Author Archives: Jeff Waters
Rich Smith on CFD that won’t break the bank
Richard Smith left a long career with two CFD giants to create his own CFD tool based on the Open Source OpenFOAM solver.
John Buchowski on the Ciespace Cloud CAE Platform
Ciespace is attempting to build a 100% cloud based platform for CAE simulation.
Tony Norton on Topology Optimization for Non-Specialists
Solidthinking’s Inspire tool is putting topology optimization in the hands of design engineers.
Engineering is dead and boring
If you can adopt just a taste of this guy’s passion for engineering, you will be happier and make more money. Hooyah, Nicholas Selby, Hooyah!
Monica Schnitger on CAE vendor financials
Monica Schnitger keeps a sharp eye on the health of CAD, CAE, and PLM companies. She is the leading financial analyst for our industry.
Wayne McClelland: presentation for engineers
Wayne McClelland has been inspiring regular engineers to give extraordinary presentations for over 3 decades.
Mike Shipulski on TRIZ
Mike Shipulski explains the TRIZ innovation methodology. TRIZ is a Soviet area process of relating current problems to past solutions.
Michael Tiller on Modelica
Mike Tiller literally wrote the book(s) on the open standard Modelica modeling language. Learn how Modelica and FMI are poised to enable massive paybacks in the systems engineering world.
Ryan Stamm on CFD consulting best practices
Ryan Stamm shares his unique and incredibly successful approach to CFD consulting. Plus, a couple of book recommendations for leaders.
Intact Solutions CEO, Vadim Shapiro
Vadim Shapiro joins the show to discuss his company’s “meshless” FEA technology. Scan-and-Solve is a plug-in for Rhino that could easily find its way into other mainstream products.
Mike Shipulski on Humans Engineering
Engineering thought leader, Mike Shipulski, joins me to discuss everything from DFMA to growing courageous engineers.
Stop showing me your bald spot
An observation on engineering presentation for the follically challenged.
Cyprien Rusu on the MidasNFX CAE suite
Could a French Engineer living in South Korea be preparing to battle Big CAE? Let’s find out in this interview with Cyprien Rusu of MidasNFX.
Electronics Cooling Master and Author, Tony Kordyban
Electronics cooling expert and author, Tony Kordyban, shares thoughts on his background, the state of CFD simulation, and how to most painlessly improve your professional writing.
Pointwise President, John Chawner
John Chawner, President of Pointwise discusses state of the art CFD meshing and the buzzy term, “Democratization of CAE.”
Flowkit CEO, Jonas Latt (Part 2)
Part 2 of a 2 part interview with Jonas Latt, CEO of Flowkit.
Let’s dig into the future of CAE in the Cloud.
Engineering Audio Underload
A call for more engineering related podcasts.
And, some great titles to catch in the meantime.
Flowkit CEO, Jonas Latt (Part 1)
Part 1 of a 2 part interview with Jonas Latt, CEO of Flowkit.
Meshless, Open Source CFD in the Cloud? Yes, please.
CyDesign: my new adventure- and how to find yours
My new CAE-in-the-cloud gig and some advice for finding your perfect next career move.
How to increase your engineering salary
Simple (but not easy) steps you can take to make more money as an Engineer.
SPDM in a nutshell
Making sense of Simulation Process and Data Management. Plus, a few tips on creating better engineering presentations.
Vocal variety is conference room caffeine
In this ongoing series of engineering presentation tips, you’ll often see me blasting away at bad PowerPoint practices. Today, let’s focus on another key aspect of quality information delivery: you. Yeah, you know- the one up front with the lips flapping.
Tip toe over to see me at INTER-NOISE 2012
A quick note for all my friends interested in acoustic simulation. I’ll be joining the MSC Actran team at INTER-NOISE 2012 this year. Please stop by our booth in the expo and say hello if you are planning to attend!
The tyranny of text
Want to create more engaging, valuable, and sticky engineering presentations? You must learn to cut the word count.
Life Upfront wins the Liebster Blog Award
Life Upfront won the Liebster Blog Award.
Read 11 unusual facts about me.
Video: Clayton Christensen on business and life
Best known for “The Innovator’s Dilemma”, Clay Christensen delivers an engaging presentation covering the application of some of his business insights to your personal life.
You are boring. Don’t be boring.
Improve your presentation skills and make more money.
Also, stop putting me to sleep.
Sunglass Founder, Nitin Rao
In this audio interview, Nitin Rao shares the Sunglass background and vision. He also announces new API connections to several commercial CAD packages.
Video of the guy who inspired me to study memory
Moonwalking with Einstein video.
Jamonit… relatively.
The Loose Meat Sandwich King of Hamtramck
Who knew engineers could write compelling fiction?
A quick review of Tony Kordyban’s new tale.
Introduction to The Major System
I share a quick introduction to one of the most popular mnemonic systems for memorizing numbers. I guess I have a new hobby.
Christmas shopping for a road warrior
Looking for something your favorite road warrior will drool over? Here’s a little kit you can put together cheaply that will do the trick!
XFlow: meshless CFD is here
A quick video presentation about the new meshless CFD tool we are launching: XFlow.
Boeing: where the magic of Engineering still lives
I love this line at 2:55 in this video:
“Once we decide to go to 150%, it becomes the quietest 90 seconds on Earth in the control room.”
Engineer vs Designer: the podcast
Support this awesome podcast from Josh Mings and Adam O’Hern. It’s fun, concise, polished, and punchy.
Technical Product Marketing opportunities at MSC Software
Are you passionate about the business benefits of CAE?
Do you want a massive platform to communicate from?
Would you prefer a mission over a job?
Live fatigue seminars, XFlow, and MSC User Conference
Upcoming Design For Fatigue events in CT & NY, more on XFlow CFD, and an invite to the MSC User Conference.
The pain of changing my game (plus a new trick you can learn)
An update on my efforts to externalize my to-do lists…
and a cool new trick for effectively internalizing things I do want to remember.
MSC + CFD = WOW
MSC Software announces XFlow, the most exciting thing to hit the CFD market in decades.
FEA engineering position at Kohler in WI
Looking for an FEA job in WI? This is not for you.
Looking for a secure FEA career in WI, read on.
CAE, CAD, and engineering professionals on Twitter
I hate Twitter. But, if you love it, this post is for you.
Getting Things Done, Evernote, and Nirvana
A little reflection on this year resulted in a big change to my GTD system. Details here.
Last minute shopping ideas
Too busy wrapping up the fiscal year to wrap-up your Christmas shopping? Here are a few ideas that have earned the Jeff Waters seal of approval.
PTC Creo: big promises, bold timelines, boatloads of risk
My take on the risks PTC is facing with its Creo strategy.
Expert and Upfront CAE: 6 tips for optimizing ROI
A short video presentation covering my top 6 strategies for getting the most business value from FEA and CFD. The original working title was Brains and Hats.
Lean Product Development ideas for your CAD problem – Part III
A quick look at the Lean Product Development Process and “waiting until the last responsible moment.”
Lean Product Development ideas for your CAD problem – Part II
7 Kaizen opportunities you can address with SpaceClaim.
Lean Product Development ideas for your CAD problem – Part I
Introduction to Lean Product Development. What does Lean mean in terms of company culture? Is there such a thing as a “Lean” engineering software tool?
Rare engineering job opportunity
Hot job opportunity in rotating machinery development. Please forward out to your networks and let’s make some engineer very, very happy.
TripIt: Best new weapon in my business travel arsenal
Are you a road warrior? Do yourself a favor and check out my new favorite business travel tool, TripIt.
The Curses of Knowledge and Egocentricity
Is your spouse bewildered by your work stories? Do you think any engineer with a 4 year degree is worthless if she can’t learn CAD? You might be suffering from the curses in this article.
Vuuch CEO, Chris Williams
Vuuch is a product focused on social product development. Several engineers just read that sentence and felt ill. In this audio interview, I get to the bottom of the Vuuch value proposition with CEO, Chris Williams.
Blogging and social media: what’s in it for you?
Some thoughts on why you should start a blog today… even if you currently think social media is stupid.
Book review: A Whole New Mind
A quick review of Dan Pink’s book about turning to your right brain in the era of Asia, Abundance, and Automation.
How to drive innovation with simulation
In this video, I try my hand at a new style of simplistic storytelling to show how SpaceClaim can impact the CAE process.
Cumulus Computing
Why are so many people scared of moving 3D modeling into the cloud? Doesn’t seem so shocking to me. Here is a list of some of my favorite cloud-based apps that perform just fine without being tethered to the ground. Please share your favorites in the comments section.
See me at the NAFEMS UK 2010 Conference
I’m thrilled to report that I’ve been selected to present at the NAFEMS UK 2010 event on June 8-9. NAFEMS is the largest (only?) not-for-profit association focused on CAE awareness, training, and education.
MatWeb Director, Dr. Dale Kipp
MatWeb is a great online resource for all engineers. With searchable properties for over 76,000 materials, you are sure to find the right material for your application.
I recently interviewed one of MatWeb’s founders, Dr. Dale Kipp, to learn more about the service.
How to take useful notes in a meeting
Here’s a simple technique I use to maximize the value of even the most boring and useless of meetings.
A new way to kill nasty rounds for better FEA and CFD meshing
Just discovered a killer (and mostly unpublicized) enhancement in the latest release of SpaceClaim. This one helps you remove problematic rounds and fillets to make your FEA and CFD meshing life easier.
Unsuckifying Social Media
Don’t get the world of Facepukes and Twitterheads? Here are a few tips to help you sanely give social media a shot.
Mouse gestures in SpaceClaim and Firefox
A quick video tip on using “mouse gestures” in SpaceClaim or Firefox.
3D Direct Modeling is not the disruptive innovation
There’s a lot of talk about Direct or Explicit Modeling being the next big thing. I disagree. The “Citizen Designer” is far more compelling.
What’s the next disruptive technology in CAE?
An invitation for all you smart CAE people to put on your thinking caps and predict the next big thing.
A tale of two Aberdeen reports
A little rant about misleading findings (my opinion) in a recent Aberdeen Group report on “Product Design Made Easy.”
A 3D printer in every home
A review of Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail; and a prediction for an unprecedented explosion in 3D data.
How to filet a nasty fillet
SpaceClaim is legendary for its ability to automatically make unwanted rounds disappear so you can create better FEA & CFD meshes. These videos demonstrate 3 techniques for dealing with the tougher rounds requiring a bit more attention.
CFdesign 2010 first impressions
My friends at CFdesign sent me a preview copy of their latest release, 2010. My first thought was, “Wow, the teenager has grown up.” There are too many cool new features and improvements for me to do this release justice. So, I decided to focus on just the new workflow in this video review.
CAD doesn’t make you money, but 3D Direct Modeling might
While traditional CAD is focused on reducing costs, it rarely plays a significant role in the sales (revenue) trenches. 3D Direct Modeling, however, is a perfect fit.
3D Direct Modeling: Clarity from Brown and Christensen
Jim Brown writes an excellent (and accurate) article about SpaceClaim’s intent to shake up the industry in order to help customers find more profit. Also, a timely new “dots presentation” about disruptive technologies. Hmm…
SpaceClaim + MultiTouch + Windows 7 = Dead Sexy
Wicked cool video showing Windows 7 multitouch in action on a beta version of SpaceClaim 2009. Astounding.
Drive SpaceClaim (or anything else) with just your voice
A cool video from my new favorite Aussie demonstrating his voice control hack for SpaceClaim.
Change the inertia of your corporate engineering culture
Here’s a cool, quick video illustrating how corporate inertia stifles innovation. I see this a lot when presenting the previously unknown category of 3D Direct Modeling software tools.
Dezineforce CEO, Dr. Peter Collins
I interview Dr. Peter Collins, CEO of Dezineforce, in this 35 minute podcast. Dezineforce helps CAE users to optimize DOE iterations and access powerful, remote compute clusters.
Kenneth Wong on SpaceClaim 2009
Industry expert, Kenneth Wong, reviews SpaceClaim 2009 in under 6 minutes.
My 30 day caffeine experiment: a quest for better sleep
In my quest for sounder, deeper, more refreshing sleep, I went 30 days without caffeine. Pretty damn impressive for me, but unsuccessful.
CAD for FEA today
In the final installment of this series, I walk through the rise of Direct Modeling in the late 2000s. Companies who thought they already had an efficient CAE process are finding a fresh way to turn that same crank 10x faster!
A solution for engineering layoffs
A discussion with my friend, John Randazzo, about the current state of independent engineering contract work. This is a great time for displaced workers to strike out on their own. Many companies lacking the manpower to get the job done are turning to short contract engagements to keep business rolling.
CAD for FEA in the GOOD old days
In part II of this series, I look at the rise of upfront CAE and easier-to-use CAD in the 90s.
Engineers on Youtube
I intend to start showing more video on this blog. Need to brush up on my understanding and skill in this area, though. So, here’s a little test using Camtasia and Youtube. If any of you have tips for recording or deploying videos of Engineering apps with decent quality, please share in the comment section.
CAD for FEA in the BAD old days
A look at best practices for dealing with CAD geometry in CAE in the archaic 1990s era. Part 1 of a 3 part series.
SpaceClaim Rhino video from the CAD Junkie
I stumbled upon a cool video from “Adam the CAD Junkie” on the tasty combination of Rhino and SpaceClaim. I don’t know much about the Industrial Design side of the house, but Adam clearly does. I do know this is the most entertaining design video I’ve ever seen on Youtube.
How to be successful with Upfront CFD & FEA
A quick, handy guide to my 30+ articles on the best ways to roll out upfront CFD & FEA tools early in the design process with generalist Engineers.
Direct Modeling & SpaceClaim: quick video overview
A great, high-level, video explanation of Direct Modeling and SpaceClaim from my buddy, Kevin LeBlanc.
What you can learn from my stupidest moment: Part III
The story of my stupidest moment ends with a concluding “moral of this story” that I hope you to don’t find too dopey. I actually believe it.
FEA analysis round removal: quick video tip
As we travel around introducing people to the CAD simplification & healing tools in SpaceClaim, one of the techniques our Application Engineers demonstrates always makes my jaw drop. Check out this quick video tip from Roman Walsh on removing problematic rounds in SpaceClaim.
What you can learn from my stupidest moment: Part II
The story of my stupidest moment continues with me exploring St. Petersburg’s White Nights with some new friends.
What you can learn from my stupidest moment: Part I
I’ve done some dumb things in my life. Here’s a retelling of one such incident. Part I is the background. Part II is the incident. Part III is the moral of the story as it applies to how individuals and businesses should handle our current economic climate.
Life Upfront 