Earthscape use SOLIDWORKS and Javelin Services to design better playgrounds
Article by Rod Mackay updated August 15, 2016
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Javelin customer Earthscape is an award-winning studio specializing in playground design and construction. They work with educators, childcare providers, municipalities, NGOs, parents and children to bring nature back into play spaces. Their aim is to build awe-inspiring playgrounds, connecting children to nature through good design, high play value and natural elements.
Take a look at the video for an example of the amazing playground designs by Earthscape, and read a testimonial below, from Ben Tolton at Earthscape, about the SOLIDWORKS training service they received from Javelin.
https://youtu.be/-NEO6ZreBTQ
Testimonial from Ben Tolton at Earthscape
Designing custom playgrounds is often as challenging as it is rewarding and it’s what the design department at Earthscape looks forward to each day. The balance of satisfying the client’s wishes, artistic appeal, engineering realities, safety considerations, buildability, costs and schedules is a distinct challenge and it wasn’t until we engaged with SOLIDWORKS and the team at Javelin that we were better able to meet these requirements.
Designing a custom playground means the end product has to be fun but just as important it has to work in the real world. It requires unconventional building materials and asking suppliers and our subs to do things a little bit differently. The benefit of working with SOLIDWORKS is being able to manage our custom materials into unconventional designs and then communicate it into construction documents and CAD files that simply work for their intended purpose.
When we started with SOLIDWORKS last year no one in our office had any experience with it. It was a daunting prospect but after extensive consideration it was clear to us that Javelin was the most serious about committing to our success. They made every effort to help us explore the ways SOLIDWORKS could work for us and even though some of our design requirements were outside of the box, Javelin gave us straight answers and clever demonstrations to help find the way.
A program such as SOLIDWORKS has features that Earthscape perhaps will never fully utilize, as you might expect of a niche company using a program that’s been under constant development for 20 years. Nevertheless, Javelin was very good about establishing a training program that would help Earthscape get to where we need to be so that we could take advantage of the simple tasks to the deep strengths that SOLIDWORKS offers as a program. The courses have proven to be invaluable and we’re all better designers for it.
What really surprised me about Javelin was the level of industry-leading expertise that committed to Earthscape in a way we never expected. One of Javelin’s higher talents, Alin Vargatu saw what we did at Earthscape and extracted functionality from SOLIDWORKS in ways no one would have thought possible. We have a unique challenge inherent to our product and Alin found ways to purpose SOLIDWORKS for us beyond what we thought possible in CAD. Thank you Alin.
The exciting thing for Earthscape is we feel like we have a partner that is keeping up with us and what our requirements are. Javelin is more than just a software reseller, they’re committed to our learning and success and we’re grateful to have them on board with us.
How do you model a complex playground sculpture in SOLIDWORKS? Javelin helped the Earthscape team with modeling best practices and techniques for the creation of their complex playground structures like the one shown in the video below:
About Javelin Training Services
At Javelin we understand that people are your most important asset and the pressures of business force you to do more with less – like attracting, engaging and retaining the right talent. What makes us distinct as a value added reseller is that we offer unique solutions designed to meet your people needs; from sourcing strategies, tailored training, certification, and solutions to capture and develop your existing best practices.
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