I’ve been absent here for a while.  Reason being I’ve been completely swamped with work and really just haven’t had time to post.  I’m currently working on an animation about 1 minute 30 seconds in length and created entirely with SolidWorks Motion and PhotoWorks.  This fully rendered animation is approximately 1150 images (frames) and will require approximately 100 hours to fully process.  So, since I just set it to process a couple hundred frames I have a free moment to write.  There has been a lot going on in the CAD / rendering world.  I haven’t been posting about it but have been following along and other bloggers are doing a great job of brining you this type of information.  So, let’s take alook at what’s been happening.

PhotoWorks Meltdown:
The news of a critical issue with PhotoWorks and 64 bit versions of SolidWorks was a total shocker.  It surprised me since I’ve been using PhotoWorks and SolidWorks 2010 x64 SP1 for a while without issue.  Apparently the problem arises when you enable PhotoWorks during a SolidWorks session and SolidWorks is using more than 2 gigs of memory.  What saved me I think was the fact I typically have photoWorks set to enable at SolidWorks start up.  Glad I did since the results are reported to be pretty harsh.  SolidWorks did a good job of getting a hotfix out quickly although the thought that such an issue ever made it to the public is a little unsettling.  I do give SolidWorks credit, they posted bulletins, sent e-mails, got the word out and offered a fix quickly.  That’s more than I can say for another company who’s software I own.

HyperShot Implodes:
If you read Develop 3D you probably also follow their blog.  They broke the news about BunkSpeed losing the rights to sell HyperShot.  According to the Develop 3D article Luxion pulled the HyperShot licensing rights from BunkSpeed because they didn’t pay their bill.  BunkSpeed says there are other issues which caused the split between the two companies.  I have the feeling there is a whole lot more going on than the public will ever know but honestly I really don’t care.  All I really care about is wheather or not my license of HyperShot is now worthless.  Both BunkSpeed and Luxion say, “no” and both say thay will have new software for customers soon.  The word “soon”, it’s so vague isn’t it.  What I’d like to know is why Develop 3D had to tell me BunkSpeed was no longer able to sell HyperShot.  Why wasn’t BunkSpeed sending notices to their customers letting them know the situation?  It seems a little shady to me and honestly if I were a person who relied on HyperShot to make a living I’d be a little nervous.  Luckily I just play with HyperShot here and there, I don’t use it for any real work.

SolidWorks World 2010:
Doesn’t seem possible but SolidWorks World 2010 is only about 10 days away.  I’m really excited to attend and it will be nice to get away for a while.  I’ll be giving 2 sessions this year and both cover PhotoView 360. 

One session is titled “PhotoView 360: Instant Images“ and it will be a hands on session.  It’s essentially the same session I gave at SolidWorks World 2009 but it’s been updated to show some of the new features of PhotoView 360 2010.  It’s geared for beginners and I think it gives them some good tools and information to move deeper into rendering. 

The other session is titled “PhotoView 360: Achieving Maximum Realism“.  This session is more for the intermediate to advanced user and will cover a number of tips and tricks to create better images.

I’m also going to be involved with the “Stump the Chumps” session.  I was originally going to be present for the entire 90 minutes of the session but a conflict came up so I’ll only be there for the first 30 minutes.  It should be a good time and there have been some really good questions asked already.

The CSWP event is shaping up to be very unique.  It’s been a long time since I’ve raced remote control cars and this event should be a ton of fun. It’s so cool to know these cars were designed with SolidWorks.  I wonder if they render their products?

I’m also really excited to meet up with the crew from luxology again.  I haven’t had as much time as I would like to learn Modo but I’m making progress.  Rumor has it Luxology will be making some announcements at SolidWorks World.  I have a pretty good idea of what they’ll be and if you’re a SW/Modo user user I think you’re going to like them.

Of course it will be great  to see all the people I only see at SolidWorks World and I look forward to meeting some new faces.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend SolidWorks World you should take it.  It’s time well spent.

NVTSWUG:
I founded the Northern Vermont SolidWorks User Group (NVTSWUG) about 5 years ago and have been leading the group ever since.  It has been a great experience which has allowed me to meet a lot of people.  I’ve also learned a lot along the way and its really given me an appreciation for how much time and work goes into organizing a user group meeting.  Pats on the back for all the user group leaders out there.  Thanks for investing your time and energy for other SolidWorks users.  I say all this becasue I’m stepping down as leader of NVTSWUG in February.  The group will continue on under new leadership.  I now have the luxury of just showing up at the meetings. 😉

Keep watching this blog over the next few weeks.  I’ll be posting live from SolidWorks World and I might even be able to share some of the projects I’ve been working on.  3 weeks in and 2010 is already shaping up to be an interesting year.

Rob