From experienced CAD users to novices, the 2023 internal Design Competition brought together Onshapers from all departments, including interns, to help showcase the boundless potential that CAD modeling has to offer.
As an annual tradition, the competition invited participants to showcase their creativity and technical prowess in one of three categories: Part Design, Assembly Design, and T-Shirt Design.
The submissions across all categories were nothing short of brilliant, underscoring the collective genius that resides within Onshape's talented workforce.
The judging panel, comprising experts with discerning eyes, meticulously evaluated each design, adhering to a set of criteria that included professionalism, complexity, best practices, and, of course, the all-important factor of awesomeness.
Judges added bonus points if the designs were production-ready, collaborative, or included rendering. What’s being a winner if you don’t get a prize to show off your awesomeness?
Winners received bragging rights in the form of a $100 Amazon gift card and an Onshape T-shirt.
Now, allons-y to the most exciting part of the whole event – our winners!
People’s Choice Award: Assembly Design
Aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit Concept
The PTC Education Team, which includes PTC’s Global Academic Program Senior Vice President Jordan Cox and Education Programs Director Peter Zink, created this beautiful model of an auxiliary power unit (APU).
The model won this category for its accurate and detailed design, use of documentation, complex assembly, exploded views, and beautiful renderings.
“We are also focusing on using Onshape to create 3D conceptual designs as opposed to 2D sketches and drawings that are typically used today,” the team said about this design.
Judge’s Choice Award: Assembly Design
Electric Airplane Concept
PTC’s Education Team designed the Electric Airplane, which embraces lessons from industrial design, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering. Team members included Jordan Cox, Jackson O’Toole, Calvin Seed, Alex Cazacu, Naomi Edwards, and Matt Shields.
Talk about a team that can do it all!
Members were applauded for their documentation, collaboration, and extensive use of modeling and assembly techniques. This design also had the “WOW” factor!
The team wanted to model an electric airplane to highlight 3D conceptual models in product development.
People’s Choice Award: T-Shirt Design
Onshape Features
Chris von Staats and Diana Manta, a duo from the PTC Education team, tapped into their graphic design skill set with this funky T-shirt. The two were awarded the top spot for this unique and creative use of Onshape feature icons.
The design was inspired by educator Kate Leipold, who attended LiveWorx 2023 with a 3D-printed Mate Connector icon attached to her event badge.
“I realized then that a Mate Connector was a cool symbol and representative of Onshape,” von Staats said of the design. Taking that idea for the T-shirt design contest, Chris and the team identified tool icons that looked like letters to spell out Onshape. They made sure to include sketch tools, part tools, and assembly tools, leaving no aspect of Onshape's robust CAD features overlooked.
“We realized it would be a really cool way for Onshape users to feel like they were ‘in the know’ when they saw it,” he added. “Anyone could see it and read it, but an Onshape user would immediately recognize the tools and feel some pride or even accomplishment in their recognition.”
The entire Onshape team eagerly awaits their T-shirt to sport out and about grocery shopping and beyond!
People’s Choice Award: Part Design
Onshape Acoustic Guitar
Onshape’s sales team member, Christian Blanc, won the people’s hearts with his design of an Onshape-themed guitar. Voters appreciated the realistic renderings and attention to detail.
This was Blanc’s first time creating an original design in Onshape, having some previous CAD experience with SOLIDWORKS. He was able to jump right into Onshape after utilizing Learning Center resources.
“The live BootCamp training helped me understand the nuances of designing with Onshape,” he said. “The ability to create top-down designs from the first moment made things super simple.”
Christian was able to reference a real guitar for measurements but had creative control over the 3D model’s contours and other design aspects.
“About 30 percent of my design was done on my cellphone,” he said. “When a design strategy popped into my head, I was able to immediately log that idea in my design – sometimes while riding the subway to the office!”
Bonus Shoutout: Rendering a Movie Scene
It even has a watermark!
Taking a cinematic turn, Modeling Workflow Experience Manager Steve Mycynek paid homage to "American Psycho" with a rendering that showcased the prowess of Render Studio's textures, materials, and lighting. This creative endeavor added a touch of artistry to the competition and demonstrated the diverse applications of Onshape’s powerful platform.
As the curtains close on the 2023 internal CAD design competition, it's worth noting that this event isn't just a one-time affair. It's a recurring testament to Onshape's commitment to pushing the boundaries of cloud-native CAD capabilities.
This year's focus on Render Studio and exemplary model-building serves not only to showcase best practices but also to ignite the flames of innovation and inspire groundbreaking 3D designs.
If you're eager to embark on your own CAD journey, why not try your hand at Onshape? Sign up for a Professional trial and immerse yourself in the realm of creative possibilities.
And for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, remember to explore the past designs from 2022 and 2021.
Here's to the pursuit of excellence and the relentless quest for engineering innovation!
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