Book Image

Learn SOLIDWORKS 2020

By : Tayseer Almattar
Book Image

Learn SOLIDWORKS 2020

By: Tayseer Almattar

Overview of this book

SOLIDWORKS is the leading choice for 3D engineering and product design applications across industries such as aviation, automobiles, and consumer product design. This book takes a practical approach to getting you up and running with SOLIDWORKS 2020. You'll start with the basics, exploring the software interface and working with drawing files. The book then guides you through topics such as sketching, building complex 3D models, generating dynamic and static assemblies, and generating 2D engineering drawings to equip you for mechanical design projects. You'll also do practical exercises to get hands-on with creating sketches, 3D part models, assemblies, and drawings. To reinforce your understanding of SOLIDWORKS, the book is supplemented by downloadable files that will help you follow up with the concepts and exercises found in the book. By the end of this book, you'll have gained the skills you need to create professional 3D mechanical models using SOLIDWORKS, and you'll be able to prepare effectively for the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) exams.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)

Introduction to SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS is a Three-Dimensional (3D) design application. This is a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software that runs on Windows computer systems. It was launched in 1995 and has grown to be one of the most common pieces of software used globally in relation to engineering design.

This book covers fundamental skills for using SOLIDWORKS. It will take you from knowing nothing about the software to acquiring all the basic skills expected of a Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP). En route, we will also cover all the skills needed for the more basic Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) level. In addition to knowing what the tools are, you will also need to develop software fluency, which you will gain gradually as you practice using the software for different applications. Both the tools and the fluency are essential to acquiring any official SOLIDWORKS certifications. If you are new to SOLIDWORKS, we recommend that you follow the book like a story, from Chapter 1, Introduction to SOLIDWORKS onward. If you are already familiar with SOLIDWORKS, feel free to jump between chapters.

This chapter will provide you with a brief introduction to what SOLIDWORKS is and the fields it can support. Equipped with this knowledge, we will learn about all the features and capabilities of SOLIDWORKS and will have a clearer idea of what types of certifications or fields you can strive for. Learning about applicable certifications will enable you to plan your personal SOLIDWORKS development.

The chapter will also explain the governing principle with which SOLIDWORKS functions: parametric modeling. Equipped with a knowledge of SOLIDWORKS' operating principles, we will be able to deepen our understanding of how the software works and what to expect from it. Understanding the software's operating principles will help us to manage the different software commands used when building 3D models.

The following topics will be covered in this chapter:

  • Introducing SOLIDWORKS
  • Understanding parametric modeling
  • Exploring SOLIDWORKS certifications