One hurdle often encountered is the need to find design information as quickly as possible. Also very important when making changes to an existing design – which parts, assemblies and drawings are affected by those changes. Of course, Solid Edge has some ‘out of the box’ tools that allow you to search for information and find where parts are used. The problem with these tools however is that they tend to be cumbersome and slow when running in an unmanaged environment.

When customers are faced with these data management issues, we always discuss the benefits of using an appropriate data management or PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) solution. This technology brings many high level benefits (beyond the scope of this article) as well as some excellent side benefits such as fast searching and where used. This is down to the fact that the information is stored in a database.

Solid Edge and Siemens have two data management solutions available, these are Insight and Teamcenter. Whilst these are great solutions in their own right, depending on the circumstances of the customer, they are not always the right fit. They are sometimes just ‘too heavy’ and over complicated. Like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! In addition to this some companies just don’t have the budget or IT infrastructure available to invest in and support Teamcenter or Insight.

We recently surveyed the Solid Edge community in an attempt to find out what users really needed from a data management solution. What were the big ticket items that were slowing them down when working with Solid Edge? Looking at the results it was clear that users wanted a solution that provided some of the tools that Teamcenter or Insight deliver (such as instant search and where used) but without the overheads associated with those solutions. They need something that is quick and easy to install, configure and maintain, as well as being good value for money.

This valuable feedback has driven us to develop an elegant solution that fits these requirements.

Introducing File Control for Solid Edge

File Control is a Solid Edge application that provides simple, efficient and effective management of all your Solid Edge data. Most importantly it does this with virtually zero customisation. File control will automatically build a live database enabling almost instant search queries on any property, instant where used reports, instant where drawn reports and much more. File Control gives many of the benefits that are a result of implementing Solutions like Insight or Teamcenter but at a fraction of the cost.

Some File Control Benefits and Features are:

• Instant search on any Solid Edge file property
• Instant ‘where used’ results
• Instant ‘where drawn’ results
• Reporting of interpart links
• Batch editing of property data
• Reporting and BOM capabilities
• Built in viewer
• Installs in seconds with virtually zero configuration

File Control is available to buy from the IngeneaSoft website where you can also find more information about it.

In addition to being able to purchase File Control as a stand alone product, you may also be interested to know that it is available for free as part of a Solid Mastermind membership. Gold and Platinum members have free use of the application as part of their monthly subscription. This is a very cost effective way of using file control with the added benefit of all the other training material you have access to as a Solid Mastermind member.

Solid Mastermind not only provides the very best Solid Edge video tutorial resource available today, it now also provides some excellent utilities that deliver real world benefits. Together these resources will help you become more profitable, efficient and productive with Solid Edge.

The video below shows File Control in use.

Top Edging
Jon Sutcliffe

There has been an awful lot of discussion on the Solid Edge Newsgroup (BBS) regarding this. It is generally recognised that things are looking very positive and moving in the right direction. If you are not a member of the newsgroup, then why not head over there, sign up and take part in the discussion. All you need to login are your Solid Edge WebKey details.

Solid Edge Newsgroup.

One of the first great things to come from this new drive is the launch of a global Solid Edge survey. Siemens are hoping to get a big picture overview on the way you use Solid Edge and more importantly how satisfied you are with the tools you have at your disposal today. This will help them to decide areas to focus on in development.

This is your chance to have your say on where you would like to see future enhancements in Solid Edge.

Take the Solid Edge Survey NOW.

Top Edging,

Jon Sutcliffe

Why not visit Solid Mastermind THE Community for Solid Edge Professionals.

For more information please take a look at the about page.

The first impressions of Solid Edge ST3 are that it promises to be bigger and better than ever.

During the presentation, Dan Staples stated that over 2000 customer enhancement requests were satisfied in ST3. These are in the areas of drafting, part modelling, sheet metal, assembly, frame design, user interface, data management and architecture. It really looks like there is something for everyone.

Here are a few additional high level items courtesy of Mark Burhop’s post on the Siemens Blog.

• ST3 will make it easier for users to adopt Synchronous Technology in bite-size pieces.
• Solid Edge Simulation gets more load and constraint options.
• Insight will support Microsoft Office SharePoint 2010.
• The ST Command bar will return as a horizontal Smart Step Ribbon Bar (sounds like V20 Smart Step).
• As we know already the Command Ribbon interface will be fully customisable like Office 2010.
• New customisable Radial Menus will be available which also support mouse gestures.
• New transparent pathfinder which allows the assembly structure or feature tree to be visualised without obscuring the graphics behind it.
• Sheet Metal gets more options for defining corner conditions.
• New algorithms for weld bead creation.
• A new Configuration Manager to control Display Configurations which promises to be “phenomenal”.

More detailed information on Solid Edge ST3 coming soon.

Top Edging,

Jon Sutcliffe

Why not visit Solid Mastermind THE Community for Solid Edge Professionals.

For more information please take a look at the about page.

We all probably use Google far more heavily than we realise. It’s become second nature….want to find something… we’ll Google it.

Usually we’ll do a search by just typing in a few keywords relative to the information we are trying to find.

However, did you know that there are some more advanced search techniques that can be used to hone down the search and arrive at a much more useful set of results.

Before we get into that here’s a short video from Google themselves showing someone using Google Search to find information related to Paris. It’s amazing what you can find so easily:

That video was showcasing Google and what’s called Basic Search. But using Advanced Search we can take searching to a new level. Most importantly Advanced Search saves us time!

Advanced Searching

Using Advanced Search is very simple we just place what’s called in Google speak an alternate query type or modifier before our search text in the Google Search window.

Let’s take a look at some of these:

related:

The related: query type will list pages that are similar to a specified page. For instance we could search for:

related:www.synchronoustechnology.net/blog/

This would return all the pages that contained similar information to this blog’s home page. Note that there can be no spaces between the word related: and the page URL

site:

If we use the site: modifier, Google will restrict the search to only the websites that are in the specified domain.

For example we could search for:

surfacing site:www.solidmastermind.com

This will only display relevant pages that contain the word surfacing that it finds within the site www.solidmastermind.com.

The title of a webpage is usually a good indication of its content since the author of the page will have used a short description of the content of the page for the title. As such, restricting the search to just the title can really narrow down the results and hone in on the information we need.

allintitle:

If we use the allinititle: modifier, Google will restrict the search results to those with all of the query words in the title only. For example if we search for:

allintitle: solid edge st2 video training

This will only display pages whose titles contain: solid edge, st2, video, and training. This really narrows down our search results.

intitle:

If we want to widen the above search out a little we can use the intitle: modifier, Google will then restrict the results to only those pages that have a title that contains the word following the modifier. For instance if we searched for:

intitle:st2 update training videos

This would return all pages that have st2 in the title and then update, training and videos somewhere in the document or page itself. Notice there is no space between intitle: and the word we want to search for in the title. If we preceeded every word with the intitle: modifier, this would give the same results as the allintitle: modifier.

allinurl:

If we use the allinurl: modifier in the search, Google will only return pages that contain all of the search words in the actual URL of the page. For instance we could search for:

allinurl: solid edge st2 update videos

inurl:

Once again, in order to widen the search we can use the inurl: modifier in the same way we did for the intitle: modifier. For instance we could search for:

inurl:st2 inurl:update solid edge videos

This would return all pages that have st2 and update in the title and then solid edge and videos somewhere in the document or page itself. Notice there is no space between inurl: and the word we want to search for in the title. If we preceeded every word with the inurl: modifier, this would give the same results as the allinurl: modifier.

As we can see the Advanced Search tools can really help target our searches.

Here are a few clickable examples for you to try should you be looking for Solid Edge training:

related:www.synchronoustechnology.net/blog

surfacing site:www.solidmastermind.com

allintitle: solid edge st2 video training

intitle:st2 update training videos

allinurl: solid edge st2 update videos

inurl:st2 inurl:update solid edge videos

Top Searching,

Jon Sutcliffe.

There can be occasions when drawing sheets or background graphics in existing draft files need to be modified in some way. Maybe our original templates were generated way back when Solid Edge was first implemented. Now fast forward a few years and hundreds if not thousands of drawings have since been created using those templates. If we now need to make a change to the drawing borders, perhaps to accommodate a company name change or some other modification, we would update the template files accordingly.

However, these changes will only affect new drawings created using the updated templates. What if we wanted to update some, or all, of our existing drawings too? The only solution using vanilla Solid Edge is to individually open the drawing files so that we can copy and paste the changes from the new template into them. This is an arduous task to say the least.

Ingenea Border Control is a free utility that automates the task of replacing background sheets in your database of drawing files. It is very easy to use but we have prepared a short instructional video so you can see Border Control in action.

Border Control is completely free. In order to receive the download link please make sure you fill in your details in the registration fields to the right of the video. Even if you don’t need to use Border Control right now we would still recommend downloading it as we don’t know how long it will be available for free.

Click on the image below to view the video.

Well, we have another video available for you. This one is from a Solid Edge ST Fundamentals training series and covers some of the steps used in the creation of custom drawing templates and background sheets.

If you have already viewed the last video and signed up to receive notification when new material is released, then you probably already know that another video is available.

If you have not seen the first video, please go to Free Solid Edge Training – Part 1 and follow our instructions on how to view the first tutorial and sign up for new material.

To view the latest video now simply click on the image below.

Tip #1 – Don’t forget to sign up with your details in the boxes to the right of the video so that you are notified when the next free Solid Edge tutorial is released. If you viewed the last video and signed up, then you don’t need to do so again.

Tip #2 – Although the video is initially contained within a small window it is possible to view it full screen using the control below the video.

Isn’t it great to receive free stuff!
Happy viewing

In the mean time I would like to make you aware of a free Solid Edge training video series. The first video shows some of the techniques used when constructing Synchronous part models.

Once you have viewed the video, I would highly recommend signing up so that you are automatically notified when the next training video is released. We have prepared a short video below that shows how to access the free Solid Edge tutorial and, more importantly make sure you sign up in the correct way to receive any future material.

Alternatively if you would rather skip straight to the free training then please select the image below:

Tip #1 – Don’t forget to sign up with your details in the boxes to the right of the video so that you are notified when the next free Solid Edge tutorial is released.

Tip #2 – Although the video is initially contained within a small window it is possible to view it full screen using the control below the video.

Isn’t it great to receive free stuff!

Happy viewing.

When Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology was released last year it came complete with a brand new user interface based on the Microsoft Fluent standard. This brought about a great new streamlined way to interact with the Solid Edge design environment. Based on feedback from existing users there have been some subtle changes made to the interface. We’ll concentrate on some of these changes here.

Wide Screen Mode
Solid Edge will automatically check the display resolution being used and set itself in wide screen mode if necessary. This will use some of the empty space that was to the right of the home ribbon for additional commonly used commands that exist on other ribbons. For instance in a traditional part this includes some of the PMI dimension tools as well as certain view commands. The Switch windows command is now always displayed on the home ribbon regardless as to whether it is in wide screen mode or not. The image below shows the home ribbon in part in its wide screen state.

In addition to this it is also now possible to increase the size of the icons in the interface. This can be especially useful on monitors with a very high resolution since the icons in these situations can be very small.

Reorder Quick Access Toolbar
The Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) was a welcome addition to Solid Edge ST since it allowed the interface to be customised and commands added to the QAT so they were right at your fingertips. In ST2 it is now possible to reorder the QAT in order to move commands around so that they are not simply placed in the order they were added. You can also now put seperators on the QAT in order to differentiate between different groups of commands. Another important enhancement is that when re-installing or installing new versions of Solid Edge the QAT customisations will be kept intact so there is no need to re-create them.

Cursor Feedback
There is now much more graphical feedback on the cursor. For instance when selecting geometry or manipulating the veiw an appropriate glyph will appear next to the cursor indicating the curent action. some examples of this are shown below.

Some other notable enhancements concerning the interface include:

• Fresh new startup screen
• Subtle changes to the QuickBar in the Synchronous environments
• New improved steering Wheel handles and operation
• Changes to the Live Rules interface

These enhancemants and more will be covered in future posts.

Keep an eye open for more information on Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology or subscribe to our feed for automatic notification.

And it’s the same with Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology. Version One was great but Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology 2 is better.

On Tuesday 26th May 2009 Siemens PLM Software announced the next version of Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology that is scheduled to ship to customers this summer.

Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology 2 continues to build on the ground breaking and innovative Synchronous Technology that was first seen last year. We have been showcasing Synchronous Technology on this blog which is dedicated to revealing the secrets of this new design paradigm.

We will be revealing some of the Solid Edge with Synchrounous Technology 2 (SEST2) capabilities over the coming months but to get things started here are a few highlights that will help us improve our performance using Solid Edge:

• Synchronous Technology capabilities are extended into more areas of part and assembly modelling
• A brand new Synchronous Technology based sheet metal design environment is now available
• A brand new finite element analysis capability for design engineers based on Femap and the NX Nastran solver is built in
• A reinforced scalable data management solution embracing the latest Microsoft SharePoint platform for the built in Insight capability and improved integration with Teamcenter Express PLM
• Many other customer driven enhancements for both traditional modelling and Synchronous Technology

As I have said we will be showcasing some more of the Solid Edge ST 2 capabilities over the coming months as the product gets ready to release but for now here are a few taster videos.

A preview of the new live section capability that enables you to edit 3D models using automatically generated cross sections

A preview of some of the new Synchronous Technology sheet metal design tools

A preview of the new built in FEA tools – Solid Edge Simulation

A preview of some of the new Solid Edge Insight data management functionality based on Microsoft SharePoint V3 and MOSS 2007

Stay tuned for much more to come over the next few months……..

It addresses those questions we as users have been constantly striving to answer:

• How can we change our design as quickly as we change our mind?
• How can we capture ideas as soon as we think them?
• How do we thrive in a multi CAD world?
• When will CAD be so simple anyone can use it?

The great news is that we are now seeing many of the CAD software vendors actively present their tools to address these issues. But we’re being bombarded with confusing messages, nothing is clear, in fact things are confusing, everything is a shade of gray. From what we are seeing surely all these systems use Synchronous Technology.

Wrong! There is black and white. Whilst there are many 3D CAD systems available only two have Synchronous Technology those being Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology and NX, both Siemens PLM Software products.

Why the gray then? As always terminology tends to confuse the issue quite a bit. So let’s define the terms:

• History-based: features managed linearly and are dependent on each other, edits trigger regeneration of subsequent features
• Direct editing: body editing that appends a feature in a history modeller (parametric but directed from parent feature)
• Explicit editing: body editing in a non-history based system (no parametrics other than some possible dimensions)
• Synchronous Technology: feature-based, history-free modelling that offers parametrics in a non-history world

There are many systems that use history based, direct editing and explicit editing methods. Sometimes a combination of these methods may seem like Synchronous Technology. But only Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology and NX actually have Synchronous Technology.

This is what Synchronous Technology can do:

Test your own or other 3D systems to see if they can do this, and gray will become black and white.

Why not try Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology for yourself.

You can get a free 30 day evaluation by selecting the following blue text. Free trial of Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology.