2018 SDS/2 USERS GROUP CONFERENCE A SUCCESS

More than 250 SDS/2 users, industry partners and SDS/2 representatives gathered for educational sessions, networking and a first-hand look at the future of the software at the 2018 SDS/2 Users Group Conference. The three-day event was held September 19-21 at The Embassy Suites in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. (Click here to see photos from the conference.)

Following the welcome and opening remarks on Wednesday, Curt Tomasevicz provided the conference's keynote speech, which focused on how being able to quickly adapt to change can lead to success. Tomasevicz drew on his experience as a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic medalist to show how you can turn your fear into something positive.

The annual SDS/2 update included a look forward to enhancements coming in SDS/2 v2019, a presentation from Nemetschek, and highlights on how SDS/2 is releasing new products to meet industry needs.

Wednesday also included the business meeting and a series of roundtables, which gave conference attendees the chance to have a voice in future development of the software. Roundtable topics included connection design, templates, custom members/components, install and networking, and concrete and rebar. The day concluded with the opening of the Partner Pavilion, which hosted partnering companies and served as the venue for Wednesday evening's reception (sponsored by Peddinghaus).

The last two days of the conference were dedicated exclusively to breakout sessions, including Revit Imports Using SDS/2 Connect, Checking Hip and Valley Using Connections, Connecting SDS/2 with the Field, and DSTV and Pipe Profiling. Other sessions focused on the advantages of cloud-based computing, the setup and application of connections, stairs and handrails, and combining models. To view available presentations from the conference, click here.

SDS/2's annual Thursday night conference dinner was held at the Champions Club in downtown Lincoln, across from Memorial Stadium. The theme for this year was the SDS/2 TLG8, and featured several tailgate games, including darts, cornhole, foosball and karaoke. (Check out the photos here.)

LEARN HOW SDS/2 EDGE SOLVES INFRASTRUCTURE, IT CHALLENGES

SDS/2 Edge, the cloud-hosting virtual workspace, solves company infrastructure problems by providing state-of-the-art hardware and cutting-edge processing power. It’s also flexible and mobile enough to help match infrastructure to specific company needs.

How can SDS/2 Edge help your company ensure the latest versions of SDS/2 are always installed, while connecting offices and employees around the world? Watch the video to find out.

ZALK JOSEPHS HOSTS MANUFACTURING DAY OPEN HOUSE

On October 6, SDS/2 customer Zalk Josephs Fabricators hosted a manufacturing day to showcase how the company fabricates steel that changes the skylines of the Midwest.

More than 170 people attended the event, held at the company's office in Stoughton, Wisconsin.

The manufacturing day included tours to illustrate the different steps of how things are processed, including a demonstration of different modeling situations that highlighted what detailers do.

It also offered an overview of how 3D modeling software benefits the company's commercial construction projects by providing shop drawings, CNC files and field plans to its ironworkers.

In the shop, the tour included stations for plate cutting, welding, and bolting/rigging.

Is your company making news? Let us know, and we'll share it with our readers!

NEW/2 2018 NOVEMBER WEBINARS SCHEDULED

With the general release of SDS/2 v2018, SDS/2 is hosting New/2 2018 support webinars to get users up to speed on the new features and functionality in the software. The final two webinars are scheduled for November.

Custom Properties
New to SDS/2 2018 are modular custom properties, which allow users to create custom properties without having to alter a Python script. In this webinar, you'll learn how the introduction of modular custom properties makes creating and utilizing custom properties seamless. The webinar will take place on November 7 at 10:30 a.m. CST. Click here to register.

Girts
Did you know SDS/2 includes a girt custom member capable of generating connections based upon user input values? In this webinar, you'll learn the ins and outs of using the girt custom member. The webinar will take place on November 14 at 10:30 a.m. CST. Click here to register.

Missed any of our previous New/2 2018 webinars? Check them out on our YouTube channel.

WINNERS OF 2018 SDS/2 SOLID STEEL COMPETITION ANNOUNCED

Winners of the 2018 SDS/2 Solid Steel Competition were announced during the SDS/2 Dinner and Reception at the SDS/2 Users Group Conference.

Awards were given in four categories: Commercial, Large Tonnage; Commercial, Small Tonnage; Industrial; and Customers' Choice. This year's winners are:

Commercial, Large Tonnage
Grand Prize: Foy Consulting & Engineering, LLC, Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts & Sciences, Lubbock, Texas
Second Place: Virtual Steel Technologies, Northeast Tower, Charlotte, North Carolina

Commercial, Small Tonnage
Grand Prize: KL&A, U.S. Olympic Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Industrial
Grand Prize: Cartee-Berry & Associates, LLC, Intrepid Potash, Wendover, Utah
Second Place: In-House Steel Detailing, LLC, Nugent Sand - Sand Processing Addition, Muskegon, Michigan

Customers' Choice
Mold-Tek Technologies Limited, Young Living Global Headquarters, Lehi, Utah

To view a video showcasing the winning projects, click here. You can also check out images of the winners on our Facebook page.

McCARTNEY AWARDED 2018 CONNECTORS CLUB AWARD

Luis Torres of The Steel Detailers and Dave Henegar of SDI presented the annual Connectors Club Award during the SDS/2 Dinner and Reception at the SDS/2 Users Group Conference.

Advisory Board members and past recipients of this award nominate standout individuals who have demonstrated exemplary dedication and commitment to the development and application of SDS/2 during the preceding year.

The recipient for 2018 is Dennis R. McCartney of Chesapeake Design Services, Inc. Although he was unable to attend this year's event, McCartney provided a pre-recorded acceptance speech (watch the video here).

To see previous winners of the award, click here.