It is time to tell you about the next and exciting CMNC-SWUG meeting.  You do not want to miss this opportunity.  Smith & Wesson, the firearms manufacturer, has kindly offered to host this meeting at their manufacturing facility.  They have also offered to open their museum for viewing along with a 45-minute tour of the plant.  How cool is that!!! 

Meeting Date:	June 25, 2008
Time:	5:15 pm to 9:30 pm
Location:	2100 Roosevelt Avenue, Springfield, MA
Presentations:	Surfacing by John Hall from CADD Edge
	Tips & Tricks by Jan Stoothoff from CADD Edge
Meeting Sponsors:	CADD Edge and Summit Tech

Due to Smith & Wesson’s security level, attendees need to recognize and adhere to the logistics listed below.  This is NOT a complete list of logistics.  Click here for a complete list.  Unfortunately, there can be no exceptions for anyone!

• RSVP is required; NO walk-in registrations will be allowed.

• There are NO cell phones allowed but a phone will be available for emergencies.

• There are NO cameras allowed.

• Smoking is NOT allowed anywhere on Smith & Wesson property.

• All attendees need to arrive between 5:15 - 5:45pm to be able to take the tour.

• All attendees who arrive between 5:45 - 6:00pm, will be escorted directly to the meeting room

• Please advise the CMNC Executives if there is a need to leave the meeting early.

We have told Smith & Wesson officials that our group will comply as required so please adhere to all the requirements.

As usual, food and beverages will be available in the meeting room upon your arrival from the tour.  John Hall and Jan Stoothoff from CADD Edge will provide presentations (see agenda).  Meeting sponsors CADD Edge and Summit Tech will have some nice door prizes to win.

Have fun and spread the word. 

Best regards from the CMNC-SWUG Executive Committee, 

Ed Gebo, Tom Cote, Randy Lennox, and Glen Lepage.

June 15th, 2008

Finally...NEW pictures in the Photo Archive!  I know I know...it's about time.  Check out pics from the Leominster meeting (Yes John, your truck pics made the cut) back in November 2007 and some never before seen pics from the Developers meeting at Morgan Construction back in September 2007.

Enjoy!

NEW MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

The CMNC-SWUG is excited to announce our next meeting on June 25th at
Smith & Wesson in Springfield, MA.  Keep checking back for more details.

Check the Employment tab for the latest job opportunities from
Smith and Wesson, Hybricon, and Summit Tech.

May 5th, 2008

 

CMNC-SWUG meeting announcement:

Date:             Wednesday, April 30^th 2008
Time:              Meet and greet starting at 5:30pm
Location:       Morgan Construction, 40 Crescent Street (gate 5), Worcester, MA 

Meeting sponsors:  SolidVision and Pro-Source

Presentations: 

• Dimensioning and Tolerancing with DimXpert - by Craig Therrien, SolidWorks Product Manager.

Ø      DimXpert brings together a new set of tools that get you to a fully dimensioned part model in a fraction of the time.  DimXpert looks at a design for manufacturing features and applies the appropriate dimensioning schemes.  Users get feedback as to whether the design is completely dimensioned for manufacturing. 

• Configurations and Display States - by Mike LaFleche from SolidVision.

Ø      Do you currently make assembly configurations just so you can see the assembly in different display states?  Well you’re not alone.  You can toggle between display states without having to change configurations.  This is as much as 95% faster for some large assemblies, and it cuts down on the file size of your assembly!  In addition, you can also copy display states from one configuration to another.  A separate display mode (Wireframe, Hidden Lines Removed, etc.) can be created for each component in the assembly.  You can define different combinations of the following settings for each component and save them in Display States:  display mode, Hide/Show state, color, texture, & transparency. 

Craig and Mike are very knowledgeable about SolidWorks.  They will answer your questions with a level of expertise that you will not find anywhere else.  They are both very affable as well; find them during the meeting to say hello and to tell them how much you enjoy using SolidWorks.  They will love it!   

See ya on the 30th. 

Ed, Tom, Randy, and Glen.

April 21st, 2008

Ahhh...just like the return of Robins in Spring, the CMNC-SWUG will be having yet another meeting for all to soak and bask in while gathering infinite SolidWorks wisdom...or at the least...eat some free food.  Please keep your evening of April 30th open. More details to follow soon...

Check out the new job postings by clicking the EMPLOYMENT tab above.

March 26th, 2008

It's official:

The CMNC-SWUG Executive Committee would like you to attend our next user group meeting scheduled on Wednesday, March 5^th at the Super 8 Motel and Conference Center in Manchester, CT.  VAR sponsor, CAP Inc, will provide a presentation by Keith Pedersen on 3D Sketching.  Jason Pancoast was originally scheduled to present but could not due to other obligations.  Not to worry, Keith is extremely gifted at his craft, you will NOT be disappointed!

Also, our friend, Rob Rodriguez from North of the Border, (well, almost, most know it by the state of Vermont) will be "IN DA HOUSE" to give us his presentation, PhotoWorks: Photo Finish.  Rob had the honor to present at SolidWorks World 2008 and show to all his PhotoWorks ability.  Rob is also the Eastern Representative for all SolidWorks User Groups.  Our plan is to be over the top, super nice to him until he can't take it anymore ;~)

Actually, Rob is a genuine guy like the rest of us who really enjoys SolidWorks, snow measured in feet, and Harley Davidson’s. Also, check out his blog at www.robrodriguezblog.com

We should have some surprises and things to give away but you will have to attend to find out what they are. Click the agenda link on the left for more details or directions.

RSVP to RSVP@cmnc-swug.com or click on the "Want to RSVP?" above the CAP Inc. logo on the left.

See ya there,

Ed-

February 15th, 2008
(revised March 3rd)

I am a wanna-be superblogger and if I truly had the time, I wouldn’t be so wanna-be.  Nonetheless, I enjoy reading the blogs of the true superbloggers like Josh Mings (SolidSmack…read it…you won’t be disappointed), Ricky Jordan, Jeff Mirisola (well not exactly…he hasn’t added any fresh content in a while…C’mon Jeff…I am calling you out!) and Devon Sowell just to name a few.

As I read Devon’s blog I see a name and pause.  Oh *&$#@!  The name I just saw was Don Swavely.  No, I am not upset (except at myself) but I made a promise a while back that I would add a link for the project he donates his precious time to called suppliersource.com 

Don is a regular at our CMNC-SWUG meetings and is probably one of the nicest people you will ever shake hands with.

So Don, I will do one better…I’ll blog about suppliersource.com

Suppliersource.com is a website dedicated to those folks that own businesses like a machine shop or a design firm.  It is also dedicated to those folks who are looking for that machine shop or design firm. 

That’s just explaining the surface for it has a lot more capabilities, more than I could explain but give the site a visit and poke around.  Register (for free) and you can do more like save a list of your favorite suppliers, complete with contact information and a review tab of the supplier.

I will even go one step further…anyone that registers at suppliersource.com (print your registration) and attends a future CMNC-SWUG meeting, find me and show me your registration and I will personally get you one of those suppliersource.com 41 cent stamps that I got from Don.  Happy 'thumbs up' dude not included! 

My hope is Don still has some of those stamps but I am almost sure after he reads this, he may never come to another CMNC-SWUG meeting ever again ;~) 

Gotta go…Ed-

January 24th, 2008

Ok…while the rest of the SolidWorks World is in San Diego (including the three amigo’s of the CMNC-SWUG: Tom, Randy and Glen) I get to blog about some of what I have read thus far, while staring at the thermometer (9° as of 11:30pm in Southbridge, Massachusetts) outside my window…muchos frio!!!

Of course, I get the phone call from Tom and Randy on Sunday, telling me how nice the weather is and how they have seen and met a bunch of people and SWW hasn’t even officially started yet.  Then the name dropping starts, and I listen…and listen some more.  Neither bother to ask me “…so how’s your day going?” for they are giddy like a couple of kids on the first day of school. Can't say I blame 'em!

Tom and Randy both know how much I desired to attend SWW this year and we all get along well enough to needle each other for various things.  How does the saying go, “Payback is a _________!”  Hmmm…you will get yours Cote and Lennox ;-)

Anyhow, some of the SolidWorks Elite (from what I have read from the SolidWorks bloggers and heard from the guys) that have arrived in San Diego have been folks that have appeared at our SWUG meetings.  Greg Jankowski, Jon Hirshtick, Sal Lama, Jeff Ray, Scott Harris and Paul Chastell to name a few.  I thought I saw something about reps from AutoCAD (Lynn Allen) were even there.  Ya, I have to check into this a bit further as well.  Seems…well…odd?!?

If you want better details of what’s going in at SW World, there are plenty of folks spinning their tales into morsels of words via the internet.  The following are just a few of my favorites:

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/rob_rodriguez/  (fellow New Englander and Patriots fan)

http://www.solidsmack.com/

http://dezignstuff.com/blog/

http://blogs.solidworks.com/

From the list above you can find other bloggers so check them out too.  You just might read (or see pics) of folks you have met or perhaps will meet at a CMNC-SWUG meeting sometime soon.

Gotta run…GO PATS!!!  Any Giants fans out there?  Email me and let me know.

Ed-

January 22nd, 2008

Good day,

It is the folks from the CMNC-SWUG informing you of our next SWUG meeting on Thursday, January 10^th at Morgan Construction, 40 Crescent Street, Worcester, MA.  The meet and greet will start at 5:30 pm and the meeting itself will commence at 5:50 pm.
 
On tap will be:

Ø  Drawing Productively and Design Intent presentation from the Customer Services Director of SolidWorks, Greg Jankowski  (Greg is also the author of SolidWorks for Dummies).

Ø  What’s REALLY New in 2008 presentation by SWUG Community Manager, Richard Doyle.

 
Ø  CAD Manager Survival Guide presentation from Greg Jankowski.

Ø  Tips and Tricks session from Mike Lafleche of SolidVision.

Ø  Quite possibly a few other surprises too.
 
If you had the chance to attend the last meeting, you saw (or perhaps met) Scott Harris, Jon Hirshtick, or Jeff Ray.  You read that right…the current and past CEO of SolidWorks along with one of the original five employees of SolidWorks attended the November 14^th meeting in Leominster.  We can never predict who will attend our meetings but with some of the aforementioned guests, it is best to attend, introduce yourself, and let them know how much you enjoy using SolidWorks.
 
The meeting will have plenty of food and beverages to consume, some prizes to win, and information to make your SolidWorks use easier and more rewarding.  SolidVision, Summit Technical, and Morgan Construction are the meeting sponsors.
 
Please RSVP with your intentions by Tuesday, January 8^th at rsvp@cmnc-swug.com.
 
One last bit of news to share.  If you did not know already, the website location has changed.  The new address is www.cmnc-swug.com.  Check the site for new e-mail addresses as well.
 
Best wishes for the New Year from the CMNC-SWUG Executive Committee.
 
Respectfully,
 
Ed Gebo, Tom Cote, Randy Lennox, and Glen Lepage

January 7th, 2008

Happy Holidays from all of us at the CMNC-SWUG

December 30th, 2007

Stay tuned for an update and new pics from our last meeting. 

Also, welcome to the new home of the CMNC-SWUG.

There will be some mild changes on the way! We hope you like them...

December 2nd, 2007

What a great time of the year to be a New Englander.  The autumn season is upon us, the Red Sox won another World Series, the Patriots are dismantling opponents weekly, the Boston College Eagles Football team is ranked #2 nationally, and the Celtics have not looked this stud since the days of Bird, McHale, and the Chief.  If only the Boston Bruins would take notice...

It is time once again to announce our next meeting.  The late fall meeting will be on November 14th, 2007 at the National Plastics Center in Leominster, MA starting with the usual meet & greet at 5:30pm.  Sponsoring the event is CADD Edge and Pro-Source.  CADD Edge will have their SensAble device on display and will show the group some of its functionality.  Leon Austin from CADD Edge will be presenting SolidWorks 'Tips and Tricks' and local recruiter Pro-Source will have their staff available to say hi and to check folks in.

Also in attendance with his trademark presentation on 'Surface Modeling' will be Mark Biasotti, SolidWorks Project Manager.  Through Mark, the CMNC-SWUG has arranged to field ANY surface model questions you may have.  There will be no question too simple or too complex.  If you are not sure what to ask then create a SolidWorks model and play with the Surfacing Tools.  I guarantee you will have some questions once you get that far.  Send your questions along with your RSVP to the e-mail address below.

Since it is usually well received, there will be vendor's on-hand at this meeting.  Rapid Sheet Metal, Faro, Actify (Spinfire), Vaupell, and a few others have said they will attend.  Please make the time to say hi to these folks and ask a few questions; they are here for you.

As usual, we try hard to arrange a few surprises; if you have attended any of our past meetings, you know what I mean.

Please send your RSVP to cmnc-swug@charter.net by Friday, November 9th.  Please add your Surface Modeling questions along with your RSVP whether you plan to attend the meeting or not.  As usual, feel free to contact any of us or visit our website for more info.

Ed-

November 5th, 2007

The comments below are from one of the CMNC-SWUG members. Todd won a 3Dconnexion Space Pilot motion controller at our last meeting. It's worth reading!

October 31st, 2007

Good day all,

Yet another successful meeting took place on September 12^th at Morgan Construction for the CMNC-SWUG. As usual, we had plenty for our users to soak up and take part in. One of the big surprises of the evening was John McEleney arriving with the SolidWorks Cobra as you can see by some of the pictures in our photo archive. I have a few more pics to add so check back later this week. Photo credits to Tammie Gadbois of Gadbois Photo.

Some special guests were in attendance; John Nolin president of the New Hampshire SWUG, Rob Rodriquez and Glenn Wilkins, President and VP of the Vermont SWUG. Rob is also the SolidWorks User Group Representative for the entire East Coast. Rep’s from Corporate Growth, Summit Technical, CAP, CADD Edge, and SolidVision were on hand as well SolidWorks Programmers, Developers, and Product Definition Specialists like Paul Chastell and Sal Lama, respectfully. We had about 50+ SolidWorks users in attendance too. It was a very active night! 

The core event for the evening was asking the SolidWorks Programmers, Developers, and Product Definition Specialists ‘why not’ or ‘how come’ SolidWorks related questions within each topic. The three topics were; Configurations and Display States, Toolbox, and Drawings. It was unfortunate we had to set a time limit for each subject but if we did not, it would have been 1am by the time all was said and done. We, the CMNC-SWUG Executive Team, will try this format again with SolidWorks at a later date. Stay tuned for that future announcement.

Also announced at our meeting was our logo contest winner, which was Tom Cote. He generously granted the prize, a 3Dconnexion SpaceExplorer, to the second place winner Todd Robida. Tom wanted to see the prize go to one of our users. Thanks Tom for stepping up and doing the right thing. CADD Edge, along with 3D Connexion, sponsored the contest by printing a 3D model for us and Carolyn Dees was grateful to announce the winner at our meeting. Congrats to Tom and Todd and a big thanks to CADD Edge and
3Dconnexion for the support.

One other note; the meeting was also videotaped thanks to Morgan employee Parrish Gallant. Once the tape is edited for video and sound, we plan to post it somewhere on the internet for all to see.

Hope to see you at our next meeting on November 14^th at the National Plastic Center. It should be another can’t miss opportunity. (See Mark Biasotti request below)

Regards,

Ed Gebo 

Co-Chair of the CMNC-SWUG

October 15th, 2007

“The persona of an Industrial Designer and advanced modeling in SolidWorks”

Mark Biasotti, Product Manager at SolidWorks and the King of Kings in the surface modeling world.  Would like you to send in your Surface modeling questions for him to answer.  This will also give him an opportunity to gauge his focus for his presentation at our meeting on November 14^th at the National Plastics Center in Leominster MA.

Please send those questions to cmnc-swug@charter.net

If your not sure who Mark is, just ‘Google’ or ‘Yahoo’ his name and you will find countless hits of stories, articles, and interviews. If Mark is not a legend yet, he is a legend in the making so you need to take advantage if this opportunity.

(title provided by Mark Biasotti)

October 15th, 2007

Click the pic for more info about this special offer from 3Dconnexion

October 10th, 2007

Congrats to Todd Robida and Tom Cote our Logo Contest winners, announced
at our September 12th meeting at Morgan Construction.

A big thanks to Rick Lando at 3D Connexion and CADD Edge for supporting
the CMNC-SWUG and sponsoring our logo contest.

October 3rd, 2007

A pic from our CMNC-SWUG meeting on September 12th

(from left to right)

Scott Harris, Randy Lennox, Tom Cote, Ed Gebo, Glen Lepage, and John McEleney. In front of us is the SolidWorks Roadster. You had to witness the car live for it was a sight to be seen. It shook the ground like thunder from the sky when it was running.

...WICKED AWESOME!!!



(click pic above for larger version)

You can see more pictures of the meeting in the Photo archive...click here

September 24th, 2007

Logo Contest Results