Cadalyst - November/December 2008 - (Page 51)

mcadmodeling little, but it’s worth the effort. Note that most developers will also take enhancement requests by phone. Why Do It? You have two reasons to write an enhancement request: to fix a problem or to make your life easier. We’ve all asked, “Wouldn’t it be nice if my software did this?” After all, we reason, the other guys do it. Take SolidWorks’ nifty Dome feature. Often I’ve been modeling in another software package and really wanted to use that command. Make suggestions to your software vendor. What’s it going to hurt? You might even get what you want! Be sure that when you send an enhancement request you also send along a picture to illustrate it. You might think your words adequately describe your intent, but the idea might lose something when heard over the phone or read from a text document. A lot of companies nowadays produce multiple software packages. I find it interesting when features in one 3D modeler don’t migrate into another within the same corporate stable. Take, for example, Siemens PLM Software. Its Solid Edge software has a Crown feature that works pretty much like the Taper command common in other 3D MCAD products, except that instead of a straight transition from one end of a face (or faces), you get a nice curving face. It really softens the look of a design. It’s a great feature! I asked my NX representative at Siemens if NX would be incorporating the feature, and the representative didn’t know what I was talking about. I’m not trying to cast stones, but rather to illustrate that changes you’d like to see in your software might never happen if you don’t ask for them. The enhancement request is your chance to let software developers know what you really want. Will It Work? When you fill out and submit an enhancement request, what are your chances of getting that big corporate entity to do what you want? That depends on two things: what you want and how many other users request the same thing. Software companies generally don’t have the manpower to do everything people ask. Companies tend to act on enhancement requests that are the most practical and that they get from multiple users. If yours is the only request for particular change, don’t hold your breath. Make a Difference The average person gets very few chances to influence what a big company does. That’s what the enhancement request is all about. By offering the enhancement request, software developers are literally asking you what you want them to do. Don’t miss your opportunity to contribute. Use it, and make a difference. Mike Hudspeth, IDSA, is an industrial designer, artist, and author based in St. Louis, Missouri. Advance your career in CAD management. Broaden your tech, business, and management skills with savvy insights and real-world advice from Cadalyst columnist Robert Green. 978-0-470-11653-1 www.cad-manager.com/book Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and /or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. November/December 2008 cadalyst www.cadalyst.com 51 http://www.paulaubin.com http://www.cad-manager.com/book http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - November 2008

Cadalyst - November 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Tech Trends: Designed after Our Own Image Budget-Conscious Workstations — 64-Bit CAD Power for Less than $2,500 Cadalyst All-Star Awards 2008 SolidWorks 2009 — 3D MCAD Software IES Virtual Environment 5.9 — Building Performance Analysis Software View Point: A Design with Teeth CAD Manager: CAD Manager’s Survey 2008 MCAD Modeling: Ask for What You Want AEC Insight: AEC Software by the Clock CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: Hot Tips for Cold Days

Cadalyst - November 2008

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