Snapshot
Ask SolidProfessor provides in-depth responses to SOLIDWORKS questions asked by the community using case studies, design strategy overviews, and workflow comparisons. This course is updated with new lessons each month.
Who is this series for?
Intermediate and advanced SOLIDWORKS users who are interested in using working-pace lessons to develop skills in a variety of subjects and productivity tools not covered in other courses.
How can you use it?
These lessons can be used to improve general problem-solving capability in SOLIDWORKS, explore new techniques and concepts, and troubleshoot errors and design strategy.
What makes it special?
The Ask SolidProfessor format does not require viewers to commit to an entire course and explores broader concepts and design scenarios that combine tools from different subjects in industry-standard use cases. Author-on-screen is used to communicate more effectively.
The eLearning Problem
Since the release of our first eLearning modules for SOLIDWORKS in 2004 (distributed via compact disc, believe it or not) the SolidProfessor course library has grown to include everything from introductory lessons on sketching and designing parts to advanced applications of state-of-the-art simulation tools. Naturally, whether you’re learning how to sketch your first circle or troubleshooting an electronics cooling simulation, you’re going to have some questions throughout even the most comprehensive courses.
Our first YouTube video debuted on February 19, 2007 and featured a tutorial on Sketch Blocks
We’ve written extensively about the benefits of self-paced learning, especially in classroom and group settings, but it’s impossible to predict and answer every question a viewer might have in video format, and the absence of an instructor can be frustrating when a question is left unanswered. Ask SolidProfessor was developed to address this problem by answering questions directly from community members and publishing them as video solutions.
Addressing Community Questions
Some of the most interesting subjects we’ve had the pleasure of documenting have been the result of questions and design scenarios proposed by students, customers, and even random forum users looking to better understand how a workflow or a particular set of tools applies to their specific design application.
Examples of community questions addressed by Ask SolidProfessor
The community driven nature of Ask SolidProfessor results in lessons on subjects that (in most cases) aren’t covered by other courses. Some questions are broad enough to be solved through many different approaches, while others already have a well-established best practice. Some questions revolve around design theory, while others inquire about the options of specific tools. The result is a spectrum of topics aimed at a variety of skill levels with a unique “independent lesson” format that maintains some distinct advantages over our traditional courses.
Independent Lesson Format
Each entry in the Ask SolidProfessor series begins with a design question that will be answered by the end of the video and stands on its own as a self-contained, independent lesson (with some exceptions for multipart miniseries). Each lesson averages roughly 10 minutes, which is quite a bit longer than our standard lessons but allows us to provide more context and answer potential follow-on questions as solutions are explored.
These lessons are excellent for intermediate and advanced users with an existing foundational knowledge of SOLIDWORKS but may be rather fast-paced for beginners. Unlike our library courses, which are presented at a pace that allows viewers to follow along in their own seat of SOLIDWORKS, Ask SolidProfessor is presented at “working-pace” for more experienced users, focusing on concepts, ideas, and comparisons rather than the individual steps of a process.
Using Convert Entities Efficiently – Presented at “working-pace”
This flexible, independent format allows you to discover new design approaches, explore new tools, and learn how to operate more efficiently without committing to an entire course, although additional learning resources are provided at the end of each lesson if you found the material to be too fast-paced or wish to learn more about the subject. Additionally, the author-on-screen format is unique to the Ask SolidProfessor series (for now at least!) and can be a nice touch for those who prefer to learn directly from another person rather than a faceless voice.
Integrating Tools and Techniques
Because the Ask SolidProfessor is not tied to any particular subject matter or skill level, there exists a distinct opportunity to demonstrate tools and techniques that are often used together in practice, but which are documented in separate courses. These lessons usually take the form of short case studies, combining features and strategies covered throughout multiple courses into a single comprehensive design approach.
Consider our lesson on creating a compressible spring assembly as an example – This case study leverages Instant3D (covered in SOLIDWORKS Essentials for Part Design), advanced sweeps (Advanced Part Design), and in-content assembly modeling (Advanced Assembly Design) all in the same workflow. Each of these concepts is covered individually in separate courses, but the Ask SolidProfessor format allows viewers to understand their greater design potential when used together.
Compressible Spring Assembly – Combining beginner, intermediate, and advanced design techniques
While it may be more practical to introduce new capabilities according to skill level, especially for new users, real-life design work often requires various sets of tools to be used in tandem. These lessons offer an excellent opportunity to better understand how SOLIDWORKS tools from various categories of design work can be used in conjunction with one another in the context of a project, rather than in a vacuum.
Self-Service Troubleshooting
Although SolidProfessor is primarily known for our full-length educational courses on SOLIDWORKS and other CAD platforms, many of our users also find the platform useful for quick solutions to design issues faced at work or in the classroom. Standalone series like Ask SolidProfessor and 2-Minute Tech Tips are excellent resources for users who have a quick problem to solve, but don’t necessarily have the time (or need) to work through an entire course.
While 2-Minute Tech Tips specializes in short and straightforward issues such as disabling the selection filter or restoring missing popup dialogs, Ask SolidProfessor addresses broader and more complex issues such as determining why a sketch is underdefined and design strategies for ball and socket joints, offering a variety of strategies and best practices for success. These lessons can be found by browsing the Ask SolidProfessor catalog or with a simple search from the home page and will get you back to work much faster and more effectively than a Google search.
Browsing the Ask SolidProfessor catalog and using search results for troubleshooting
Both Ask SolidProfessor and 2-Minute Tech Tips are a great way for established SOLIDWORKS users to continually gain new skills to improve design proficiency and develop healthy modeling habits. Additionally, the What’s New in SOLIDWORKS series follows a similar format and covers the latest developments in the software for users looking to stay up to date with the latest capabilities.
Continuous CAD Education with Ask SolidProfessor
Unlike our standard full-length courses, which are revised as needed on varying yearly cycles as software updates are released, the Ask SolidProfessor series is frequently updated with new lessons (typically at least once per month). This enables even the most experienced of users to regularly learn about something new, whether that be a novel design approach, an obscure function, or a new productivity tool.
Our 2-Minute Tech Tips and What’s New in SOLIDWORKS series follow a similar release schedule with frequent updates, so be sure to check back often to discover new possibilities and get the most out of SOLIDWORKS with Ask SolidProfessor.
