New Computer, New Vista, New Solidworks---Going a bit Crazzzyyyy!!!!

Yes, My Brothers---It happened like this---. Each year, I get a new copy of my engineering software, (Solidworks) and each year it gets bigger and takes a bigger system to drive it. My old computer (7 years) is vastly underpowered, which means that before I load my software I needed to buy a bigger, better, more expensive computer.---and when you buy a new computer, you get Vista for an operating system.---So, since I was breaking the bank anyways, I bought a new 24" LCD monitor. So,---It's been an exciting and frustrating week. The user interface has been changed this year on Solidworks, and Vista is a whole new world!!! As the ancient Chines curse goes "I am living in interesting times"!!!!!----Brian
(Whats this got to do with Hotrodding??---Not much.)

 

Congratulations Master Angus!
Do the instructions say, "Re-boot, open beer, now relax?"

 

Good luck with vista, it can be a headache. I use my XP equipped laptop WAY more since we got a vdesktop with Vista.

 

---I just started a contract for a tier one supplier to General Motors and its panic city. Something like 28 new "part handling devices" to be designed by the middle of January. Of course, all the parts I have to pick up with the handling mechanisms are designed in Unigraphics, and there have been issues with compatibility between their ftp site and my customers ftp site. I'm glad of the work, but right now its a bit of a challenge.---Yes, I read the instructions, but 85% of it don't mean shit untill you are actually trying to do it.

 

I got my vista machine about a year ago.. let me know if you have questions.. it took me a while to get used to it, but I like it now.

 

i dont understand, are you asking a question or just ranting?

vista hasnt had drastic changes to its UI... some of the networking options are apparently different and the shitty OS eats up almost 1gig of RAM while sitting idle but everything is still the same.

unfortunately iam not well versed in Solidworks... sounds like you are able to write models out to a remote ftp through the software?

 

Brian, I have it too, not sure I like it. Every Monday AM it shuts down and wants to "update". After several weeks of not updateing I finally let it. All of a sudden I'm getting tons of junk emails trying to sell me stuff!!

 

I'm so glad I went over to a Mac.

 

Brian,
Rather than buy a whole new system couldn't you have just added headers or somethin' to the old system to speed it up?

 

Get a mac, you'll feel a lot better!!

 

well i repair computers for a living and i have been running vista since closed beta if you need something lemme know.

 

I think running solidworks on a mac would be like putting a square peg in a rainbow colored hole

 

i am still anti-mac to me mac isn't anything but a hopped up version of linux...... so get over it.

 

Vista? hmmmm....I just upgraded to XP six weeks ago, I guess I'm behind the times.

Since I only have half a gig of ram, maybe that's a good thing.

 

Yep, XP...V-e-r-y traditional! So much so that I don't dare change and go to Vista, maybe it's like changing over to hydraulics from solids...er, Solidworks!

 

every now and then I break out one of the old DOS computers....I have a bunch of that old stuff.

Or CP/M if we want to really have fun.

 

WRONG! A mac runs Vista Faster than an PC can! I'm sure it'll run solid works as well!

Here you go...

http://www.apple.com/getamac/windows.html

 

Okay so here is a little clue for you hotheaded MAC guys. Programs like Pro/E and Solidworks DON"T RUN ON IT. So save the chest beating, I-told-you-so bullshit for something relevant, and realize Apples aren't all that great because they are so god damn proprietary. They're good, but their shit still stinks. You want a real argument, build an f'ing BSD machine.

As for Solidworks 2008. I'm waiting on my copy to be delivered, BUT as I understand its new layout is to bring it more inline with its distant cousin CATIA as its macking a real push. CATIA has a heap of a learning curve, but you have to go about it in the right mind set. The best I found is look at the process, and imagine putting the part together in your own personal shop. Once you get it, its second nature. A shop that just happens to have vector. material, strength, thermal, blah, blah analysis.

And going back to the BSD note. If you partition you drive to run a FreeBSD OS partime and install Solidworks to it - it will work, and most likely smoother as it'll has less resource hogging. BUT be sure you hardware drivers are supported in BSD. 97% are but you still make sure before committing.

If you need some help along the way, I have a list of great resource sites to consult, with actual helpful people/

 

Hey same here! win 98 left me hangin for the last time! XP has to be the best invention ever!

 

I`m glad I don`t have a computer.

 

i've heard nothing but bad things about vista

 

Do they still roll a car onto the frozen lake in Barrie and take bets on when it sinks in the spring?

 

They still make new computers with XP you just gotta know where to look

 

If you dont like Vista and thats all you find, then build one and install XP as your operating system. I built one killer computer and its been running Vista since it was first released with no real problems. Just a few glitchy minor things. I remember when XP came out and again, I was one of the first users and boy did you hear the Windows 2000 and NT guys saying XP was $@%@ed.

 

I've heard alot of stuff about Vista also, but my experiences have been good so far, that's what I'm runnin at home. Our IT connection at work isn't very good so I run '98 on my cad/cam machines with zero problems, rest of the shop running XP has problems all the time. Funny thing is XP is supposed to be way more of a stable platform.

 

98 is ok for some applications....not so good for others. 2000 has been very good to me, but since I found XP at the thrift store for $2 I figured I'd give it a try. It has been working just fine.

Any version of windows is susceptible to problems...maybe more so than macs and open source OSs, but if you understand how windows works and deal with it accordingly, it will work as well as any other OS to get your work done.

I heard that a guy was playing around with the algorithm that they use to match DNA sequences, and ran it on the linux kernel and the vista kernel, and found long strings that match.....vista is linux? weird.

Anyways, if you are patient and have a fast enough computer (and maybe see about turning off services you don't need), vista should work fine. I'll have to wait a while for the price of hardware to drop before I get it. also I'll have to wait for aitto show up in the thrift store....but that's another story.

 

We are in the process of updating to the latest Solidworks here at work, and I am holding out as long as possible. I'm not impressed with the new UI. The only problem is that I can't open anyone else's files.

 

My Solidworks seem to crash a lot when I am searching for a different file to open, and I have lost my scroll bars that are usually on the bottom of the screen and on the right hand side of the screen---and I really miss them. Everything else is in a slightly different place, but I think it will be faster once I get used to it. if anybody can figure out how to turn the scroll bars on, please let me know.---Brian.

 

Appreciate the warning Brian, this came in this morning upon searching.
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.cad.solidworks/browse_thread/thread/0a26fb1507debb0e

 

Speaking of Solidworks, my co-worker has a lot of experience with it and mentioned that it is indeed heading towards CATIA V5 (from the same company: Dassault Systems so it makes sense). We're undergoing CATIA V5 training right now and from what I hear it's very similar, but like Solidworks on steroids (or HGH? hahaha) due to all of the added functionality. I'm coming from an Alias 3D modeling background and it's been interesting to say the least in the methodology switch to solid modeling instead of surface modeling.