The SolidWorks Geek

One of the greatest advantages of being at SolidWorks World is being able to talk to SolidWorks users from around the world and learn how they are utilizing SolidWorks. At the CSWP off-site event, I had an opportunity to chat briefly with Thierry Beauegard. Thierry has the holy grail of SolidWorks related jobs, he designs toys. As the design supervisor of the preschool division for Mega Brands Inc., Thierry and his team of designers have created many well known toys in the Mega Bloks product line including the Dora the Explorer, Diego and Disney titles.
In talking to Thierry, I was surprised to learn how much he and his team fully utilize SolidWorks in their product development.  The process all starts when Thierry’s team is presented with a request from marketing to create a new toy to fill a need in the product line. After initial sketches, the team begins modeling different ideas in SolidWorks using the same design process we are all familiar with. After a few ideas are modeled up, they are then printed out using rapid prototyping. This process allows them to quickly evaluate different design concepts and determine which design should be further refined.
After the prototype is approved, the design is further refined in SolidWorks using a combination of solids and surfaces. Using library features, they are able to make sure that all the mating geometry is consistent and will work with the standard blocks that are common among all product lines. Then using the mold tools available in SolidWorks, the model design is evaluated for moldability prior to sending the models for mold fabrication. From start to finish the process can take a few weeks to create new designs that are ready for manufacturing.
Even after the cool new toy design is complete, SolidWorks still plays a major part in the product lifecycle. The models used for manufacturing are then used to create the instruction manuals in PhotoWorks and used to create animations for marketing videos.
You are probably wondering how to get an awesomely cool job in tool design. Well, it is not as hard as you may think. According to Thierry, the following is what is required to be a toy designer. First, you need to be creative and innovative to be able to design toys that kids would really love. You need to be able to create hand sketches in order to create your concepts.  You should be a little crazy and have a passion for toys. But don’t think it is all fun and games; you need to have good engineering skills since there are safety guidelines that are important to adhere to in designs. You also need to have a good knowledge of molding. If you cannot properly mold your design, that could be a problem.
So steal some of your kid’s toys and start modeling them up in SolidWorks. Who knows, you can be a future toy designer having the time of your life.