SOLIDWORKS Hands-on Essential Training

Design your first part, assembly, and drawing in SolidWorks by starting a new part from front/top/right planes, sketching shapes, and using extrude boss/base and extrude cut.

Open and assemble parts in SolidWorks to create your first assembly, insert components, copy parts with Ctrl, and apply three mates to fix parts in place.

Create your first SolidWorks drawing from a part by selecting a template and sheet size, then insert front, right, top, and isometric views and add dimensions.

Learn the six basic steps of SolidWorks modeling: select a face or plane, sketch, define geometry with origin alignment, add relations and dimensions, and apply extruded features.

Create and edit sketches on selected planes to define shapes like rectangles and circles, then use extrude and extrude cut with contour choices to form and sculpt solid models.

Understand sketch relationships between lines in SOLIDWORKS, including perpendicular, vertical, horizontal, equal, and dimension-based constraints. Apply these relations via the pop-up, feature manager, and smart dimensions for precise sketches.

Master the SolidWorks extrude boss/base feature by sketching on the top plane, drawing a circle with a defined diameter, and controlling direction, draft, and offset.

Explore the extrude cut feature in SolidWorks, including blind, through all, and up-to options, plus offset, mid plane, and draft controls and selected body behavior.

Revolve sketches around an axis with the revolve boss/base feature in SolidWorks. Set the axis, choose 360 or 180 degrees, and use midplane or up to vertex/surface options.

Learn how to use the revolved cut in SOLIDWORKS to remove material by revolving around an axis, with options for degree, direction, and selecting all bodies.

Apply materials and finishes to solid bodies, adjust appearances without changing material properties, and use mass properties and the display manager to compare color, texture, and finishes.

Discover how SolidWorks calculates mass properties from volume and material density, and that changing material alters mass while appearance changes do not.

Explore system options, units, and templates in solidworks, including default templates for parts, assemblies, and drawings. Manage document properties, annotations, dimensions, and design libraries, and quickly switch unit systems.

Master the SolidWorks Smart Dimension tool to define sketches, using two-click or three-click methods, set units and origin references, and measure angles and circle diameters.

Select colors by using the appearance eyedropper to sample external colors, apply them to parts, set transparency, save to swatches, and reuse across bodies and phases.

Create and position custom coordinate systems in SolidWorks using reference geometry, choosing x, y, z directions and origins. View mass properties for default and user defined coordinate systems.

Learn to use line, center line, and midpoint line tools in SOLIDWORKS to sketch, set relations, convert lines to construction lines, and constrain points to the origin.

Master the rectangle tool on the front plane, using corner, center, three-point variants, and parallelogram options, while learning to modify, delete sketch relations, and switch to construction geometry.

Learn to create circles and arcs in SolidWorks, including circle and perimeter circle, three-point circle, and center point, tangent, and three-point arcs on the front plane, with radius guidance.

Learn to create and modify slots in a SolidWorks sketch, including straight and arc slots, set dimensions, convert slot types, and use offset entities and caps.

Master sketching polygons in solidworks by using the polygon tool, setting sides, choosing inscribed or circumscribed circles to control size, and managing construction geometry and relations.

Learn to create and align text in SOLIDWORKS using the text creation tool, adjust fonts, sizes, and curve alignment, and export for engraving or silkscreen in DF or DWG formats.

Master equations and linked variables in SolidWorks by using global variables to drive sketch dimensions and extrusion, then update the model by adjusting values in the equations.

Explore the spline tool in SolidWorks, creating simple splines and style splines with points and direction vectors, then convert to construction geometry and use three-point or tangent arcs for dimensions.

Define y as a function of x with equation driven curves in SolidWorks, using explicit and parametric forms to sketch lines and sine waves on the front plane.

Explore sketch ink in SOLIDWORKS to draw with pen or touch, adjust color and size, erase, select, and utilize auto shape and power modifier for precise chamfered corners.

Create ellipses, partial ellipses, parabolas, and conics in SolidWorks from the sketch tab on a chosen plane. Adjust shapes with center points, radius, construction lines, and rotation in the feature manager.

Trim and extend sketches in solidworks using trim entities and extend entities. Master power trim, trim to close, trim away inside or outside, corner trim, and construction geometry options.

Learn to use the offset tool in SolidWorks to create geometry with offset entities, bi directional options, caps, and construction geometry for circles, rectangles, and slots.

Master move, copy, rotate, scale, and stretch entities to manipulate sketches with the move entities tool, preserving relations and using center of rotation.

Learn how to delete sketches, use marquee selection to pick entities, and undo or redo actions with Ctrl Z and Ctrl Y in SOLIDWORKS.

Learn how to use the mirror tool in SolidWorks to mirror sketches and create solid bodies, using copy options, mirror about lines, and dynamic behavior.

Learn to create repeating sketches with linear and circular patterns in SolidWorks, control direction, distance, and quantity, and selectively skip instances for efficient patterning.

Improve sketches by using construction lines and center lines to enforce symmetry and equal relations, reducing dimensions and creating scalable, well-defined sketches in SolidWorks.

Use the convert entities tool in SolidWorks to bring existing faces, planes, or holes into your sketch and save time in assemblies.

Learn to add fillets and chamfers in SolidWorks sketches and parts, using sketch fillets and sketch chamfer tools, with dimensional controls, constraints options, and relation management.

Create reference planes from faces, edges, or vertices to place sketches and holes, using offsets and flipping options, including planes between two faces or three points and mirroring between faces.

Create and manage axes in SolidWorks using temporary axes or reference geometry options, including axes from a line, between planes, between vertices, cylindrical or conical axes, and point-and-plane pairs.

Create and customize coordinate systems in SolidWorks, using the default origin and x, y, z directions, assign axes, and view mass properties, center of mass, and moment of inertia.

Enable the markup view to annotate SolidWorks files and communicate with collaborators using a pen or touch device. Customize color, size, and thickness, and erase or insert markup nodes.

Apply fillets to edges and faces in SolidWorks, using constant, variable, face, and full round options, adjust radii and profiles such as conic radius and curvature continuity.

Explore the chamfer tool in SolidWorks, including angle distance, distance distance, vertex, offset face, and face-to-face chamfers, with symmetric or asymmetric options for edges and faces, useful for cnc machining.

Apply the draft command in SolidWorks to create molded parts, selecting angle (min 3°), start face, affected faces, and inside or outside direction.

Master the SolidWorks shell command to hollow solids, set wall thickness (0.1 in or 0.15 in), remove multiple faces, view sections, and apply multi-thickness settings for injection molding.

Learn to speed up solid modeling with the mirror command by sketching a quarter of a part and mirroring it to create the full body, including mirrored features.

Master the linear pattern in SolidWorks to quickly create grids of features or bodies by selecting a direction, choosing a face or edge, setting distance and count, and enabling seeds.

Explore circular patterns in SolidWorks by selecting an axis of rotation, choosing equal or instant spacing, and patterning a feature or body around 360 degrees with multiple holes.

Master the loft tool for part modeling by morphing between sketches and using guide curves. Explore start and end constraints, normals, and how to pierce sketches for precise lofts.

Learn to use the lofted command with guide curves to create complex shapes by selecting profiles in order, applying upper, lower, and external guides, and mirroring.

Execute lofted cut to remove material between sketches, not create geometry, using guided curves and start/end constraints to shape the cut with normal-to-profile handles.

Create swept shapes in solidworks with the swept boss/base along a path, using a sketch or circular profile and the clothing hanger example to illustrate width and twist control.

Master swept cuts in SolidWorks by applying sketch or circular profiles along a path, with guide curves and twists, to whole bodies or solids for CNC machine results.

Wrap a 2D sketch around a 3D solid in SolidWorks to create embossed, debossed, or scribed text on a curved surface; adjust size, depth, and position for even lettering.

Learn how to use boundary boss, a powerful base command in SolidWorks, to guide an extrusion from a circle along sketch lines, perform pierce operations, and mirror the resulting body.

Intersect the solid body with surfaces to slice into multiple regions, control visibility, and manage merge results for flexible solid modeling.

Create and manage configurations in SolidWorks to have multiple versions of a part, switch between configurations, suppress or hide features, and change dimensions via the configuration manager.

Explore surface tools in SOLIDWORKS, including extruded, swept, and revolve surfaces, with profiles, paths, and axes of rotation; note surfaces create thin surfaces, not solid bodies.

Create solids from surfaces in SolidWorks by extruding to or offset from a surface, knit surfaces, and using a center point rectangle on a plane.

Learn to use the direct editing tool in SolidWorks to move, copy, and combine bodies, including external parts and mates, for quick repositioning of imported solids from other software.

Learn to use the move phase in the direct editing tool to translate, offset, and rotate faces without changing the original features, enabling fast tweaks for 3d printing.

Explore the combine command in SolidWorks’ direct editing tool to add, subtract, or find the common part between two bodies; you’ll learn practical uses for assembly and molding workflows.

Use the direct editing tool to split a SolidWorks part into two bodies, edit each with sketches and extrude cuts, pattern fills, and then reassemble with the combine command.

Use the project curve tool in SolidWorks to project a sketch from a front plane onto two surfaces, with bidirectional projection and options such as sketch on faces and reverse projection.

import an STL file as a graphic body in SolidWorks, slice it on the top plane, adjust slices and offsets, preview, and loft the sketches to create a solid body.

Learn how to use SolidWorks sheet metal tools, including base flange and edge flange, to create flanges on open bodies, adjust bend, and manage basic sheet metal workflows.

Learn to use the Weldments workflow in SolidWorks with the Wellman tool to create custom tube frames from standard profiles, select sizes, position profiles, and edit features.

Enable the markup tool to annotate drawings, add arrows and nodes, adjust colors, and export markups as PDFs for collaborative reviews.

Demonstrates using the hole wizard in SolidWorks to create industry-standard holes, including counterbored, countersunk, simple and more, with NC metric standards, fits, depths, and precise positioning.

Explore hole wizard types and standards, switching between counterbore, countersunk, and metric or DIN options. Learn to size holes and position them on sketches, with construction and a center rectangle.

Position holes on 3d parts with the hole wizard, using 3d sketches to place holes on multiple faces and set nc metric m5 with a blind end condition.

Explore the Hole Wizard slots in SolidWorks to create counterbored, countersunk, or simple slots, select standards (NC metric, NC inch, BSI, ISO), set size, fits, length, and end condition.

Learn how to create, insert, and manage sketch blocks in SolidWorks, reuse sketches across your design, and apply associative edits across all blocks.

Learn to create blocks from sketches, save and insert them with an insert point into sheet metal, then use through all extruded cuts and modify blocks to update.

Learn to design with blocks in SolidWorks by turning sketch entities into blocks, connecting them to simulate mechanisms, and building a simple block diagram to test motion.