Hello, I'm Aidan McCormack, currently pursuing my master's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. My journey with SOLIDWORKS began four years ago during my freshman year of college, and I quickly developed a passion for the software. However, as I worked on various group projects, I often pondered what SOLIDWORKS would be like as a cloud-based product.

Fortunately, I stumbled on the SOLIDWORKS Cloud apps and was eager for a new challenge using 3D Creator I decided to design something close to my heart: a trophy reminiscent of what I hope to see the Boston Celtics hoisting at the end of the NBA Finals.

This endeavor introduced me to several features and techniques within xDesign that I hadn't explored before. Today, I'll highlight three of them:

Sketch Transform

When designing the profile of the trophy's central pillar on the circular base, I needed to project the same shape onto a plane above the base, about a foot higher. Utilizing the "Sketch Transform" tool allowed me to easily move, rotate, and scale the sketch to create the desired overhang and size progression of the pillar.

Projection Curve

Creating the intricate lines on the basketball proved to be the most challenging aspect of the design. Fortunately, with the help of online tutorials and the "Projection Curve" feature, I was able to project a 2D sketch onto the curved surface of the basketball. This allowed me to easily create a path that I could sweep a cut on and create the lines that brought the basketball to life!

Combine Bodies/Move Bodies

Among my favorite features in xDesign were "Combine Bodies" and "Move Bodies." As I designed the basketball and base separately, I needed a seamless way to merge them while retaining the flexibility to make fine adjustments. The ability to use the Robot to drag and position objects precisely, coupled with the ease of merging separate bodies into one, streamlined the process significantly.

Bringing It To Life

After wrapping up my design, I decided to 3D print it to see how well it matches up to the real thing. In order to do this, I needed to scale down the model in order to have it fit on the available 3D printer. The "Print 3D" tool was so easy to use and after inputting my printer settings, it even scaled the model for me with one click of the mouse! I could not believe how easy xDesign made it for me to prepare my model to be 3D printed and I cannot wait to keep using this tool in the future for my 3D printed models. 

Overall, my first experience using xDesign was great. The workflow was super simple and all the commands felt as if they were right at my cursor. I cannot wait to start using 3D creator on larger collaborative projects with my peers to unlock its full potential!