What the media tweeted about Solidworks Mechanical Conceptual

The big announcement from Dassault this week is the launch of Solidworks Mechanical Conceptual (SWMC), which despite the name doesn't run in Solidworks. And so the #SWW14 chatter on Twitter asked, "How do SolidWorks and SWMC communicate?"

(SolidWorks uses a model format based on Parasolid, but SWMC is incompatible, because it uses the V6 database format based on CGM.)

Randall S. Newton (@RSNatWork): If you create a design in SWMC, and when you say "I'm done, that's the idea" then what? Where does the data go next? And how? 

Alex Bausk (@bauskas): Uploaded seamlessly and continuously into the cloud, empowering collaboration from any device, everywhere *jedi handwave*

upFront.eZine (@upFronteZine): Seriously, jedi handwave is pretty much the answer I got from Dassault PR. But the new SW software uses V6 file format.

Matthew West* (@matthewwest): You export a file then open it in SolidWorks to start your detail design.

(*) West is senior manager of social strategy at Dassault Systemes SolidWorks

Jon Banquer (@JonBanquer): What happens to the history based information when you export from SWMC to legacy code SolidWorks?

Jon Banquer (@JonBanquer): And vise versa, Matt. What happens to history when you export from legacy code SolidWorks to SWMC?

Kevin Quigley (@quigdes): and what happens when you want to go back and change the design after you get customer feedback? This is the issue. 

Randall S. Newton (@RSNatWork): Hey press peeps at #SWW14, what's the word on INTEROPERABILITY for Mechanical Conceptual? There's nothing in the PR for us slubs at home

Elise Moss (@cadagility): there is no interoperability. mech conceptual is saved as an xml file. It is good for product development only

Randall S. Newton (@RSNatWork): XML as in Dassault's 3D XML? 

al dean (@alistardean): yup. That's how you reduce CAD overhead. By doing shit twice.

Elise Moss (@cadagility): sw* guy told me your design is always better done the second time around...with a straight face

(*) Solidworks

Elise Moss (@cadagility): When u bring in that great part from 3dcontentcentral to swmc, it converts to a dumb body....means u better save it for the move to sw. All metadata is lost from mech conceptual when u move over to sw....this is why autodesk's two attempts at this idea failed. 

The big excitement over swmc is the ability to collaborate in real time on the cloud. grabcad does this for a tenth of the cost. With grabcad your models start in sw and stay there, no need to redo your work or lose your metadata. 

I don't normally collaborate in real time...I email or throw it up on the cloud and wait for feedback. The only realtime remote collaboration I do is on Skype or gotomeeting. I do this maybe six times a year.

Kevin Quigley (@quigdes): the analogy is trying to work with someone standing behind you checking your every move...NOT good for productivity!

Elise Moss (@cadagility): Before you invest in swmc, you should crunch the cost* to benefit ratio: how often you collaborate remotely vs. the pain of redoing a design.

(*) SWMC costs $2,988 per year per user, higher outside of the USA.

al dean (@alistardean): No free trial on the cards for Mechanical Conceptual. Why? Because you're using Dassault's resources. Apparently.

al dean (@alistardean): Curious. SolidWorks Mechanical is tied to a named user. You can switch it but only after 30 days.

Elise Moss (@cadagility): don't worry...u don't have to diss this product...two years from now sw will pretend like it never existed

Elise Moss (@cadagility): aaron* asks that users go dark...please no more tweeting about mechanical conceptual...shhhhhh

(*) Aaron Kelly is vp of user experience and product portfolio management at Dassault Systemes SolidWorks

Elise Moss (@cadagility): Consensus: SolidWorks has lost sense of humor, no longer geeky down-to-earth kid; everything is scripted and on video

al dean (@alistardean): Remember when SolidWorks World was about celebrating users and inspiration rather than a sales pitch & self congratulation? Yeah. Me too

 

 

Comments

[DevonSowell]

The truth is hilarious in this case. Shades of !nFuze. Classic Al Dean "yup. That's how you reduce CAD overhead. By doing shit twice."

[JonBanquer]

There will be no need to do "shit twice". With Dassault attempts to force SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual users to a public cloud, make users rent forever, and offer zero interoperability with legacy code SolidWorks, very few companies will want to be forced into renting SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual forever.

Sadly, SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual has a lot of good ideas in it! I like the 2D motion study stuff I've seen so far which seems like it's much better than the approach you have to take with legacy code SolidWorks. I've never liked how legacy code SolidWorks does kinematic simulation. I like the heads up user interface and the non reliance on a Windows user interface. I feel confident that the next new app, called SolidWorks Industrial Conceptual, will offer way better surface modeling than legacy code SolidWorks because it's all going to be based on CATIA's surfacing.

Despite all the good about SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual, I'm confident that very few people will rent it the way Dassault currently wants to license it.

The way it stands right now I see SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual as being D.O.A.(Dead On Arrival).

Dassault's arrogance continues to hurt SolidWorks. Dassault has left the door wide open to start ups like www.onshape.com who will give users more options such as the ability to use a private cloud as well as not forcing users to pay maintenance forever just so their CADCAM software keeps working.

Jon Banquer
CADCAM Technology Leaders group on LinkedIn

[Deliveringlearning.wordpress.com]

I'm waiting for the for the SWITCH app...The SolidWorks I Thought Carefully Here app?