At the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), students must complete a senior design project prior to graduating. To assist students with their final projects, the university wanted a solid modeling program that provided ease-of-use and enough power to handle complex 3D drawings. SOLIDWORKS and Pro/ENGINEER software packages were both evaluated and purchased.

"The project was completed in just ten weeks, including the time to learn SOLIDWORKS, design the linear actuator, plus draw and modify the actuator in SOLIDWORKS."
Timothy W. Student, MSOE

The Solution

MSOE installed SOLIDWORKS as its primary solid modeling software, but students could choose from a variety of programs to complete their projects. Though familiar with CADKEY software, students on Tim White’s team chose SOLIDWORKS software to design their senior design project, citing a preference for the native solid modeling environment instead of using AutoCAD with a 3D add-on. The entire project was completed in just ten weeks, including the time required to learn SOLIDWORKS, design the proposed linear actuator, and then draw and modify the actuator using SOLIDWORKS. The design project team used PhotoWorks software to create compelling images for a presentation given to Jordan Controls, Inc.