Welcome to the 5th episode of our Meet the SOLIDWORKS Super Users Series

We continue to feature Q&A with some of the incredible people from around the world that have been using SOLIDWORKS to power their business and enrich their lives.

Get to know them as they share their experiences, what they find to be valuable to their ongoing success, valuable pieces of knowledge and advice and how they are even engaging within our SOLIDWORKS communities here on 3DSwym.

The 5th Super User - and dare I say: Super Star - we are unmasking today is @DG!

Joining me virtually from the northern part of beautiful India, Deepak fielded some questions after a long day of working with clients and customers at the company he owns and runs.

Without further ado, I present to you in Audio and Transcript:

Member Spotlight

Interview Transcript:

Matthew Hall  0:00 

Hello, everyone, thank you to the next interview of our superhero unmasking series and today we have a doozy with us. We have joining from India, we have Deepak Gupta joining us, you undoubtedly know Deepak you've seen him in our community online, you've probably met him at one of the 3DEXPERIENCE Worlds we've had in the past or even going way back maybe to some of the SOLIDWORKS world - and for some of the more longtime attendees. Deepak is one of our incredible contributors, helpers, super users. So we are taking the mask off of him today, we're going to ask him a few questions. Deepak is the owner of Vishnu Design Services. It's an engineering outsourcing service provider and it's based in India. It offers a wide range of CAD design, drafting, design, automation, engineering services. So he's taking a lot of his knowledge, sharing it with our community. And he's always a help. So many people have said they see Deepak online all the time answering questions. Deepak, thanks for joining us. I know it's evening there. And we really appreciate your time to answer a few questions here.

Matthew Hall  1:14 

Deepak, how many years have you been using SOLIDWORKS?

Deepak Gupta  1:19 

Hello, everyone. And thank you, Matt, for inviting me to this conversation. It is an honor to be recognized as one of the super users.

Deepak Gupta  1:27 

Well, I will take you like two decades back, where I got a glimpse of SOLIDWORKS and around 1999. So I think it was almost three, four years, SOLIDWORKS was into the market. And I was still studying mechanical engineering at that time. I got a glimpse of SOLIDWORKS, a very small glimpse of SOLIDWORKS. And that got me excited. Wow! Because we were taught to do the things on the drawing boards. And seeing that something 3D on the screen was like, or something: Oh, WOW! And then one year down the line, I was into my first job. And the company was using CATIA as their 3D tool. So yes, the excitement kept building for 3D.  You will be surprised to know that I made my first 3D model in AutoCAD, but I knew there was something more to it. Now flash forward six years, and a friend introduced me to Ideas Design Solutions, in 2005 - a renowned SOLIDWORKS reseller in India. And luckily, the owner of Ideas Design Solutions was from the same technical college where I did my engineering. Their team took a basic test, and I was selected for the job of Application Engineer. And then my daily work was to solve SOLIDWORKS-related problems and help my customers with their training and other needs. And since then, SOLIDWORKS has been part of my life. So you can say it's almost close to two decades. Since I'm using SOLIDWORKS. And on the funny part, I'm a SOLIDWORKS Expert, and a Champion but my wife doesn't care. She rather sees SOLIDWORKS as my first wife and SOLIDWORKS community as my in-laws.

Matthew Hall  3:22 

Incredible. I hope that doesn't cause too much friction there in the family. That's awesome, Deepak - in your daily life. Now, what do you do at work on a daily basis?

Deepak Gupta  3:34 

We at Vishnu Design Services, we help many companies and users to support them with their 3D modeling, 2D drafting, animation, and design automation tasks. People come to us when they have some complex problems to solve, or when they have, or they have to offload work to us which their team is not capable of doing it, or when they have very tight timelines to take care of them. So I do a fair amount of 3D modeling, 2D drawings, and of course, a lot of macros. Along with this, I try to find out how other users are using this beloved tool. And I try to learn from their methods. So I'm always looking for ways to improve and learn.

Matthew Hall  4:21 

Awesome. It's a lifelong journey, you’re definitely learning. Even though you are one of our superheroes, you’re still on a learning path. So you’ve learned a lot. You’re using the SOLIDWORKS on a daily basis, you’re helping customers out and as well as so many people, countless people in our forum as well. You take SOLIDWORKS and you have a challenge. How do you use SOLIDWORKS to solve those challenges?

Deepak Gupta  4:46 

What I do is I divide the challenges into parts and then utilize various SOLIDWORKS tools to work on them. This way, the complex problems can be solved in a planned and controlled way as SOLIDWORKS has multiple tools to get the same result. I try to find the best possible ways to do the tasks and solve the challenges. Now, this also helps to learn a new technique or know-how about an unused feature. Recently, I learned that when adding a configuration to an active assembly, the configuration can also be added to its component at the same time without having to open them one by one and add configuration. So I had been using SOLIDWORKS for almost like two decades, but this is something new I learned last week.

Matthew Hall  5:35 

Last week, wow! It’s always fun to learn something new in SOLIDWORKS, as you probably agree is always evolving and improving. We have our users such as yourself and others putting in ideas to enhance improve the software through our Top 10 List, which is great. So I’m glad you’re discovering new features new bells and whistles in your journey.

Matthew Hall  5:55 

You’re continuing to learn things discover new features in SOLIDWORKS. But as you said, you’ve been using SOLIDWORKS for a few decades now. What – to this point in time – given that you continue to learn and discover new stuff, what is your favorite feature, or the best thing about SOLIDWORKS that you love?

Deepak Gupta  6:10 

Well, I in general, I love SOLIDWORKS completely. But yes, to pick few, I would say I was initially in love with animation tool. When I got exposed to it, I made some really cool animations back maybe 10, 12 years back. But after I got exposed to API’s on SOLIDWORKS, I found my second favorite tool. When we talk of API’s in SOLIDWORKS. There is lot of potential, which can be done using API, we can find a way to do tasks that otherwise are not possible when done manually. For instance, yesterday, someone asked for a way to select and delete all construction geometry in Sketch without having to manually select them one-by-one. Think of a scenario where you have like hundreds of geometries, and you need to pick only the one which are construction geometry – maybe just to delete them or do something with them. Currently, there is no way to select them in one go or even using any kind of filters, but API came forward to help. And a few lines of code, on the task and that too without any hassles. So you can see, API has got a lot of potential and power. And that is the reason I love this feature over any other feature now in SOLIDWORKS.

Resource: Link to Deepak's SOLIDWORKS API learning resources

Deepak Gupta  7:30 

So Deepak, you’ve been around using SOLIDWORKS for years, very active, learning along this journey. But so there’s a lot of young people just starting out with SOLIDWORKS. What advice would you give that person who, like you years ago, was right now they’re discovering SOLIDWORKS and thinking, wow, this is so cool. What would you Deepak of yesteryear…what you’ve learned over the time… what would you share with a new user just starting out with SOLIDWORKS?

Deepak Gupta  7:56 

Matt, actually this is a really good question, I would say. And I see many new users struggle when they start with SOLIDWORKS. Because they are not guided in a way or they are not mentored in a way that but they are just given the tool. They are not given the know-how, or how to start using the tool. So every time a new user reaches out to me to seek my advice, I always suggest they start with in-built tutorials. The tutorials are very well written from a new user perspective; the tutorials start at a very Basic level, and then go to the Advanced level. And to add to that, and some practice is crucial for mastering SOLIDWORKS. And that what I have been doing. I think almost every day, I'm using SOLIDWORKS, maybe for few hours so I keep on discovering new things. And then users should make sure to apply the knowledge they get from SOLIDWORKS to real -world problems to enhance their skills. One thing is like you learn the software and the second thing is to apply that knowledge to do something from the real world, or to solve the complex problems or some simple problems. So the key point is to keep exploring and practicing. And of course, participate more on the various SOLIDWORKS forums, because this helps a lot a lot. They will find people with a lot of different things, a lot of different suggestions, which can help them to master SOLIDWORKS.

Resource: SOLIDWORKS Getting Started tutorials

Matthew Hall  9:29 

So the "Circle of Learning" and build up that experience. Great, great advice - from our superhero - or the those that want to become a superhero.

Matthew Hall  9:37 

On top of that then what learning paths or SOLIDWORKS certifications would you recommend for someone new to SOLIDWORKS? What learning paths or SOLIDWORKS certifications would you recommend for someone new to SOLIDWORKS and maybe who is also interested in in time becoming a superhero like you Deepak?

Deepak Gupta  9:54 

Well, let's talk about the certification first. I see a lot of people are asking like, why are certifications necessary or what kind of help they do? Like I have been doing the certification exams myself almost for 15 years now. And I see a lot of value in them. The major advantages: it lets you stand out of a crowd and you can shine brighter with certifications in hand. So they are a plus point for you. Even if you go to some job and you say, you have a certification, and you might be a good fit for the requirement, for example: the company is doing the sheet metal work and you go and tell them that, "I have a certification and specifically in sheet metal," and the company would be happy to engage you for the job, because you already know the tool. And rather than they're looking at someone who is just starting at with SOLIDWORKS, which means they will have to train him with a tool first, and then get him to be productive. So I always recommend to go for certifications. And the best part is that SOLIDWORKS certifications are offered almost for free. So like subscription customer, they get six certificates for free in a year. So which can be done in a span of six months, and then six months, they can do the second chance. Like apart from that SOLIDWORKS World and a lot of SOLIDWORKS User Group Meetings [SWUGN], the certification vouchers are released for free. So it's not that SOLIDWORKS is trying to make money, but they want everyone to get certified and make sure their skill enhancement is there.

Deepak Gupta  11:41 

Now let's talk about what path once you take on learning path for the SOLIDWORKS certification on the SOLIDWORKS, I always recommend starting with SOLIDWORKS Essentials. These are covered under the in-built tutorials. This will help users understand the various basic tools available inside SOLIDWORKS. Once user have gained some grip on the tool, they should go for the associate level exam, which is CSWA. The CSWA exam test the basic knowledge of SOLIDWORKS and the proficiency of the user and creating models and drawings. And the next exam should be the CSWP. The CSWP is an advanced certification exam that covers various advanced topic. Finally, users should prepare for the CSWE - the expert level exam. But yes, one need to pass minimum for advanced level exam in addition to CSWP in order to qualify for the CSWE. And once they are done with the modeling and advanced level exam, they can go a little further based on their interest or their area of expertise. And they can pick specialization exam like Simulation PDM, API, and there are few others.

Resource: SOLIDWORKS Certification Program

Matthew Hall  12:56 

So some learning some studying up front. But the benefits at the back end, as you said at the beginning of the answer...you come in with you show a potential employer that, "hey, I have these skills already." So like you said, it'll make you shine and stand out from the crowd of people that don't have any of these kinds of exams. So great advice there, Mr. Superhero. Thank you.

Matthew Hall  13:18 

You know, we have many resources on the internet for learning about SOLIDWORKS all those the exams you talked about, and the essentials, I like to remind users because I manage this community - our SOLIDWORKS User Forum in our 3DSwym environment on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is another place where people can go and ask questions, they could get real answers from real people in our forums. And you are one of those super real users there. How long have you been engaging in the SOLIDWORKS User Forum? And to what extent and how are you engaging in the forum.

Deepak Gupta  13:52 

I actually started using the official SOLIDWORKS User Forum back in 2008. I think I was searching for something online for one of my problems. And that took me the SOLIDWORKS Forum. So I immediately joined it and scroll through some of the discussions. And wow...it opened up a new world for me. And then I was able to find more such similar forums over the places and the deck. It helped me meet my SOLIDWORKS family from all over the world I made in the last ~12, 15 years, I have made so many friends and all connected with SOLIDWORKS.

Deepak Gupta  14:32 

I regularly engage in various SOLIDWORKS user forums and I try to help other users with their problem. I also check for the solutions from other users trying to find to learn something new. Well, that helps me to find solutions to many of my problems and also learn about something new, which I may not have explored yet. I visit lots of forums, but some of them are the ones which I regularly visit. So one is official SOLIDWORKS one, which is the 3DSwym community. Then we have CadForum, the SOLIDWORKS community on Reddit and En-Tips. So these are my four main regular places for the SOLIDWORKS forums to help other users, to seek out solutions to my problem and to engage with other users.

Matthew Hall  15:19 

Well, thank you for taking the time there and jumping in the forum in these other forums as well to help out other users succeed, like you have been doing.

Matthew Hall  15:28 

Deepak, you're obviously very active in our forum and other forums that are out on the internet and inside of our 3DSwym Forum, besides following you in 3DSwym, from your perspective, who else do you recommend as an expert, Guru another superhero to connect with and follow, and like you develop those relationships with these real people out there who are passionate about SOLIDWORKS and love to get out there and help people with their challenges and make them succeed? Who do you recommend?

Deepak Gupta  15:58 

There are many SOLIDWORKS experts, which I admire a lot. The list is very long, but to name a few, not in any particular order. Phil Sluder - I'm not sure like if he's still on 3DSwym, but users can follow him on LinkedIn. He has a vast knowledge of SOLIDWORKS. Then we have @BB, and @LT; I love their SOLIDWORKS tips. @ML, the author of The SOLIDWORKS Bible and many other amazing books. @PS - he is amazing with his surfacing stuff. And then we all know @AV, @EB, @TB, we have @JB and @AT; they are full of API knowledge. And whenever I have a problem with API things, I always look to these people. Then we have  @KC, @GS and @AW, @JM, @JS, @DB, @DP, @TS, @TS, or as everyone loves to call him: "Too Tall Toby." Then we have @KD - I love his podcast! And finally, @ML.

Deepak Gupta  17:10 

Well, the list can go on, as there are countless heroes in the service community and I admired them, all of them, because I always look at them when I have to learn something. And I think I always have been learning from these people. So thank you to all the heroes in the community.

Check it out: The CORE Podcast and the 3DEXPERIENCE World 2023 Hallway Hangouts

Matthew Hall  17:29 

Yeah, thanks for calling them out. Well, I've had the opportunity to meet a number of them, joined the Kirby and Jonny podcast in the past, and it's yeah...so these are all great names, very recognized. I know it's evening time slots, I don't want to take too much your time, you probably want to get back into some SOLIDWORKS tinkering, or maybe even get to sleep. I'll wrap the interview up here, which and I asked this to all our superheroes at the end of the interview, and I'm really curious, is there any particular quote that motivates you? Why does it motivate you?

Deepak Gupta  17:59 

Well, there's one particular code, which I think I came to know many years back into my professional life from Brad Meltzer.  He says:

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle, you know nothing about so be kind. Always.

And this particular code as a special place in my heart, I have been following this code for a very long time, and when I help people with their problems, either in SOLIDWORKS or maybe outside of SOLIDWORKS world, and when it is resolved, that kind of glimpse on their faces makes my day. So yes, they are fighting some kind of battle and I'm glad to help them.

Matthew Hall  18:48 

That's a beautiful quote. I've never heard that one before. It shows empathy and kindness, that great quote, I love it as well. I'll have to write that down - remember that one in my daily life, too.

Matthew Hall  19:01 

All right, Deepak. Well, thanks very much. That's a great way to wrap up our conversation here. Thank you for your time. Love the quote, love all the names you gave us of the additional superheroes and who knows, maybe down the road. We'll be hearing from some of those from your list as well. Thank you again, Deepak for all you do in our community, all the contributions you provide all the help you give to other SOLIDWORKS users who want to be as knowledgeable in SOLIDWORKS as you are. We look forward to your continued contributions. And thank you very much.

Deepak Gupta  19:35 

Thank you, Matt. It was great talking to you and I look forward to seeing more superheroes being unmasked and we got to know about their journey and what inspired them in SOLIDWORKS.

Additional Links from Deepak: