Obama Girls Swing With Help From SolidWorks

If you’re wondering about what kind of connection could possibly exist between the White House and 3-D CAD software, here’s something to chew on. The much chronicled play system (or swing set in layman’s terms) that now graces the White House grounds, just a few yards away from the West Wing, was designed and customized using SolidWorks MCAD software.

The manufacturer, Rainbow Play Systems,  recently delivered “Malia & Sasha’s Castle,” to the White House for installation. Using SolidWorks, the company was able to develop multiple configurations of parts and subsystems so the final layout could be tailored so President Obama could watch his girls play from his desk. 3-D CAD, Rainbow officials said, allowed engineers to flip the set’s design from the standard model so that the “double bubble” faces the Oval Office. The high-end play set has all the top bells and whistles, including the bubble, overhead monkey bars, shimmy bars, four standard swings, a race car tire swing, a rock wall, a step chain ladder, slide, binoculars, periscopes and a chalkboard.

The play set, made from 100% North American cedar and redwood, played nicely to President Obama’s drive to promote sustainable products and policies. Emblazoned on a plaque on the swing set: “Established March 4, 2009, Malia & Sasha’s Castle, Handcrafted with Pride in the Heartland of America, Beautiful Brookings, South Dakota, The Hometown of Rainbow Play Systems Inc., God Bless America.”

Maybe they should add SolidWorks to the dedication?