Solidworks

Solidworks

Solidworks

Core 3D Modeling & Parametric Design

Intuitive Creation: Generates 3D shapes instantly with a comprehensive tool palette and instant feedback, making complex ideas simple to realize.

Parametric Precision: Allows precise design modifications numerically or using onscreen manipulators.

AI Assistance: Features predictive AI assistance to eliminate tedious tasks.

Standard Libraries: Includes extensive built-in libraries of geometries containing engineering and tolerancing information.

Assemblies, Hardware, & Analysis

Virtual Assembly: Snap components together via drag-and-drop to mimic real-life behavior and visualize range of motion.

Smart Fasteners: Automatically resizes hardware (nuts, bolts, washers) based on industry standards to fit applications.

Interference & Mass Checks: Interrogates designs for fit, interferences, and mass properties across assemblies containing thousands of parts.

Documentation & Detailing

2D Drawings: Quickly generates standard drawing sheets, automatic projection views, and section views via drag-and-drop from a view palette.

Dimensioning: Reveals existing model dimensions with a single click or adds new dimensions with intuitive formatting and tolerances.

Assembly Outputs: Produces prominent exploded views, automatic bills of materials (BOMs), and item balloons for manufacturing and suppliers.

Collaboration, Cloud Data, & Revision Control

Cloud Integration: Securely saves data to the cloud to keep teams informed, prevent file loss, and use search and tagging functionality.

File Safety: Locks files during edits to prevent accidental overrides and tracks how items relate and are used.

External Sharing & Markup: Allows external stakeholders to view, comment, and attach markups directly to models without downloads, while protecting intellectual property and tracking full model history and revisions.

Specialized Workflows & Ecosystem

Industry Tools: Purpose-built features for accurate sheet metal flat patterns, automated welded/bolted framing systems with automatic cut lists, advanced surface design, and 3D routing for pipes, tubes, and cables.

Extended Ecosystem: Integrates with browser-based modeling, virtual simulation/testing, CAM tool paths, electrical schematics, PCB design, BOM management, and rendering tools.

Getting started

When you open SOLIDWORKS or start a new document, you are prompted to choose one of three fundamental file types: Part, Assembly, or Drawing. These three environments form the backbone of the SOLIDWORKS design ecosystem, each serving a distinct purpose in the product development lifecycle.

Part (.sldprt)

What it is: The Part environment is the foundational building block where you create individual 3D components (e.g., a bolt, a plastic casing, a gear, or a bracket).

Key Features:

You start with 2D sketches on planes or flat faces, applying dimensions and geometric relations.

You then use features like Extrude, Revolve, Sweep, or Loft to turn those 2D sketches into 3D geometry.

You can combine multiple features (fillets, chamfers, holes, shells) to finalize the single component.

Assembly (.sldasm)

What it is: The Assembly environment is where you bring multiple individual parts (and even sub-assemblies) together to simulate how they fit and function as a complete product.

Key Features:

You insert parts into the workspace and define their spatial relationships using Mates (such as coincident, concentric, parallel, distance, and angle limits).

You can test for mechanical motion, check for physical interferences or collisions, and simulate kinematics.

Assemblies are dynamic; if you edit a part in its original Part file, those changes automatically update inside the Assembly.

Drawing (.slddrw)

What it is: The Drawing environment is where you create traditional 2D engineering blueprints and manufacturing documentation from your 3D Parts or Assemblies.

Key Features:

You import standard views (front, top, isometric, section, and detail views) directly from your 3D models.

You add manufacturing details, including dimensions, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), surface finishes, notes, and centerlines.

It includes automated tools for generating a Bill of Materials (BOM) and item balloons for assemblies.

Drawings are dynamically linked to the 3D models; if a dimension changes in the part or assembly, the 2D drawing updates automatically.

Analogy: The instruction manual and blueprint specs used by a machinist or manufacturer to physically build the part.

Summary Workflow

The typical workflow flows in one direction:

$$\text{Part} \longrightarrow \text{Assembly} \longrightarrow \text{Drawing}$$

PART

The Part environment (.sldprt) is the fundamental building block of the SOLIDWORKS ecosystem. Mastering it requires understanding how 2D geometry translates into intelligent, parametric 3D features.

The Anatomy of a Part

The FeatureManager Design Tree

Located on the left side of your screen, the design tree is the chronological history and structural DNA of your component.

Default References: Every new part starts with three orthogonal planes (Front, Top, Right) intersecting at a fixed Origin.

Feature Stack: Every operation you perform—sketches, extrudes, cuts, and fillets—stacks sequentially downward in the order it was created.

Rollback Bar: A horizontal bar in the tree that lets you temporarily step backward or forward in the modeling timeline to inspect or edit past features.

he Sketch-to-Feature Paradigm

SOLIDWORKS parts are built using a continuous two-step cycle: creating a 2D profile and applying a 3D operation to it.

2D Sketching: Profiles are drawn on planes or flat faces using primitives like lines, circles, and rectangles. They must be fully defined with dimensions and geometric relations to prevent unintended shifts.

3D Features: Additive tools (Boss-Extrude, Revolve, Sweep, Loft) add material, while subtractive tools (Cut-Extrude, Hole Wizard) remove or shape it. Finishing features like Fillets and Chamfers clean up edges.

Capturing Design Intent

Design intent is how your model reacts when dimensions change. Building a robust part means anticipating future modifications.

Parametric Relationships: Changing a single dimension in an early sketch automatically updates all dependent features downstream.

Symmetry & Origin Centering: Starting your model symmetrically around the origin (often using a Center Rectangle) ensures that scaling and modifications remain balanced.

Navigating your 3D model in SOLIDWORKS requires quick ways to change your viewpoint, orient your perspective, and inspect details. Here is a high-level explanation of the primary navigation tools and methods available in the Part environment:

The View Toolbar & Standard Views

Located right above your modeling graphics area (or accessible via the Spacebar view selector), these icons instantly snap your model to standard orthogonal and isometric perspectives.

Orientation (Spacebar): Opens a visual cube letting you click any face (Front, Back, Top, Bottom, Left, Right) or switch to standard Isometric, Trimetric, or Dimetric views.

Standard Views: Dedicated icons for quickly jumping to Front, Back, Top, Bottom, Left, Right, or Isometric views without opening the full cube.

Normal To: Instantly rotates your view so you are looking directly perpendicular (flat) to a selected planar face or sketch plane

Core Interactive View Controls

These tools change how you look at the workspace dynamically:

Rotate (Middle Mouse Button): Press and hold the middle mouse wheel (or roller) and drag anywhere in the graphics area to tumble and rotate your view in 3D space.

Pan (Ctrl + Middle Mouse Button): Hold the Ctrl key and drag with the middle mouse wheel to slide your entire view left, right, up, or down.

Zoom (Scroll Wheel): Roll the mouse wheel forward to zoom in and backward to zoom out. (SOLIDWORKS zooms in directly toward wherever your mouse cursor is pointing).

Zoom to Fit (F Key): Instantly resizes and centers your entire model so it fills the screen perfectly.

Display Style Icons

Found on the View toolbar, these icons change how your 3D geometry is visually rendered:

Shaded with Edges: Displays realistic materials/colors with dark outlines highlighting every edge (the most common working mode).

Shaded: Displays colors and textures without the edge lines for a clean look.

Hidden Lines Visible / Removed: Converts the view to wireframe styles to let you inspect internal geometry, hidden holes, or underlying structures.

Specialized Inspection Tools

Section View: Allows you to slice through your 3D part dynamically using one or more planes, letting you inspect internal walls, hollow sections, or complex internal features.

Measure: A quick tape-measure icon used to instantly check distances, radiuses, lengths, or angles between any two selected entities.

Rectangular plane for button of a bridge

Here is the step-by-step guide to modeling a rectangular plate that is 12 inches long, 8 inches wide, and 0.25 inches thick in SOLIDWORKS:

Start a New Part

Open SOLIDWORKS.

Click File > New (or press Ctrl + N).

Select Part and click OK.

Open a Sketch

Go to the Sketch tab on the CommandManager.

Click the Sketch icon.

Select the Top Plane from the FeatureManager design tree (or graphics area) to start sketching on a flat horizontal surface.

Draw the Rectangle

Click the dropdown arrow under the Rectangle icon and select Center Rectangle (this keeps your part nicely centered on the origin).

Click directly on the Origin (the red/blue arrows in the center) to anchor the center of your rectangle.

Drag your mouse outward to approximate size and click a second time to place it.

Dimension the Rectangle

Click Smart Dimension on the Sketch toolbar.

Click the top or bottom horizontal line, drag upward, click to place the dimension, and type 12 (press Enter).

Click the left or right vertical line, drag outward, click to place the dimension, and type 8 (press Enter).
Your sketch lines should now turn fully black, meaning it is fully defined.

Extrude the 3D Thickness

Go to the Features tab on the CommandManager.

An Extruded Boss/Base is one of the most fundamental and frequently used feature tools in SolidWorks. It takes a 2D sketch and projects (or "pulls") it outward in a linear direction to create a 3D solid body or add material to an existing part.

Key Components

The Profile (Sketch): A closed 2D contour drawn on a plane or a flat face that serves as the cross-section.

The Direction: The path along which the sketch is projected, which defaults to being perpendicular to the sketch plane.

End Conditions: The rule or boundary that determines how far the extrusion goes. Common options include:

Blind: Extrudes by a specified numerical depth.

Through All: Extrudes infinitely through all existing geometry in the specified direction.

Up to Next: Extrudes until it cleanly intersects the next face or body.

Mid Plane: Extrudes symmetrically outward in both directions from the original sketch plane.

Click Extruded Boss/Base.

In the PropertyManager (left sidebar) under Depth, set the distance to 0.25.

Click the green checkmark ($\checkmark$) to finish.

You now have a solid 3D rectangular plate measuring 12" 8" 0.25"!

To export your 3D model for 3D printing in SOLIDWORKS, you need to save or export it as an STL (.stl) file, which is the universal format read by 3D printer slicer software.

Here is how to do it:

Step-by-Step Export Process

Go to Save As:

Click File > Save As (or press Ctrl + Shift + S).

Select the File Type:

An STL file (short for Standard Triangle Language or Stereolithography) is the universal file format used to translate a digital 3D model into instructions that a 3D printer can understand.

Key Characteristics

The Triangle Mesh: Instead of storing smooth mathematical curves (like a CAD file from SolidWorks), an STL file approximates a 3D object's outer surface using a skin of interconnected triangles (facets). Higher-resolution settings create denser triangles for smoother curves.

Pure Geometry Only: An STL file contains only surface coordinates (XYZ data) and normal vectors. It does not store color, textures, materials, or internal structure.

Universal Compatibility: Virtually all 3D modeling software can export to STL, and every 3D printer slicing software can read it.

Role in the Workflow

Design: You create a 3D model in CAD software (such as SolidWorks using an Extruded Boss/Base).

Export: You save or export the part as an .stl file.

Slice: You import the STL into a slicer program (like PrusaSlicer or Cura), which slices the triangle mesh into horizontal 2D layers and generates the G-code path for the printer to build.

In the Save as type dropdown menu at the bottom of the dialog box, scroll down and select STL (*.stl).

Choose a File Name and Location:

Navigate to the folder where you want to save it and give your file a clear name.

Adjust Export Settings (Important for Quality):

Before hitting save, click the Options button in the bottom right corner of the Save As window.

Set the Format to either Binary (recommended, as it results in a much smaller file size than ASCII).

Set the Resolution to Fine or Custom. (Using Fine ensures your curves and flat surfaces export smoothly without faceting or looking blocky).

Click OK to close the options dialog.

Save:

Click Save.

SOLIDWORKS will show a preview mesh confirmation window displaying triangles. Click Yes or OK to confirm the export.

Next Step

Import that newly created .stl file into your 3D printer's slicer software (such as PrusaSlicer, Ultimaker Cura, or Bambu Studio) to orient it on the print bed, generate supports if needed, and slice it for your 3D printer!