NOVEDGE blog

Interview with Jonathan Pickup, Vectorworks Guru and Trainer

Every CAD system has its own group of fans and gurus. The excitement of CAD fans for their favorite design system doesn't stop in front of obstacles or barriers. Vectorworks fans are no exception. Among them the most knowledgeable and active is certainly Jonathan Pickup (website, blog, twitter). Despite living in the green land of New Zealand thousand miles away, on the opposite site of the planet from Nemetschek NA, he has become one of the most active experts and trainers of the Vectorworks community. His architectural background makes him extremely effective in creating a connection between the features of Vectorworks and its users. Jonathan's training sessions avoid technical jargon and speak the language of architects and designers. He has generously published most of his training online where it's available for free. Let's ask Jonathan some questions about himself and his favorite CAD system.

Jonathan can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional activities?

I'd always wanted to be an architect and I love creating buildings

I trained as an architect in New Zealand. I'd always wanted to be an architect and I love creating buildings. After graduating the Auckland University School of Architecture and working in several places in New Zealand, I traveled to London where I worked for a large company called BDP. I was there for seven years working on many cool projects like the All England Lawn Tennis Club, National Maritime Museum, and shopping centers.
CAD was not a big thing when I got to London. Hardly anyone used it. Within a few years a few practices were using CAD. BDP had their own system. I was keen to learn the CAD, especially keen when the recession in the early '90's hit. There weren't many CAD operators and I wanted to keep my job, so I worked hard at being good. A few years layer BDP moved to MicroStation and they sent me away to learn how to use that. I was promoted to CAD manager on several projects.
It was about this time that I leaned MiniCAD 3+. That’s how long I've been using Vectorworks, since version 3.

What makes Vectorworks different from or better than other architectural design programs?

Vectorworks may not be better than other programs, but if you can learn to use it really well, it will feel better than other programs

At the time I learned MiniCAD, there were very few 3D programs. Vectorworks seemed so easy to use. Compared to MicroStation, Vectorworks was so easy to use. Now there are more programs that compete with Vectorworks. But Vectorworks still has a easy to use set of tools, and it has some powerful tools.
I have worked hard to build training resources for Vectorworks, and other programs do not have the resources we have. Vectorworks may not be better than other programs, but if you can learn to use it really well, it will feel better than other programs. My next door neighbor uses another CAD program and we've know each other for several years. We chat over the letter box at the end of the driveway. He wishes that his CAD program that the resources that I write, and the regular monthly training I provide. I told him to swap to Vectorworks and he could enjoy it too!

You have extensive experience producing training material. How are new technologies changing the way we learn and use our design programs?

a lot of people just don't realize how easy it is to learn a program with the embedded movies

When I first started writing manuals, I used Microsoft Word. It allows you to do a great deal, and write short manuals quickly. Combine that with a reasonable computer and printer and you can generate high quality manuals. Now you can create PDF files and get the manuals printed on demand.
I have been producing manuals with embedded movies for several years now. I think a lot of people just don't realize how easy it is to learn a program with the embedded movies. The movies let you get the whole picture, and get it quickly. Giving my clients movies has really improved.
The change in the last year has been my ability to provide online training. This has allowed me to offer small amounts of training when the client needs it. I run all my courses on line now. This allows me to be really flexible and it allows me to have students from all over the world.
I only have a few people at each course, I can see their screen if I need to, I can watch them work and I can correct any mistakes. This technology has been a big change for me and my clients. I have started to train clients all over the world.
This allows small amounts of training, bite sized bits of training. Small amounts of training allows the training to be digested before the next session. It allows practice between sessions, which reinforces the learning.
Before this, clients had to travel to my sessions, and I had to travel to different towns. Now I travel to their computer where ever they are. Should I mention the environmental savings?

Vectorworks users have access to several sources of information, from help files and manuals, discussion forums, online videos, and now, your book. Where does your book fit in this crowded set of options? Who should read your book?

my manuals are designed to show you how to compete a task

The Help Files and User Guides are great at showing exactly how to use one tool, but they are no good at showing you how to complete a task. A task uses several tools and commands. Some of these will not be obvious. My manuals are designed to show you how to compete a task. Each month I write a manual for my subscribers, and these show how to complete tasks that are not in any other manuals. For example, one month we covered a room finish schedule. from start to finish, all the steps need to complete the finish schedule, why some things work and why some things don't work. I like to give the reasons why things work, and the reasons why I do things. So, for example, if I'm talking about making layers and classes, I like to tell people why I use these layers and classes. I guess this is what sets my manuals and movies apart.
As for the 3D manual, it has been designed for people that want to get into 3D modeling. The manual starts with very simple modeling, covering all the basic tools and commands. 3D working is a lot of fun and I wanted everyone to see how easy it can be and how much fun you can have. So, if you want to use Vectorworks like SketchUp, if you want to draw a building with out walls, or you want to get into free-form design, try this manual.

Architectural design comes late to the world of 3D modeling. How do you explain this delay?

the problem is that many architects do not see that 3D modeling with a CAD program is useful

I'm not sure I can explain it. I started 3D modeling in MiniCAD 3+. That was a long time ago.
Not all of my employers have been keen to allow me to work in 3D. One employer was quiet strong on preventing me working in 3D, but I did anyway and he used to the 3D model to solve several design issues. So, maybe it's just the the employers do not think that 3D modeling in any CAD program can help them. Vectorworks has had some pretty cool 3D abilities for a long time. I could be wrong, but I think we have have had NURBS modeling since Vectorworks version 9.
So, I don't think the problem is the lack of software. The problem is that many architects do not see that 3D modeling with a CAD program is useful. After all, they have been drawing and sketching all these years without a CAD program.
I used to work for an architect. I taught him and his office Vectorworks, and I also worked for him as an architect. We were working on a renovation and extension project for a school. The architect had sketched the 3D look of the project, and had decided how the connections and junctions between the old building and new building should be. I was told to get on with the drawings, there is no need to much around with the 3D model. However, I noticed that the sketch wasn't accurate. The buildings were not relating they way the architect wanted. So, against instructions, I spent ten minutes to work on a 3D model to show the architect what the real situation was. When he came over to see me there was the 3D model, and the connection problems. He was happy to see the model and we spent thirty minutes working on the project, resolving all kinds of issues. At the end he was really happy with the solution, and it wasn't the same as his sketch.
I've always thought that 3D model to speed up the construction drawings, but more importantly, we should use the 3D model to improve the quality of the design. The challenge for a lot of users is learning to model the design when it is not a traditional building, or how to create a fast block model, like I did for the architect. That is where my 3D modeling manual comes in. Clients that buy this manual will learn the basic tools first, the ones that are quick to use, and they will learn how to take a block and cut it, pull it and shape it to make a concept. And, they will learn those cool curving shapes.

Many design software programs sustain an of ecosystem of blogs, online communities, technical books, etc. Vectorworks users are only now recognizing and organizing themselves online. As one of the most active Vectorworks users, can you help us understand the new surge in online participation?

When I started to blog [...] I wanted something that would be useful for my clients and other users of Vectorworks

Many younger people are especially active online. When I stared blogging a few years ago, there was a lot of people already blogging, but it was mainly for personal reasons. Now there are a lot of blogs for business, and many more are blogging now. An online presence is now an essential part of your business.
When I started to blog, I didn't really want to make my blog about me and my life. I thought that might be too dull! But I thought I could make my blog about Vectorworks tips and tricks. .
Vectorworks have started to invest in the community board and they have really made an effort in blogging, and social media. You interviewed Jessie Newburn recently, she is amazing with the effort she puts in and I think that is bringing more users online.

How did you approach the task of writing a technical book such as "3D Modeling in Vectorworks"? How did you select the content and organize it?

when my students start to have fun with Vectorworks, they start enjoy it more, and they learn more easily

The 3D side of Vectorworks has always been the most fun. When my students start to have fun with Vectorworks, they start enjoy it more, and they learn more easily. I have been teaching simple 3D modeling for a long time, since the days of MiniCAD (the name before VectorWorks). It was fun to teach and fun for the students.
A simple introduction to 3D modeling has always been part of my Essential Tutorial Manual, but I had requests from some clients that wanted to see more. As I showed more techniques with 3D modeling, the students asked for more. This manual is the result. Like all my manuals, the students tell me what they want to learn, and I develop exercises that make it simple.
For the manual I used these exercises, and developed more basic exercises to explain all the basic 3D tools and commands. Then I developed a bus stop exercise that was designed to bring together several techniques. I used the bus stop because it would suit several people, architects, landscapers, urban designers and exhibit designers.

I would like to thank Jonathan for taking the time to answer my questions. If you have any questions for Jonathan or for Novedge, please leave a comment below and we will be glad to answer.

Franco Folini

Jonathan Pickup Sample Training Jonathan Pickup training books are available
from Novedge (Look on the Training section)

Interview with Al Whatmough, CEO and Founder of InspirTech

A few major trends are shaping the balance between classroom training and online/DVD self-training. The first trend is the gradual decrease of CAD system prices. It used to be normal to pay a few thousand dollars for a training class. It is now perceived as unfair to have to pay as much or even more for training as for a full CAD license. CAD systems are gradually getting easier to use and require less training. Another important trend affecting the way people use training is that CAD users love to almost instantly access training as they find a problem or an unknown feature. Online training as well DVDs are now available 24/7 to provide answers to problems as quickly as possible. One of the major players in the CAD training field is a company called InspirTech, which offers a good selection of training DVDs for SolidWorks and MasterCAM. I asked InspirTech's CEO Al Whatmough a few questions to find out more about this new and promising evolution in CAD training. Here is the interview.

Al can you tell us a bit about yourself and your company?

while teaching I found how much I enjoyed to motivate and reach each individual learner

By all means, I started my career as a machinist in a university machine shop where we made models of buildings and bridges for wind tunnel tests, as well as various lab setups for the university. While at the university, I became proficient designing models in SolidWorks and making them on CNC and rapid prototyping machines. Next, I moved on to teaching Design and Machine shop at the high school level, were I had the chance to inspire kids to use and embrace technology. While teaching I found how much I enjoyed finding ways to motivate and reach each individual learner. At that time I realized that structured training was lacking. So, I started InspirTech and began to author self-paced SolidWorks training that would guide users through the learning process.

CAD training is quickly moving from the classroom to the computer screen. What are the reasons for this shift and what is the impact on CAD end-users?

we all live very busy lives and learn at different rates- making self-paced learning more attractive

The shift is taking place for a lot of reasons, but I think the biggest reason is flexibility for the student. In a classroom environment a student is expected to be available at a certain time and learn at the same pace as the other students. The reality is, we all live very busy lives and learn at different rates- making self-paced learning more attractive. Additionally, with recorded training you can bring the experts to every student. That being said, nothing will ever completely replace the value of having a person there for motivation and coaching. So, I can see a solution where classrooms make more use of structured video based training like ours.

Do you think technical books and DVDs will disappear as the current generation of CAD users is replaced by a younger generation more comfortable with online training?

DVD’s will move to videos hosted in the clouds

Books will definitely evolve into a more digital form; DVD’s will move to videos hosted in the clouds. Although, in both cases there will always be a need for training in both video and written form. But yes, in time I do definitely think that all training content will be hosted online where it can be instantly updated behind the scenes and accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

The separation between training and help files is getting more blurry every day. Is interactive training replacing the traditional help files or the other way around?

training and help files serve to entirely different purposes

When interactive training gets blurred with a help file, I would argue that it is not interactive training at all, but rather a “video based help file”. Training and help files serve to entirely different purposes. Help files are in place for a user to have a searchable index to find specific answers to how to use a specific tool. Interactive training, on the other hand, is in place to help users learn skills that they may not even know that they need to know. That being said, searchable training could potentially remove the need for help files all together.

Training DVDs are a static resource and like a book cannot be updated, only replaced. Do you see a future where online training becomes a sort of shared resource that hosts not only lessons prepared and updated by trainers but also end-user contributions?

when it comes to training, I think that making them shared resources will only make the learning process more confusing

Yes, by all means. Technology is taking us in the direction of a far more collaborative world where files are hosted in the clouds. So, I do see help files becoming a “shared resource” in models similar to Wikipedia. However, when it comes to training, I think that making them shared resources will only make the learning process more confusing. The purpose and necessity for training is to take the flood and wealth of knowledge and boil it down to something that a new user can understand. Now that same flood of knowledge is a limitless resource to a veteran user, but could be poison to a new user who doesn’t know where to start and in what direction to continue on.

Let’s envision a sort of ideal CAD world, where there are easy-to-use CAD systems and perfect product documentation. In such a world do we still need training products like yours?

the need for quality training will never go away

The theme for all these questions has been to clarify the difference between documentation (help files) and structured training. In a world where software is easier to use, the need for help files may be reduced. However, the need for quality training will never go away. To say there wasn’t a need for training in CAD Systems would be like saying, “Everybody knows how to pick up a pencil, so we don’t need to teach writing anymore”.

I would like to thank Al for taking the time to answer my questions. If you have any questions for Al or for Novedge, please leave a comment below and we will be glad to answer.

Franco Folini

InspirTech Sample Video InspirTech products are available from Novedge

An Interview with David Ptak, President of SolidProfessor

David Ptak is the President of SolidProfessor, a company that is revolutionizing the concept of training for CAD and CAM users. SolidProfessor is proposing a product line of high quality interactive video focused mostly on SolidWorks and related engineering tools. While video training has been around for a while, SolidProfessor is raising the bar with professionally designed and manufactured training products. I believe that training videos could allow the end-user to become independent of expensive traditional resellers thus creating opportunities for online resellers like Novedge. In order to fully understand how users take advantage of these powerful tools and how this affects the design process, I asked Dave a few questions. Here is the complete interview.

Dave, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your company?

I’m President of SolidProfessor. SolidProfessor was a business plan written while in my MBA Program at Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management back in 2003. Since launching in 2004, we’ve become a SolidWorks Solution Partner and create self-paced multimedia training and support for users of SolidWorks and other SolidWorks partner software. We’ve been in business for more than three years now and with the help of the companies we’ve partnered with, we do our best to provide the highest quality and best training and support we can. At this point we’ve helped more than 35,000 students and professionals.

I’m asking the same question I asked Matt Lombard: In an ideal world -- where CAD systems are easy to use and perfectly documented -- do we still need products like yours?

Well, our business is absolutely to support the effort toward perfect documentation and ease of use. We don’t compete with that. Our goal is to partner with companies that share our vision to make design software as user friendly as products like Word or Excel. SolidWorks is a leader in this and that’s a big reason why our business is based around supporting their success and helping their customers continue to push the design envelope.

What are the reasons for the success of your products? The popularization of CAD/CAM products, the poor quality of the original documentation, or the cost of live training?

our courses are authored by certified instructors and delivered by a professional narrator

We have success because we help people do their jobs better and help people eager to get into the design world develop the skills required to be successful and achieve their goals. We try to find ways to make the process of learning relatively complex software as intuitive as we can. We do this by incorporating three principles of learning. Our courses are authored by certified instructors and delivered by a professional narrator. We combine this with full motion video allowing users the ability to see what’s being taught right on the screen. And, we include exercises with sample parts so that users can practice exactly what they are learning in the course.

we’re a just in time problem solver to mitigate lost productivity due to a lack of specific knowledge

Another factor is that software is getting more robust every day. As a result, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for a user to retain a level of expertise using such a broad range of tools and functionality. What we do is give designers answers to their questions in real time when they get stuck. We help reduce time spent trying to “figure it out” and instead give them a resource so they can quickly learn or refresh their knowledge and continue with their project. We’re a just in time problem solver to mitigate lost productivity due to a lack of specific knowledge. That said, without the popularization of CAD/CAM and the exceptional growth SolidWorks has experienced I don’t think we would be talking today.

Regarding poor documentation I would say that it makes sense that software makers would rather focus on building their product. I feel most look at documentation as a cost center or necessary evil. However, I think what you’ll see over the coming years is that the companies that incorporate a solution like ours into their business will not only differentiate themselves from their competition, but will win sales as a direct result of shortening the learning curve for their customers. I have real stories from companies like Teksoft. We’ve created three courses for them and they make these courses available to their customers as part of the CAMWorks investment. I’ve had conversations with their VARs where I was told that they closed deals because of our solution. That’s an indication to me that we’re adding real value.

To touch on the cost of live training, I would say that it’s not as much the expense that is the issue but more the accessibility. In many cases the demand for training by the user, and the training schedule at the local VAR doesn’t match up. Or the class is too far away, or the user simply can’t get away for consecutive days to take a live class. That’s where we can come in and add value by filling the gap. Some of the largest and most respected SolidWorks VARs such as GoEngineer and Computer Aided Technology realize this value and have partnered with us to offer our solution to their customers. They offer a complete package that includes live instruction, SolidProfessor self-paced instruction and live tech support. By adopting this model these VARs help ensure that their customers are getting the best possible training and support resources out there.

Some time ago you mentioned that your customers are using your trainings in ways you didn’t expect. Can you explain this in more details?

Teksoft is using the courses we created to help educate and standardize competency throughout their global channel

In that particular case I was referring to Teksoft. They’re using the courses we created for them to help educate and standardize competency throughout their global channel of sales reps and tech specialists. A critical benefit of our solution is that it’s the same every time. So you can ensure the accuracy of what people are learning and know that everyone is on the same page with how the software works. It’s also a huge cost savings. Sending a few DVDs to the new VAR in Bangalore, India is a lot cheaper than pulling one of your tech experts off his job and flying him out for a week of product training. Looking back it seems like a no brainer, but until I saw what they were doing I never even considered that as a potential benefit of our solution. Maybe there’s a software person or two out there right now reading this and a light bulb is going off.

Can you tell us about the process of creating a training product starting from the topic choice up to the recording?

we want users to understand how SolidWorks thinks about design

You want us to give away our secrets? To be honest we’re refining the process regularly always looking for ways to reduce costs, speed development and scale the process. The same kinds of issues our customers deal with. Generally though, we gather the knowledge required to build a course from published material and actual experts on the software. We then go through the process of synthesizing this information into a format that we’ve developed over time which focuses on fundamental knowledge that one can use regardless of the product they are designing. This is an important distinction from most traditional instruction in that most of what you find will teach you the software by designing something. That’s a great exercise and we teach that way also, but before we get into exercises we focus on the fundamentals. The how and why of the software. We want users to understand how SolidWorks thinks about design so they can reach a comfort level with the software that allows them to really master their craft. Once authored, we bring in all of the other elements to make the product what it is. I think the key step in the process though is about the author. People want to know that when they invest in learning they are getting the best instructors. The ability of our instructors to clearly and concisely transfer knowledge is where we differentiate ourselves in the marketplace. Think about choosing a professor for math back in college. One teaches at 8am Monday, Wednesday and Friday and just writes a bunch of formulas on the board and tells you to go figure it out. The other breaks it all down in a way that makes sense. Who are you going to choose? We model ourselves on the second professor with one added bonus; our professor is instantly at your door to teach you what you want to learn on your schedule when you want to learn it. No more classes at 8am on a Friday!

When would you recommend live training over a training video?

in my mind training is terribly under-rated

I get this or some variation of this question comparing live with classroom training all the time. If you want to skip to the end, the short answer is both. The long answer could become a novel, but I’ll try to sum it up here. Based on the business we are in, I spend a lot of time thinking about and doing research on the pros and cons of both. Looking at the broader market of learning in general I see a clear trend toward the type of instruction that we offer. There are a lot of reasons for that, and we are just at the start of this trend. However, live instruction isn’t going anywhere. Hands on interaction with real people has been the method of choice for thousands of years. Think Socrates. We’re not trying to compete with that. What we offer is a solution that delivers accurate, consistent, professional content in a more accessible manner. The just in time learner needs a just in time solution. In my mind training is terribly under-rated. If one is serious about making products better, faster and cheaper than their competitor, the answer is to invest in a blended training solution that combines live instruction with our just in time solution.

Assuming that you could put a greater amount of resources in creating a training product, which features or aspects would you like to change or improve?

we’ve built our product to run inside the SolidWorks interface

Right now we are spending a lot of time on our SolidWorks integration. We’ve built our product to run inside the SolidWorks interface - in the Task Pane. Through this integration, we make it possible for our customers to have access to view our entire library of content at the click of a mouse. Right now we are partnering with VARs and customizing the Task Pane to offer support services that compliment the video content. We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with this tool to make it really powerful for designers. It’s going to be really interesting to see where we take this. One example I was discussing with Digital Dimensions one of our VAR partners is to integrate live chat into their Task Pane. As a support solution wouldn’t it be great to have a live person available to help you solve your design problems without ever leaving your design environment?

Over time, do you expect the interactive video format to take over hypertext as a preferred format for the product documentation of CAD/CAM systems?

we’re currently working on a course on Advanced Surfacing with Matt Lombard

You definitely see more and more video tutorials in software. That will continue to grow as companies become more familiar with the process of creating them. However, I think it’s important to note that what we’re doing isn’t putting together a bunch of tutorial lessons on where to find this button or that button and what it does. SolidWorks and other providers already offer a bunch of that. Our instructors are experienced certified professionals that deliver insight and the kind of best practices you won’t find in a tutorial. We have a team of content creators that are leaders in the industry. For example, we’re currently working on a course on Advanced Surfacing with Matt Lombard who is one of the most talented surfacing designers out there. He’s at the forefront of his craft and an expert with SolidWorks. Courses like this are going to lift the talent pool of skilled designers in a way that follow the mouse tutorials simply don’t do. To me that’s pretty exciting stuff!

I would like to thank David Ptak for his time in answering my questions. If you have any questions for David or for Novedge, please leave a comment below and we will be glad to answer.

Franco Folini