Michael Lord

What don’t I know about SOLIDWORKS?

Well that’s a good question, and one, which is hard to answer, unless you go looking.

Despite using the software now for 15years, I certainly know that I don’t know everything within the software.   I would like to think, that I’ve picked up a few skills over the year.  I know that how I model today and the tools that I use, are certainly different from when I first started in the program.

Your modeling techniques evolve over the years, SOLIDWORKS releases new tools and you expand your knowledge.  I read the “What’s New” with each new release.  I look for the small day to day improvements & enhancements in those releases, as these give you the best return.  It has never mattered what technical sessions I’ve attend, over the years at SOLIDWORKS/ 3DEXPERIENCE Worlds , I’ve always walked away with something from each session.  The same with presentations at User Groups, it’s always the 1%ers that you are looking for, to give you an edge!

So how do you know, what you don’t know!  Well, SolidProfessor has a new tool that might just provide a guide to that question.

SolidProfessor has recently added the SolidProfessor SOLIDWORKS Skills Analyzer to give you a guide, to your skill base and a recommend learning path, to your missing skills!

There are three test to take, Basics, Advance & Expert.  So what else to do, than to dive straight in and give it a go.  Well hopefully I know the Basics! Each test has 24-25 questions, multiple choice.  At the end of end test you have an instant result!  Along with the results are the correct answers and a guideline to the recommended SolidProfessor tutorial.

I’m not overly surprised that my drawing knowledge was down.  If I was in the program I have confidence that I would have found the correct tool that was required (hopefully) but naming them, I appear to have confused a few.    Now that I’ve warmed up with Basic test, lets jump straight into the Advance one.  So my Advance Assemblies could do with some work!

With two down and one to go, lets see what I can do with the Expert test!  Well, I’m not all that surprised that I could do with some work with Mold Tools!  I have to say that I can’t recall, the last time, I have ever had the Mold Tool Toolbar displayed.

As learning paths go, it’s hard to beat the SolidProfessor Tutorials for SOLIDWORKS (and a range of other CAD software).  Their course range is comprehensive and is there to guide you though each stage of your learning.

Have a look at the SolidProfessor SOLIDWORKS Skills Analyzer and give it a go, give your entire team a go, and see what you know about SOLIDWORKS …. or more importantly what you don’t know, and set yourself on a path on how you can know!