During my first co-op work term at BC Hydro, I realized that Autodesk Inventor was the primary 3D CAD software used by engineers and designers across the company. Eager to expand my skill set and contribute more meaningfully to the team, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I enrolled in the Udemy course "Autodesk Inventor: A Complete Guide from Beginner to Expert" to build my proficiency using this new software. The course provided comprehensive training, covering fundamental techniques like 2D sketches and extrusions, as well as more advanced tools such as 3D sketches, the frame generator, and weldments. My goal was to not only understand the software but also apply it in a practical, hands-on project that would solidify my learning, and allow me to do useful work at my first co-op.

For my practice project, the course taught me how to design a complete chess set, including both the board and all the pieces. The project began with the chess box, which I constructed from five individual components assembled together for ease of use later on when all the components are in one assembly file. Next, I modeled each chess piece, taking advantage of having two types of each piece, only with material-assignment differences. This allowed me to save time while ensuring I kept up modeling precision. For example, I created one set of pieces and then applied different materials to distinguish between the two sides, which streamlined the process. The chess board itself was designed with an alternating pattern of cutout squares, which I then inlaid with walnut squares. Once all the components were finalized, I generated engineering drawings for each part and the overall assembly.