From time to time things need to change that is also true for the support team here at Symmetry. Yes we have had some changes in staff but we also are now using a new software to help manage the support cases as well. As some of you may have noticed we have begun to use it and is from our friends at NetSuite.

When you email into support@symsolutions.com it now automatically opens a new case and sends an email back to you letting you know someone will contact you shortly. In the past we had managed this manually which did work but did not notify you that we received the message. The messages sent to you also include a link so you can view progress to the case on-line.

For the most part nothing has changed for you in submitting or updating cases. You can respond to the emails or call in with updates as you did before. The one thing different is you will not be emailing the support person directly. With the new process emailing them directly will slow things down as the content will either have to be resubmitted or copied into the case. Also once the case has been resolved you will receive an email with the resolution in it. If that is satisfactory you need to do nothing. If for some reason it is not resolved you can respond to this and it will reopen the case.

When you need to submit new issues please send a new message to support@symsolutions.com to open a new case. The previous messages are directly tied to that case and will try to reopen it. If you have any questions, comments or concerns on the new processes please contact us so we can address it.

The latest version of 3DVIA Composer (V6R2012) was recently released and there are new features to make your documentation stand out.

I just want to mention a couple that I think are really cool. To see all of the new features go to Help > Release Notes … in 3DVIA Composer.

Event Links
It’s now possible to quickly add event links to your animation to make it easier for the user to maneuver around in the animation. You can find them in the Image 2D drop down menu or by right clicking. The links are for Next, Previous, First, Last. These buttons are subscribed to Styles called “Play Widget First”, “Play Widget Previous”, etc. The event is already linked in the Style. So clicking the Next button will jump the user to the next marker in the animation during Play mode.

Glow
You can now add Glow around the model to highlight it. (Makes it looks like you should be hearing a choir of angels!)

Multiple Cutting Planes
It’s now possible to add multiple cutting planes at one time including capping of all edges.

Direct input for some controls
Some properties that were previously only controlled by a slider now have direct value input. Besides having more control, the numeric value can be saved in a style.

2D Panel Shadows
To add more interest and depth to 2D Panels, shadows can be added. You can modify various properties of the shadow and these can be saved in a style.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the new features. These are just a few that I’ve had a chance to play with and I thought you might enjoy know about. Please read through the Release Notes for descriptions of all of them. If you have any questions, please give Tech Support a call.

You may have heard by now, SolidWorks 2012 software (including CAD, Simulation, Sustainability, and Enterprise PDM) will be the last release that supports Windows XP.  This action is being taken as a follow-up to Microsoft’s retirement of the Windows® XP operating system in April of 2009.  SolidWorks 2013 will not install on Windows XP.

Now that most of us will be upgraded, let’s take another look at some of the Windows 7 shortcuts that may make our lives easier, regardless of what we are using our computers for:

HOTKEYS

• WIN + Up Arrow or WIN + Down Arrow = toggle between window states, Maximized, Restore and Minimized
• WIN + Shift + Left or Right Arrow = move window to another monitor
• WIN + 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 = Launch the corresponding application on the Task Bar
• WIN + P = Projector and video output sett ings
• WIN + X = Mobility Center – Several convenient controls such as projector, WiFi, etc.
• WIN + T = Task Bar navigation via arrow keys
• WIN + D = Show Desktop
• WIN + E = Windows Explorer
• WIN + L = Lock Windows
• WIN + “+” = Magnifying Glass
• Win + Tab = cycle through the open application using Aero Flip
• Alt + Tab = cycle through the open applications
• Ctrl + Tab = cycle through the open documents within an application
• Ctrl + Application Icon = cycle through the open documents within the application
• Ctrl + Shift + Application Icon = Run application as Administrator
• Shift + Application Icon = Run a new instance of an application
• Alt + F4 = Terminate the active application
• Ctrl + Shift + Escape = Windows Task Manager
• Ctrl + C = copy
• Ctrl + X = cut
• Ctrl + V = paste
• Ctrl + Drag = copy
• Shift + Drag = move

Now that’s hot!

As a member of the Technical Support Team at Symmetry Solutions, each year we are required to be recertified by SolidWorks.  Part of the recertification test is focused on new functionality and features for the latest release of SolidWorks.  As you may or may not know, there is a “What’s New” file for every new release of the software that documents these changes.  You can access this file from your help menu in SolidWorks.  Like many, I am one of those people that scan the document for some highlights when I install each new release.  However, since my recertification test was approaching, I thought I would give it a more thorough read.  You know what I discovered (again)?  There is a lot of good information in that document.  I won’t try and summarize the entire thing, but here is one tip that I think may be useful if you are in the process of updating hardware:

“You can transfer a license from a computer even if SolidWorks is no longer installed on that computer. You can download and run SolidWorks Activation Wizard from the SolidWorks customer portal to transfer the license.”

So now when you get that annoying message about “Activation Count Exceeded” because you forgot to transfer the license off of your old computer, you no longer need to call technical support to resolve the problem.

Note, the tool is new and currently only applies to SW2011 installations.

Take some time and read through the “What’s New” document (again).  It may not be the most fun reading material available, but I recommend it for all SolidWorks users, as it can help you get the most from your software.

P.S.  You will be happy to know that all the members of your SolidWorks Technical Support Team here at Symmetry Solutions passed their recertification test.

1. First, you will need to set up a customer portal account at www.solidworks.com select log in at the top. From here, select “SolidWorks Customer Portal” and then select “Click here” to create an account. Then enter the serial number and click next. Make sure the company information is correct and hit the “Yes” button. Finish creating the account with your email and a password.

2. Log into the customer portal and under “Downloads” select the link “Downloads and Updates”. This will bring you to the download page. Select the SolidWorks version and OS that you need. You will then be shown a download license agreement that needs to be accepted. The next page has a couple of steps. The first is just information about accepting any prompts from Internet Explorer. In step 2 you have the download link for the Installation Manager (IM). Step 3 talks about the full download options and recommendations that will come into play after you download the IM. Select the download in step 2. This will download an executable zip file that is the IM. You will need to run this and make sure to select all products you want to download for an individual install. If you are needing to download for multiple installs, there is a “Download Only” option. This will do a complete download of all available software just like what is on the install disk. This download will be about 5 gig. The individual download will be smaller as it will only download what is needed to install on that specific computer. When the download is complete for the individual, it will start automatically if that option was selected during the download process. The “Download Only” option does not start automatically and gives you a message at the end that you will need to run the IM from the download location. This location is My Documents/SolidWorks Downloads folder.

3. If you have the download from the “Download Only” option, go to the folder mentioned before or if you are directed elsewhere go there. Inside SolidWorks 2011 SPX.X open the sldim folder and double click the sldim.exe. This will launch the IM and make sure to check each of the options in here for what to install and where to install it.

If you run into any errors or the install does not complete successfully, please contact Symmetry Support at 763 560-8600 option 4 or email support@symsolutions.com  You may also send in error message screen shots or failed install log files. We will be happy to provide assistance and get you up and running with SolidWorks 2011.