SolidWorks Education Edition teaching guides and lessons have been updated with new content, with additional support for STEM subjects
The latest version of SolidWorks Education Edition has arrived early for school, like a swotty little kid trying to get the seat at the front of the classroom next to the teacher.
It promises numerous new additions to its 3D design applications, aiming to improve the ability of students not just design, but work with simulation, product data management, technical documentation and electrical design.
The global SolidWorks community has surpassed 100,000 certified users, and as part of French software giant Dassault Systèmes, is showing no signs of slowing down this expansion among the next generation of designers.
The integrated SolidWorks Education 2014 -2015 applications portfolio includes new tools to enhance teacher efficiency, shorten student design processes, increase team collaboration and enable educational productivity across numerous areas, including:
– Teaching guides and lessons, updated with new content, with additional support for developing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum.
– Libraries of robot assembly models to help competitive teams in FIRST robotics and other platforms such as LEGO, TETRIX by Pitsco and MATRIX.
– SolidWorks Simulation Premium for interactive FEA results.
– Curve-Driven Patterns, a feature that enables faster and easier creation of patterns, such as chains and conveyor systems.
– Assembly Explode, to add rotational explode to components and more clearly and effectively communicate product assembly processes on drawings and in animations.
SolidWorks Electrical, sold separately, is now fully integrated into the education edition. With its ability to enable students in engineering, robotics, and other disciplines it should help open up electrical projects for students starting with 2D system schematics and ending with 3D routing and cabling interconnecting components.
In a new step, all FIRST Robotics teams (a US schools robotics extravaganza) are eligible for a SolidWorks Robotics Sponsorship, which is based on and includes the latest Education Edition.
Qualified schools are given the Student Edition licenses at no charge for use by their students outside the classroom, which we’re happy to report we’ve seen working well firsthand.
