一位热爱摇滚的solidworks用户组负责人

寂静回声

Ever since engineer Brad “Tank” Meador got his hands on SOLIDWORKS in college, he was hooked. He was originally using Autodesk products while studying engineering at Virginia Western Community College in the early 2000s. He was introduced to SOLIDWORKS when he applied to do some drafting for a company called Precision Technology USA through the Career Center. “They sat me down in front of a computer and said, ‘Here is SOLIDWORKS, draw me a coffee cup.’ Ever since then, I haven’t touched anything else.”
Brad was quick to pick up SOLIDWORKS. Once he got the hang of it and figured out the user interface and commands, he said SOLIDWORKS was quite easy to use. Within 30 minutes, he had designed the coffee cup. “The hiring manager came back in and said, ‘Oh, you’re done already? When do you want to start?”
Brad, a Roanoke, Virginia native, said most local companies used CATIA and SOLIDWORKS, which he was fond of already, so it made even more sense for him to stick with it. What he liked about SOLIDWORKS was that it was easy to learn and use, and that you could actually create something manufacturable.
He also liked the user community. If he had questions, he didn’t have to search through a book or website. He could reach out to local users via phone, email, or through the SOLIDWORKS user forums and get answers within 15 minutes or so.

Brad thinks of SOLIDWORKS as the “Swiss army knife of design,” as it’s a multi-purpose tool that does everything well — from molding to heavy structural weldments to consumer products. “You can do it all, and it does it well.”

Today, he uses SOLIDWORKS every day. He’s a project designer at Altec, a manufacturer and service provider of equipment for the electric utility and other markets. In his words, he’s primarily the liaison between the engineers and the shop floor team, working with their designs to get them ready for manufacturing. “I use SOLIDWORKS every day, all day to solve problems, whether it’s for production parts, prototypes, or trying to figure out what a customer wants and solve our engineering workflows,” Brad explained.

He is currently using SOLIDWORKS Design 2024 at work. His go-to tool is the Mate Auto Repair, one he uses every day, as he spends a lot of time helping his team troubleshoot. He said a big part of his job includes working with new designers and engineers, and interns on their modeling and engineering techniques.

Brad is also interested in using the Structure Systems feature in SOLIDWORKS. He said at Altec, they’re starting to see a use case for it for things like racks and carts. On a personal level, he’d like to use it for building a deck at his house or one day designing a motorcycle frame, which he said would be fun, as he’s got a “motorcycle habit.”

One of the enhancements on his wish list is that the Tab and Slot feature in sheet metal would enable breaking external references between the slot and tab parts. The PLM software his company uses (it’s not SOLIDWORKS PLM- but he’s pushing for it) doesn’t allow external references. “The capability to break those references and have fully defined components afterwards would be fantastic, so that we can create and design around slot and tabbing parts, but not have to manually do them like we are currently.”

He’s happy to have a rapport with members of the SOLIDWORKS R&D team, where he said he’s not afraid to say what works and what doesn’t. And that’s another reason he likes SOLIDWORKS as a company, is that they listen and are super responsive to customer needs. For example, they offer the SOLIDWORKS Top Ten List, where customers get to submit functionality ideas, and Brad personally interacts with the R&D staff as they reach out to him to get feedback on their products.

“I like to say I have a personal and professional relationship with people in the R&D department and upper management at SOLIDWORKS. They ask me ‘How do you like our product?’ and I have no problem telling them, Hey, this is where it’s lacking. They do a lot of work in the background and help out, and they listen, they listen intently, and they function very well at upgrading the software. And, yeah, it’s amazing stuff.”

His passion for design and teaching also extends to giving his time to the SOLIDWORKS user community, as he runs the StarCity SOLIDWORKS User Group (SWUG) in Roanoke, and is the committee lead for the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN) in the mid-Atlantic states. He also participates in IRONSWUG, alongside his buddy and SWUGN group leader Adam Ebernickel, where they embark on a week-long motorcycle journey each year that spans thousands of miles in different parts of the United States to visit a different SOLIDWORKS user group and lead a SOLIDWORKS presentation.

Brad’s 2010 Harley Ultra Limited currently in pieces in his basement after a 1,000+ mile user group journey for IRONSWUG.
(2010 年款 Electra Glide Ultra Limited（FLHTK）在美国当年的官方指导价分为两档：
双色调（Two-Tones）配色：24,699 美元
定制色（Custom Colors）配色：25,899 美元)

He’s an adventurous guy to say the least. When he’s not working, he is, well, working—as a live event producer, which involves event production, stage management, tour management, band management, audio engineering, and he is even a certified pyrotechnician (think stage explosives and fireworks). The work also involves audio engineering and stagehand work, and rigging for the big local shows. He works the local venues for acts like Metallica, Parker McCollum, Cirque du Soleil, and Blue Man Group.

When he has free time, the thirty-eight-year-old husband and father of two spends time riding his motorcycle, doing things around the house, and spending time with his family. His friends and family call him Tank, a nickname that suits him, based on his love of motorcycles, but it’s actually a nickname his family gave him when he was baptized, as in, he hit the “dunk tank.”
How did Brad end up in both engineering and music? Growing up, he liked music and cars and wanted to either be a musician or a mechanic. “I wanted to be a mechanic, but I didn’t like the way cars were designed,” he explained. Currently, Brad owns a 2010 Harley Ultra Limited that’s been blown up in his basement, which he needs to put back together. “When you do dumb things, like ride 1500 miles in 24 hours, or 1000 miles in 24 hours, you know it’s kind of hard on bikes.” While he’s repairing the bike, he’s got a loaner from a friend.

As for music, “I’ve always liked music and loved the logistical side of music,” he said. “I realized that I couldn’t be a musician and make it famous, because it’s really hard to do now, so I decided I was going to try to do things in the background, like audio gear and production.” Growing up Brad played bass and guitar and sang in local bands. He is into metal music and is currently streaming bands Lamb of God (from his home state, Richmond, Virginia), Peeling Flesh, and Falling in Reverse on heavy rotation right now.

His first concert was Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ted Nugent as a teen, and he’s keeping tradition by taking his teenage sons out to live shows, as they’re music lovers as well. “As they’re watching the show, I’m teaching them how this is happening behind the scenes, pulling back the curtain, so to speak, so they can see, you know, how things work. And I’m trying to pique their curiosity in thinking critically.”
His advice for those in the engineering and design field or those considering it is to “just try it.” What he finds is that a lot of people come to user group meetings who have learned other types of CAD software and are resistant to trying new ones. He suggests trying it to see what you think, ask questions, and listen to your mentors. More specifically, if you are working with the manufacturer and you’re designing products, listen to the people on the shop floor as they’re the ones making the parts. If they say this isn’t manufacturable or that it can be done in a better way, Brad’s advice is to listen to them, as they’re the experts in their field.

His design philosophy is to keep it simple. “Complex designs work, but if I’m trying to troubleshoot a CAD model or engineering issue, I want it to be as simple as possible, so I can get the customer back working fast.” A lot of Altec’s equipment is used to keep electric utility infrastructure running, where they have to service schools and hospitals, so you can imagine how crucial it is to keep and get things up and running if there is an issue.

As for what the future holds, down the line, he’d like to do transition to more of a full-time CAD training role or more of a CAD administration role. “I like design, but I find myself learning and being more challenged by the troubleshooting side of CAD modeling or training people and watching them figure it out and create,” he said.
Overall, Brad enjoys helping people and has almost 20 years of expertise using SOLIDWORKS. He’s a Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert and SOLIDWORKS Champion who jumps at the chance to share his knowledge and opinion about SOLIDWORKS software and what’s going on in the industry, and help others train and troubleshoot. He’s happy to participate anytime he’s invited to Boston headquarters or a conference, and he’s led sessions at the annual user conference, 3DEXPERIENCE World.” He’s attended for 10 years and led sessions for 8 years, which have included “Motorcycle Modeling Mayhem,” Learn from 15 Years of SOLIDWORKS Mistakes, and “I am Lazy, Tips to Make SOLIDWORKS Work with You!”
These sessions sound fun and informative, but unfortunately, Brad is not hosting a session this year. You can still catch him in Houston for 3DEXPERIENCE World in 2026. He’ll be helping with the SWUGN and the SOLIDWORKS Champion program this year on-site, doing some mentoring, so perhaps you can sit down with him to pick his brain on all things SOLIDWORKS or music entertainment, as he’s been in that industry equally as long.