Welcome to this episode of Meet the SOLIDWORKS Super Users series

We continue to feature Q&A with some of the incredible people that have been using SOLIDWORKS for work, making and in their personal hobby time.

Get to know these heroes as they share their experiences, what they find to be valuable to their ongoing success, valuable pieces of knowledge/advice and how they are engaging within our SOLIDWORKS communities.

Today's interview is with a real community celebrity; she's the hero that really lives her life through SOLIDWORKS...a hero that  doesn't wear a mask and one many probably already know:

@DP 

As she is more / better known to the SOLIDWORKS community, Dani, was the SOLIDWORKS Champion Of The Year and awarded this status at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee last February.  

Why Dani?

I asked my colleague what made Dani stand out from the crowd and he said:

"Dani stands out from our 7 million SOLIDWORKS worldwide Users with her creative and aesthetically detailed designs that are both mechanically elegant and artistically beautiful.

She is a clear leader, whose passion to inspire other designers and engineers challenges them to elevate and evolve their creative process with any project."   -- Matt CLEGG (SOLIDWORKS Champions Program Leader)

That is a great summary of Dani!  So let's jump into it and get to know more about Dani through our interview as well as additional links below in the transcript.  Enjoy!

Without further ado, I present to you the interview in Video/Audio and Transcript:

Interview with Dani

Interview Transcript:

Matthew Hall  0:01  

Well, hello, Dani, thank you for joining us for this interview. Very excited to have you here. And I'm sure our users around the world will be thrilled to hear this interview and hear what you have to share. So, again, thanks for joining us. And how's everything going for you today, Dani?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  0:17  
Oh, for me today, great. Actually, all the days are great. I'm having a lot of fun with the work I'm doing. And I'm enjoying my life.

Matthew Hall  0:27  
Awesome. All right.

Well, in your life, I know you're still young. How many years have you been learning and using SOLIDWORKS in your life so far?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  0:38  
So a bit over 15 years. I'm in the 16th year of using SOLIDWORKS. Yeah. Learning. Every year, you never stop learning. There's always something new coming up. And you have to catch up with that. Yeah, 15 years.

Matthew Hall  0:56  
Yep. All right. And so tell us a little bit - seeing your creatives and what you're doing...in your work your professional life, what is your title? What are you doing at your professional job every day?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  1:09  
In my professional job at the moment, I'm an industrial designer, and I design probes. equipment for measurement industry, and testing of electrical vehicles. Also probes for aerospace. And that's quite interesting field, you have a lot involved there. You have parts, which are 3D printed, I mean, for the product itself. You have machine parts, you have casting, really, you have everything inside.

Matthew Hall  1:46  
And so you've been using SOLIDWORKS a while, you're doing some incredible design works. You're involved in aerospace, as you said. And as I mentioned, there's always things to learn or something new over the horizon in SOLIDWORKS. But today, what are some of the best things? or what's your favorite feature in SOLIDWORKS that you really enjoy that you want to share with everyone listening into this interview?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  2:06  
So my favorite features are actually three! Loft, Sweep and Freeform. These are the three that I 💘love💖.

Matthew Hall  2:17  
Why are they your favorites? What do you like about them and how are using them?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  2:20  
Well, Sweep is maybe one of the most under estimated features. It has huge capabilities. Loft is also in this basket. So with these three, you can do literally anything and this is how I'm able to do these organic designs for fun with mostly these three features.

Matthew Hall  2:44  
Dani can you share with our listeners your journey and inspiration in elevating your skills to go above and beyond the typical basic SOLIDWORKS shapes that you see most people designing?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  2:57  
Well, one of the things that made me learn more and more and use SOLIDWORKS actually, in my free time... Let's start with that:  I use SOLIDWORKS in my free time!  Most of the people see SOLIDWORKS just as a tool for work, and they don't want to work with it when they're home because it's "work".  For me, it's not only work, I don't like playing games, I'm getting really bored when I play games. I can play for a short period and then I don't like it anymore. And that's why I needed something to keep me entertained in my free time. And I figured out that thing is SOLIDWORKS; not only tool for work, but also a tool for entertainment at home in my free time. Just all I had to do is to design something different; something which is not standard for this kind of software, something that is delivering me satisfaction and happiness and it's just fun to do.

Matthew Hall  4:05  
So it's a great feedback loop and you know, it provides you happiness, it's your entertainment, some stress relief. So that's a great way to you know, live life with SOLIDWORKS even outside of work.

As a follow up to that question I have I wanted to ask you is: for these artistic and exceptionally detail-oriented projects you've created like we see in the background and on your shirt and what I saw when I met you for the first time at 3DEXPERIENCE World back in Nashville, you say it's entertainment but this creative energy releasing, Is it also a full on hobby and do you take what you're experiencing and learning what to do and your hobby and transposing it, bringing it back into your professional career? So I'm kind of wondering, have you found a way to include these details these designs into your industrial design?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  4:55  
Yes, some of them directly, others indirectly.  It's funny, I think a few times I already comment on the topics about books. It's really modern to read books that are for self-development; I don't read such books. My work is heavy enough, my brain is occupied enough to put additional pressure in my free time.  I read fantasy books.  Why? I work with my fantasy. This is what I need to develop in my brain - the fantasy. It's the same with this artistic-oriented designs. Some are implemented, literally when I did to design for, in, that's it...spa center, sent device in the shape of a tulip. It was this was literally the artistic part of the design. But the indirect one is, when you're building something hard, let's say hard design for SOLIDWORKS, you're learning the features better. When you're learning the features better than you work faster, you work better

Matthew Hall  6:11  
Dani, you said, you've been using SOLIDWORKS in your professional career and your hobby time outside of work for the last 15 years, you're going on your 16th I think you said (that's awesome), so I would say you're a veteran. What advice do you have for someone who's just starting out with SOLIDWORKS? So what would you tell the Dani of 15, 16 years ago, now that you know you really into SOLIDWORKS...what would you go back in time and tell her?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  6:39  
Ah, well, unfortunately, "Dani Back In Time" didn't have the YouTube videos and all free tutorials that are available now!

Matthew Hall  6:47  
Go [back in time and] invent YouTube!

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  6:50  
But I always say the same. Also to my followers: start with the tutorials that are coming from SOLIDWORKS for the basic features. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat until you feel comfortable with that. And then go explore YouTube and all other places. In YouTube, you just can subscribe for a few channels and follow-up with any content. Sometimes you will find features that you don't know you need this way.

Matthew Hall  7:21  
And do you have a YouTube channel, Dani?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  7:23  
Yes, I have YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/c/DWorkshop (👈 like / subscribe!)

Matthew Hall  7:25  
We'll put the link in the post there up wherever it ends up. It'll be in the post. Awesome. We'll make sure to add that so people can check out your YouTube channel, subscribe to it and see the great things there.

As you've been learning, you mentioned earlier in the interview, it's a continuous experience to keep learning every year every day... What particular learning paths or SOLIDWORKS certifications, would you recommend for someone just starting their SOLIDWORKS journey?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  7:56  
So anything in particular? Yes, go to Minimum Professional Certifications. So if you don't have at least that, from me, you know nothing about SOLIDWORKS. And that's a proof of skills. Also, for this Certification Exams for Associate... Associates, it's good to have an exam just to check how it's looking. An exam of SOLIDWORKS and to get the feeling then the professional will be easier.  Many say that "Associates doesn't work." No! It does work... Because you learn how the exam it's looking like - no matter it's easy one. So I think anybody can have this one. I also have exams tutorials in my channel.

Check out this modeling for beginner's video:

Matthew Hall  8:48  
Okay, great! And I suppose you have a number of certifications as well?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  8:53  
Wow, quite a number. I'm a Certified Expert!

Matthew Hall  8:57  
Yes, you are. Definitely the expert, so, awesome. That's great advice. This past 3DEXPERIENCE World you were awarded with the Champion Of The Year by our buddy @MC, which was awesome. So again, congratulations. You're an active member of this Champions Community, the SOLIDWORKS community, your life crosses over multiple communities in your work, personal professional.  But for the SOLIDWORKS user community, what's your favorite part of the community? What makes this community different and attracts you to keep coming back and engage there with all the other Champions around the world?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  9:34  
One of the things is no matter what we do in our life, we need a spark. And this community is keeping each other inspired. That's first and that's the most important thing because if you don't have a you don't have any inspiration in what you're doing, well, you're not happy with what you're doing. And again, everything is about happiness in my life, for sure. So that's the first thing.

And the second thing is you have access to other experts' knowledge. Just a very recent example:  I have absolutely no experience in casting resize and I needed information about this because one of my customer products needs this process. And this is when I asked Luke for help. And he helped immediately, I receive the best advice from the best people in the world in a few minutes after I needed it.

Matthew Hall  10:39  
Getting that real advice from real people, not some ChatGPT or AI generated stuff. I mean, there's real people and you've developed real relations.  Any particular champions, anyone you'd like to call out, you know, to say, hey, check these people out or thanking whatever...any names you have?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  10:56  
Oh, there are a lot and actually, I will share a few. And I hope the ones that I'm not mentioning don't get offended by that. But as I said, there are different people for different things. There are a few Champions and users that give overall advice and tips and they are great. These are @EB He's really active in the forums, @BB and her tips are also great. And @LT - he has also great tips around; this is for general tips. As I said, @LD for casting resin - he's there and helped me. And @YK he's here, he's amazing on motion. He can help there a lot. And the other person I get a lot of inspiration from is @JW because she's making toys as the kid in us.

Matthew Hall  11:55  
Yep, connecting us with our childhood, you know, we're always kids forever. So we just got to keep that connection like you said, so awesome. And you have certifications, you have this incredible network, you're bringing into professional work - are they recognizing is that helping you with your career?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  12:14  
That's a nice question. The answer will surprise! On the first I became more-or-less recognized in the communities of SOLIDWORKS. And let's say a bit famous around after I quit the company I was working in. The things that happened there more-or-less led to everything. So as I said, to stress, the flowers to relieve the stress, and then/then/then.  Now I'm actually working for myself. The companies that I'm working with, they definitely recognize and appreciate everything that I am. So that I'm part of the communities that I became the Champion Of The Year...For them this this was amazing. They're happy with me for every single achievement, let's say like this.

Matthew Hall  13:10  
Well, that's great...that such a relationship between SOLIDWORKS your passions, and it's helped you in your professional career incredibly. Well, I know, as I mentioned, at the outset, you know, time is precious here, and I know you're working on some new designs, we'll drop some images into the post eventually here...I want to ask you one final question. So as our Champion Of The Year, you're doing great stuff, you're everywhere. What keeps you going? Is there a particular quote that motivates you in your daily life that to get you up and keep going and keep using SOLIDWORKS? What motivates you, Dani?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  13:50  
Yeah, I have one favorite quote is actually the sitting also on my business cards. And this is:

"Nothing Is Impossible"

Many people have said this quote in different ways with some additions, one of the famous persons was Walt Disney - the kid in me - again! But I do believe in this. Definitely nothing is impossible. Just, yeah, some things...is harder to design than others.​​​​​​​

Matthew Hall  14:22  
That's a great quote, Dani, so thank you for that. Again, thank you for your time. Thank you for all you do all you're giving back to the community, as well as congratulations again for being our Champion Of The Year. That was a great time in Nashville. So will you be at 3DEXPERIENCE World in Dallas this coming year?

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  14:39  
I do believe so.  If something bad happens, I won't be able to but I hope not.

Matthew Hall  14:47  
All right. Well, we're looking forward to seeing you again there. If not before that, and wish you all the best. Stay healthy. And thank you very much for your time today.

Dani Petrova-Nikolova  14:57  
Thank you very much, too. It was really nice

Be sure to visit Dan's website: https://www.dworkshop.pro/home and subscribe to her social channels:

Dani's social channels and contact:

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