From an amazing opening ceremony and customer appreciation event on Day One, to THINK: Future and all of the exciting announcements on Day Two, you might say day three of SOLIDWORKS World 2018 had some tough competition. But it certainly held its own.
General Session
As always, the General Session part of SOLIDWORKS World is a can’t miss cornucopia of partner product spotlights, future product announcements and feel-good key note speakers.
What if we could make the world smaller? Michael Jagemann, head of production at Boom Aviation, kicked off the keynote presentations looking to do just that. Jagemann discussed how he partnered with SOLIDWORKS to develop the XB-1, which is the first independently developed supersonic jet! SOLIDWORKS CAD, PDM, Simulation and AR/VR were not only used for pieces of the interior, but for the entire aircraft.
Professor Kyoungchil Kong is the CEO and founder of SG Robotics. SG Robotics develops remarkable wearable robots that help paraplegic and disabled wearers regain their long-lost mobility. Walking us through the evolution of his team’s robot designs, Kong shared his vision and hope of the future, where robots like his are as common and affordable as a pair of glasses.
Closing out the general session, Brent Bushnell, CEO of Two Bit Circus, shared his observations and adventures in creative technology. From directing music videos, to creating interactive entertainment and digital experiences, Bushnell appears to have done it all! Even more astounding was his passion to spark the imagination and engagement of both children and adults toward technology and learning.
SOLIDWORKS 2019 Preview
Unlike previous years, they decided to mix things up with the SOLIDWORKS 2019 preview. Instead of waiting for the last day of the conference to show off SOLIDWORKS 2019, they decided to break it up across all three days of general sessions. It’s a welcome change, as it gives us one more thing to look forward to at each session.
Today, they showed off 2019’s ability to convert black and white appearance maps into real 3D tessellated geometry–a welcome feature for those who don’t care to model tedious knurled, dimpled, or patterned textures. AWESOME! Next, they demonstrated the partial fillet and chamfer feature. Now, you can place partial fillets or chamfers along edges and control their start and stop positions. This eliminates the need of splitting faces or bodies (we’ve been waiting for that one for a while). Lastly, they demonstrated how you’ll now be able to convert free-hand geometry into slot and spline sketch entities. This further extends the touch screen and stylus sketch capabilities that they introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2018.
Partner Pavilion & Model Mania
Today was the last day for SOLIDWORKS WORLD attendees to put their modeling skills to the test with Model Mania. The models they cook up each year for Model Mania are always a challenge. When you add a time limit and the scrutiny of your peers and colleagues, you really start feeling the pressure! I’m happy to say that I finished both phases of the challenge this year. We’ll have to see in tomorrow’s General Session if my time was able to hold up with SOLIDWORKS’s best.
Beach & Brews
SOLIDWORKS World isn’t complete without the day three Special Event. This year’s special event, Beach and Brews, wasn’t dissimilar to last year’s LA event. The biggest difference being that the weather was much better this time around. The rooftop tent on the LA Live Event Deck covered the heads of hungry and thirsty engineers as we feasted on local California grub and adult beverages. You add a dance floor, a prop photo booth and a rousing live band, and you got yourself a party. But, if dancing and music wasn’t your thing, the LA Live Event Deck and Tent also featured digital games developed by Two Bit Circus’s CEO and SOLIDWORKS World keynote speaker, Brent Bushnell.
Want to see more #SWW18 highlights? Browse our recaps from Day One, Day Two and Day Four or subscribe to our blog to stay up-to-date on all SOLIDWORKS and TriMech new.
