Solidworks Basics

SolidWorks Tutorials for beginners is an education blog for beginner to advanced level mechanical engineers, mechanical engineering students (B-tech or BE) mechcad or product designers who seeks for relevant information’s and want learn Solidworks CAD software in depth. This blog shares Solidworks Tutorials from the basics to advanced level with SolidWorks exercises. Here we also shares current news about this CAD software, practical product design tips with step by step image s and videos hosted in various free video sharing sites like YouTube, Dailymotion and Vimeo.

Before going to tutorials, you should know about what is SolidWorks software, advantages, disadvantages, applications and how it helps engineers to convert their new ideas into realities.

Whats is SolidWorks Software?

Before going learn anything, you must know about the background of it. Like that, Solidworks is also known as “DSS Solidworks”. DSS means the Dassault Systems, the developer of this CAD software. This is CAD software, which helps to create 2D or 3D solid models without any complexity, faster and in the cost effective way. The main advantage of the solid modeler is that very easy to use, simple graphics user interface and much more friendly, as compared with other CAD solid modeling softwares such as Creo PTE, Catia etc. It contains Solid part modeling, Assembly, Motion, Simulation, Toolbox, ToolAnalyst, Circute Works, PhotoView 360, ScanTo3D, e-drawings and DWG editor.

Checkout Best SolidWorks Training Materials here.

According to MIT Survey in 2006, Solidworks selected as High productivity (Up to 95% than others) CAD software. It provides better design visualization, design better products, Faster design iterations, improved communications, design with fewer errors, create more aesthetic design & products and also meets the clients/customer requirements.

The Solidworks have wide range of applications in industries such as Aerospace, Defense, Automotive, Transportation, Consumer products, Electronics, Process Plant, Energy conservation, Construction, Heavy equipment, Machinery, Medical tools, Mold & Tools design, Product design and other engineering services. It helps to design various products and services, testing them in very cost effective way like Model and prototype testing as you learned earlier in engineering degree class.

The DSS Solidworks Corp also develops other software products, which is very much helped in various sections of engineers especially for Mechanical. They are 3D CAD, Simulation, Product Data management, Technical communication, Electrical design and 3Dexperince. This CAD modeler is not limited to mechanical engineers; other engineering streams (Especially for Electrical&Civil) and product designers can convert new product ideas into reality.

Why engineers use or learn Solidworks?

1. Now, it is used in various industries for designing their products and increasing the productivity without lowering the cost. Because of the wide-range of applications and job opportunities, as mechanical engineer, you must learn good and most used CAD software like Solidworks.
2. Most of the international engineering universities and colleges are used to study the CAD subject using Solidworks. If you plan to study aboard (Canada, United states, UK, India or Australia, Germany etc) for Post graduation diploma in Industrial or Design, their syllabus also contains this software
3. It provides design with maximum productivity, because it gives various data and technical communication, which helps to your design and helps to validate with standards. All you need to focus on your new product innovation or design. It contains simulation technology, which enables to verify your design.
4. Solidworks solution is an improved collaborative feature, which helps to share your design to right clients through this platform. If you are a professional, you do not need to search over the internet for finding right clients and introducing innovations to them.
5. It is very easy to learn the basics, how to start product designs and more.

Solid Modeling Technology

Here you going to see modeling technology used in Solidworks. Do you know CAD software? CAD or computer aided drawing is software, which helps to draw anything in your computer with the aid of programs. Like the same Solidworks (read wiki) contains computer program which helps to draw sketch in the graphics interface is “Parametric approach”. If you know the parameters (e.g. length of a product) or have an idea about it, just enter it and create models and assemblies with ease. There are two types of parameter, numeric as well as geometric.

Numeric parameters are normally numbers. For example, if you the radius of circle, you can directly draw circle in the graphics area and enter the radius value. The sketch part contains only 2D creations. The every drawing supports the international standards of ANSI, ISO, DIN, , JIS, BSI or SAC and you must select which standard as you follow to design your product. It also contains direct 3D solid creation or elimination by using various features like extrude boss/base, Revolve Boss/Base, Loft Boss/Base, Sweep Boss/Base, Boundary Boss/Base, Extrude cut, Revolved cut, Sweep cut , Loft Cut ,Boundary Cut, Fillet, Chamfer, Simple Hole, Hole Wizard, Rib, Shell, Draft, Reference Plane, Linear Pattern , Circular Pattern, Mirror , Helix and Spiral Curves , Curves SplitLines, Engrave Text, Emboss Text, Sheetmetal Hem, SolidWorks Assembly, Loft Boss Guide curves, SheetMetal etc.

You can also see the sketch tools used in Solid Works CAD Software are Line, Circle, Rectangle, Polygon, Arc, Slot, Ellipse, SmartDimension, Parabola, Sketch Fillet, Sketch Chamfer, Sketch Trim Entities, Linear Sketch Pattern, Circular Sketch Pattern , spline curve etc. You will see later every features and sketches tools in detailed manner in SolidWorks Tutorials.

What are Features of Solidworks Modeler?

The main Functionality of Solidworks 3D modeling software are,

Parts & Assembling of Products

It is basic modeling interface of Solidworks. In “Parts”, you can just draw or create different parts of your equipment or product. Try to create one part in single part file. Like that, create all other parts in different part files and save them all. Then using “Assembly” feature, you can assemble all the single parts of your equipment into one. The cad library enables to download, share, locate and access the commonly shared CAD data.
Related Post: How to Create New Part File in SolidWorks

It contains basic parts or data of standard bolt and nut, gears, cams, bearings etc. These are the product design interface and are capable of 3D solid modeling, Conceptual design, Assembly structure planning, direct model editing, large assembly design, advanced surface design, sheet metal design, weldments, Plastic parts designing, CAD productive tools, Reverse engineering, Mold designing, Piping&tubing and electrical cable harness&conduit designs. You can access all the Solidworks Tools through the menubar.

New SolidWorks 2018 have new features are:-

Solidworks 3D Interconnect

SolidWorks 3D Interconnect is new features which made to support other imported native CAD files to new Solidworks interface. It helps to integrate the CAD files directly from the commonly used CAD softwares such as Autodesk Inventor,Siemens NX, SolidEdge and CATIA. It treats like your solidworks file and helps to make direct modifications without affecting the source acd file.

Power of Modeling

There is high improvement in the modeling speed and performance. With these features you can fast up the design process with improved technology and feature improvement like chamfer, fillet and advanced hole specs etc. The advancement in both fillet and chamfer options helps to do it in single step. You can select multiple edges for filleting and chamfering.

Improved surfacing

Surfacing features are very interesting and have improved wrap features helps lot in surface applications.

Magnetic mates

Improved handling of large assemblies and helps to make lightweight complex designs.

Interference Checking

It is important to know the product parts in good fit and operate correctly while assembling process. The interference check gives complete information about the fit and ensures that assembled product working correctly. You can ensure that your product is completely free from any misfit or mismatches. It helps to reduce the manufacturing cost by reducing the scraps of materials. It contains the interference detection methods are 2D and 3D Collision Detection, Hole misalignment and thread mismatch check and Tolerance analysis.

Simulation & Analysis

In the simulation and analysis, you can test your designed product in the real-environment by using it. The testing was takes place in virtually created environment, which meets the real-world environment with most accuracy. In the simulation process, you can test your product against the parameters like durability, assembly motion, staic&dynamic response, fluid dynamics, heat transfer etc. It also supports featured analysis for structural, thermal, fatigue, electronics cooling and motion analysis.

Animation & Rendering in 3D

Another cool feature of Solidworks software is that you can animate the part or assembly files. You can create animations and images of your design within seconds and helps to check the product functionality. The rendering animation tool saves our time, increase productivity and supports the marketing of your design. You can easily communicate with your clients by showing the animations with ease. These are under the Solidworks visualization feature, which enables to create high quality and realistic images and animation with less effort. The helping features are PhotoView 360, Walk-through/Fly through and CAD animation.
Related Tutorials:-

• Solid Works Heads-up Toolbar
• Solid Works View Orientation Tools

Cost Estimation & Documentation

The cost estimation of your new product design can easily done within this cad system. You can check the cost against the manufacturing of particular product using the automated manufacturing cost tools integrated with it. As a result, you can produce a cost-effective and economic design with ease. Overall, it saves a lot of time, and increasing the productivity of designers or engineers. The automatic manufacturing cost estimation and quoting, customizable manufacturing settings and optimization for design. These are the major features of Solidworks cad software. You will see these features in upcoming Posts.

Basic System Requirements

At starting Solidworks only supports the Windows operating system not in Macintosh, because Windows got wide users than Mac. Currently, It supports some of apps of eDrawings Viewer Mac OS X and eDarwings professional for iOS. Draftsight is also available for OS X version, but it beta version. For this tutorial blog, I’m using the Soildworks 2012, features will see soon.

Here shows the basic system requirements of current Soildworks version 2018.

Operating System: Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1/Windows 10 (32 and 64 bit only)

Processor: Intel or AMD with SSE2 support or higher

RAM: 8 GB or higher

Graphics card: Nvidia/AMD/Intel video card drivers supported

Harddisk Space: 10 GB or higher

Media: DVD driver required for installation

Languages: Multiple languages

Overall

Solidworks is one of the best CAD solid modeling software, which enables to draw 2D, or 3D designs in simple and cost-effective way. It also increases the productivity of engineers by providing all the helping data and supports to them. As a result, they can easily save both money and time as compared to designing in the past situation. It opens wide opportunities to both engineering and education field. If you are passion and interest in the design subjects, Solidworks learning will be a great value to your career future. On the next post on-wards, you can the step by step guide of Solidworks tools and it’s uses.

Currently, Solidworks 2018 is available with new and improved from the previous version. You can also find the other mechanical engineering application wise videos and latest Solidworks news.

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