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Posts Tagged ‘Books’

Hi everyone! I’ve been keeping a close eye on the site statistics, to try and figure out if my latest “experiment” had any future at all. I’m happy to see that several people  have already downloaded the pdf file and examples on easy surfacing techniques that I put up  a few days ago. I haven’t heard any feedback from those that downloaded, but I  hope they did find the information useful! 

In the past, several readers had already asked me if I could provide more detail than that allowed by a blog post’s size and format. Many people have been asking for step-by-step procedures and formal tutorials with example files included. I had shied away from attempting that approach, however, because I didn’t want to seem pompous, you know, like I was pretending to be what I’m not: and expert telling others what to do or how to do it right.  I am no expert! Then again, if you think about it, nobody can really claim to be an expert in anything. We are all learning here and whoever thinks he/she knows everything there is to know is foolishly wasting away a great opportunity for growth.

Anyway, philosophical views aside, last Tuesday, while I was at the SWUGN Summit, getting ready to do my presentation and talking with other SolidWorks users, I realized that most people are actually very open to the idea of other users sharing useful information with them. They don’t see you as pompous if you do. If you have anything useful to contribute, they’ll be happy to take it. And a lot of users, especially those that are in great need of learning fast,  really dig tutorials and step by step examples. So, with that in mind, I added a page called Downloads and uploaded thee  my first tutorial in pdf format. I hope to add more tutorials and files with time, always free, of course, and the best thing is that they can be about just pretty much anything that comes to mind, even if it’s not something I’m learning right at this moment, and they can be as short or long as needed. This, of course, doesn’t mean that I won’t continue to blog about what I’m doing or learning right now. I always blog as I go, you know that.

So, what do you think of that? I would like to see some comments. Do you think it’s a good idea? What kind of things would you like to see there?  Where are you, people? How come lately I get more comments from my regular spammers than I do from my regular readers? LOL

There’s also a couple more things I wanted to mention for those of you looking for more information and learning resources right now.   First of all… For the very beginners, my fellow blogger and friend, Alex Ruiz, has just come up with a really nice book  “SolidWorks 2010: No Experience Required“.  I actually had the pleasure to work with him and help him complete three of the chapters for the book. It was a great experience, but no, I don’t get comissions or royalties, so don’t think I have a secret agenda.  This is a very nice book for the beginner user and student and Alex put his heart and soul into this volume; he even prepared materials for teachers and a companion website to provide the readers with help and more content. Check it out!

This is also the time of the year when all sorts of learning resources become available. If you are going to buy, take advantage of the offers. For instance, with the coupon code SWFUND10launch you can receive a $20 off  your purchase of the SolidWorks 2010 training from Inspirtech. I checked out what’s new and improved in their materials and I must say I was very impressed. Among other things you’ll find that now you can access the training from the Task Pane, plus  plenty of review exercises and questions to test your knowledge. Again, I’m not getting any commission or payment for passing this info to you.

For those looking into learning more complex stuff, such as surfacing, for instance, IGetIt  has just released some new courses. I’m just telling you this because I got a newsletter from them not so long ago.  I don’t have a coupon code for this one, though, but I’m sure they may be having some sort of offer going on, so why not ask?  Also check out the video lessons offered by Solid Professor and Matt Lombard’s series of books on SolidWorks.

There’s actually so much out there about SolidWorks, I could never list it all here. Please, feel free to add to the list if you know any other good books, websites, videos, etc. And, please, keep those comments coming!

I’m really excited about a great new resource available to all those engineers, scientists, students, and enthusiasts out there that perhaps never got exposed to CNC machining while in their college years (like yours truly) and/or that wish to learn the basics on how to program and operate a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine.  It is a book  -actually  it’s a complete course with curriculum available for educators-  written by Charles Davis, General Manager at NEXGEN Manufacturing Systems, Inc., and is available at www. cncforengineers.com. 

On the website, you will also find information about upcoming training (4 day hands-on classes with limited enrollment offered at various locations around the country), on-site training, and educators can request information on curriculum, videos, lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations available to them, and/or how to sponsor training at their school. BTW, this book is already being used at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It was recently displayed at the ITEA (International Technology Education Association) Conference and received a very positive response from technical educators from around the U.S., and, although it is not exclusive of any particular kind of CAM/CAD software application,  SolidWorks 2009 files are available for completing the exercises (parasolid files also available), and is also being displayed by DS SolidWorks at all educational tradeshows.

While the book is no substitute for hands-on experience and won’t turn you into an expert machinist, it provides an excellent foundation, and is especially useful for those of us that desire to understand the CNC processes; what is doable, what goes beyond its limits, what would be too expensive to machine, what changes could be made to our design to improve its manufacturability and decrease cost, etc. Even if we never have to actually program and run a CNC machine ourselves, having some understanding of all this can greatly improve our designs.

I got my copy of this book a few days ago and I’m already reading. I plan to complement what I learn from it with a few classes at DeAnza or some other institution this fall (hopefully I’ll have reliable childcare by then). So far, it looks like an excellent book, but don’t take it from me, go and check it out yourself!

My family adopted a puppy a couple of months ago. He’s a sweet and easy going dog, but given that he’s supposed to be an indoor dog, it was quickly obvious that he would benefit from some training, and so would my carpets and the rest of the family. I’ve had many dogs in the past, but I’ve never actually trained any dog before.  So we decided to take one of those puppy training classes at the pet store. We were promised that in only eight weeks our puppy would be completely trained or we would get another eight weeks for free. Well… we are in week six and, so far,  the puppy will seat for a goldfish cracker and… well, that pretty much sums up all his repertoire of tricks. OK, he also comes when called, but that he really didn’t learn from the class. We practice at home from what the instructor says we should do and what’s written in the handouts, but it’s hard to tell if we are doing the right thing or not, since the instructor really never demonstrates with a dog or even watches what the “students” do. See, this lady teaches the class inside a very busy store, right there by the food aisle, on one side of the pet clinic. Dozens of dogs (not enrolled in the class) pass by all the time, making it really hard for the dogs enrolled in the class to focus, and, if that wasn’t bad enough, she keeps bringing more dogs (big and aggressive dogs) to the class every session!  I know I’m not the only one who isn’t very satisfied with this class, and I often wonder if this is typical of any other dog training program. Perhaps, I would’ve been better off buying a book or a video, instead!

Anyway, back to the world of SolidWorks, which is what you came to this blog to read about. This situation with the dog training got me thinking about SolidWorks training. Not that we train for kibble (at least I hope we don’t ever have to),  but with all the different materials and options for learning available out there, I couldn’t help but wonder… what makes you decide on a taking a class, rather than grabbing a book or video and teaching yourself? What is really the benefit or the added value that you expect to find in the class?  I mean, sometimes the benefit is obvious, like obtaining a degree after completing your training or education, or having access to technology and resources that otherwise would be out of your reach. Sometimes, there really isn’t another way to learn, like in the case of training in the use of machines and equipment, welding techniques, etc. But let’s say you already have the technology and resources you’ll need (a seat of SolidWorks ), and knowing the only way to get a certification is by passing the test, anyway, what would make you want to take a class?  What is the extra that you can’t get from a book or video?  And, in case you decide for the class, what would make that class an excellent class for you? Would you rather be in a small group? Are you expecting a lot of structure? Would you be content with a class where everyone does exactly the same or would you rather be in a class where the teacher takes the time to challenge each student individually, according to his/her abilities? Would you feel safe in a class that goes “by the book” or would you expect each day to be a new challenge?  Would you rather take a class that teaches you exclusively how to use each command or be in a class that integrates SolidWorks in other areas of design and/or engineering?

I know, too many questions…  But I really want to learn, because I hope someday to become an educator. In fact, not so long ago, I already had my first try on a short education project, and I really enjoyed it. I hope more opportunities like that one will come my way in the not so distant future, and so I want to learn what the needs and expectations are in order to do a good job.  This blog is good for experimenting and researching, you know?  So, please, take some time to leave a comment and share your thoughts on this.

It may just be that I’m running a fever as I write this, I’ve been as sick as a dog all this week, but I can’t help feeling this way.  Can I pour my heart out to a listening ear out there on this vast cyber universe?  Well, it’s like this. My own copy of the newest SolidWorks book I had been (un) patiently waiting for so long finally got here just a few days ago. It is, indeed, a great book, great quality, lots of colorful illustrations, plenty of examples and lengthy explanations, and written by a famous bestselling author. Who could ask for more, right? Well, it is really great, only I have a bit of a problem. You see, I’m using an educational version of SolidWorks 2007, and all the files and examples contained in the book were created in SolidWorks 2008. Why is this a problem for me? Well, simply because  there is no way I will ever be able to open  the files  in SolidWorks 2007, there’s no way to convert the SW2008 files into something I can open and still benefit from (parasolid won’t do for the purposes of the tutorials in the book), and at least for now, this is the only SolidWorks I can have. Bummer!

I’m not complaining, really, I’m not. Well, OK, maybe just a bit. But I’m not complaining about the book, because when I ordered it, I already knew what I was getting into. It didn’t take me by surprise. I knew the examples were modeled in SW2008, and that I would not be able to open them, but I bought the book just the same, because I also knew how hard it is to get reliable information on this particular area of SolidWorks and I just wanted to learn. I tried really hard to win the SW2007 training manuals for this particular topic on eBay, but it’s a task that proved to be impossible for me, someone always snatched out of my hands 10 seconds before the end, so I went for the book instead.   Hmmm, I wonder if you know what book I’m talking about. Chances are you own one too!  Did you guess?  Yes, of course you know!  It’s Matt Lombard’s  new Surfacing and Complex Shape Modeling Bible. Really nice book! It’s a soft cover, but it has the quality, looks and feel of a hard cover book.  I hope I can still get a lot out of it, even when I’m not able to open the files and examples. I have been browsing through it and it looks like I may as well be able to.

Like I said, I’m not complaining, but I do feel  bummed out about this reality of what using an older version of SolidWorks means. It means not being able to open files and share documents with users of the new version. It means not being able to fully benefit from books like Lombard’s, because they mainly target the new version. It feels like missing out on a lot of good stuff and not getting the materials you need to learn, unless you can pay thousands to attend the special training at the VAR or you are lucky enough to win a manual on eBay. I feel like I’m on the outside looking in. And  in many ways, I guess I really am,  especially since I’m only using an educational version of the software, that will expire in a year and months, and after that, well… I really don’t know.  I wish I could buy my own license of SolidWorks, and I’m saving some money, but for now it’s only a dream. SolidWorks is not cheap, and, as Vic Leventhal said to us during that first Tri Valley SWUG meeting, it’s not likely to ever become cheap. So… It is more likely that in a year or so  you may find me working for a company in the area and who knows what version of SolidWorks they’ll use, or if they’ll use SolidWorks at all. I hope they do, because I love the software and I’m putting a lot of effort into learning how to use it. In the meantime, all I can do is make the best of what I have and the resources available, and keep at it, even on those days when it feels that I’m merely muddling through it. Even though I’m on the outside looking in, I’m still grateful for that little window that was left open for me to gaze into all this marvelous world that revolves around SolidWorks and that, otherwise, I would’ve never known it existed at all. Maybe someday I’ll manage to get in, who knows? You got to have a few dreams, right?

Back in January, when I started blogging about my learning journey as a SolidWorks apprentice, I had no idea of all the different roads that I would be travelling in hopes to arrive to my destination and ultimate goal of learning and becoming proficient with this software. I have tried so many different ways so far that I almost lost count! I started with the tutorials that come with the student edition, took an extremely short class at a community college, read Matt Lombard’s SolidWorks Bible, as well as a few other SolidWorks books, and also took a few video lessons from Solid Professor and Inspirtech. But the one thing that I hadn’t tried so far was the kind of training that is offered through the VARs.  And, while I didn’t actually take the classes at the VAR, I did the closest thing to that. I was lucky enough (or better say my hubby was lucky enough) to find a few of the SolidWorks manuals for sale on eBay for a very reasonable price.  Today, I just finished working my way through the very first one of them, SolidWorks Essentials, and I absolutely loved it! 

Since they are designed and written for the purpose of training, my guess is that these manuals are meant to be clear and easy to understand. For me, the Essentials manual was excellent material for self-study, and even when it arrived too late to help me prepare for the CSWA, I still gained a much better understanding of the basics of SolidWorks through the lessons, and all the examples and exercises  that are included in with it. I can only imagine that the learning experience must be at least ten times better for those fortunate ones that can attend the training lessons at the VAR. I can see how a teacher can add from his/her personal experience and creativity and make it even more interesting and challenging.

If I worked for the kind of company that can afford it, and was in charge of selecting training methods and/or materials for me and/or my co-workers, the training lessons offered at VARs would probably be my first choice. As an individual, however, I can’t afford this kind of training, so I have to find other options. I wish it was possible to buy only the manuals from the VAR, without having to pay full price of taking the lessons, but my guess is that it’s not. Anyway, I’m not really complaining about it. As I said before, I was lucky to find some of the manuals for sale. And for those I haven’t found, well, I’ll just keep my eyes opened, just in case.