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Strong CAD program offers features that help you switch to 3D.
SOLIDWORKS 2004, THE twelfth release of this 3D solid modeling product, implements new features that should appeal to a whole new group of potential users who have been on the fence about moving to 3D. It also caters to those with specialized design needs-for example, those who design organically shaped forms, plastic molds, stamping dies, and structural weldments.
Because I was traveling for an extended period, I completed this review on a Sony Vaio laptop computer with a 1.2GHz Pentium processor and 256MB of RAM. Though this is hardly a power-user setup, I was able to perform most of the things I'd normally do on my much more powerful workstation. Along with a mouse, I used a SpaceTraveler from 3D Connexion (www.3dconnexion.com) as a supplemental motion-control device to rotate and zoom in and out of the parts and assembly models I created with SolidWorks 2004. If you haven't tried the SpaceTraveler, this small, portable device can be a real timesaver, making it fast and easy to scrutinize your models as you go. New Interface
Normally, I'm not overly excited about an application's user interface, but a number of significant improvements merit discussion. First, the new CommandManager replaces the toolbars previously found in SolidWorks, although the old-style toolbars are still available if you want to use them. The CommandManager saves some real estate in your graphics area, and you can dock it vertically or horizontally. The CommandManager is context sensitive based on the type of toolbar you want to access. By default, the embedded toolbars within it are based on the document type you're working on. It took me about 5-10 minutes to get used to it, and I found it a big improvement over the old toolbars. Quick Tips are a fairly comprehensive set of pop-up messages that display as you create SolidWorks objects. These messages provide hints and options based on the mode you are in. Most of the messages have hyperlinks that display additional information. Even ordinary tooltips are more useful because they show you not only the name of the tool as you hover over it, but also a brief description of its functionality. The new interface may be something...