Carlos Reyes, known on YouTube and Instagram as @Carlos3DPrint, has built a large following around his cosplay and prop work, including Iron Man armors, a Proton Cannon, a Star Wars Mandalorian costume, and a Green Goblin flyer on a hoverboard.

Scroll through his posts and you’ll find a lot of detailed 3D prints, but you don’t always see the CAD work that holds it all together. Carlos uses SOLIDWORKS for Makers tools, including SOLIDWORKS, xShape and xDesign, to bring his cosplay creations to life.

Learn how to bring your hobby and DIY ideas to life with SOLIDWORKS for Makers.

Carlos has been using SOLIDWORKS for over a decade, gaining new skills with practice. At 3DEXPERIENCE World 2024, he decided to put his expertise to the test and took the Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) exam for three hours with no prep. He passed.

“I thought I’d finish early,” he said. “But the stress hit. Still, I got it.” Having the certification validated what he already knew. It also allowed him to get more involved with the SOLIDWORKS community as someone who understands the tools at a deeper level.

A Different Kind of Challenge

“I wasn’t planning to take the exam,” Carlos said. “Someone from the team mentioned it offhand, just kind of, ‘Hey, why not try it?’ I hadn’t studied. But I thought, okay, I’ve been doing this long enough, I should see where I’m at.”

It turned out to be harder than expected. “It’s timed. It’s structured. And you only realize once you’re in it how different it is from day-to-day modeling.” But finishing the CSWP changed things. Shortly after, a reseller in Europe reached out. They’d seen his content, saw his certification, and offered him a part-time role. “Now I do some customer support with them,” Carlos said. “They were very clear; they liked my work, and the certification showed I could back it up.”

Rebuilding, Experimenting, Figuring Things Out

Carlos’s work with SOLIDWORKS has always been closely tied to creating things, such as 3D-printed parts and physical models, that need to function and look good while doing so. Lately, he’s been working with Aryan Shastry on some very specific modeling problems, like reverse-engineering a scanned automotive part without high-end equipment.

“I had a cheap scanner, and the result was messy. Most people think you just scan, clean it up, and print. But that only works if your scanner costs ten thousand dollars.” Instead, Carlos built a better model over the scan using surfacing techniques, something he hadn’t used much before. Aryan helped break it down and turned the process into a learning moment.

“There are tools in SOLIDWORKS I’ve never touched, even after twelve years. That’s what I’m discovering now, just how much is still in there.”

Aryan’s mentorship is informal and has involved working on small projects together, most recently designing a Voronoi lamp in SOLIDWORKS, using a few commands he hadn’t explored before. Even after years of using SOLIDWORKS for his 3D printing project, Carlos is learning new tricks, like 3D printing the lamp’s outer shell without supports.

Bigger Certification Goals, Without the Countdown Clock

Carlos is also eyeing the Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert (CSWE) exam, but he’s not drawing up a study plan just yet. That exam requires several specialized certifications, including surfacing, sheet metal, and simulation, and he’s working through them one at a time.

“There’s no deadline. I’m trying to actually learn this stuff. Not just pass it.” If it takes a couple of years, he’s fine with that. Maybe 2027. Maybe sooner. He’s got plenty of fun projects in the works in the meantime.

For Anyone Thinking About Taking the Exam

Carlos says he waited too long to get certified. “I was using SOLIDWORKS every day, but I still didn’t feel ready. I had the idea that certification was only for engineers or full-time CAD people. But once I learned you could retake it if you needed to, I figured, why not try?”

That decision to get his CSWP reshaped how others saw his work and how he sees it, too. “If you’re already using SOLIDWORKS to make things, you probably know more than you think. Just give it a shot. Don’t wait for perfect timing. You’ll learn something either way.”

Learn more about SOLIDWORKS for Makers, 3D modeling, and cloud-based design tools for personal use for just $48/USD a year.

Follow Carlos on YouTube and Instagram to see his latest builds and behind-the-scenes projects

Learn more about Carlos’ work:

How CAD and 3D Printing Are Revolutionizing Cosplay with @Carlos3D

Building the Green Goblin’s Glider with Carlos 3D and SOLIDWORKS for Makers

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Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. offers complete 3D software tools that let you create, simulate, publish, and manage your data. SolidWorks products are easy to learn and use, and work together to help you design products better, faster, and more cost-effectively. The SolidWorks focus on ease-of-use allows more engineers, designers and other technology professionals than ever before to take advantage of 3D in bringing their designs to life.