SolidWorks 2013 Beta
For those of you still interested, SolidWorks 2013 beta is set to launch this month (June 2012). You can use it to look for bugs and compete for points or just to find out about what’s happening in the new release. Anyone want to place odds on how much CAD functionality we’ll see, and how much the “Other” category will be in there?
There are some reports that SolidWorks has started to feel the backlash, and that the cloud development project isn’t living up to plans. Still, this may all have come too late to get any redeeming features into the actual software. I don’t know what to expect, but the most impressive thing they could do would be to return to core values: engineering quality CAD tools for mechanical engineers by mechanical engineers. Leave the accounting apps out. Don’t imagine that software does the design, because it doesn’t, people do. CAD is not entertainment, it’s a tool. No one wants another rendering re-do unless it fixes what the last one broke. Fixing broken crap would be the single best way to add productivity to my workflow. Put the individual egos to rest, and imagine the software as built with a single unifying philosophy (like the old days, I know, nostalgia is so yesterday).
Jeff’s post is worthy of an applaud! lol Great stuff Jeff!
@asdf
asdf,
V6 will be announced or released or something in the year 2013, and will probably have a different name. It will be entirely different software, with likely very little if any resemblance to SolidWorks. I would guess that it will look more like Catia than anything. SW 2013 will just be the next step toward what may be a dead end.
anna, solidworks 2013 won’t be v6?
@Rick McWilliams
I’ve not yet installed/used v2012 for production, but up through v2011 I’ve found the common surfacing bugs (such as confused Trims or even face I.D. issues) remain. I fight them quite often with complex master models. In fact, for surfacing, I still regard v2007 as the pinnacle of available features and a generally robust release.
Have there been any surface geometry bugs fixed since SW2007? None of my favorites seem to be fixed in SW2011.
I am not as optimistic for SW2013 for a bunch of new geometry creation features. Though there are hints of some surprises. Conics maybe….
But for future versions of SolidWorks (v1) I am, based on a number of threads from the SolidWorks Product Definition guys on the forums.
Time will tell…..
@Carlos Melo
Carlos, I don’t think you picked up my sarcasm. 😉
@Jeff Mowry
Have you looked to other solutions outside DS? Teamcenter Express is always an option, as it can integrate data from multiple sources (including, of course, SW), and is scalable, which means you can see it as a long-term solution. Another option could be Aras with it’s sharepoint-based solution and is considered a very good choice for PLM/PDM. The problem of going with the integrated DS solutions is that you are limiting your options in the future regarding the software to use.
I do not know how I will do without twisted brocolli shaped lofts. My four letter word vocabulary will atrophy without flipping trims. My TB hard drive will feel wasted without the 1200X oversize files.
Maybe I could suffer through the change with some actual geometry bugs fixed. I might surprise myself.
Matt, I think you’re wrong on this one. Because I simply cannot go another day with my existing means of managing files, I absolutely must have yet another new (and expensive) PDM-like solution! Seriously—the simple system that works just fine for me right now and costs nothing is no longer good enough. Also, I really need some means of collaborating with clients and vendors, ideally costing lots of money every month. My unlimited-bandwidth server with 99.9% up-time at $10/month simply isn’t flashy enough and doesn’t even have any punctuation in its name (just “FTP”—how boring!).
Conics and stable surfacing geometry are passé.
(For best results, imagine the above text in sardonic purple.)