After a grand opening ceremony on Day One, the second day of SOLIDWORKS World 2018 focused on THINK: Future. Throughout the day there were new features announced, awards given, model cars and of course lots of learning. 

First General Session

The general session started off with Gian Paolo making a grand entrance on the Movable Feast, created by Two Bit Circus; a dedicated SOLIDWORKS user. Some key ideas for SOLIDWORKS World 2018 are Automation and Integration. Along with those, came some valuable information about the 3D experience platform. SOLIDWORKS 3D experience will now have the ability to collaborate socially with Google Drive which will still understand all of SOLIDWORKS and its features and references!

The long-awaited web-based SOLIDWORKS is coming to market as well. SOLIDWORKS xDesign is a web-based, smart software giving you the ability to design anywhere, anytime and with any device. One of the notable things about this presentation was the special guest. One of our clients and user group leaders out of Connecticut, was a SOLIDWORKS xDesign beta tester and was able to talk about his experience using the software.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is releasing the 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace, which will allow users to create and bring in parts and set them into a manufacturing state. You will be able to send your part off to a manufacturer and they will quote it and let you know about the turn around time. It allows “Dream to doorstep.”

Gian Paolo said “SOLIDWORKS wants to be the Amazon for engineers”

The Ring Brothers make some amazing aftermarket model cars! I am a total nerd for cars so this was by far my favorite presentation. The Ring Brothers had an AMX Javelin they took apart, and 3D scanned to create their own custom modeled parts. They create what they want in SOLIDWORKS using the scan data and use those files to create their parts on CNC machines. The car, when it was all said and done, has a whopping 1000HP!

Partner Pavilion &Breakout Sessions

We loved seeing so many of our partners at the Partner Pavilion. Getting to see the new wireless Artec Leo 3D Scanner was incredible as this has been a long awaited technology! It is so great to be able to ask questions, preview new technology and view hundreds of innovative products by SOLIDWORKS Solution partners like Stratasys, Desktop Metal, DriveWorks, solidThinking, CAMWorks, Creaform and more. Be sure to stop by and see them! 

We had many TriMech Application Engineers present in the breakout sessions. Paul Ludwick and I did ours on Real Good Tips, Real Bad Puns. We told bad jokes/puns and related it to SOLIDWORKS tips and tricks. Do you know the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is kind of heavy and the other is a little lighter…get it? 

SWUGN Summit

The SOLIDWORKS User Group leaders were awarded for their efforts in furthering the community. It’s always nice to see the hardworking SWUG leaders get recognized for their efforts, especially in front of the entire community. We were especially excited and grateful to be awarded Reseller of the Year! 

CSWE Event

After all the presentations were done and everyone ate dinner it was time to really have some fun! There was a special event in the Partner Pavilion held by SOLIDWORKS for the SOLIDWORKS users who have passed the Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert exam. It is never too late to expand your SOLIDWORKS CAD knowledge and get SOLIDWORKS certified. It was nice to be able to have the other VARs and clients there to mingle with. There was food, drinks and a live band. Some other Application Engineers hung out with clients after dinner and went bowling near by the convention center. 

Want to see day two in action? Watch our recap video

Download our Top 11 Features in SOLIDWORKS 2018 Infographic to learn about the best features!