In 2013 SolidWorks you can now automatically deploy an admin image from the option editor. There is now a link to do this in the editor and you can set this to deploy to any or all machines on the same MS Active Directory Domain.

In this image you can see that I have added machines on the domain and selected them to deploy. You also have options of when to do the install Now or at a specific time later.

Then in the client options you can set it to either install or uninstall and if it is to uninstall is it going to be a custom one. This will give you more options of what to remove from the machine during the uninstall like registry settings or data folders. You can also select to have the computer automatically reboot after the install/uninstall is complete.

Additionally there is a place to add the admin log in so the installs are performed using this. Once you have this all set to run you then get a status feed back on the install so you can see if any of them fail. This is also a silent deployment method so there is no indication on the client machine this is happening like in a manual admin image deployment.

This and more will be covered in an upcoming webinar about installing SolidWorks 2013.

Does SolidWorks sometime feel like it’s working at a turtle’s pace? The problem might stem from being connected to a network!

Working on a network is great, and in today’s age it’s basically required. Unplugging from the network could solve a lot of issues, but usually isn’t feasible. The problem is that so much stuff is looking to the network it can sometimes slow down SolidWorks. There can be a ton of reasons for this, some can be fixed! Here’ are a few tips to make your performance a better while working with SolidWorks.

• Don’t work over the network!!! One of the biggest slowdowns you can cause in SolidWorks is by trying to work with files that are located on the network. If the files aren’t on your local computer, every time you open them, temp version of them are made in the directory they’re opened in. Every change you make has to get written to those. Every time you save the main files get written to. All of that going over the network is going to slow down SolidWorks. Copy files locally to avoid those issues.
• Backup/Auto-Recover: You should not have these locations be on the network. If these locations aren’t local, SW will again be constantly working and writing over the network and slow down. The backup option to put the backups in the same place as the original file can double the issue if you’re working on files over the network as well.
• SolidWorks Search: The SW Search is useful, but if you don’t use it, turn it off. If you do use it, make sure to set the indexing to “only when the computer is idle.”
• News Feed: Turn off the option in the general area of the options to “Show latest news feeds…” It may be minor, but it’s one more thing to slow down SW.
• Stop Streaming: Turn off things like streaming audio, unneeded web pages, and any other non-essential programs. The less trying to fight for resources the better.
• Stop the CPU War: Everything you’re running on a computer is constantly fighting for you CPU. When you’re on the network, even more things are fighting for it. If possible, dedicate a CPU core to SolidWorks. Windows defaults everything to the first core, once that’s full, it’ll start using other cores. Most of SW can only use one core, so the more it’s trying to fight with the slower it will run. If you can dedicate a core, it will reduce the chances of a slow down.

Who needs IT?   Well, in reality we probably all do to some extent.  But let’s be honest.  IT seldom understands what engineering truly requires.  If you and the receptionist have the same computer, you are going to need some help.  Here are several tips and tricks that you can do yourself to improve the performance of your SolidWorks.  Some of them we have been preaching for years.  Some of them may be new to you.  Each one will help you performance at least a little.  Using all of the following tips should make a noticeable difference.

Here we go.

1. Save your files to the most recent version of SolidWorks. 
2. Move/copy all of your files to your local machine while you are working on them. 
3. Turn off Real View Graphics. 
4. Use SpeedPak for your assemblies. 
5. Reduce your image quality.  
6. Turn off verification on rebuild. 
7. Limit external references. 
8. Turn off all of you add-ins.
9. Modify/simplify any parts that you downloaded.
10.   Only make your sub assemblies flexible if needed.
11.   Use lightweight assemblies/drawings.
12.   Use Large Assembly Mode

These are just options inside of SolidWorks that can improve your performance.  In addition, there are settings for your computer and operating system that you can modify without needing to call in IT.

But don’t just take my word for it.  Here is a link to a fantastic video presentation from SolidWorks World 2011.  http://www.solidworks.com/sww/proceedings/proceedings-presentations.htm.  Not only will it give you additional steps to improve your performance, but the presenters from Computer Aided Technology, Inc.  also quantify how much you gain from taking these and other steps.  You will be amazed what a difference it makes.