{"id":12667,"date":"2021-04-30T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T11:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/?p=12667"},"modified":"2021-04-26T08:00:11","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T12:00:11","slug":"former-orange-county-choppers-designer-blazes-a-new-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/2021\/04\/former-orange-county-choppers-designer-blazes-a-new-trail.html","title":{"rendered":"Former Orange County Choppers Designer Blazes a New Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Prominently displayed at the SOLIDWORKS North American headquarters in Waltham, MA, you can see Jason Pohl\u2019s handiwork, a custom-designed motorcycle, engineered entirely with SOLIDWORKS\u00ae. Best known for his long career at Orange County Choppers (OCC), Pohl is now an independent designer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jasonpohl.com\/\">Jason Pohl LLC<\/a>. His enthusiasm for design, innovation, problem solving, and creativity is infectious.<\/p>\n<p>Pohl first started using SOLIDWORKS at OCC when he was 21 years old. \u201cI kind of rolled my eyes when I first learned that I had to use SOLIDWORKS for design, but I gave it a shot anyway,\u201d remembers Pohl. \u201cNow I have been using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solidworks.com\/\">SOLIDWORKS<\/a> for over 16 years, and I use it every day in my new business.\u201d Pohl is especially proud of inspiring others to become designers, engineers, or manufacturers. \u201cIf I can help just one kid figure out what they want to do in life&#8230;that&#8217;s called a mission success.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-12661\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_motorcycle-615x403.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"435\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_motorcycle-615x403.jpg 615w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_motorcycle-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_motorcycle-768x503.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_motorcycle-1536x1006.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_motorcycle-728x477.jpg 728w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_motorcycle.jpg 1539w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Favorite Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pohl earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Illinois Institute of Art. He started out working on various video games as an artist\/animator at Incredible Technologies. While lead designer at <a href=\"https:\/\/orangecountychoppers.com\/\">Orange County Choppers<\/a>, he created state-of-the-art designs for Fortune 500 companies and individuals from all over the world. Pohl says his favorite project is always \u201cthe next one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked for his advice to students interested in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM), Pohl says: \u201cWork hard every day. Learn every day. Constantly put yourself in uncomfortable situations and adapt and overcome and never remain complacent. No one&#8217;s going to give you a free ticket to easy town right into an awesome job. You&#8217;re going to have to earn everything you get.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-12664 \" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/jason_pohl_pic-1-scaled-e1619119864276-566x615.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"272\" height=\"296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/jason_pohl_pic-1-scaled-e1619119864276-566x615.jpg 566w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/jason_pohl_pic-1-scaled-e1619119864276-276x300.jpg 276w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/jason_pohl_pic-1-scaled-e1619119864276-768x835.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/jason_pohl_pic-1-scaled-e1619119864276-1414x1536.jpg 1414w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/jason_pohl_pic-1-scaled-e1619119864276-728x791.jpg 728w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/jason_pohl_pic-1-scaled-e1619119864276.jpg 1708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 272px) 100vw, 272px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>SOLIDWORKS Champion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pohl is an \u201cIndustrial Design Champion\u201d for SOLIDWORKS and <strong>3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE\u00ae Works. In this capacity, Pohl\u2019s design process\u2014creating custom parts from an initial concept sketch to 3D sculpting, programming, and machining of the final product\u2014will be recorded and used as an educational tool.<\/p>\n<p>Pohl\u2019s primary goals as an industrial designer (and artist) are to create compelling, stylized designs for his customers that naturally grab attention. When Pohl discovered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solidworks.com\/product\/3d-sculptor\">3D Sculptor<\/a>, a Sub-D modeling tool in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solidworks.com\/3dexperience-works\"><strong>3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE Works portfolio<\/a>, he became obsessed with it. \u201cIt\u2019s just like pushing clay around,\u201d says Pohl. In 3D Sculptor, you start with a basic shape and push and pull it into the form of the object you desire.<\/p>\n<p>Being a dyed-in-the-wool SOLIDWORKS user, Pohl admits that he was at first hesitant to try the other tools on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solidworks.com\/lp\/solidworks-cloud-solutions-2019\"><strong>3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE platform<\/a>. But once he spent time investigating and trying new products, his attitude changed. \u201cIf I had never touched 3D Sculptor, I would have been the same designer I was 3 months ago,\u201d says Pohl.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12685 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_Pohl_3DX-1-615x399.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_Pohl_3DX-1-615x399.jpg 615w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_Pohl_3DX-1-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_Pohl_3DX-1-768x498.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_Pohl_3DX-1-728x472.jpg 728w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Jason_Pohl_3DX-1.jpg 1095w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Motivating Others<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When Pohl worked at OCC and was asked what he did for a living, he replied, \u201cWell, I draw pictures of motorcycles, and then I color them in. So, in a way, I get paid to color.\u201d But what Pohl does is actually far more elaborate: research and development, conceptual sketching, 3D modeling, photorealistic rendering of design ideas, CNC programming, machining, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Pohl aims to inspire the next generation of designers by demonstrating the power of SOLIDWORKS and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solidworks.com\/3dexperience-works\"><strong>3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE WORKS<\/a> portfolio. He shares his extensive design and manufacturing knowledge with educational seminars and user group meetings via video and in-person demonstrations. Viewers will become better acquainted with 3D printers, CNC machine manufacturers, hardware companies, and tooling partners, among other benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m excited to share my experiences with other designers and inventors,\u201d says Pohl. \u201cWith a healthy imagination and the proper tools, I really do believe people can create just about anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pohl believes the opportunities for students to learn are endless. \u201cWatch YouTube to see what professionals are doing [in the design and engineering world]. Keep hustling. Every day and every night, push yourself to be that much better than the peers around you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>If you have further questions about SOLIDWORKS or <strong>3D<\/strong>EXPERIENCE Works, please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solidworks.com\/sw\/education\/edu_reseller.html\">contact your local reseller<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>See how Jason Pohl, now an independent designer, is championing product development with SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Works via educational events.<\/p>\n... <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/2021\/04\/former-orange-county-choppers-designer-blazes-a-new-trail.html\">Continued<\/a>","protected":false},"author":486,"featured_media":12661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6862,5381,7001,5491,5492,6712,5767,4015,5210,5205,5380,5211],"tags":[6834,5281,7008,7007,4982,7013,7010,7012,7006,7011,7009,5426],"class_list":["post-12667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3dexperience","category-cad-2","category-cnc","category-customer-stories","category-design-2","category-education","category-learned-solidworks-in-school","category-mechanical-engineering","category-science-2","category-stem-course","category-stem-science-technology-engineering-and-math","category-technology-2","tag-3d-sculptor","tag-3dexperience","tag-3dxw","tag-blog","tag-cnc","tag-industrial-designer","tag-jason-pohl","tag-motorcycles","tag-occ","tag-orange-county-choppers","tag-solidworks-champions","tag-steam"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/486"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12667"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12692,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12667\/revisions\/12692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}