SOLIDWORKS

"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"

Introduction to SOLIDWORKS - Process

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

The completed pressure plate from the SOLIDWORKS tutorial.

Adding the circular pattern using the circular pattern feature. Selecting the first cylinder (highlighted in pink) and then selecting the center extrusion as your axis of rotation will give you this.

GIF

Drawing of the pressure plate with dimensions labeled.

Introduction to SOLIDWORKS - Product

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

Extruding the base

Creating the first cylinder

Adding fillets

Creating the circular pattern

GIF

Drawing of the finished product

Lesson 1 - Parts

This lesson includes:

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

Extruding the base

Adding fillets to the side of the part

Adding fillets to the top of the part

Using the shell feature to remove the back face

GIF of the completed part

Lesson 2 - Assemblies

This lesson discusses the following:

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

Mating the top outside edges of both parts in the assembly.

Mating the two outside faces

GIF of the two parts sliding together in the assembly

Lesson 3 - Drawings

This lesson includes:

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

Sheet 1 with labeled dimensions

Sheet 2 with complete assembly

Seven-Piece Cube Puzzle

Fillets - Process

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 inital base for the part

Adding face fillets and constant size fillets.

Adding variable size fillets along the edge of the part.

Mirroring the part and adding fillets to the middle.

GIF of the final product.

Fillets - Product

The steps include:

Using relations in sketches
Adding draft angles to extruded features

Adding face fillets.

Adding asymmetric fillets to the edge of the part.

Adding variable size fillets to the bottom of the switch.

Mirroring the switch part.

The fillets are mirrored to the other side of the switch.

Revolves and Sweeps - Process

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

Drafting the initial sketch.

Revolving the sketch around the center axis.

Drafting the sweep path.

Finishing the sweep.

Carving a hole in the top of the part.

GIF of the final product.

Revolves and Sweeps - Product

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

Drafting the initial sketch.

Revolving the sketch around the center axis.

Adding some fillets to the part.

Drafting the sweep path.

Drafting the sweep profile.

Finishing the sweep.

Creating a second sweep.

GIF of the final product.

Pattern Features - Process

In this lesson, you learn how to create a linear pattern and a circular pattern. A linear pattern is a one- or two-dimensional array of features. A circular pattern is a circular array of features.

The steps include:

Creating an oblong cut
Creating a linear pattern
Creating a circular pattern
Using an equation to drive the circular pattern

Sketching the first cut.

Creating a linear pattern with that cut.

Creating a circular pattern.

Writing an equation to evenly space out the pattern feature.

GIF of the final product.

Pattern Features - Product

In this lesson, you learn how to create a linear pattern and a circular pattern. A linear pattern is a one- or two-dimensional array of features. A circular pattern is a circular array of features.

The steps include:

Creating an oblong cut
Creating a linear pattern
Creating a circular pattern
Using an equation to drive the circular pattern

Sketching the first cut.

Extruding the first cut.

Creating a linear pattern.

Creating a circular pattern.

Finishing the scratching post.

GIF of the final product.

Lofts - Process

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

Setting up the planes and sketches.

Creating the first loft.

Creating the second loft.

Using the flex feature.

Finishing the bend.

GIF of the final product.

Lofts - Product

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 the head.

Setting up the planes.

Setting up the sketches.

Creating the loft.

Using the flex feature.

Finishing the bend.

GIF of the final product.

Mouse Gestures

In this tutorial, after customizing mouse gestures, you perform the following tasks with mouse gestures to create a simple part:

Start a sketch for a part.
Sketch a rectangle and a circle.
Save the sketch.
Dimension the sketch.
Extrude the sketch.
Change the view of an extruded part.

Extruding the first base.

Creating the first circular pattern.

Creating the second circular pattern.

Chamfering the part.

GIF of the final product.

3D Sketching - Process

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: