Since GrabCAD began, we've tried to make it easy for beginner engineers and eager students to connect with seasoned pros. We spoke with Terry Stonehocker, founder of GearGasm in South Carolina, and William Barclay, a Motherwell College engineering student in Scotland, to discuss how they use GrabCAD and how their unlikely friendship developed.
Since November 2010, Terry Stonehocker has been an active GrabCAD member. Now, his bike and engine part designs are some of the most popular and most downloaded in all of GrabCAD. During his college days, Terry began as an architecture major, building upon his natural artistic abilities. But it didn’t take long for him to realize that “gizmos more than anything,” were his true calling. Sure enough, as a mechanical engineer Terry managed to develop the first ever NO-down-tube trike and win first place in the Daytona Rat’s Hole. Between these impressive achievements and his top-notch renderings, it is no wonder how Terry quickly became a leader in the GrabCAD community. Terry was even featured in an "engineer spotlight" interview a year ago.
When asked about memorable engineers he’s interacted with on GrabCAD, Terry responds, “Oh gosh, there’s a lot.” Among the outstanding enthusiastic engineers on GrabCAD, Terry specifically mentions one engineer: William.
Terry with his custom motorcycle
“William added a comment to one of my entries, then we just got started talking,” says Terry. It was then Terry’s positive encouragement that convinced William to submit his work to the Amrock Challenge. The positive feedback on William’s first full assembly gave him the confidence he needed to dive head first into his real passion, CAD engine modeling.
“If it were not for the great advice and help [Terry] showed me the first few months of me being new to GrabCAD, I probably would not have gained as much knowledge as I have just now,” explains William. William admits to being fascinated with engineering ever since his childhood days of playing with LEGO blocks but it wasn’t until he joined GrabCAD in June 2011 that he began to excel at his own mechanical design work. “I will always remember the great advice [Terry] gave to me about downloading models from others and seeing how they were made and then pushing me into having a go,” remembers William.
This type of mentorship perfectly illustrates one of the core functions of GrabCAD, facilitating collaboration and communication between talented engineers. When asked what he thinks of is when he hears “GrabCAD”, William simply responds with one word, “education.” We couldn’t agree more. GrabCAD is a place for engineers to expand their knowledge, whether that means finding a mentor by commenting on interesting models, or learning by studying designs of other engineers like Terry Stonehocker.
Be sure to take advantage of GrabCAD’s new private messaging feature to reach out directly to other engineers or even the GrabCAD team. We’d love to know how YOU use GrabCAD.
Cheers,
The GrabCAD team
