Book Image

Learn SOLIDWORKS - Second Edition

By : Tayseer Almattar
Book Image

Learn SOLIDWORKS - Second Edition

By: Tayseer Almattar

Overview of this book

SOLIDWORKS is the leading choice for 3D engineering and product design applications across industries such as aviation, automobile, and consumer product design. This book helps you to get up and running with SOLIDWORKS and understand each new concept and tool with the help of easy-to-follow exercises. You'll begin with the basics, exploring the software interface and finding out how to work 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 prepare you to take on any design project. You'll also work with practical exercises to get hands-on experience 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 to understand the concepts and exercises more easily. Finally, you'll also work on projects for 3D modeling objects inspired by everyday life. By the end of this SOLIDWORKS book, you'll have gained the skills you need to create professional 3D mechanical models using SOLIDWORKS and be able to prepare effectively for the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) exams.
Table of Contents (26 chapters)
1
Section 1 – Getting Started
4
Section 2 – 2D Sketching
7
Section 3 – Basic Mechanical Core Features – Associate Level
10
Section 4 – Basic Evaluations and Assemblies – Associate Level
13
Section 5 – 2D Engineering Drawings Foundation
18
Section 6 – Advanced Mechanical Core Features – Professional Level
21
Section 7 – Advanced Assemblies – Professional Level

Introducing SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS is a 3D design software that's officially capitalized to SOLIDWORKS. It is one of the leading pieces of engineering 3D design software globally. Today, more than 2 million organizations use SOLIDWORKS to bring in products and innovations, which represent a large proportion of over 6 million SOLIDWORKS users in total. In this section, we will explore the different applications that SOLIDWORKS supports.

SOLIDWORKS applications

SOLIDWORKS mainly targets engineers and product designers. It is used in a variety of applications and industries. Some of these industries are as follows:

  • Consumer products
  • Aerospace construction
  • High-tech electronics
  • Medicine
  • Oil and gas
  • Packaging
  • Machinery
  • Engineering services
  • Furniture design
  • Energy
  • Automobiles

Each of these industries utilizes SOLIDWORKS for its design applications to some extent. Within SOLIDWORKS, several disciplines correspond to different design and analysis approaches. They are as follows:

  • Core mechanical design
  • Two-dimensional (2D) drawings
  • Surface design
  • Sheet metal
  • Sustainability
  • Motion analysis
  • Weldments
  • Simulations
  • Mold making
  • Electrical

Even though the preceding list highlights some possible domains where SOLIDWORKS can be applied, it is not necessary for a single individual to master them all. However, they do demonstrate the capabilities enabled by the software and the fields it can serve. This book will focus on addressing applications within the core mechanical design disciplines. These disciplines will cover the most common usage scenarios for SOLIDWORKS.

Core mechanical design

Core mechanical design skills are the most commonly used foundational design application for SOLIDWORKS users. This includes the fundamental 3D modeling features that are essential for modeling mechanical components; this book will focus on this type of design application. Mastering this will enable you, as a learner, to draft complex parts and assemblies. These can include engines, furniture, and everyday consumer products such as phones and laptops.

We will cover all the knowledge and skills needed to achieve the two major SOLIDWORKS certifications under the core mechanical design discipline. These are the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) levels. Also, mastering core mechanical design concepts can be considered as a prerequisite to learning most other specialized modeling disciplines, such as sheet metal and mold making. Because of that, we will only cover a common foundation for mechanical core design in this book. Later in this chapter, we will discuss all the certifications and levels in more detail in the Exploring SOLIDWORKS Certifications section.

Now that we know what SOLIDWORKS is and the different applications and disciplines it covers, we will cover the principle under which the software operates: parametric modeling.

Sample SOLIDWORKS 3D Models

As SOLIDWORKS caters to a variety of fields, it is possible to create 3D models with varying complexity using the software. Here, you can find samples of 3D models from different fields that have been made using SOLIDWORKS:

Figure 1.1 – A 3D Model of "Gallon." Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.1 – A 3D Model of "Gallon." Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.2 – Gears assembly for a pump. Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.2 – Gears assembly for a pump. Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.3 – A turbine rotor. Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.3 – A turbine rotor. Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.4 – Geometric bookshelf design. Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.4 – Geometric bookshelf design. Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.5 – A mechanical seal. Image courtesy of TforDesign

Figure 1.5 – A mechanical seal. Image courtesy of TforDesign

These models are selections from different fields that can show the flexibility and the range of possible applications. In reality, SOLIDWORKS is a tool, and it will remain up to you as to what you will use it for.