3DEXPERIENCE Works EDU Spotlight:Nadir Oktay Küçükaltun – I Can Fully Realize My Dreams

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Nadir Oktay Küçükaltun is a SOLIDWORKS Champion, our SOLIDWORKS User Group Leader (SWUG) Leader in Turkey, 3DEXPERIENCE EDU Champion, and winner of SOLIDWORKS Student Model Mania in 2023.  Known to the SOLIDWORKS community and his friends as Nadiro, he has also won Student Model Mania in 2022, ARM4ALL Public Vote Winner, and taken first place in our DASSAULT SYSTEMES Take Climate Action challenge.

I am honored to interview Nadiro for 3DEXPERIENCE Works EDU Spotlight.  When I first contacted him, the devastating earthquake in Turkey had just occurred.  He apologized for not getting back to me right away.  Although we had a few delays, I hope his interview will inspire you as much as it reflects the best in our SOLIDWORKS community.

Marie: Tell the SOLIDWORKS community something about your background.  Where did you grow up?   Who were the people that influenced your life?

Nadiro: I was born and raised in Adana, Turkey. My education was very poor until I discovered SOLIDWORKS. I used to think I would become an accountant or an electrical technician, and I was very unsuccessful. I first encountered SOLIDWORKS in high school in 2013, at age 14, where I was studying Computer-Aided Machine Drawing. My teacher gave me a SOLIDWORKS book as a gift, and I completed the curriculum that would take one year to finish in just one month. Additionally, my skills in three-dimensional thinking were developed, and my teacher played a significant role in that. At that time, there were few 3D printers available, and I had printed a lid handle for a teapot, which was my first 3D printer product.  Until graduation, I used to do homework for university students and assist them with CAD/CAM programs.

In my final year of high school, I did a 9-month long-term technical drafting internship at a major pipe manufacturer in Turkey. During this internship in the mold shop, I had the opportunity to examine mold models ranging from approximately 5,000 to 8,000 parts, and my experiences with SOLIDWORKS significantly improved my skills. After graduating from high school, I started working as a freelancer for one year and was involved in many projects to create technical documentation. As my focus area was mass production and system mechanisms, I had the opportunity to develop myself in that area.

Then, I studied Mechanical Drawing and Construction at a reputable university in Turkey as achieved an associate degree. I graduated 2nd in my class. During this 2-year period, I also worked as a freelancer and undertook tasks such as integrating mass production machines and designing apparatus for conveyor belt systems.

After graduation, I achieved my dream of being accepted into a Mechanical Engineering program, and I am currently continuing my studies in this field.

Marie: What was your favorite SOLIDWORKS product during this time?

Nadiro: Actually, SOLIDWORKS was a program that fully met my expectations. Because of the field I was studying, I am someone who turns everything into a game in life. When I met SOLIDWORKS, I thought of it as the game of my field. The SOLIDWORKS program fully meets my expectations, combining what I have learned in my field with my gamer personality. When I open this program, I lose myself and enter a different realm where I can fully realize my dreams. I love the SolidWorks program as a whole, but my favorite is SolidWorks Visualize.

Marie: Do you use any other 3DEXPERIENCE platform apps like xDesign or xShape?

Nadiro I do use it. While xShape is my favorite, I have used all of the programs separately. Their common and crucial feature is that they can work with any internet-connected device, which is very suitable for the new generation of home office work model. People can work together, develop beautiful designs and improve their communication skills without having to travel miles. Finally, my favorite feature is not an application, but rather the Design Guidance and Lifecycle tabs.

Marie: Do you use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform in other ways?  I saw you on SOLIDWORKS Live with Sean O’Neil.  What is your favorite app?

Nadiro: I have a dashboard that I use for different areas apart from my personal design notes. On that dashboard, I mainly keep track of website links and daily tasks that I want to accomplish. Since I try to assist students with their problems on Tekyaz, SOLIDWORKS Value Added Reseller,  it is more useful for me. 3D Dashboard is my favorite application.

Marie: I understand you are and integral part of the 3DEXPERIENCE Student community, how did you get involved in the community?

Nadiro:  When I was in high school, I knew about Tekyaz as the first company that comes to mind when it comes to SOLIDWORKS in our country. I never thought that I would work as an intern engineer at Tekyaz. One day, I attended a SOLIDCAM summit and saw the projects that İlker Uludağ and Esra Plevne Büke had done for students. That’s when I decided to join the Tekyaz Edu Student Community. From then on, nothing was the same. I found a great environment to network with people who share the projects I did and share them without any direct purpose, hoping someone would see them and give me feedback. This is how I started using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Thanks to Esra Plevne, I was encouraged to participate in many competitions, and I had the opportunity to organize presentations and training sessions for students in my country, especially regarding 3DEXPERIENCE applications.

Marie: You just won Student Model Mania 2023 (and 2022) at 3DEXPERIENCE World – tell us something about this competition?

Nadiro: Since I learned SOLIDWORKS, I have been following Model Mania competitions with admiration. In fact, because of this admiration, I used to organize fast drawing and design competitions with my friends, just like in the Model Mania competitions. As can be understood from my current situation, I always won these competitions. I used to feel sad inside because I knew I would never be able to participate in these competitions since there was no possibility of going to America. That was until I joined the 3DEXPERIENCE Edu Student Community. This community offered me the chance to enter the world of my dreams and participate in Model Mania competitions. I can never forget the moment when I learned that I would participate in these competitions. I couldn’t sleep for two days due to excitement. As it is known, I am the champion of Student Model Mania 2022 and 2023.

Marie:  We knew about your talents earlier this year, you also participated other DASSAULT SYSTEMES challenge can you tell us about that?

Nadiro: One of these competitions was ARM4ALL. During that competition, I read many articles about prosthetic arms and wondered how I could design a product without electronic components. Then the idea of using a fishing line came to my mind, and I designed a product accordingly. Although it was a bit of an amateur design, I won an award due to the good visuals.

In the Take Climate Action competition, I gathered the most points and came in first place. As a hobby, I was examining designs of NASA’s rover vehicles on photos, and at that time, I learned a lot of information about rover systems. The Take Climate Action competition was specifically about environmentally friendly projects, and I decided to develop a product to use our world’s dwindling water resources more efficiently in the coming years. I then learned that the most significant water loss occurs in agricultural and irrigation activities, and I wanted to design a rover that could perform irrigation control and pesticide spraying and move freely on agricultural land. I didn’t have a team; I was alone in this process, and I received the most help from artificial intelligence and corrected my incorrect information through research, then wrote a simple report. If you want to review these projects, you can check out my profile on the 3DEXPERIENCE Edu Student community or watch the video on my YouTube channel. I am thankful for Dassault Systemes in offering these kinds of competitions to us, and it is really great to provide us with this knowledge for the benefit of the world.

Marie: You are a SWUG Turkey Anatolian leader can you tell us where your members are from, what kind of industries, schools?

Nadiro: Most of our community members are students whom I refer to as the future engineers, and individuals with experience in the field, whom I bring together in a User Group that I manage. We organize events specifically focused on new SOLIDWORKS products and the 3DEXPERIENCE World. While connecting students with experienced professionals, we also focus on the practical applications of these tools.

Marie: You have spent a long time learning and designing with SOLIDWORKS and new applications on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.  How do these new software applications help?

Nadiro: I have many ideas here, especially since I started learning SOLIDWORKS at a young age and had the opportunity and time to practice a lot, which helped me improve a lot. However, if you are above a certain age and don’t have much time, you should take professional and purposeful training from MySolidWorks or distributors in your country to learn these types of programs. Learning 3DEXPERIENCE is particularly easy for young people because its interface and logic are very simple. I think someone who can use SOLIDWORKS without difficulty will also be able to use xApps without difficulty. Also, my advice to those who want to learn 3DEXPERIENCE is that there are already enough resources on the Edu space, but while learning, if you focus on understanding that this platform is a whole and that each application and role is interconnected, you can easily learn this platform. It ensures easier and more results-oriented compatibility between the design part of business management departments and software such as PDM and ERP. Of course, I am not a very professional person, and what I am saying can vary from person to person.

Marie: Now that you have achieved Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert CSWE, a great accomplishment, what do you want to do next?

Nadiro: I have never had the opportunity to take the CSWE exam because I don’t have the budget to afford it as a student. However, I know that if I could take the CSWE exam, I would pass it.

Marie: Wait a minute! With all your skills and talent, I really thought you had taken the CSWE exam.  Let me send a message…….I have contacted members of the SOLIDWORKS Certification team and SOLIDWORKS Education team, we will help you achieve this goal for all you have done for the SOLIDWORKS community. Thank you Avelino and Chris for your help.

We will also provide you the Specialty exam credits and new 3DEXPERIENCE certification exam credits too.  Thank you for all you do to help others with SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio. Design well. Marie

Marie Planchard

Marie Planchard

Senior Director, Early Engagement, 3DEXPERIENCE Works at Dassault Systemes
Marie Planchard is an education and engineering advocate. As Senior Director of Education & Early Engagement, SOLIDWORKS, she is responsible for global development of content and social outreach for the 3DEXPERIENCE Works products across all levels of learning including educational institutions, Fab Labs, and entrepreneurship.
Marie Planchard

@marieplanchard1