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 there.  And thanks to Ricky, Josh, and Matt for their help and suggestions in getting switched over.

Based upon my testing, the RSS feed should remain the same, and all URI’s out there pointing to the old TypePad permalinks should now be redirected to the new WordPress permalinks.  There are still a few issues to work out, such as some images in old posts not showing up all the time, but I will slowly get those links updated.  Also, I have a few issues with the Disqus comments on all previous posts, but hopefully those will be corrected in the coming days.

This is a work in progress, so you will be seeing a few changes from time to time.  I am working on a logo/header, and will probably tweak the CSS colors and whatnot some, if not change to an entirely new theme altogether.

If you notice anything out of whack other than the issues I mentioned above, or have any suggestions, please let me know.

Also, please note that due to the upcoming holidays and getting the new site up and running, CADFanatic’s Tips & Tricks Tuesdays will return after the first of the year, on Tuesday, January 6, 2009.

I’m looking forward to the new site and the new year!  And thanks for reading!

Today we installed our production vault at headquarters and set up the archive server at one of our remote sites.  We got the replication running and tested it.  It works great!

We also finalized our workflows and transferred all of the users, groups, and settings from the test vault to the production vault.  I really like the fact that you can run multiple vaults on one machine.  PDMWorks Workgroup limits you to one vault per machine, so you are somewhat limited in how you can test things.

We also got all the training laptops configured and set up in preparation for the user training tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see the reactions of our users!

This week, my company is implementing PDMWorks Enterprise (PDMWE).  As a matter of fact, I am currently getting trained by Razorleaf Corporation in the implementation and administration of PDMWE as I type.

On Monday, we got the SQL server installed and configured, and the PDMWE server software installed with help from via Remote Access.  We also installed a client so that we could verify that the server was functioning properly.

On Tuesday our Razorleaf representative arrived onsite to verify the server and client installs.  I also got trained on the administration of the PDMWE vault and how to tweak all the settings.

We have currently set up a test vault, and are in the process of setting up our default workflow and revision scheme and creating groups and folder structures.  Tomorrow we will install an archive server at one of our remote locations and implement the file replication.

Friday, we have user training, so I am expecting to hear some grumbling.  But I hope after everyone sees it and interacts with it, that they will see that it is a needed tool and has much more to offer than the PDMWorks Workgroup install we have been using.

In the last NASWUG-RSA user group meeting, there was a question about custom weldment profiles, and making sure they didn’t get deleted when doing a reinstall or upgrade.  In response to this, I thought I would post a few tips on managing your customized SolidWorks files.

When running SolidWorks as a single user, it is a very good idea to move all files that will be customized (such as templates, sheet formats, blocks, library parts, weldment profiles, etc.) out of the SolidWorks install path to another location.  This way, you don’t have to worry about deleting or overwriting your customized files when uninstalling or upgrading SolidWorks.

When working with multiple users (even as little as 2), you should consider putting all the above-mentioned regularly used files in a location that is easily accessible to all users.  This location could be on one person’s machine, or (preferrably) on a network server.

There are several advantages to setting up your files in a shared location:

1. You only have to maintain one set of data.
2. You ensure that everyone is using the most current data.
3. You can control who has access to the data and who can modify/add data.
4. As above, you don’t have to worry about deleting or overwriting your files when reinstalling.

After moving the files to the shared location, it is easy to change your SolidWorks settings, and then use the Copy Settings Wizard to export the System Options (including the File Locations settings) for distribution to all users or use with an Administrative Image.

Following these suggestions can help make an administrator’s job a lot easier when it comes to file management!

The main focus of this blog will be on the administration and support of SolidWorks software, as that is part of what I do at my job along with design.  I plan to post about the software and design issues that come up where I work and how we go about resolving them.  My hope is that this blog will become a repository of information that others may find useful.

Of course, other topics relating to SolidWorks and CAD in general that pique my interest will also be covered.  So, check back soon!

Ok, so maybe you’re asking yourself, “Who is this guy, and what qualifications does he have?”  Well, I’m nobody special, just a regular user like yourself.

My name is Brian McElyea and I am a Design Engineer and CAD Manager/Support for Miltec Corporation.  I am a Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP), and a founding member of the North Alabama SolidWorks User Group (NASWUG). I began this blog because I wanted to be more involved with the SolidWorks Community and have a little input.

My first exposure to CAD software was AutoCAD™ 10 in my college drafting class.  The bulk of the class was still on drawing boards at that time, but we did spend the last 2 weeks on the computers!

After I graduated college, I went to work as a manufacturing engineer building Carrier HVAC units, tanning beds, and USPS drop-boxes (the big blue ones you see on street corners).  While I was there, I played around on AutoCAD™ 12 at that time helping to develop sheet metal flats.  From there, I went on to more of a quality engineering-type position using AutoCAD™ 13 (ack!) and a third-party software that worked vaguely similar to Mechanical Desktop™.

I had another brief manufacturing stint at another contractor before coming to Miltec.  I started at Miltec in January 1999 using AutoCAD™ 14, and we quickly moved on to Autodesk® Inventor™ as soon as it was released and ran with it until R8.  (We still have a few current seats for legacy’s sake so I still play around on it some, but my skills have become rather rusty.)

I have used SolidWorks software since October 2003 (starting with SolidWorks 2004), and was instrumental in the conversion from Autodesk® Inventor™.  I currently support 10 seats of SolidWorks, and we plan on adding several more very soon!

I’m very excited and pleased with the direction SolidWorks is moving in, and anticipate each new release with bated breath.  I also like to keep abreast of the CAD industry in general and all the new technology and capabilities being introduced (hence the name CADFanatic – nifty, huh? .

You can usually find me hanging out on mCADForums, so I hope to see you around!

Brian McElyea
Mechanical Design Engineer
CAD Manager/Support
Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP)