Last from Orlando

Finished on a strong note. The last three breakouts, were more to my level of expertise, dealing in a few more advanced topics. Rules, Reference viewer, and toolkit application. So certainly looks like a topic for anyone was met. All in all a positive experiance to learn, network and see the latest, as well as future for PTC Pro/E specificly. Now to get it all recorded so the rest of the non participants from my company can benefit too. After all no job is complete until the paperwork is done.

User presentation content

Well what do you know. There is high level content available for us old hatters. The Wednsaday schedule looks to hold a few. The "Advanced Model-centric Top Down Design: the J-2X Ares Rocket Engine" IS rocket science and just what I was looking for. The next topic of interest "Better Pro/Toolkit Projects with Microsoft Visual Studio" looks to pan out too. Then where the Pro/E content looks a little spares for my old hat, it's certainly easy enough to branch out and diversify the resume with perhaps some Mathcad topics.

Social Networking is catching

So what is this social networking. Oh your doing it right now. logging, tweeting, IM, youtube,...PTC wants in now too. A new focus and "module" is in development, and soon to be rolled out. Imbeded in Pro/E will be an app for IM and control monitoring. Something about a toaster poping up messages when a part your working on is being changed, a person wants to take control of a part you have checked out, desing material/informmation is needed on somthing of yours. So kinda like facebook where you see your friends are logged on, or youtube has a posting of other files people are viewing right now. Stay tuned Social netwoirking is coming, and the Y-Generation is eagerly awaiting PTC being in their game.

FIRST first

The story of FIRST abounds at the conference. From hands on first hand experiances from the FIRST particpants, to the academia support, to the corporate interactions. But ultimatly the opportunity for us the fellow users of the products that can contribute to the FIRST team in your community. To have a lasting impression on the upcoming next generation of Designers, marketers, sales.....and pass on our expertise and draw from their enthusiasm is a possible collaboration that anyone can draw from. PTC put out the wird that they have $$$ well ok $ to share with local teams and just contact them thru their web site to find out more.

Lights Camera

I'm a star. Look for my video interview, appearing soon in theaters near you........well OK PTC's web sight maybe. This conference hotel is awsome. great accomodations, and easily access meeting space. The conference rooms have great AV. Why am I singing the praises? It's back here again next year, two years in a row, and I want you all to come experiance it for yourselves next year and feel assured it's worth the trip. Of coarse there is the content as well, and so far this year looks to measure up. So far I've mainly attended product updates, but will be branching into user presentatioons to see what others are doing with the tools.

Dick sighting

Indeed he is here, but possibly keeping a low profile to facilitate the change in roles. Will Dick come out and play?

Red Shirts

A side note about socializing here in Orlando. Don't wear that old Pro/USER RED polo when heading out to Disney. I'm not alluding to the prospects of surviving the away team, but rather keeping your back to the wall while exploring the Disney parks.

Guess who's not here!

Where's Dick? Who's this Jim? Dick is now seamingly phsaing out, newly promoted to CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, Jim Heppleman is the newly apponited Dick replacemtn as COO. Accordinginly shifts in position Brian is in Jim's old role in development. So have not seen but am assured Dick will be around to promote the change in ranks. Along those lines the word is being touted as buisness is holding it's own, maint is up, newsales are down, service is flat. don't be suprised by a 12~13% drop in revinue. And what a better time to devlop than when the chips are down. Looks to me the main focus is in WindChill, surprise, surprise, what with Jim in the lead. Not that MCAD is devoid of new hooks. The Roadmap and Core Design updates for Pro/E have some good teasers of limited new module rollouts that you can buy the full module for a nominal fee. Gues what I'm here for....MCAD.

Monday Monday

And were off and running. Sundays exhibitor kick off was .....BIG. Yet it didn't seamd as well attended as recent past conferences. A few less exhibitors as well. Yet information abounds. A lot of tthe old faces are still around, and certainly some new people were eager to interface with fellow users. The hotel certainly looks to be adequit. Actually quit spectactular. The discussions around the hot tub certainly were ...hot? Yes "Pro" Engineers can socialize, and there were actually a fair EQUAL number of sexs to add to the diversity of the conversation. One hot tub can hold all the topics of Pro/ENGINEER, Arbortext, and WindChill, as well as the sociual graces of where are you from and whats your commute like. Well lets see if Dick has made it to this opening General Session, and I'll get back to you.

Come on up and see me some time

Look me up at the conference if your reading this before or between sessions there in Orlando. I'll regale you with what it was to have been on the Board of PTC/USER back when it was Pro/USER. The hair pulling issues, the last minute snafus, the scouting for the next conference location, and the PARTIES. Oh also background on the hard working dedicated VOLLUNTEERS that go to make up this worthwhile organization. I'm the 6 ft 1 in blond 250 lb dude that has been hanging around the conference for the past 20 some odd years. OBTW I don't look 50, at least not in my mirror.

Conference Staff

These guys and gals rock. They have this down pat. They are more than willing to take the time and answer your questions and spend some personal time seeing to your ease of mind. Oh and take it from me, they will party until the cows come home when the day is done. Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us this year, and catch up on what's been going on in between conferences.

Pre conference tools

Well I finally muddled my way thru the customized agenda. Not the easiest tool I've ever used. The Disney tool for customizing your park visit, now that was cool. To see your topics listed, pick a topic to get more info on it, then choose it and "voila" it's on the schedule. Running up and down the page to see topics, then back to the time slot at the top of the page, back and forth, was tedious. All those extra slots for the same time sure scrap a few extra trees too. Then printing it was simply a excel type print output. Would have been nice to have it printed in the same format as the full schedule color brochure we usually get at the conference. As it stands now, I guess I'll take the spread sheet list and transpose it to the color brochure once I get it at the registration. Another waste of time. wonder if the crackberry download worked any better?

Remeber when...

Remember when these conferences were just Pro/E? Talk about a lot of bang for your buck for the one thing you came to the conference for! Three days of nothing but Pro/E and PDM topics. Not that you can't get your bang for your buck now with the diversity of all the software covered during the three days. But just imagine for all you new comers, or even the old hatters that used to have a conference to support their one tool they really use. Ahh those were the days.

Pre conference

Already been getting un-solicited calls from past conference vendors. Such is the price for going after that "freeby" doo-hicky.