SOLIDWORKS is used by millions of designers and engineers at hundreds of thousands of companies. It’s one of the most popular design and engineering software on the market. Known for its range of features and high functionality, SOLIDWORKS is used across multiple professions and industries around the world. SOLIDWORKS uses parametric design, which is why it’s such an effective tool for designers and engineers. This means that the designer can see how changes will affect its neighboring components, or even the overall solution. For example, if the size of a single component is increased, this would affect the joint or hole it’s attached to. This allows designers to spot and correct issues quickly and easily

Tutorial Training

Introduction to SolidWorks (Pressure Plate)

This lesson includes:
- Creating base, boss, and cut features from sketches
- Adding fillets to smooth edges
- Creating a circular pattern
- Adding drawing views
- Adding centerlines, center marks, and dimensions to the drawing

Pressure Plate

Construction - Using Circular Pattern

Engineering Drawing of Pressure Plate

Show Your Understanding

Objectives:

- Creating base, boss, and cut features from sketches
- Adding fillets to smooth edges
- Creating a circular pattern
- Adding drawing views
- Adding centerlines, center marks, and dimensions to the drawing

Lesson 1: Parts

Objectives

Setting up a new part document
Creating the base feature
Adding a boss feature
Creating a cut feature
Adding fillets
Adding a shell feature
Editing features
Completed Part

Boss Extrude

Boss and Cut Extrudes

Fillets

Shell

Lesson 2: Assemblies

Objectives:

Adding parts to an assembly
Moving and rotating components in an assembly
Creating display states in an assembly

Boss Extrude

Fillets

Shell

Cut Extrude

Mates

Coincident 1

(Connecting two edges)

Coincident 2

(Connecting two faces)

Coincident 3

(Connecting two faces)

Lesson 3: Drawings

Objectives:

Opening a drawing template and editing a sheet format
Inserting standard views of a part model
Adding model and reference annotations
Adding another drawing sheet
Inserting a named view
Printing the drawing

Engineering drawing for the part made in Lesson 1

Engineering Drawing for the parts made in Lessons 1 & 2

Final Product

Here you can see the two parts assembled!

Seven-Piece Puzzle

Parts

Final Assembly

These are all of the parts put together to make a cube!

More Projects

Fillets - Door Knob

In this lesson, you learn how to build the sample part used in the Fillet Features tutorial. You can capture the symmetry of a knob in the design intent of the part. You build one half of the sample part in this lesson, then in the Fillet Features lesson, you mirror the model to create the other half. Any changes you make to the original half are reflected in the other half.

The steps include:

Using relations in sketches
Adding draft angles to extruded features

Creating the two shapes

Adding fillets

Mirroring the object and adding keyhole

Product - Water Bottle

Base (First Part)

Creating Basic Shape

I sketched out half of the water bottle and used the revolve feature to make it a round but tall cylinder

Hollowing Out

I added a lip to the opening of the bottle, also hollowing out the inside

Filleting

I used fillets to make the edges more round

Lid (Second Part)

A basic circle shape as the base

Extruded cut then fillet

Extruded cut

Extruded boss, then cut inside the boss

Extruded boss

Fillet the boss

Make an extruded shape to fill out the empty space

Final product

Assembly

Here are the two parts put together to resemble my water bottle!

Revolves and Sweeps - Candle Holder

Revolve and Sweep Features

In this lesson, you create the candlestick shown below. This lesson demonstrates:

Creating a revolve feature
Creating a sweep feature
Creating an extruded cut feature with a draft angle

Creating the sketch

Revolving

Adding handle

Adding candle hole

Product - Cactus

Sketch

Revolved boss/base

Swept boss/base

Added fillets

Lofts - Hammer Head

Loft Features

In this lesson, you create this hammer head using loft features.

A loft is a base, boss, or cut created by connecting multiple cross sections, or profiles.

This lesson demonstrates the following:

Creating planes
Sketching, copying, and pasting the profiles
Creating a solid by connecting the profiles (lofting)
Adding a flex feature to bend the model

Creating planes and shapes

Creating lofted boss/base

Creating another plane and extending

Curving

Product - Vase

Planes

I created the planes, then sketched a shape on each plane to create the 3D shape.

Lofted Boss/Base

Using this feature. the shape was created based off the sketches on each plane.

Bending

I used the curve feature to bend the plane/shape.

Mouse Gestures - Cube

Dimensioning and extruding

Adding sketches to all sides

Extruding sketches

Chamfering the extrusions

I find it hard to use these gestures as it is difficult to adjust the options and navigate it. I don't remember the directions of the commands of the top of my head, it is easier for me to use my mouse and drag the shape to the angle I need it to be at. I am much more adjusted to the commands I learned while first learning SolidWorks. I did not change any of the options after designing this object, as I felt it made it more complicated and confusing.

3D Sketching

Using SOLIDWORKS, you can create 3D sketches. You use a 3D sketch as a sweep path, as a guide curve for a sweep or loft, as a centerline for a loft, or as one of the key entities in a routing system. A useful application of 3D sketching is designing routing systems.

This lesson introduces you to 3D sketching and describes the following concepts: