6 Reasons Why This Engineer Loves 3D Sculptor (And Why You Will Too)

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Having an interest in art growing up, it’s no surprise that I’m drawn to the playful capabilities in 3D Sculptor because it’s like working with digital clay to mold a shape. But 3D Sculptor is not all fun and games; it’s a powerful solution to help users create organic and complex shapes.

Curiosity Fueled by Three Generations of Engineering

Before I get into the power of 3D Sculptor, I’d like to share a little more background about me. I’m originally from São Paulo Brazil and have a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and come from three generations of engineering as my grandfather and father were both engineers.

As a kid, I was always curious about how things worked and loved taking things apart. When it came time to choose what to study in college, I thought “How can I combine my love for drawing and design, with my interest in physics and how things work together?” That sounded a lot like what my dad and grandpa told me they did as mechanical engineers so that route made sense.

And it was a smart choice. At Dassault Systèmes I started out in technical support, and I really enjoyed helping people with their challenges. It was like solving puzzles by trying to duplicate the challenges and help users find a better solution.

Now in my product management role I get to take it even further and look at the tools and workflows users need to design faster and smarter, plus be creative. And beyond that, I get to work on the tools of the future and think about what CAD will look like in 10 years from now.

So anyways, long story short, I’m really enjoying this line of work and getting to work in Boston, Mass. close to headquarters where I now live with my wife, my three-year-old daughter and newborn son.

Now let’s get to what I love about 3D Sculptor, but more importantly, why engineers will love it too. I’ve also been tinkering with interior design using 3D Sculptor, so I think it can be a useful tool for many types of design really.

  1. Surfacing capabilities

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent way too many hours surfacing in other solutions. 3D Sculptor really breaks down the barriers of learning how to surface. It’s super intuitive on that front. You don’t have to be a surfacing expert. Pretty much anyone can pick up 3D Sculptor and get the shape they want by intuitively manipulating the solid with things like the push, pull, and bend functionality. And it doesn’t take a lot of time to get proficient.

  1. Brainstorming without bounds

One of my internships was designing outdoor gear, and one of the things I learned was the importance of brainstorming without constraints. With 3D Sculptor you have the freedom to play around with shapes and ideas without having to worry about the actual dimensions or other parametric modeling constraints.

  1. More manufacturing possibilities

In the past, designs were constrained by traditional manufacturing methods and by what could be created with surfacing capabilities. Now with solutions like 3D Sculptor, users can really push the boundaries of design and create products with increasingly complex shapes that can be produced using 3D printing.

  1. Parametric capabilities

In addition to Sub-D modeling capabilities, 3D Sculptor has some parametric capabilities mechanical engineers will appreciate, such as extrude, revolve, loft and sweep capabilities.

  1. Completing the picture

Another great thing about 3D Sculptor is you can easily create a component that you aren’t necessarily going to manufacture but want to show the client the full picture of the model or use it for marketing purposes. For instance, maybe your company is only designing bike frames and not the seats. You could easily create the seat using 3D Sculptor without having to spend lots of time on it or worry about all the parameters.

Also, if you have multiple roles such as 3D Creator and 3D Sculptor you can take advantage of each of the capabilities from within each of their apps and easily switch back and forth between the two to complete your design.

 

  1. Device independence

3D Sculptor is browser-based so you can use it on multiple devices. The fact that I can use it on multiple devices is especially good for me with a newborn in the house as I can run downstairs from my office to keep an eye on my son and pick up where I left off on my tablet.

If you’re not already trying your hand at 3D Sculptor, I strongly urge you to try it. It really has a lot to offer and since it runs on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform you also get data management and collaboration capabilities. I’d also suggest you take advantage of the SOLIDWORKS Cloud Offer, which includes 3D Sculptor, 3D Creator for parametric design and many other solutions that work seamlessly together.

Below is a model I designed using 3D Sculptor, 3D Creator, 3D Sheetmetal Creator, and rendered in 3D Render, all available in the SOLIDWORKS Cloud Offer.

To learn about more of the browser-based roles, check out the latest update in this blog and stay tuned for the April release.

 

Renan Ichi

Renan Ichi

Renan Ichi has been with Dassault Systèmes since 2019 and is currently a SOLIDWORKS Roles Portfolio Manager focused on SOLIDWORKS Visualize, SOLIDWORKS browser-based roles, and other solutions. He’s originally from São Paulo, Brazil and has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah. When he’s not working, he enjoys outdoor adventures, such as trips to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, with his family.