#1 FAQ: "We are switching to a new design solution. What is the best way to learn it and become productive? "

Engineering & design requires 100% of our attention. We need to focus on the task at hand, not worrying about which button to click in order to convey our design intent to the screen. The design solution of choice must ultimately become an extension of our mind and hand. This requires a little guidance, a little patience and a lot of practice.

In our training sessions, regardless of software, industry or discipline, we place a heavy emphasis on simple part modeling. Without parts, there is nothing to assemble or nothing to document. If the software is designed well, the modeling work flows should remain consistent throughout all tool sets, making the transition to assemblies, drawings, renderings & animations progressively natural.

Our suggestion for learning a new design solution is simple. In addition to following exercises from a book or help system, we choose an object that is familiar to us. Grab any object from the desk, bookshelf or shop floor. Grab a set of calipers and get busy! This applies to working alone or with the guidance of a mentor. The part is a known entity and there are no mis-interpretations of design intent. Analyze it and try to capture every detail and nuance. Start off with an object that has minimal curves & contours, if it is difficult to measure, it will be equally difficult to re-create it. As our confidence grows, increase the difficulty of the subject matter.

The key benefit of this method is, if ever in doubt, hold the object next to the screen to receive instant feedback. If we are on the right track, the screen will match our object, if it doesn’t, we know we need to try a different approach. This method maintains a personal connection between the student and the final objective, not being dictated by someone else’s interests. Working with a finalized part allows us to focus our attention on the software’s features, tool sets & capabilities, not what are we building and why?

A slightly more productive approach is to select objects that are purchased and used in our designs on a regular basis. Invest time on building up a parts library for future use. Mistakes are bound to happen in the beginning. The benefit of starting with purchased parts libraries is they do not change. We do not have to worry about the integrity of the part when re-using it later. When our libraries are complete, we are confident we have invested enough time and are ready to proceed to assemblies, drawings & animations.

We typically recommend creating at least one fictitious design from start to finish before deploying the software on a real project. This will build confidence and minimize unexpected surprises when the pressure is on. Time, practice & the passion to learn is the solution!