, the geometry needed to be repaired. In this particular case, it was just as fast to replace the corrupted / missing surfaces as it was to attempt to heal the gaps. So I started deleting the corrupted fillet faces along the bottom edge, and replaced it with a fill surface. Having not used AutoDesk Inventor myself, I am not aware of what file settings are available to produce a cleaner STEP file export.

To repair the rest of this housing (last image on bottom), all the surfaces adjacent (in green) to the fill surface (in blue) needed to be replaced and recreated, except for the fillets. The fill surface was actually a fillet in the original model, but was corrupted and required replacing. I found it interesting that the mating housing (right side) required minimal repair despite having similar geometry / features. With files I have created in the past inside Pro-E, I can honestly say I have been able to import STEP files with little, or no repairing of the imported geometry.

Replacing two fillets with fill surface (repair)

Reading Matt Lombard’s blog about the CSWP – Mold Tools test, I can understand his concerns about the type of questions he encountered, and about creating the shut-off surfaces. I did not have any problems creating the shut-off surfaces, but then again reading Matt’s tips may have been in the back of my mind while I was taking the exam.

If you have taken the CSWP – Mold Tools test, what is your opinion of the exam, and is it a good assessment of your mold tool creation skills? If you have used both Pro-E (Creo) and SolidWorks to design molds and mold inserts, which do you prefer and why?

CSWP - Sheetmetal logo

The CSWP – Sheetmetal exam is one of several Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) specialty exams currently being offered by SolidWorks. Previously, I have reviewed the CSWP – Core, Surfacing, and Weldment exams from previous posts, and the sheet metal exam is one of the more challenging CSWP exams. I highly recommend that the CAD model be of very robust construction so that is does not fail during modifications to the model while working through some of the successive exam questions.

The CSWP – Sheetmetal exam (see here) criterion is shown below:

Exam Length: 2 hours

Minimum Passing grade: 75%
All candidates receive electronic certificates and a personal listing on the CSWP directory* when they pass.

Exam features hands-on challenges in many of these areas of SolidWorks Sheet Metal functionality:

• Linear Edge Flange
• Curved Edge Flange
• Miter Flange
• Closed Corner
• Gauge Tables
• Bending calculation options:
• Bend Allowance
• Bend Deduction
• K-Factor
• Hem
• Jog
• Sketched Bend
• Forming Tool
• Unfold and Fold
• Flatten

Add dir. to design library

Because of confidentiality, I cannot post any of the actual exam questions. However, I can offer some advice. You should know how to use and modify a forming tool, as well as add the forming tool directly to the Design Library. Here is more information about forming tools from the SW help menu:

“You can insert forming tools only from the Design Library and you can apply them only to sheet metal parts. A sheet metal part has the Sheet-Metal1 feature in the FeatureManager design tree. You can create your own forming tools using many of the same steps you use to create any SolidWorks part.”

An example of this search path for the forming tool folder is C:\…\SolidWorks-CSWP_Exam\CSWP-Sheetmetal_exam\CSWP-Sheetmetal_exam

For additional articles on the CSWP – Sheet metal exam, refer to these links below:

• Sheet Metal Certification (Matt Lombard): http://www.dezignstuff.com/blog/?p=1487
• Certified Soliworks Professional- Sheet Metal Exam (3D Engr): http://www.3dengr.com/2009/11/certified-soliworks-professional-sheet.html

I would highly recommend knowing how to use linked dimensions and equations before taking the CSWP exam. Anyone who designs sheet metal parts on a frequent basis and uses the sheet metal tools in SolidWorks (base flange, edge flange, miter flange, hem, tab, forming tool, etc.) will probably pass the CSWP – Sheetmetal exam without too much difficulty.

These images shown near the end of the posting are not from the actual test, but a model showing an example of what sheet metal / SolidWorks skills you should have prior to taking the test. Do worry about the vent feature(s), as that is not included in the actual sheet metal exam, but I do think anyone who designs sheet metal parts should know how to use this feature.

Sheetmetal housing ass'y model

You may have the question about starting the design of a sheet metal part. Should it be modeled in the formed state or flat state? To answer that question, here are some opinions I had previously received from other Pro-E users who have experience modeling sheetmetal parts:

“I would say the over whelming majority agree that a sheetmetal part should be modeled in the formed state when possible. There may be cases when it is not always possible to do.

With that being said what I wanted was to have the designer realize was that he should start with the flat on a very rare (I stress VERY RARE) occasions and not as the norm. I also wanted him to see that he is affecting many other users of the model downstream.”

Another Pro-E user writes:

“Having been a sheet metal guy for almost 9 years it is far better to start with a formed part instead of the flat pattern. One could look at it this way, the flat pattern is the child and the formed state part is the parent item. I have worked with models that were created as a flat and bends added to get a form and it is literally a nightmare trying to make a change to it latter. When creating the part always think about how the part will look like in the end.”

SM base housing / flat pattern

So in closing, when creating your sheet metal CAD models, do everyone a favor and start with the formed part as you do not know who maybe modifying the later. 

SolidWorks CSWP - logo

After completing the CSWP – Core, Surfacing, & Sheet metal certification exams, my next challenge was to take up the CSWP – Weldment certification exam. As the bulk of my experience using SolidWorks 3-D CAD is in designing molded parts, sheet metal parts, and machined parts, weldments is an area where I am still in the process of developing expertise. Although I have worked on a few projects in SolidWorks that require weldments, it is not typical of the project requests I receive from other clients. As a result, I needed to spend more time in studying for the CSWP – Weldment exam than I did for the other CSWP specialty certification exams.

The CSWP – Weldments exam (see here) criteria is shown below:

Exam Length: 2 hours

Minimum Passing grade: 75%
All candidates receive electronic certificates and a personal listing on the CSWP directory* when they pass.

Note: You must use at least SolidWorks 2009 sp4 for this exam.  Any use of a previous version will result in the inability to open some of the testing files.

Exam features hands-on challenges in many of these areas of SolidWorks Weldment functionality:

• Weldment profile creation
• Placing the Weldment profile in the Weldment profile library
• Basic and Advanced Weldment Part creation
• Weldment corner modification
• Placing gaps at corners and segment intersections
• End Caps
• Gussets
• Weldment Part modification
• Trim/Extend Command
• 3D Sketch Creation
• Cut List Folder management in the Weldment Part
• Cut List creation in the Weldment Drawing

I thought Amos Avery did a nice job of outlining important weldment concepts to know when taking the CSWP – Weldment exam in his blog. For more detail, refer to this article:

• CSWP Advanced Weldments Specialist: http://averyswellidea.com/2010/01/06/cswp-advanced-weldments-specialist/

Weldment profile dialog

I highly recommend testing your skills using the CSWP – Weldments practice exam (see here). The three member miter was new to me, and is an important concept to know. You should also know how to create and store weldment profiles (see here) in a design library. Until I took the exam, I typically used the industry standard weldment profiles in the SolidWorks design library (Note: If you do this, you will not pass the exam!). Create a directory that contains the following selections:  standard (1^st folder name), type (2^nd folder name), and size (file name). An example of this search path is C:\… \CSWP-Weldments_exam\CSWSP-WLDM_exam_profile\misc_profile\CSPW-WLDM_exam\WLDM3B.SLDLFP as shown in the dialog box image.

If you have never used the 3DSketch feature in favor or using multiple 2-D sketches, then 3DSketches is a technique that you will need to know. Likewise, you should know how to insert a plane into a 3DSketch instead of just creating a plane as a separate reference feature in the model tree. In the past, I had limited my use of 3DSketches to just creating splines for joining 2-D sketches on different planes as I was concerned about the stability of 3DSketches, especially in surface modeling.

Overall, I believe this exam was a good test of weldment skills. Due to confidentiality, I cannot go into detail about the exam questions other than what has already been made public in the sample exam from SolidWorks. The only other word of advice I have is to use linked dimensions when applicable as this will help when working against the time constraints of the exam.

In case you are wondering if I had forgotten to write about the CSWP – Sheet metal certification exam, that is a post I was planning to write about in the near future. As I had been thinking about weldments lately, I wanted to focus on discussing this exam before moving onto discuss the sheet metal exam. In the event it is not obvious, this weldments exam is not about creating the actual welds, but the tubular structure itself that will be welded together.

Weldment profile / Design Library

I am not saying Twitter does not have value, and for some occupations it has a lot of value. Take the street vendor serving Hispanic / Latino food who has a loyal client following. Having him / her tweet a message indicating where their mobile food cart will be located at a specific time & day will certainly help drive their business. Otherwise, if their customers cannot find them, they may go elsewhere. Tweeter has also been useful for those living in the Middle-East protesting against their oppressive governments (see here). Unfortunately, I suspect whatever governments replace the existing dictators in the Middle-East could be just as restrictive to minorities, and women as the previous governments. Saudi Arabia is moving to be proactive in heading off the potential unrest (see here) for those chaffing under harsh religious rules and not fortunate enough to be gainfully employed (or of Royal blood).

I do, however, use texting to convey directions, or the time & place of a meeting. Texting is good for anything that is more useful in written form than listening to a voice mail which can be time consuming and less clear. For me, texting is for short messages, not having in-depth conversations. For that, I will meet in-person, talk on the phone, or use some other social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, blog, email, etc.) that is not confined to 140 characters or less.

Here are some other interesting articles about the value of Twitter:

• Is Twitter an Exhausting Waste-of-Time or Productive Business Tool? (Posted February 4th, 2011 in Toronto Marketing Consultant by Marie): http://www.marketingcopilot.com/2011/02/is-twitter-an-exhausting-waste-of-time-or-productive-business-tool/
• Twitter and Facebook is waste of Time (Seth Godin Aug 8, 2009): http://socialmedia.globalthoughtz.com/index.php/twitter-and-facebook-is-waste-of-time-seth-godin/
• Why I Don’t Use Twitter (Devin Coldewey Aug 17, 2009): http://techcrunch.com/2009/08/17/why-i-dont-use-twitter/
• Twitter: Complete Waste Of Time, Or Valuable Marketing Tool? (Lynn Terry 2008): http://www.clicknewz.com/1385/twitter/
• Why Do Teens Shun Twitter? (Jeff Bertolucci, PCWorld Aug 26, 2009): http://www.pcworld.com/article/170875/why_do_teens_shun_twitter.html

Obviously I am not a Teen anymore, but I did agree with much of the logic of this article. Sometimes I just wish people would wake up in our society and realize that the Emperer Has No Clothes! (see Roman Empire history video at the end of this link: http://www.appianwaytech.com/blog/2010/06/21/economy/277) If you can create a logical, and compelling reason why I should use Twitter to potentially increase my business, and in what marketing form, then please let me know. I can and do change my opinion when presented with facts that make sense. Lynn Terry sums it up nicely in her blog when she states: “If you tweet, be sure to include your Twitter URL below when you leave a comment. That way we can all stalk follow each other!”

CSWP - Surfacing logo

The SolidWorks certification program, in-addition to the CSWP – Core exam, includes 5 CSWP specialty exams: Mold Tools, Sheet Metal, Simulation, Surfacing, and Weldments. Of these specialty exams, the surfacing exam (with the possible exception of simulation) is considered to be one of the most challenging to pass. For those of you unfamiliar with 3-D CAD surface modeling, it is typically used to create molded parts with complex geometry that could not otherwise be created from solid modeling techniques. Industrial Designers primarily use surface modeling, and so do engineers that are designing consumer goods & medical device molded products.

The CSWP – Surfacing exam (see here) criteria is shown below:

Exam Length: 90 minutes

Minimum Passing grade: 75%

All candidates receive electronic certificates and personal listing on the CSWP directory* when they pass.

Note: You must use at least SolidWorks 2008 sp3.1 for this exam.  Any use of a previous version will result in the inability to open some of the testing files.

Exam features hands-on challenges in many of these areas of the SolidWorks Surfacing functionality:

• Spline Creation
• 3D Curve Creation
• Boundary Surface
• Filled Surface
• Swept Surface
• Planar Surface
• Knit Surface
• Trim Surface
• Untrim Surface
• Move Face
• Extend Surface
• Fillet
• Thicken

Of the CSWP specialty exams, this one was the most challenging that I had taken to date. Although I am confident I could have achieved 100% if I had 15 extra minutes to complete the exam, I lost a few points due to the time crunch. The time constraints of this exam are like those experienced by the competing chefs on Chopped (see here). They maybe great chefs, but getting a dish fully cooked in under 20 or 30 minutes with no planning (surprise ingredients) can be very challenging. I know this as I do a fair amount of cooking myself and people seemed to be surprised by my cooking skills.

My wife has a relative (by marriage) affiliated with Top Chef (see here), and I have asked this person about starting a business in cookware / housewares (as mutual business partners), or providing high level contacts to other chefs interested in such a venture, but after the initial conversation in 2009 I have received no further responses to my initial inquiry. This was disappointing as I could have really used the help during 2009 when business was slow and I was concerned about losing my home if income did not improve (because of few consulting opportunities / economy). Fortunately, the situation has greatly improved since 2010 without any help from family as I have business from new established clients. However, I rarely to this day watch Top Chef anymore as I felt this relative was indifferent to my financial condition, and was / is in a position to provide networking contacts that could have benefited my career.

Moving on, I think that as a SolidWorks user, you need to have considerable surfacing experience before attempting to take the CSWP – Surfacing exam. If you have surfacing experience in another CAD software (i.e. Pro/Engineer, Catia, etc.) learn the SolidWorks surfacing tools inside & out. Try remodeling those Pro-E files as native SolidWorks files. I have several surfacing examples in my blog articles which could help in preparing for the exam. Know how to use splines in both 2-D and 3-D sketches, and how to use sketch relations (curvature, tangent, etc.).

Here are some additional useful tips about the SolidWorks CSWP – Surfacing exam:

• CSWP Surfacing Exam (Matt Lombard’s blog): http://www.dezignstuff.com/blog/?p=1733
• CSWP Exam – Discussion continued (Eng-Tips): http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=288656&page=9

Beyond this I cannot say much more about the CSWP – Surfacing exam as SolidWorks has requested the models in the test questions remain confidential. As long as you know the material, and practice creating surface models within the time limit, you should be fine.

CSWP - Core logo

In the recent past, there has been much discussion among SolidWorks users about becoming a Certified SolidWorks Professional. I recently received my CSWP – Core (see here) on 02/01/2011 (Certificate ID: C-2FZWGXDCD8), and I had passed the CSWP specialty exams: Surfacing, Sheet metal, and Weldments exams before passing the actual Core exam itself. Many SolidWorks users who take the CSWP exams typically complete the core exam first before moving on to the CSWP specialty exams. Of the specialty exams I had previously taken, only the Mold Tools exam was taken after the CSWP – Core exam.

The CSWP Core is divided into 3 segments (see here) as shown below:

Exam Length: 3 hours 30 minutes (All segments total)

Minimum Passing grade: 75% in each segment
All candidates receive electronic certificates, business card logos and personal listing on CSWP directory* when they pass.

Exam features hands-on challenges in these areas:

Segment 1: (90 Minutes)

• Create a part from a drawing
• Use linked dimensions and equations to aid in modeling
• Use of equations to relate dimensions
• Update of parameters and dimension sizes
• Mass property analysis
• Modification of geometry on initial part to create a more complex part

Segment 2: (40 Minutes)

• Creating configurations from other configurations
• Changing configurations
• Mass properties
• Changing features of an existing SolidWorks part

Segment 3: (80 Minutes)

• Creating an assembly
• Adding parts to an assembly
• Doing collision detection when moving a part in an assembly
• Mates
• Replacing a part with another part in an assembly
• Creating a coordinate system
• Using a coordinate system to perform mass properties analysis

So why did I not follow the standard path and take the CSWP-Core first? The simple reason is that I did not pass segment 1 the first time I took it, and had to wait until I was permitted to take it again (approximately 15 days). Although I cannot go into details about the CSWP exams, it is both a combination of knowledge & speed modeling abilities. I am convinced I would have passed segment 1 if I had an additional 15 minutes to complete the test. Here are some suggestions I have before taking the exam:

• Have a start part / template ready with metric units so you are not creating them during the test.
• If possible, use dual monitors so you can view the test questions on one monitor while using the other for SolidWorks.
• Review the images of the models in the question very carefully as you will be recreating these models (reverse-engineering) for the exam.

The other mistake I made was assuming that the CSWP would be just like the CSWA exam, except a little more in-depth & challenging. As a result, I was not as mentally prepared as I should have been when taking the segment 1 exam. So the question is: Will the CSWP improve my career, pay scale, or getting that coveted job offer? Unfortunately, I cannot yet answer that question as I am a new CSWP. However, more reviews and articles about the CSWP – Core exams are listed below:

• The metamorphosis of the CSWP-CORE test (Gabi Jack’s blog): http://gabijack.com/2009/08/the-metamorphosis-of-the-cswp-core-test/
• The SolidWorks Certification Process (Matt Lombard’s blog): http://www.dezignstuff.com/blog/?p=112
• To CSWP or not to CSWP… (Eng-Tips forum): http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=196185
• CSWP Exam – Discussion continued (Eng-Tips forum): http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=288656&page=9

Given the current economic conditions, and the uncertainty we are currently living through at this point in time, anything that sets you apart from anyone else in a positive light is truely a benefit. Once a SolidWorks user passes the CSWP – Core exam, they are eligible to join the LinkedIn group Certified SolidWorks Professionals. In my case, the real benefit is the learning experience and the self-confidence I developed after receiving my CSWP.

CAD Package FrameWork

PTC currently has three main CAD products: Pro/Engineer (3-D parametic modeler), CoCreate (3-D direct modeler), and ProductView (visualization & markup). Before continuing, it is important to note that CoCreate was originally developed by another company, uses a different kernel, and was purchased by PTC a few years ago. These three CAD products are combined in Creo, and then will be separated out into smaller products (apps) for specific functions (i.e. think in terms of the apps on your Android smart phone).

Here are the new PTC product names:

• Pro/Engineer –> Creo Elements / Pro

• CoCreate –> Creo Elements / Direct
• ProductView –> Creo Elements / View

Creo Architecture

PTC claims the purpose for breaking the Creo into different apps is for “causal” CAD user to only use the tool (app) that is needed. These “casual” CAD users would include but are not limited to: Industrial Designers, Analyst, Managers, Technical Writers, etc.

From the demo I have witnessed, Creo is impressive on first appearances. Especially being able to seamlessly import other CAD data into the 3-D direct modeler, make a modification, then continue editing the file in the 3-D parametric modeler. One potential issue I am concerned about is losing the parametic sketch dimensions of features when the file is modified using the direct modeler app. Another issue is how well is Pro-E’s Granite kernel (see here) able to talk to CoCreate’s kernel, or will they now use the same kernel? I am guessing it required a major rewriting of the software code to have both Pro-E & CoCreate work seamlessly together. Let’s hope the GUI is better than Pro-E’s current GUI that is a mixture of both Pro-E Wildfire (Windows) and the pre-Wildfire (Unix) GUI. One of the challenges in training new Pro-E users was having a GUI that was part Windows based, and part Unix based, and the map keys needed to be updated with new releases of Pro-E (example: Pro/E 2001 to Pro/E Wildfire 2.0).

Creo Architecture workflow

Small Businesses are especially concerned about the product structure & cost, or how the new product structure will affect their existing PTC product license agreements. SolidWorks initially grew from small businesses (popular among start-ups) because of their inability to pay for higher cost of Pro-E. Therefore, if the cost issue is not addressed, than it is possible Creo will be out-of-reach for many small businesses, and independent consultants / contractors.

In my situation, I currently use SolidWorks more than Pro-E. The primary reason for this is SW is what the majority of my current clients are using. Creo may well be an excellent product, but in order for me to use it I will need to have enough clients using Creo in order to make it a profitable investment.

More reviews of Creo can be found on these following blog articles:

• Is Creo Overhyped (PTC Blog)?: http://creo.ptc.com/2010/11/16/is-creo-overhyped/

• What Exactly Is Creo? – Part 1(Deelip Menezes blog): http://www.deelip.com/?p=4468

Last week, I had a chance to talk with the owner of another design firm about his impression of the Creo demo. He was cautiously optimistic, but the real concern to him was the reuse of existing CAD data as well as the product / pricing matrix. Before closing, I would like to point out that PTC has assured its customers that all Pro-E data will be fully usable inside the new Creo product.

Title Block Table

To define the Title Block, complete the following steps:

• Edit –> Sheet format
• Right Mouse Button (RMB) in the drawing –> Define Title Block
• Position and size the border around the title block by dragging it.
• Select the notes to add to the text field of the title block table, and then click okay.
• Save the updated sheet format.
• RMB in the drawing and select Edit Sheet.

The next part is very easy. Just double click on the note, and enter the values in the highlighted title block fields. Click okay when complete, and the values of the custom properties will have been updated. To verify this, open the part or assembly and go to File –> Properties and review the summary information in the part or assembly custom properties. It should show the updated values entered from the drawing.

Title Block Data

If you have previous drawing that you need to update, it is a quick and easy procedure to update the drawing title block / formats:

• RMB –> Properties and click reload in the sheet properties dialog box.

That’s it, and it is now as easy as updating the parameters (custom properties) in a Pro-E drawing. In Pro/Engineer, the parameter in the note uses the “&” symbol, such as &Rev. As in SolidWorks, just click on the note in the Pro-E title block and enter the information after confirming. In the part / assembly, it is visible in tools –> parameters if the drawing title block notes have been set-up with parameters correctly.

Hopefully this tip will reduce the time spent on updating drawings so you can focus on the real work I am better suited for of 3-D CAD modeling and / or analysis (FEA, motion, etc). Most engineers / designers prefer to focus on modeling, although many drafters consider detailing to be a work of art as well.

Pro-E Parameters in Title Block