Skip to content
SotiLearn
Topics
en

Interactive learning platform

Understand how things work. By trying them in 3D.

Every lesson is a 3D model you can start, turn and look inside, with a short guided tour that explains each step. Start with the car engine.

Try the engine in 3DSee all 3D models

Free, no account.

What is SotiLearn?

A free website where you learn how things work with 3D models. You turn them, look inside and change things, while a short tour explains step by step what happens. Right in your browser.

Sound familiar?

Textbook, video, Wikipedia: and you still can't picture how an engine works.

  • Static

    The diagram stands still.

    Four pictures for four strokes. What happens in between, you have to imagine.

  • Passive

    The video just keeps going.

    You nod along until you notice you lost the thread two minutes ago.

  • Abstract

    The explanation stays theory.

    TDC, BDC, compression ratio: all the right words, and still no picture in your head.

Understanding doesn't come from reading.
It comes from trying.

Interactive learning: how it works

From “How does that work?” to “Got it” in three steps.

  1. Pick a question

    For example: How does a car engine work? Each question has its own 3D model.

    How does a four-stroke engine work?How does an electric motor turn?How can a 400-ton plane stay in the air?

  2. Follow the guided tour

    Step by step through the model. You guess what happens next, try it in the model and see if you were right.

    Step 4 of 9

    What happens to the pressure when the piston moves up?

    • It drops
    • It rises✓
    • It stays the same

  3. Explore freely

    Then the model is yours: open the throttle, switch on x-ray, click any part.

    Engine speed 2,400 1/min
Try the engine in 3D

Free, no account.

Example

This is what a tour looks like. Step by step, hands on.

The tour “How does a four-stroke engine work?”: 9 steps where you do more than read.

A tour step on a phone: the cut-open engine at the top, the step with its task below
  1. 1Meet the engineExplain
  2. 2Four jobs, one cylinderExplain
  3. 3What flows in?Predict
  4. 4Squeeze itTry it
  5. 5Why squeeze first?Explain
  6. 6What pushes the piston down?Predict
  7. 7Clear it outTry it
  8. 8Start the engineTry it
  9. 9Check yourselfQuiz
Start this tour

Topics

What do you want to understand?

Coming soon

  • How does an electric motor turn?Coming soon
  • How can a 400-ton plane stay in the air?Coming soon
  • How does a gearbox change speed?Coming soon
See all 3D models

Who it's for

For everyone who wants to know how things really work.

  • Curious people

    Finally understand what happens under the hood. At your own pace, as often as you like.

  • Pupils and students

    The textbook, but hands on. A tour takes a few minutes and works on your phone.

  • Teachers

    Show it instead of drawing it on the board. On the projector or via a link, no accounts. Your own tours are coming soon.

Noah Soticek, founder of SotiLearn

Who's behind it

Hey, I'm Noah. I'm building SotiLearn.

I did an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering. Gearboxes, gear ratios, hydraulics, pneumatics: I learned most of it from books, and honestly, mostly by heart. I only understood it at work, when I took the parts apart, put them back together or milled them myself.

That's why I'm building SotiLearn: so you can see how things work and try them yourself, not only read about them.

If a topic is missing or something is wrong, write to me: office@soticek.com

Try the engine in 3D

Honest answers

Common questions, short answers.

What is interactive learning?

Interactive learning means you take part instead of only reading or watching. You change something and see right away what happens. On SotiLearn every topic is a 3D model with a tour where you predict, try and compare.

Is interactive learning more effective?

In science subjects, the evidence says yes. A review of 225 studies (Freeman et al., 2014) found that students in active learning scored higher in exams and failed less often than students in lectures only. That's why every tour asks you to do or predict something.

Is SotiLearn free?

Yes. SotiLearn is a free learning platform for students, teachers and anyone curious. Every topic, tour and model.

Do I need an account or an app?

No. SotiLearn runs in the browser, on your phone as well as your computer. Open a topic and start: nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.

Are the simulations accurate?

Detailed and realistic. The parts are modeled in detail and move the way they do in a real machine, and the values are realistic. The models don't copy one specific machine; they show how this kind of machine works. They're built with AI and tested automatically before they go online. If you still find a mistake, tell us.

How can I use the simulations in class?

For example like this: show a tour on the projector and let the class predict each step before you reveal it together. Or send the link and everyone works through it on their own device. Nobody needs an account. Building and sharing your own tours is coming soon.

What can I learn here?

How things work, from machines to nature. Each topic is a 3D model you can try out yourself, with short tours that answer one question at a time. New topics are added regularly; you will find them all under Topics.

What have you always wanted to understand?

Start with the car engine

A few minutes, free, no account.