One new SolidWorks tool that I am really excited about is the new Defeature tool.  Previewed at SolidWorks World 2010, this new tool helps you simplify an assembly by removing details that you wish to keep to yourself when sending files out to customers and replacing the details with dumb solids with no feature history.  It essentially creates an envelope assembly consisting of virtual parts that others can use in their designs.  Using virtual parts allows you to just have one file to deal with and lessens file management hassles.
But …

The latest release of SolidWorks, 2011, launched today.  If you have had a chance to look through the SolidWorks 2011 Beta What’s New, you may have noticed that there isn’t as many flashy new features as in previous versions.  According to SolidWorks’ Shaun Murphy, much of the focus of SolidWorks 2011 has been on the top two customer requests:

Stability
Performance

We all know the drill from previous versions: you open a few files, close them, open some more, change some features, create a drawing, etc.  The amount of system …