Well, it’s that time of year again.  The time of year when you start seeing Top Ten lists popping up everywhere.
But this is a unique Top Ten list, as it is still in the process of being written!  SolidWorks has a new page up where users can submit and vote on their favorite enhancements.  The input gleaned from this page will be used to create the list of the 10 most-requested enhancements that will be announced at SolidWorks World 2009 in February.
The only caveat to be able to vote is …

If you are reading this from the site, you can tell that there have been some major changes around here!  Like several of the other SolidWorks bloggers, I have made the jump and moved my TypePad blog to a WordPress-hosted site.
I want to thank SolidWorks for graciously providing the platform to freely air my missives over the past two years or so and Richard Doyle for getting me involved.  I would also like to thank Patrick Cook and Matthew West for their help and expertise in setting things up and tweaking things here and …

SolidWorks has a new survey out.  They are wanting to learn how users go about finding out about new features in new releases of SolidWorks.  Do you use the What’s New or do you just jump in and look around?
Let them know how you know what you know!

Ktrak Cycle Corp. is the maker of a kit that turns your mountain bike into a human-powered snowmobile.  The rear-drive track system provides about 25 times the traction and flotation of a regular mountain bike wheel.  There is also an optional front ski attachment to allow even more control.

Designed for use in groomed, packed, or fresh snow, the Ktrak system was unveiled at Interbike in September 2006.  The kit is universal to most makes and models of mountain bikes, and fits 26-inch wheels.  The site mentions that 20- and …

Do you work with widescreen monitors?  Dual monitors?  Have a laptop that is sometimes connected to an external widescreen monitor?  SolidWorks 2009 introduces a Workspace command to help arrange your Workspace for multiple setups.  The command has settings for Default, Widescreen, or Dual Monitor.
The different options have alternate settings for positions of certain task panes, such as the PropertyManager.  Unfortunately, users are currently unable to save their own customized Workspace; therefore this command is fairly limited right now.  But the framework is there now and hopefully this is a precursor …

The folks over at SolidWorks Labs have just unveiled their newest application, Treehouse.  Treehouse lets you esentially create a detailed drawing tree in a easy to use drag and drop fashion.  You can plan out your assembly in this visual hierarchy, naming your files and even adding custom properties before even firing up SolidWorks to draw the first line!
After you get everything just so, the document structure hierarchy is exported to SolidWorks, automatically creating all the SolidWorks files needed in a specified location.  I think this can really help save …

Our friend Ben Eadie of SolidMentor fame has started a new SolidWorks site called SolidJott.  The format is a microblog that anyone can post to (requires a free account) and other users can reply in the comments.  You can add tags to your posts/questions so that you can more easily find them later.  Anyone using Twitter should feel right at home.
There is an RSS feed so that you can get all the posts pushed to you, and Ben is also working on a SolidWorks add-in so that you can …

Do you make use of SolidWorks Display States?  They really make it easier to work with large assemblies (or even small ones) by allowing you to set the visibilty of parts.  For example, you could create a Display State in an assembly showing two mating components, and then easily recall that display state without having to go back and hide a bunch of parts, or find the components and use Isolate.
You can manually create a Display State or create one while in the Isolate command (just press the blue …

Have you customized your install of SolidWorks?  If you have added or changed file locations, tweaked keyboard shortcuts or menus, then you have.  But have you backed up your settings?  SolidWorks makes it easy for you with the Copy Settings Wizard.
Back Up Those Settings!
If you have to reinstall SolidWorks for some reason or have multiple users accessing a network share for templates, the Copy Settings Wizard can makes things much easier to get up and running quickly.  (It’s also very handy to help lessen the impact when your IT department …

SolidWorks Labs has posted an article detailing the upcoming release of a SolidWorks add-in for exporting assemblies to COLLADA.  COLLADA is an acronym for COLLAborative Design Activity, whose mission is to create an open standard for interactive 3D applications.  The COLLADA project was begun by Sony to create a standard for exchanging 3D digital data.  There are several other big-name companies participating in the alliance.
There is a video at the SolidWorks Labs blog showing the new COLLADA export in action.  The COLLADA add-in is expected to be available for …

The I-Ball is a camera designed with new technology that will enable UK soldiers to toss it anywhere into the battlefield to gain insights into what awaits them before putting themselves in harm’s way. The I-Ball camera “…can be fired from a grenade launcher – or thrown into a room – giving troops vital information of who – or what – is on the ground or around the corner.”
The camera houses two sensors and fisheye lenses that capture image data of it’s surroundings, and a transmitter that sends the data …

If you’re like me, you don’t do a whole lot of 3D sketches.  While the functionality in 3D sketches has improved over the last few SolidWorks releases, it can still be a little overwhelming to work in them, especially if it’s not something you do on a regular basis.  Just creating something such as a simple cable can turn into a modeling nightmare when trying to get your 3D sketch just so.
But with this tip, I will show you how you can quickly and easily create a 3D curve …