<h2>What we’re about</h2>Learn more about SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS related products. Hear technical presentations that will provide you and your organization with valuable, real-world SOLIDWORKS tips, tricks, techniques and more. Network with your peers. Get SOLIDWORKS giveaways and enjoy food and refreshments with like-minded individuals.

Chicago SOLIDWORKS User Group Network

SWUGN Leader

Engineering Manager

Senior Packaging Designer

Welcome to IronSWUG 2025! Join along with our riders as they travel the Western United States, presenting at 5 different user group meetings in 5 days.To attend any of the 5 in-person events, visit [<a class="!text-viridian" href="http://ironswug.com/" rel="nofollow ugc" target="_blank">IronSWUG.com</a>] to find a location near you. If you aren't near one, R.S.V.P. <a href="https://www.ironswug.com/watch-online" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Click HERE to watch online</a>!<h2>WIN A FREE ZBook from <a href="https://www.hp.com/us-en/workstations/workstation-pcs.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">HP</a>! - Join us for this full throttled adventure.</h2>***NOTE: IN-PERSON R.S.V.P.S WILL BE DONE ON THE LOCAL BEVY PAGE THAT CAN BE SEEN AT [<a class="!text-viridian" href="http://ironswug.com/" rel="nofollow ugc" target="_blank">IronSWUG.com</a>]***Use #ironswug25 for social media promotion and posts.Presentations: San Francisco, CA * XDesign on Your Phone (Can You Do It) - Adam Ebernickel * Holy SHIfT (How the Shift Key Makes You More Efficient) - Brad Meador Dixon, CA * Defeaturing My Designs (Why/How to Use Them)- Brad Meador * Did You Miss It (What's New / Tips &amp; Tricks You Might Have Missed) - Adam Ebernickel Fresno, CA * Mastering Metadata (Tab-tastic Templates From Manual Mayhem to Metadata Mastery) - Adam Ebernickel * Tips &amp; Tricks From The Road - Brad Meador Los Angeles, CA * Tanks Tips - Brad Meador * Learning From Mistakes (Best Practices) - Adam Ebernickel Las Vegas, NV * Customizable Control Panels (Work Smarter Not Harder w/ Stream Deck &amp; Touch Portal) - Adam Ebernickel * Performance for SOLIDWORKS (Hot Rodding Your PC) - Brad Meador

In this meeting, we will look the history of SOLIDWORKS and some tips and tricks you might have missed

Community Event

IronSWUG 2025

<img class="_richTextImage_ih4vm_10" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeiR3EO4En_XM-DVgvrKaKnSCKqWoVXyvmMpXEy__SRxU21T4nR9SOzn6SjgvOeYtcDqogxUgQlGexHlhBkgaUTNYXqFsZayL1sSeXhLYGBkofX1X_CXCDyF09VmnuDHD7idBr2mg?key=3QjeImvrI-nHCtLxch5qKywl"><h1 style="text-align: center;">Chicago SolidWorks User Group</h1><h1 style="text-align: center;">&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; 1998 – 2023 &lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;</h1>25 Years of Sharing Knowledge and Fellowship&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;LAST MINUTE FYI&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;For the most convenient access to room 2609, please park in Parking Lot C.&nbsp;Enter through door 37 (directly across the street from the parking lot) and walk to the end of the hall and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Room 2609 is just off the elevator down the hall.&nbsp;There will be signage indicating directions to room 2609 from inside door 37.Dear CSUG member,We are planning a CSUG meeting for Wednesday, April 30, 2025, from 5pm to 8:30pm at the DES PLAINES Campus of Oakton College, in ROOM 2609. The address is 1600 E. Golf Rd., Des Plaines, Illinois 60016.&nbsp; (See map at end of notice or Google the address for a map.)****NOTE: This meeting is on the second floor of the wing that we usually meet in.****We will start with a short business meeting followed by the presentation.AGENDA:5:00-5:30PM Sign-in and networking.5:30PM Food served.&nbsp; Pizza &amp; soft drinks.5:30-6:00PM Short business meeting during pizza time.6:00-8:00PM Presentation – Greg Bau, Milind Vakhariya &amp; Freddie Corbett8:00-8:30PM Q&amp;A, Door Prize Drawing.8:30PM Meeting adjourned.Short Business Meeting:Introduce Franco DiTerlizzi - Franco is interested in taking over the leadership of this user group.Introduce the group to BEVY, the new platform for user group communication <a href="https://community.swugn.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://community.swugn.org/</a>. (Meetup for our group is going away.)Remind the group of the SWUGN LinkedIn group <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13036085/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13036085/</a>Presentation:&nbsp;<h2 style="text-align: center;">“Demystifying Data Management: PDM or 3DEXPERIENCE for SOLIDWORKS”</h2>A clear, practical look at how both systems support your design workflows. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Greg Bau | NAM CRE Partner Sales Manager Senior Specialist | DS SolidWorks CorporationMilind Vakhariya | Director, NAM Partner Excellence | DS SolidWorks CorporationFreddie Corbett | Application Engineer | Hawk Ridge Systems1. Introductions &amp; Goals<ul><li>Quick intros.</li><li>Why data management matters now.</li></ul>&nbsp;2. Why Platform?<ul><li>What’s driving users beyond basic PDM.</li><li>Trends in collaboration, scalability, and flexibility.</li><li>Getting started:&nbsp; crawl, walk, run!</li></ul>&nbsp;3. Demo: PDM or 3DEXPERIENCE?<ul><li>Take a look at a revision change in both systems.</li><li>Compare setup, UX, workflows.</li><li>Key message: Choose what fits your needs now.</li></ul>&nbsp;4. Beyond File Management<ul><li>Change control, dashboards, and collaboration.</li><li>Use case fit: When PDM works, when platform makes sense.</li></ul>&nbsp;5. What’s Next: AI + Generative Design<ul><li>Preview of emerging tools and cloud capabilities.</li></ul>&nbsp;6. Q&amp;A + Wrap-Up<ol><li>Open discussion.</li><li>Share feedback, connect with presenters.</li></ol>We will have the usual pizza and soft drinks for refreshments, along with a door prize drawing (if we have prizes to give away).The meeting should adjourn around 8:30 pm.No RSVP necessary.We will base the headcount on the average from previous meetings.Looking forward to seeing the familiar faces along with any new members.Solidly Yours,Denny BahlCSUG President

Chicago SolidWorks User Group>>>> 1998 – 2023 <<<<25 Years of Sharing Knowledge and Fellowship>>>>LAST MINUTE FYI<<<<For...

CSUG Meeting April 30, 2025.

Chicago SolidWorks User Group&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; 1998 – 2025 &lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;27 Years of Sharing Knowledge and FellowshipDear CSUG member,We are planning a CSUG meeting for Thursday, October 16, 2025, from 5pm to 8:30pm at the DES PLAINES Campus of Oakton College, in ROOM 2808. The address is 1600 E. Golf Rd., Des Plaines, Illinois 60016.&nbsp; (See map at end of notice or Google the address for a map.)****NOTE: This meeting is on the second floor.****We will start with a short business meeting followed by the presentation.&nbsp;AGENDA:5:00-5:30PM Sign-in and networking.5:30PM Food served.&nbsp; Pizza &amp; soft drinks.5:30-6:30PM Short business meeting during pizza time.6:30-8:00PM Presentation – TJ Schnell (DiMonte Group, Inc.)8:00-8:30PM Q&amp;A, Door Prize Drawing.8:30PM Meeting adjourned.Short Business Meeting:Introduce the group to BEVY, the new platform for user group communication <a href="https://community.swugn.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://community.swugn.org/</a>. (Meetup for our group is obsolete.)Let the group know about SLUGME 10 coming up on Nov. 6, 2025.Let the group know about the West Michigan Summit coming up in December 2025.Let the group know that registration is open for 3DXWorld 2026.Remind the group of the SWUGN LinkedIn group <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13036085/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13036085/</a>Presentation:&nbsp;“From Clay to CAD: Turning a clay mockup into a functional video game controller.”The Nintendo 64’s three-handled controller is iconic, but also awkward. TJ Schnell thought he could do better. In this session, he’ll share how he sculpted a new two-handled design in clay, scanned it into the digital mesh, and using SolidWorks, engineered it into a 3D-printed controller you can actually play. It’s a mix of hands-on craft, SolidWorks modeling techniques, and a little bit of gamer wish-fulfillment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;TJ Schnell | Sr. Industrial Designer | DiMonte Group, Inc.TJ will be presenting this at 3D Experience World 2026 in Houston, TX this coming February. This gives TJ the opportunity to do a trial run in front of an audience and help him fine tune the presentation. At the end of the presentation we will take time for some feedback to help TJ polish this presentation to be one of best presentations at “World 2026”.We will have the usual pizza and soft drinks for refreshments, along with a door prize drawing (if we have prizes to give away).The meeting should adjourn around 8:30 pm.No RSVP necessary.We will base the headcount on the average from previous meetings.Looking forward to seeing the familiar faces along with any new members.Solidly Yours,Denny BahlCSUG President

Chicago SolidWorks User Group>>>> 1998 – 2025 <<<<27 Years of Sharing Knowledge and FellowshipDear CSUG member,We are pl...

CSUG Meeting October 16, 2025.

SLUGME (The SOLIDWORKS Largest User Group Meeting Ever) has become one of the cornerstone yearly events for the SOLIDWORKS community. The premise of this event is to use our software tools to design something truly epic and then physically build the design live on the SOLIDWORKS YouTube Channel. This is an event that teaches thousands of viewers advanced design and building methods. RSVP for this event so you can stay up to date and make sure to set your reminder on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/qk7OLxVU4cQ?si=iGe73BX0Agl-rV2-" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube Livestream here. </a>For the tenth installment of this legendary event, we’re going bigger and bolder than ever before.Join the live stream as our team uses state-of-the-art tools to model and build something totally prehistoric. From concept to creation, we’ll unleash an arsenal of modern fabrication methods — including 3D printing, CNC-cut foam molds, welding, advanced surface prep, and automotive-grade paintwork — to bring this BEAST to life.🔥 Don’t miss this one. It’s history in the making… literally.Check out some of our previous projects here.<ul><li><a href="https://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2021/08/slugme-through-the-years.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SLUGME Through the Years</a></li><li><a href="https://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2022/10/thats-a-wrap-slugme-7-recap.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SLUGME7 Recap</a></li><li><a href="https://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2023/10/slugme8-from-3d-to-reality.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SLUGME8 – From 3D to Reality</a></li><li><a class="" href="https://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2024/11/slugme9-recap.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SLUGME9 Recap</a></li></ul>

SLUGME (The SOLIDWORKS Largest User Group Meeting Ever) has become one of the cornerstone yearly events for the SOLIDWOR...

SLUGME10 - The SOLIDWORKS Largest User Group Meeting Ever

Instagram

YouTube playlist

Facebook

Spotify

X handle

Account name

Playlist ID

Page name

Spotify playlist ID

https://res.cloudinary.com/startup-grind/raw/upload/v1/gcs/platform-data-swugn/fonts/3DSV2-Light_022IOtH.woff

https://res.cloudinary.com/startup-grind/raw/upload/v1/gcs/platform-data-swugn/fonts/3DSV2-Regular_lVWDy8e.woff

https://res.cloudinary.com/startup-grind/raw/upload/v1/gcs/platform-data-swugn/fonts/3DSV2-SemiBold_5AkZJ93.woff

https://res.cloudinary.com/startup-grind/raw/upload/v1/gcs/platform-data-swugn/fonts/3DSV2-Bold_yCYYeKr.woff

https://res.cloudinary.com/startup-grind/raw/upload/v1/gcs/platform-data-swugn/fonts/3DSV2-Bold_vqVTYp2.woff

Chicago SOLIDWORKS User Group Network

What we’re about

Upcoming events

Past events

User Group Leaders

Denny Bahl

Franco DiTerlizzi