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      <title>Makers</title>
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      <description>Makers</description>
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      <title>
      <![CDATA[ Bigger Wheels, Bigger Loads: Upgrading a Lawn Tractor Sulky ]]>
      </title>
      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/bigger-wheels-bigger-loads-upgrading-a-lawn-tractor-sulky/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/70394</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ A lawn tractor sulky upgrade evolved into a complete engineering project using SOLIDWORKS for Makers, including CAD, welding, machining, and structural design.
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      </description>
      <content:encoded>
      <![CDATA[ 
Bigger Wheels, Bigger Loads: Upgrading a Lawn Tractor Sulky







Project images and models courtesy of Don Bartlett



A&nbsp;lawn tractor sulky&nbsp;is one of the simplest pieces of equipment you can find: a platform, a seat, and two wheels. However, for retired engineer Don Bartlett, the issue lay with those wheels.



Although the sulky was functional when hitched to his lawn tractor, every bump in the yard was translated to the operator. The small wheels often dropped into ruts, bounced over roots, and transformed minor bumps into large jolts. The initial solution was to replace the small wheels with larger ones. However, what started as a simple wheel replacement quickly evolved into a complete structural redesign.



Larger Wheels Introduced a New Challenge







Left &#8211; wheel from a castor from a Gravely tractor that was used for this project.&nbsp;Right &#8211; caster from an Exmark tractor.&nbsp;



The replacement wheel came from the&nbsp;caster assembly of a Gravely mower. On the original mower, this wheel was supported on both sides by a clevis. However, the sulky used a completely different support arrangement: the axle is supported only from one side. Using a larger wheel already introduces more leverage than a smaller one, and supporting it from one side adds another load path. This meant that Don&#8217;s comfort upgrade became a more significant engineering challenge: he needed to determine whether the sulky frame could withstand the new forces introduced.



Fabricating a New Mounting Block







The original sulky featured a small support block for the axle mounting&nbsp;(shown above).



While this worked well with the factory wheel size, Don had concerns about its suitability for the larger-wheel configuration. To better distribute the load across the structure and minimize the risk of the side panel flexing under pressure, he fabricated new steel blocks. These blocks are connected to the top, bottom, front, and sides of the sulky box&nbsp;(below).







Although this small enhancement may go unnoticed in the finished machine, it is crucial to ensuring the wheel upgrade&#8217;s durability.



Building an Axle From a Bolt



Don chose an&nbsp;11-inch Grade 8, 3/4-16 UNF bolt&nbsp;to serve as the axle for the new wheel setup. With a tensile strength of 150 kilograms per square inch (KSI), this bolt provides the necessary strength.







Cross section of axle.&nbsp;The red arrow points to the new block that was added to better support the axle.







Close up of left side of shaft.&nbsp;The arrow shows the portion of the shaft that will have Loctite applied to glue the shaft to the sulky box.







Close up of right side of shaft.&nbsp;The function of the left nut shown by the red arrows, is to adjust the two tapered roller bearings, to remove the clearance in the bearings. The second nut on the right acts as a jam nut, to lock the first nut in place to preserve the bearing adjustment.



The wheel operates on tapered roller bearings. One nut is used to adjust the bearings and eliminate any clearance, while a second nut locks that adjustment in place. This design detail is commonly found in many automotive and industrial applications. Proper bearing preload is essential, as it affects wheel life, rolling resistance, and long-term reliability.



Welding, Machining, and Custom Tools



Don&#8217;s fabrication process involved nearly every area of the shop. He cut reinforcement blocks to fit snugly against the sulky box. Any existing holes in the scrap steel were welded shut before the blocks were installed. Don used&nbsp;Dual Shield flux-core welding&nbsp;to attach the one-inch-thick blocks to the 1/8-inch-thick sulky structure, choosing this method specifically for its deep penetration.







Welds on the left block:&nbsp;Dual Shield Flux Core wire (FCAW-G) was used to attach the 1” block to the 1/8” sulky box.



Instead of drilling, he machined the axle bores to their final size. After initially drilling undersized holes, he bored them to achieve the precise fit needed for the axle assembly.







Boring the 0.75-inch hole in sulky box



Even the installation of the seals used a specially designed tool. This approach highlights the maker mindset: makers often go beyond simply modifying machines; they often create their own tools specifically for the modifications.



CAD to the Rescue



Projects like this show why many makers prefer to use CAD in their process. Changing the wheel diameter might seem like an easy fix, but it can affect how much weight the wheels can handle, require adjustments to the mounting structure, and mean you’ll need new parts to make everything fit properly. Understanding these relationships before cutting any metal is much easier than discovering issues after everything has been welded together.



Back to Smooth Sailing…or Mowing







The finished sulky&nbsp;(above)&nbsp;now rides on tractor-sized wheels instead of the original smaller ones. The larger wheels smooth out rough terrain, while the reinforced structure supports the additional loads they introduce.



Larger wheels led to structural analysis, fabrication work, machining operations, bearing setup, and custom tooling. That&#8217;s often how home engineering projects go. The first idea is simple. The interesting work happens underneath it.



What Projects Are You Ready to Tackle?



Don Bartlett spent 44 years as a Senior Staff Engineer at&nbsp;FANUC America&nbsp;and has used SOLIDWORKS for nearly three decades. He has also spent decades doing what many makers do after hours: looking at a piece of equipment and figuring out how to make it better.



His sulky upgrade began with installing larger wheels to improve the ride. Along the way, it turned into a project involving structural reinforcement, machining, welding, bearing setup, and custom tooling. That&#8217;s often how home projects go. What begins as a small upgrade can quickly become a series of design decisions where fit, strength, and assembly all matter.



SOLIDWORKS for Makers&nbsp;gives you the same CAD tools used by engineers and product designers, priced for personal use at&nbsp;$48 USD/year. Whether you&#8217;re building equipment for the yard, parts for the garage, or fixtures for the workshop, you can work through the details before making the first cut.



Learn more about&nbsp;SOLIDWORKS for Makers.



FAQ



What is a lawn tractor sulky?



A&nbsp;sulky is a two-wheeled platform&nbsp;that attaches to the rear of a lawn tractor or mower. The operator rides on the sulky instead of walking behind the machine.



Why use larger wheels?



Larger wheels roll over uneven ground more smoothly than smaller wheels. In this project, the goal was to reduce the impacts transmitted to the operator while mowing.



Why did the sulky need reinforcement?



The new wheel arrangement created different loads than the original design. Larger support blocks were needed to distribute those loads across the sulky structure.
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      <title>
      <![CDATA[ Can Continuous Motion Create a Perfect Square? ]]>
      </title>
      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/can-continuous-motion-create-a-perfect-square/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/70292</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ Engineezy designed a mechanism that draws a perfect square using one motor and continuous motion, using SOLIDWORKS for Makers CAD. See how constraints, linear rails, and elastic tension create sharp 90° corners.
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      </description>
      <content:encoded>
      <![CDATA[ 
Engineezy&nbsp;is an engineering creator specializing in mechanical and mechatronic builds, including marble machines, robotic systems, kinetic sculptures, and experimental contraptions. Created by Jay Vogler,&nbsp;Engineezy’s website&nbsp;and&nbsp;social channels&nbsp;have become a go-to for makers and general audiences, combining creative design projects with design humor and visual appeal. Vogler was also a&nbsp;keynote speaker at&nbsp;3DEXPERIENCE World 2026.



A recent Engineezy project focuses on a specific mechanical challenge: creating a system that draws a perfect square using a single motor in continuous motion. Previously, Engineezy successfully developed a mechanism for drawing perfect circles.







Drawing a square with sharp corners is more complex. Turning the paper can be unreliable and imprecise, causing the corners to drift and leading to accumulated errors. The mechanism needed to automatically draw a square with clean 90° corners using just one motor, without stopping or requiring any adjustments.



The First Pass



The initial design was built in CAD using SOLIDWORKS. It relied on a motor driving a slider, which connected to a second slider capable of moving along two axes. It looked like a solid CAD design. But when the design was printed and run, the mechanism appeared to draw a circle again, only more complexly. Without elastic tension, the system still followed smooth, continuous motion, which naturally leads to curved paths.



Fixing the Constraint



The next revision addressed a constraint issue. The original cross-slider used a circular rod, which allowed slight rotation within the assembly. Under load, that freedom introduced misalignment and caused binding. Replacing the circular rod with a linear rail removed the extra degree of freedom. Motion was restricted to a single axis, and the mechanism could run without binding.











What Forces the Corners?



With alignment resolved, the remaining challenge was producing sharp corners. A rotating system does not create abrupt directional changes on its own. In this case, the transition comes from elastic tension. As the motor drives the slider, elastics pull the carriage toward the limits of its travel along each axis. When the carriage reaches one of these limits, the tension forces an immediate change in direction. Instead of continuing through a curve, the motion shifts at the extremes, forming distinct 90-degree corners.











Final build



The entire mechanism was&nbsp;designed in CAD with SOLIDWORKS for Makers. It operates on a single motor and includes a latch that controls when the pen engages with the surface. Once running, it continuously traces a square with consistent edges and corners.



Key learnings from the project:




&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Continuous rotation produces curves unless motion is tightly constrained.



&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Small freedoms in a mechanism can lead to failure under load.



&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sharp corners can be achieved through force limits rather than by adding control systems.



&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;CAD plays a direct role in resolving these issues before parts are built.




What shape should I try next?



Check out SOLIDWORKS for Makers, CAD for personal use in&nbsp;Engineezy&#8217;s Instagram profile, and use code&nbsp;ENGINEEZY for 20% off



FAQ



How does the mechanism create sharp corners instead of curves?The elastics pull the carriage to the limits of its motion along each axis. When it hits those limits, the direction changes instead of continuing in a curve.



Why did the original version jam?The circular rod allowed rotation in the slider. That caused misalignment and binding. A linear rail fixed it by constraining the motion.



Why use a single motor?It keeps the system simple. The challenge is converting continuous rotation into controlled movement along two axes.



What did SOLIDWORKS for Makers help with here?Using CAD to design the mechanism was really helpful for adjusting linkages, constraints, and motion paths before printing, also reducing the need for prototyping.
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      <title>
      <![CDATA[ A Graduation Cap that Actually Moves ]]>
      </title>
      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/a-graduation-cap-that-actually-moves/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/70088</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ Create a custom graduation cap with moving gears using CAD and 3D printing. Download free gear files and see how SOLIDWORKS for Makers supports personal projects.
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      </description>
      <content:encoded>
      <![CDATA[ 








One of the most recognizable aspects of graduation season is the way people customize their caps. A mortarboard has become a small canvas for sharing something personal. It might feature a single sentence, a joke, or a “Thank you, Mom and Dad!” It’s a tiny expression of someone’s personality squeezed into a 9-inch square.



Creating a Cap for Engineering Students



Christina Ernst, the creator of She Builds Robots, specializes in building wearable projects that combine mechanical design, fabric, circuits, and coding. Although she has already graduated, she wanted to create something for current engineering students that they could download, customize, and use to build their own graduation caps.



She started with a system that engineers are very familiar with: gears. Gears are among the first mechanisms studied by many engineering students. They show how motion is transferred and how different parts interact, making them a representation of the thinking behind an engineering degree.



A tradition that keeps changing



The graduation cap originated in the 12th and 13th centuries at medieval universities in Europe. It evolved from the ecclesiastical pileus and biretta caps worn by clergy and scholars. Over time, these caps became standard academic dress and eventually became part of graduation ceremonies across the United States. The modern name &#8220;mortarboard&#8221; comes from the square board used by bricklayers, as the graduation cap resembles this tool.



Customizing graduation caps is a relatively new trend. Originally, it started as a way to make a statement, but it has evolved into a means for graduates to showcase their personal experiences, values, and future aspirations. If you are completing your engineering degree, this is also a great opportunity to create and share something unique.



A moving gear graduation cap



Christina designed the cap&nbsp;with a set of interlocking gears positioned directly on its surface. She wanted to keep the gears exposed and in motion, transforming the cap into a small mechanical system. The movement of the gears demonstrates how the parts interconnect and respond to one another, mirroring the operation of a basic gear train.



Improving gear design with CAD



In her previous wearable projects, Christina would often place gears wherever they fit and make adjustments during assembly. This time, however, she researched the relationship between gear teeth, diameter, and module. Using SOLIDWORKS for Makers, she carefully planned the exact positions for each gear to snap into place. Refining her design with CAD significantly improved how the entire project came together. The structure was stable, and the gears aligned and spun correctly during the first assembly.



Building the final graduation cap



The gears were 3D-printed using a bronze-colored filament, giving them a more mechanical look. This filament is a standard PLA blend that produces a dull metallic finish, making movement more visible. The centered layout of the gears ensures that the system remains balanced.











A sewable battery holder and a small DC motor drive the main gear. To further personalize the design, Christina added her alma mater in the center: I-L-L!







Download the files to make your own graduation cap



Finals season can be stressful, so Christina is sharing the 3D-printing files for free on GitHub. This allows graduates to build the same design or customize their own using SOLIDWORKS for Makers.



CAD Tools for personal projects



Many engineers use CAD software at work but don’t always have access to the same tools at home. SOLIDWORKS for Makers provides the same powerful CAD tools, licensed for individual use. It enables users to model detailed parts with precision, check compatibility, and prepare files for 3D printing. The software runs on a standard laptop and installs quickly, or you can opt for the fully browser-based version.



If you’re graduating this year, you already know how to engineer things. Your graduation cap is just one more place to show it.



Learn more about SOLIDWORKS for Makers, personal-use CAD, for $48 USD/year. Use Christina’s 20% off SOLIDWORKS for Makers code SHEBUILDSROBOTS. 
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      <title>
      <![CDATA[ How CAD Saved My Doc Ock Build ]]>
      </title>
      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/how-cad-saved-my-doc-ock-build/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/69778</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ Tyler Csatari shares how SOLIDWORKS for Makers helped redesign his functional Doctor Octopus “Doc Ock” suit using professional CAD tools for personal use.
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      <![CDATA[ 
Note: this blog was written by Tyler Csatari.



In my first blog post about the SOLIDWORKS project, I talked about my big goal: to create the best Doctor Octopus (or Doc Ock, for short) suit in history. I wanted it to be super realistic, complete with four mechanical arms that really moved and functioned, plus claws that could pick things up and even shoot fire. I ended up spending thousands of dollars on materials and even got a $3,000 plasma cutter. But then it hit me. I had made a really big mistake.







When the Build Hit Reality



Last October, the arms were printed, wired, and moving. I had claws with embedded lights, motors mounted, and a harness coming together, but the arms were way too floppy. They kept bending in all sorts of weird ways – which wasn’t the look I was going for. I wanted a Doc Ock suit that looked straight out of the movies.



I tried reinforcing the arms with rubber bands to stiffen the joints. On a smaller scale, that actually worked! But once I scaled it up to the four-foot-long arms, things got messy really quickly. The extra weight and complexity just created new issues faster than I could handle the old ones.







Redesigning the Arms in SOLIDWORKS



At that point, I realized that making small tweaks to the physical build wouldn’t help me reach my goal. I needed to completely rethink the design.



So, I stepped away from the bench and dove back into SOLIDWORKS to redesign all the joints that would run through the fiberglass rods. This redesign would let the arms flex without collapsing. While I was at it, I rebuilt the arm joints in SOLIDWORKS, incorporating those fiberglass rods to maintain the shape under load. I also added outer rings to smooth the motion and give the arms a more controlled look.



To up the cool factor, I decided to add two extra rings and print them in rubber. This meant I had to upgrade my setup with two brand-new 3D printers capable of multi-material printing. Then, for ten days straight, I printed the 240 different pieces I would need. But this is where everything starts. Because how do I actually mount this to my back?







The Back Plate Became the Bottleneck



I started working on a 2D design for a back plate to mount everything to and set up my new plasma cutter to cut it out of steel. I got the motors mounted and attached this metal plate to guide the strings so they wouldn&#8217;t tear apart the bottom joint. But when I finally tested it, there was way too much friction, and I ended up destroying two of the motors.



So, I picked up some new materials to try and rethink the base. I raised the arms a little higher to let the Kevlar rope run through without friction, and eventually got everything moving. I still needed to take apart and reassemble the three other arms, glue everything together, and paint. This part took forever.



Once I finally mounted everything on the new plate and secured all the electronics, I was ready to test it out.







The Claws Don’t Work



Unfortunately, there was another problem. The claws wouldn’t work, and I wanted to see how much this thing can actually lift. When I looked online, most of the claws available online could only lift a couple of pounds. Not to mention they&#8217;re also ridiculously expensive and don’t really look like Doctor Octopus.



That’s when I decided to dive back into SOLIDWORKS to try to create the world&#8217;s strongest claw. I&#8217;ve spent over 80 hours just learning and practicing SOLIDWORKS for this project, and I&#8217;m starting to get pretty good. Each redesign made the next one faster. Each failure removed another unknown. At this point, the project stopped being about finishing something quickly and became about building something correctly.







Using CAD for Hobby and Cosplay Builds



If you are working on projects that need to move, carry a load, or survive real use, bringing CAD into your design process can really make a difference. It’s often the key to actually solving issues, rather than just putting a band-aid on them.



If you&#8217;re interested in what you could create with professional CAD tools for your personal projects,&nbsp;check out&nbsp;SOLIDWORKS for Makers.



You can get&nbsp;20% off SOLIDWORKS for Makers&nbsp;if you head to&nbsp;my YouTube channel&nbsp;&#8211; see the links in my profile!



As for the Doc Ock claws, they&#8217;re still in the works. What I have in mind for this project is wilder than anything I&#8217;ve shown so far. I’ll keep you posted once the claws are up and running!



Check out Tyler on&nbsp;YouTube,&nbsp;Instagram,&nbsp;and&nbsp;TikTok.




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      <title>
      <![CDATA[ Behind the Design: Meet the Man Behind the Props— Kirby Downey ]]>
      </title>
      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/behind-the-design-meet-the-man-behind-the-props-kirby-downey/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/67172</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:00:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ Kirby Downey is known for his 3D printed video game props, and…
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      <![CDATA[ If you can dream it, you can design it— and make it. That’s pretty much Kirby Downey’s design philosophy since discovering SOLIDWORKS and 3D printing in 2009. Kirby has received acclaim for his 3D-printed designs of video game props over the years, and has worked with video game companies, including PlayStation, Bethesda Game Studios, and Activision. You’ve likely seen his work as he’s been featured on the SOLIDWORKS blog and is a SOLIDWORKS Champion who runs the London SOLIDWORKS User Group – London SWUG. Sound familiar?Kirby with a portal gun he designed and 3D printed.If not, meet Kirby Downey, a designer and maker who has a passion for 3D printing and design and sharing his knowledge with others.Before I discuss Kirby’s journey with SOLIDWORKS, here are some things you may or may not know about him:
He’s from South Africa.
Growing up, he wanted to be a pilot.
He is a self-taught SOLIDWORKS user.
He loves SOLIDWORKS, often spending Friday nights working on projects with friends and learning from each other.
His favorite SOLIDWORKS feature is surfacing.
He holds a Guinness World record.
His website has more than 9 million views.
His YouTube channel has over 1 million views.
He enjoys doing cross-stitch to relax while watching TV.
His favorite game is Red Dead Redemption, but his guilty pleasure is Minecraft.
His favorite show is The Simpsons, and he has a tattoo to prove it.
He listens to metal and punk rock music.
He runs The CORE podcast with Jonny Harrison.
He doesn’t have a 3D printer at home now that he has access to industrial-sized printers at work.
He is licensed to sail yachts on the open ocean.
He got a 100% in surfacing on the SOLIDWORKS CAD Design Professional (CSWP) exam.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to learn more about the man behind the props.Growing up, Kirby wanted to be a pilot. He still does. He’s got a home flight simulation setup he uses to work on his flying skills. “I’ve always had an interest in aviation and aircraft, but not just flying them, also the mechanical side of things, how things work in terms of the mechanisms, and how the landing gear folds out. I was always fascinated watching a plane take off, thinking to myself, ‘how do they take those big wheels and actually make them fold up?’”Kirby flying in a professional flight simulator.Kirby was also a fan of LEGO, and he continues to embrace his childhood, building and making things with his hands.Kirby’s introduction to design and 3D printing started in 2009 while studying industrial and product design at the Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa. The university had a lab with a 3D printer, where “I realized whatever I make on screen, I can make in real life—I can make whatever I want,” he said.Kirby’s first 3D-printed design of a mechanical character designed in SOLIDWORKS.What inspires Kirby today? Other people. He is inspired by watching others create and seeing how they turn an idea into the final product. This inspires him to create and take what he’s learned to improve his own skillset and hopefully inspire others.You can catch Kirby at 3DEXPERIENCE World, where he really enjoys coming together with SOLIDWORKS users from around the world. He plans to share his story on how someone with ADHD could use their unique differences to their advantage to help further their career and their personal life. He’ll also be helping with user group activities and filming the happenings of the event on behalf of The CORE podcast.
“I’ve got my fingers in almost every piece of the pie at World, because I enjoy being part of that, organizing things, and arranging. It’s the user group leader in me.”
Check out Kirby’s latest blog “Using SOLIDWORKS and 3D Printing to Design Custom LEGO Wall Mounts,” and visit his website to see more of his work at https://kirbydowney.com/. Follow Kirby on his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@KirbyDowney. ]]>
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      <title>
      <![CDATA[ Fashion Meets Engineering with She Builds Robots’ Magic Bird Dress ]]>
      </title>
      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/fashion-meets-engineering-with-shebuildsrobots-magic-bird-dress/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/54273</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 13:00:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ Discover how Christina Ernst of She Builds Robots used SOLIDWORKS fashion design…
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      <![CDATA[ In college, Christina Ernst discovered something unexpected: a dress could teach coding. She entered a hackathon with a Bluetooth-controlled, color-changing gown. She saw how fashion and wearables could capture attention and make coding and electronics engaging and accessible for a whole new audience.Bringing STEM and Fashioneering to a New AudienceDuring her senior year of college, Christina created a book of craft projects aimed at middle-school girls. To this day, teaching and open sourcing are central to her maker philosophy. She is a four-time award winner at instructables.com for sharing free instructional content, and her tutorials have been featured in ‘Make: Magazine’. Christina aims to inspire others, especially girls who already enjoy sewing or fashion, to see themselves in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). By designing wearable items that people can create, she hopes to encourage more individuals to become makers.Christina founded She Builds Robots, which offers projects and tutorials on “fashioneering,” the imaginative blend of fashion and engineering for wearable technology. By working with fabric, circuits, and code, she shares both the creative aspects and the trial-and-error process, helping makers navigate the fashion design learning curve, improve their design process, encourage experimentation and learn from their mistakes.Starting with a Self-twirling Dress Christina’s idea for the Magic Bird Dress began with a playful question: could a dress twirl on its own? She sketched and explored multiple ways to add motion to a skirt. In past projects, she faced challenges in achieving movement in multiple axes while maintaining a compact, wearable design that conceals motor mounts. For this project, she mounted Dynamixels to her belt, hidden under a very gathered skirt.Her first version of the dress functioned well, but watching it in motion, she felt it could be more whimsical. What if the dress didn’t just spin by itself, but appeared to be tugged by a bird?Building the Magic Bird DressFor the next iteration, the Magic Bird Dress 1.0, she added the bird and a straight dowel hidden beneath the skirt to create the twirl. The dowel helped to “lift” the bird, but the movement looked stiff. After sharing her progress on her Instagram channel, SheBuildsRobots, her followers suggested using a curved wire instead of a dowel for a more natural lift.For the Magic Bird Dress 2.0, she bent a coat hanger into a curved shape and sewed a new summer dress around it. To keep the mechanics wearable and hidden, she used SOLIDWORKS for Makers to design precise custom motor mounts. With the mounts ready, she gave the updated dress a try, and the bent coat hanger provided the skirt with a softer, more natural lift, for a much-improved result.Using Technology to Create Real World MagicChristina wants people to see how an idea that starts in your imagination, like a bird lifting a dress, can become real through circuits, sewing, and CAD fashion design software. Equally important, she shares the messy parts of creating and prototyping: the experiments that don’t work the first time. By making that process visible, she invites others to try it.That same spirit shaped her work as Maker-in-Residence at the Chicago Public Library in 2024, where she displayed wearable tech pieces alongside the “circuit skeletons” underneath, allowing visitors to see how they were constructed. She hopes that kids who already love sewing or crafting will look at her projects and think, “I could do this too.”Fashion Design Tools for Makers at HomeProjects like the Magic Bird Dress show what’s possible when professional software design tools are accessible for personal use. Christina uses SOLIDWORKS for Makers personal use CAD software to model her designs, and it’s available for hobbyists, DIYers, and makers at $48/year. From 3D prints to robotics to sewing and more, it helps makers move from sketch to design to assembly with precision.Ready to get started? Learn more about SOLIDWORKS for Makers, personal use CAD for $48 USD/year. Learn more about She Builds Robots on its website. ]]>
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      <title>
      <![CDATA[ 3DEXPERIENCE World Makers Stand: Jade Wilson ]]>
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      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/3dexperience-world-makers-stand-jade-wilson/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/54281</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 13:00:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ I was honoured to attend 3DEXPERIENCE World 2025 back in February of…
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      <![CDATA[ I was honoured to attend 3DEXPERIENCE World 2025 back in February of this year and celebrate 30 years of SOLIDWORKS! I have been using SOLIDWORKS myself now since 2009, so I found it fitting to showcase some of my work on the makers’ stand that could only be achieved with the help of SOLIDWORKS.If you attended the conference this year in Houston, you may have seen some of my ceramics at the Makers stand. I showcased the crystal tableware that I designed and produced while studying for my master’s degree at university in 2016. I used SOLIDWORKS for many steps in the design and production process, as well as a way of planning and visualising the final product.Starting from the beginning, I used SOLIDWORKS to model my tableware, you can see the full process in a tutorial here. Modelling my design in SOLIDWORKS first allows me to test out designs in many different iterations quickly. This is a very powerful tool when it comes to ceramics; more traditional ways of designing and making in ceramics can take many tries and fails to get to a final piece, but by using SOLIDWORKS, I can speed up this process and ensure that I’m happy with the design before committing to the making stage.From here, I can use SOLIDWORKS to plan the plaster mold of the piece to determine how many mold parts I will need, and also where the mold seams should be. You can see the processes I used for planning the mold in another tutorial here. Again, looking back to the traditional way of producing ceramics, you would have to do all of this by eye and hope for the best, but SOLIDWORKS took some of that pressure away and allowed me to test out my model for undercuts and plan my design before creating the mold.Taking my ceramics knowledge, I decided to model feathers in SOLIDWORKS, 3D print them using 3DPRINT UK, and make a plaster mould of them. This could then be press molded with air-dry clay to create feathers for the wings. Plaster is the best mold material option for clay, as it is porous, so it helps to remove water from the clay, making it easier to remove cleanly from the mold. Thank you to all of those who came over to the stand and contributed to the wings, or just had a conversation about the process.The Wings community build was made possible by an amazingly talented group of people, including Chinloo and Sal from Our Next Make, Matt and Jessie from The Mad Scientist Workshop, Luke and Karen from Orbital FX, and Christian and Sanket from Bowhead, and finally the Re3d team. This group of people is incredibly talented and passionate about passing on their creative knowledge with the SOLIDWORKS community, but when they all come together, they make magic!The final set of wings turned out beautifully; it truly captured a moment where all attendees were able to leave a part of themselves behind at the event and capture a photo opportunity of themselves in front of the final wings. If you didn’t have a chance to visit the makers’ stand this year, I wouldn’t definitely add it to your schedule next year, where we will all meet up back in Houston!Finally, as I mentioned I exhibited alongside some incredible women in the industry as part of the Dames of Design section of the Makers stand, you will have seen work by SOLIDWORKS Product Definition Team engineer Rachael Naoum, mechanical engineer Nicole Walden, and SOLIDWORKS User Experience Design Specialist Yun Li, all brought together by Director of UX SOLIDWORKS Chinloo Lama from Our Next Make. Here we showcased some of our,own projects where we used SOLIDWORKS to create some of our maker projects. From dresses, shoes and jewelry, to toddler furniture, 3D printing, ceramics and a sweets dispenser, it had something for everyone.We’re hoping to come back next year, bigger and better, to share even more from Women in Engineering.A reminder for all women attending 3DEXPERIENCE World 2026: this year, we will have several dedicated sessions exclusively for women. Join us for the Women in Technology panel at 1:30 PM CT on Tuesday, February 3rd, in Room 342BE. Don’t miss this opportunity to join us for this unique session dedicated to the issues faced by women in technology fields. Register today!You can also learn more about Jade in this blog post. ]]>
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      <![CDATA[ Behind the Design: Stephanie Hayna, a Lifelong Maker ]]>
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      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/behind-the-design-stephanie-hayna-a-lifelong-maker/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/22424</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Dec 2024 13:00:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ Join us for our Behind the Design series, presenting the stories behind…
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      <![CDATA[ Though Stephanie Hayna didn’t use the term once during her interview, I realize she’s been a maker her entire life. It began during Stephanie’s childhood in Mexico when her mother found herself raising twin girls as a 25-year-old single parent.“She did a very good job of getting us into crafts to keep us entertained,” Stephanie explains. “Just making things was a big inspiration in my childhood, and I think it led the way for my love of design, and then product development and design, later on.”It took her a while to find her way to product design, however. She attended high school in Mexico City and considered several different careers.“I thought I wanted to be many things,” Stephanie laughs. “I tried architecture for a while, but after an internship, I decided I wasn’t interested. Then I thought I wanted to go into graphic design, but ultimately felt that that wasn’t the right direction either.”She realized she enjoyed the “limiting” aspects of product design. In other words, unlike graphic design, product design is limited by what the material actually allows. Stephanie also found that she immensely enjoyed working with 3D models and thinking in 3D spaces.Thus, she earned her bachelor’s degree in design engineering at Universidad Tecnológica de la Mixteca in Oaxaca, Mexico, and it was with the multidisciplinary approach urged by her university that she was first exposed to SOLIDWORKS in an advanced manufacturing class. When I ask her what she thought of the software, her face lights up.Stephanie and fellow SOLIDWORKS users at Bowhead Corp.“Oh, I was super excited about it. I loved the program. I got into it right away and it was something that I could just spend hours and hours doing.”The first thing she ever designed was, in her words, “a very bad clamp,” but it got the job done, and inspired her to continue learning more about the software and getting more involved in her models. After her bachelor’s, she moved to the U.S. to pursue an MSE in Integrated Product Design at the University of Pennsylvania, which was something she’d always wanted to do.“It opened my world and gave me a lot more exposure to cultures and technologies that I wouldn’t have had back at home,” she explains. When she entered the job market after graduating, she worked everywhere, from startups to large corporations, on everything from designing consumer products to improving medical devices.“I find both types of work very different but very rewarding in different ways.”At one startup company, Stephanie was asked to build a prototype for an HVAC system from scratch in about a month and a half. She was able to deliver on the short turnaround time thanks to her intense schooling and, by then, practical work experience. At another company, she designed a range of luxury fittings and fixtures, which she found particularly satisfying because of the work’s seamless combination of engineering and design.“Being able to change and learn gave me a lot of growth and satisfaction,” she explained. Though startups offer more flexible and diversified work, as well as a special closeness within the team, Stephanie has prioritized stability for this stage of her life.SOLIDWORKS has followed Stephanie’s growth for over a decade, and it’s the single tool she has used most throughout her entire career. Three years ago, she signed up for the SOLIDWORKS User Group of New York City. When the group leader announced he was stepping down, he asked her, “Well, why don’t you take up the position?”Stephanie realized she had no reason to say no, and has since led the user group.Stephanie Hayna with Trimech representatives at the Robotics for competition: Rich Rosenel Sales Manager – GNY Team, &#038; Graig Oznick, VP of Application Sales. Trimech is a SOLIDWORKS Reseller Partner.“It’s been an unexpected source of reward and satisfaction,” she admits. Stephanie found a community of people passionate about the same “geeky stuff” that she loved – things that, for example, even her husband, who is also an engineer but doesn’t use SOLIDWORKS, finds boring.“SOLIDWORKS does a fantastic job creating community around the software,” she adds.So, I’m not surprised when Stephanie says that her advice to students is to engage with the SOLIDWORKS community as early as possible for both technical support and professional connections. But she also adds that it’s important to explore your interests and have fun with it.“There are many different types of engineering out there, and they’re worth exploring,” she explains. After all she, too, explored several options before finding her path. “Exploring gives you the possibility of getting to know yourself – your personality, but also professionally – and have a better understanding of the career you’re looking for.”In her current job, Stephanie doesn’t use SOLIDWORKS. However, the fact that she has maintained her position as a SOLIDWORKS user leader says a lot about the community she has found and her lifelong calling as a maker. ]]>
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      <![CDATA[ Veteran’s Day – SOLIDWORKS Software and Training Programs ]]>
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      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/veterans-day-solidworks-software-and-training-programs/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/48584</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2023 20:27:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>
      <![CDATA[ For over 12 years, SOLIDWORKS Edu team has provided the SOLIDWORKS Military…
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      <![CDATA[ For over 12 years, SOLIDWORKS Edu team has provided the SOLIDWORKS Military Veterans Program (MVP) to US and Canadian Veterans.  We also support Veterans in our Start-up program and manufacturing training organizations like Workshop for Warriors.  MySolidWorks provides free online training to Veterans.  MakebyMe is a free DIY software application for wood working.  The SOLIDWORKS User Group Community and SOLIDWORKS Forum are great places for Veterans to learn more about SOLIDWORKS programs.SOLIDWORKS MILITARY VETERANS ProgramSOLIDWORKS is a proud supporter of our active military and veterans, and thank them for their service. We are pleased to offer the SOLIDWORKS Student Edition at a discounted rate to military actively serving in the US or Canada and/or veterans. Veterans can receive a copy of the SOLIDWORKS Student Edition for $20.The SOLIDWORKS Student Edition, 12 month license,  includes the following features to enhance your designing and learning experience:
SOLIDWORKS Premium (3D CAD software)
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium  (FEA tools)
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation (CFD tools)
SOLIDWORKS Motion (Kinematics analysis)
SOLIDWORKS Plastics Premium(Part and mold filling analysis)
SOLIDWORKS Sustainability (Environmental impact tools)
SOLIDWORKS Electrical Professional (Electrical systems design tools)
SOLIDWORKS CAM Professional (Integrate design and manufacturing processes)
SOLIDWORKS Model-Based Definition (Define, organize, and publish 3D PMI)
SOLIDWORKS Composer (Technical documentation tools)
SOLIDWORKS Visualize Professional (Develop rich, photo quality content)
MySolidWorks for Students (Your connection to everything SOLIDWORKS)
eDrawings® Professional (Viewing and publishing application)
With MySolidWorks training, you get hours of free online learning.Start-up ProgramAre you a Veteran wanting to start your own company to design and manufacture a physical product? Our Start-up Program – www.solidworks.com/startups helps Veteran start up’s get software and support.One of my best career experiences was visiting Workshop for Warriors in San Diego.  They provide our SOLIDWORKS Certification Exams to their students for an industry standard credential.  Along with certifications in manufacturing, Haas CNC, and welding, Workshop for Warriors has 100% job placement.MakeByMe SoftwareAre you a Veteran that likes DIY projects or working with wood?  MakeByMe is free software to help you design, assembly and create a bill of material cut list to bring to Home Depot or your favorite lumber store.  From standard wood sizes, MakeByMe even works on a smart phone.  Try this Birdhouse project.We also invite Veterans to reach out to SOLIDWORKS users at a local SOLIDWORKS User Group meeting in your area or join our SOLIDWORKS User Forum on line.Veterans.  Thank you for your service.Design well.  Marie ]]>
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      <![CDATA[ Celebrate Chhath Puja with Makers, SOLIDWORKS &#038; MakeByMe ]]>
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      <link>https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/celebrate-chhath-puja-with-makers-solidworks-makebyme/</link>
      <guid>https://blogs.solidworks.com/guid/48600</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:29:53 GMT</pubDate>
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      <![CDATA[ Next month, thousands will participate in the ancient Hindu festival of Chhath…
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      <![CDATA[ Next month, thousands will participate in the ancient Hindu festival of Chhath Pooja or  Chhath Puja.  The festival honors Surya, the Sun God and his wife Usha (Chhathi Maiya).  The festival is celebrated in the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, providences in Nepal, and other Asian communities.Chhath Pooja is also celebrated in the United States by Indian Americans.  During the celebration, members enter a ceremonial river “pool”.  Building a ceremonial pool is a bit challenging.  I spoke with my SOLIDWORKS R&#038;D colleague, Utpal Kumar, about the history of the ceremonial pool build in his Massachusetts community.Initially, Utpal and his friends went to Home Depot to find large containers to fill with water. To create a better experience, they came up with a few design ideas.  Utpal wanted to communicate these designs among his build team.  He used MakeByMe, a free browser-based CAD design tool, for the maker community, developed by SOLIDWORKS R&#038;D.  The primary materials are based on standard wood sizes.Using the MakeByMe Cuts, Standard wood frame members were created from standard sizes.Materials and hardware were also selected.  The team used Pine boards and standard wood screws.Utpal shared the completed 3D design with the team.The MakeByMe Cut List provided quantities and wood sizes. The team went back to Home Depot to purchase the materials.Next came the Assembly instructions.Success. The Complete Assembly!Thank you Utpal for sharing your MakeByMe designs for Chhath Puja with the SOLIDWORKS community.You too can use MakeByMe. There are tutorials to help you get started to create a DIY birdhouse and take your creations into HomeByMe, our interior design experience.Design well.  Marie ]]>
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