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- Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
Explore a practical and example-driven approach to understanding SOLIDWORKS 2020 and achieving CSWA and CSWP certification
Key Features
- Gain comprehensive insights into the core aspects of mechanical part modeling
- Get up to speed with generating assembly designs with both standard and advanced mates
- Focus on design practices for both 2D as well as 3D modeling and prepare to achieve CWSP and CWSA certification
Book Description
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.
What you will learn
- Understand the fundamentals of SOLIDWORKS and parametric modeling
- Create professional 2D sketches as bases for 3D models using simple and advanced modeling techniques
- Use SOLIDWORKS drawing tools to generate standard engineering drawings
- Evaluate mass properties and materials for designing parts and assemblies
- Understand the objectives and the formats of the CSWA and CSWP exams
- Discover expert tips and tricks to generate different part and assembly configurations for your mechanical designs
Who this book is for
This book is for aspiring engineers, designers, drafting technicians, or anyone looking to get started with the latest version of SOLIDWORKS. Anyone interested in becoming a Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) or Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) will also find this book useful.
Tayseer Almattar holds a bachelor's (B.S.) degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Design (MDes) degree in international design and business management. He has 6 years of experience in corporate training, instructional design, and quality assurance training. He has also been an avid user of SOLIDWORKS for over 10 years and has published multiple online SOLIDWORKS training courses with about 15,000 enrolled students from over 100 countries. With this book, Tayseer has brought together his experience of design and training to produce a unique and practical SOLIDWORKS training experience in writing.Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 397
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019
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Learn SOLIDWORKS 2020
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Commissioning Editor: Kunal ChaudhariAcquisition Editor:Larissa PintoContent Development Editor:Aamir AhmedSenior Editor: Hayden EdwardsTechnical Editor:Jane DsouzaCopy Editor: Safis EditingProject Coordinator:Manthan PatelProofreader: Safis EditingIndexer:Pratik ShirodkarProduction Designer: Deepika Naik
First published: November 2019
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ISBN 978-1-78980-410-2
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Contributors
About the author
Tayseer Almattar holds a bachelor's (B.S.) degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Design (MDes) degree in international design and business management. He has 6 years of experience in corporate training, instructional design, and quality assurance training. He has also been an avid user of SOLIDWORKS for over 10 years and has published multiple online SOLIDWORKS training courses with about 15,000 enrolled students from over 100 countries. With this book, Tayseer has brought together his experience of design and training to produce a unique and practical SOLIDWORKS training experience in writing.
Tayseer aspires to help build a world where modern civilization and the natural environment can thrive together utilizing the power of design. Outside his professional life, Tayseer enjoys backpacking, hiking, playing racket sports and video games, and learning about different cultures.
About the reviewer
Thomas P. McDunn is an automation engineer with experience in machine design, electronics, and software of all kinds. He currently teaches classes and workshops on 3D printing. He practices 3D design for 3D printing with six of his own machines. He also uses 3D design for projects for aComputer Numerical Control (CNC) router. He holds a patent for an industrial automation controller and is passionate about computer control and robotics. He volunteers at the local Maker Space and enjoys helping makers there.
Deepak Gupta graduated in 2000 from Indo Swiss Training Centre (Chandigarh, India). With over 18 years of rich experience working with various industries, he has been working in different roles with different product lines. His main area of expertise and interest has been design and manufacturing processes.
He works as engineering service provider offering wide range of CAD design, drafting & engineering services. He is passionate about working with SOLIDWORKS. He enjoys writing tips, tricks, tutorials and news about SOLIDWORKS. In addition to that he has participated in various SOLIDWORKS World conferences as a press member.
An important aspect of his life is his family members. He loves to travel and make friends.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Learn SOLIDWORKS 2020
Dedication
About Packt
Why subscribe?
Contributors
About the author
About the reviewer
Packt is searching for authors like you
Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
To get the most out of this book
Download the example code files
Download the color images
Code in Action
Conventions used
Get in touch
Reviews
Introduction to SOLIDWORKS
Introducing SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS applications
Core mechanical design
Understanding parametric modeling
Exploring SOLIDWORKS certifications
Associate certifications
Professional certifications
Professional advanced certifications
Expert certification
Summary
Questions
Further reading
Interface and Navigation
Technical requirements
Starting a new part, assembly, or drawing file
What are parts, assemblies, and drawings?
Opening a part, assembly, or drawing file
The main components of the SOLIDWORKS interface
The command bar
The design tree
The canvas
The Task Pane
The document's measurement system
The different measurement systems
Adjusting the document's measurement system
Summary
Questions
SOLIDWORKS 2D Sketching Basics
Technical requirements
Introducing SOLIDWORKS sketching
The position of SOLIDWORKS sketches
Simple sketches versus complex sketches
Sketch planes
Getting started with SOLIDWORKS sketching
Getting into the sketching mode
Defining sketches
Geometrical relations
Sketching lines, rectangles, circles, arcs, and ellipses
The origin
Sketching lines
Sketching rectangles and squares
Sketching circles and arcs
Sketching ellipses and using construction lines
Fillets and chamfers
Under defined, fully defined, and over defined sketches
Under defined sketches
Fully defined sketches
Over defined sketches
Summary
Questions
Special Sketching Commands
Technical requirements
Mirroring and offsetting sketches
Mirroring a sketch 
Defining
Offsetting a sketch 
Deleting an offset
Customization options
Creating sketch patterns
Defining patterns 
Linear sketch patterns
Circular sketch patterns
Trimming in SOLIDWORKS sketching
Understanding trimming 
Using power trimming
Summary
Questions
Basic Primary One-Sketch Features
Technical requirements
Understanding features in SOLIDWORKS
Understanding SOLIDWORKS features and their role in 3D modeling
Simple models versus complex models 
Sketch planes for features
Understanding and applying extruded boss and cut
What are extruded boss and extruded cut? 
Applying extruded boss
Applying extruded cut and building on existing features
Modifying and deleting extruded boss and extruded cut
Editing a feature – changing the height of the cylinder from 50 mm to 100 mm
Deleting a feature – removing the extruded cut feature that goes through the cylinder 
Understanding and applying fillets and chamfers
Understanding fillets and chamfers
Applying fillets
Applying chamfers
Modifying fillets and chamfers
Understanding and applying revolved boss and cut
What are revolved boss and cut?
Applying revolved boss
Applying revolved cut
Modifying revolved boss and revolved cut
Summary
Questions
Basic Secondary Multi-Sketch Features
Technical requirements
Reference geometries – additional planes
Understanding planes, reference geometries, and why we need them
Defining planes in geometry 
Defining a new plane in SOLIDWORKS
Understanding and applying swept boss and swept cut
What are swept boss and swept cut?
Applying swept boss
Swept boss feature options
Applying swept cut
Modifying swept boss and swept cut
Understanding and applying lofted boss and lofted cut
What are lofted boss and lofted cut?
Applying lofted boss 
Lofted boss feature options
Applying lofted cut
Modifying lofted boss and cut
Guide curves 
Summary
Questions
Materials and Mass Properties
Technical requirements
Reference geometries – defining a new coordinate system
What is a reference coordinate system and why are new ones needed?
How to create a new coordinate system
Assigning materials and evaluating and overriding mass properties
Assigning materials to parts
Viewing the mass properties of parts
Viewing mass properties
Finding the mass of the model in grams
Finding the center of mass in relation to the origin in millimeters
Finding the center of mass in relation to the new coordinate system in millimeters
Finding the mass of the model in pounds
Overriding mass properties 
Summary
Questions
Standard Assembly Mates
Technical requirements
Opening assemblies and adding parts
Defining SOLIDWORKS assemblies
Starting a SOLIDWORKS assembly file and adding parts to it
Starting an assembly file
Adding parts to the assembly file
Understanding mates
Understanding and applying non-value-oriented standard mates 
Defining the non-value-oriented standard mates
Applying the coincident and perpendicular mates
Applying the coincident mate
Applying the perpendicular mate
Applying the parallel, tangent, concentric, and lock mates
Applying the parallel mate
Applying the tangent mate
Applying the concentric mate
Applying the lock mate
Under defining, fully defining, and over defining an assembly 
Finding the definition statuses of the parts 
Which assembly definition status is better? 
Viewing and adjusting active mates
Modifying existing mates
Understanding and applying value-driven standard mates 
Defining value-driven standard mates
Applying the distance and angle mates
Applying the distance mate
Applying the angle mate
Utilizing materials and mass properties for assemblies 
Setting a new coordinate system for an assembly
Material edits in assemblies
Assigning materials to parts in the assembly environment
Evaluating mass properties for assemblies
Summary
Questions
Introduction to Engineering Drawing
Understanding engineering drawings
Interpreting engineering drawings
Interpreting lines
Interpreting views
Orthogonal views
Auxiliary view
Section views
Detail views
Break-out section views
Crop views
Axonometric projections
Summary
Questions
Basic SOLIDWORKS Drawing Layout and Annotations
Technical requirements
Opening a SOLIDWORKS drawing file
Generating orthographic and isometric views
Selecting a model to plot
Generating orthographic and isometric views
Parent and child views
Adding views via the View Palette
Deleting views 
Adjusting the drawing scale and the display
Adjusting the scale of our drawing
Changing the drawing scale for the front parent view
Changing the drawing scale of the isometric child view 
Understanding scale ratios
 Different display types
Communicating dimensions and design
Using the smart dimension
The centerlines, notes, and hole callout annotations
Centerlines
Notes 
Hole callout
Utilizing the drawing sheet's information block
Editing the information block
Adding new information to the information block 
Exporting the drawing as a PDF or image
Exporting a drawing as a PDF file 
Exporting the drawing as an image 
Summary
Questions
Bills of Materials
Technical requirements
Understanding BOMs
Understanding a BOM
Generating a standard BOM
Inserting an assembly into a drawing sheet 
Creating a standard BOM
Adjusting information in the BOMs
Adjusting listed information in the BOM
Changing a title in the BOM
Changing a column category 
Sorting information in our BOMs 
Adding new columns
Utilizing equations with BOMs
What are equations in SOLIDWORKS drawings? 
Functions 
Mathematical operations
Inputting equations in a table
Applying a mathematical operation 
Applying an equation function
Utilizing parts callouts 
Summary
Questions
Advanced SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Core Features
Technical requirements
Understanding and applying the draft feature
What are drafts? 
Applying drafts
Understanding and applying the shell feature
What is a shell? 
Applying a shell
Multi-thickness settings
Understanding and utilizing the Hole Wizard
What is the Hole Wizard and why use it? 
Identifying a hole in SOLIDWORKS 
Utilizing the Hole Wizard
Understanding and applying features mirroring
What is mirroring for features? 
Utilizing the Mirror command to mirror features
Understanding and applying the rib feature
Understanding ribs
Applying the Rib command
Understanding and utilizing multi-body parts 
Defining multi-body parts and their advantages
Generating and dealing with a multi-body part
Feature scope applications
Separating different bodies into different parts
Summary
Questions
Equations, Configurations, and Design Tables
Technical requirements
Understanding and applying equations in parts
Understanding equations
Applying equations in parts
Modifying dimensions with equations 
Equations within the equations manager
Design intent with equations
Understanding and utilizing configurations 
What are configurations?
Applying configurations
Understanding and utilizing design tables 
What are design tables?
Setting up a design table
Editing a design table
Editing directly from the design table
Editing the design table by modifying the model 
Summary
Questions
SOLIDWORKS Assemblies and Advanced Mates
Technical requirements
Understanding and using the profile center mate
Defining the profile center advanced mate
Applying the profile center mate
Understanding and using the width and symmetric mates
Defining the width advanced mate
Applying the width advanced mate 
Defining the symmetric advanced mate
Applying the symmetric advanced mate
Understanding and using the distance range and angle range mates
Defining the distance range and angle range
Applying the distance range mate 
Applying the angle range mate
Understanding and using the path mate and linear/linear coupler mates
Defining the path mate
Applying the path mate 
Defining the linear/linear coupler
Applying the linear/linear coupler
Fine-tuning the linear/linear coupler mate
Summary
Questions
Advanced SOLIDWORKS Assemblies Competencies
Technical requirements
Understanding and utilizing the Interference and Collision Detection tools
Interference Detection
Interferences in practice 
Collision Detection
Understanding and applying assembly features
Understanding assembly features
Applying assembly features
Understanding and utilizing configurations and design tables for assemblies
Using manual configurations
Design tables 
Summary
Questions
Assessments
Answers to questions
Chapter 1 – Introduction to SOLIDWORKS
Chapter 2 – Interface and Navigation
Chapter 3 – SOLIDWORKS 2D Sketching Basics
Chapter 4 – Special Sketching Commands
Chapter 5 – Basic Primary One-Sketch Features
Chapter 6 – Basic Secondary Multi-Sketch Features
Chapter 7 – Materials and Mass Properties
Chapter 8 – Standard Assembly Mates
Chapter 9 – Introduction to Engineering Drawing
Chapter 10 – Basic SOLIDWORKS Drawing Layout and Annotations
Chapter 11 – Bills of Materials
Chapter 12 – Advanced SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Core Features
Chapter 13 – Equations, Configurations, and Design Tables
Chapter 14 – SOLIDWORKS Assemblies and Advanced Mates
Chapter 15 – Advanced SOLIDWORKS Assemblies Competencies
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Preface
SOLIDWORKS is one of the most used pieces of software for 3D engineering and product design applications. These applications cover areassuch as aviation, automobiles, consumer product design, and more. This book takes a practical approach to mastering the software at a professional level. The book starts with the very basics, such as exploring the software interface and opening new files. However, step by step, it progresses through different topics, from sketching and building complex 3D models to generating dynamic and static assemblies.
This book takes a hands-on approach when it comes to covering different tools in SOLIDWORKS. Whenever a new tool is introduced, we will go through a practical exercise of using it to create sketches, 3D part models, assemblies, or drawings. When required, we will provide you with supporting files that you can download in order to follow up on the concepts and exercises in your own time. If you are a complete beginner in SOLIDWORKS, it will be best to follow the book from start to finish, like a story. However, you can also jump between chapters.
Who this book is for
This book targets individuals who would like to get started with SOLIDWORKS and be able to feel comfortable using the software. They could be aspiring engineers, designers, makers, draftsmen, and hobbyists. This book is also designed for individuals who are interested in becoming Certified SOLIDWORKS Associates (CSWAs) or Certified SOLIDWORKS Professionals (CSWPs).
The book does not require a specific background in order to follow it, as it starts from the basics of what SOLIDWORKS is and how to use it. However, basic theoretical background knowledge of what 3D modeling is would be helpful.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Introduction to SOLIDWORKS, covers what SOLIDWORKS is and the applications that utilize the software. It also explores the professional certifications that are offered by SOLIDWORKS.
Chapter 2, Interface and Navigation, teaches you how to navigate around the SOLIDWORKS interface.
Chapter 3, SOLIDWORKS 2D Sketching Basics, covers what sketching is in SOLIDWORKS. It also covers how you can sketch basic entities such as lines, circles, rectangles, arcs, and ellipses.
Chapter 4, Special Sketching Commands, covers commands that enable us to sketch more efficiently. These include the mirror, offset, trip, and pattern commands.
Chapter 5, Basic Primary One-Sketch Features, explores the most basic features used for generating 3D models from sketches. Each of these features requires you to have one sketch to apply it. The features include extruded boss and cut, revolved boss and cut, fillets, and chamfers.
Chapter 6, Basic Secondary Multi-Sketch Features, explores another set of basic features that require more than one sketch to apply. They include the swept boss and swept cut and lofted boss and lofted cut. It also explores reference geometries and how to generate new planes.
Chapter 7, Materials and Mass Properties, explores structural materials for our 3D parts. It also teaches you how to calculate mass properties such as mass, volume, and the center of gravity.
Chapter 8, Standard Assemblies Mates, explores what assemblies are in SOLIDWORKS. You will learn how to generate simple assemblies using the standard mates: coincident, parallel, perpendicular, tangent, concentric, lock and set distance, and angle.
Chapter 9, Introduction to Engineering Drawing, explores what engineering drawings are and how to interpret them as per the commonly recognized international standards.
Chapter 10, Basic SOLIDWORKS Drawing Layout and Annotations, teaches you how to generate basic engineering drawings using SOLIDWORKS drawing tools.
Chapter 11, Bills of Materials, explores what bills of materials are and how to generate and adjust bills of materials with SOLIDWORKS drawing tools.
Chapter 12, Advanced SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Core Features, covers the advanced features used to generate more complex 3D models. These include the draft feature, shell feature, Hole Wizard, features mirroring, the rib feature, and multi-body parts.
Chapter 13, Equations, Configurations, and Design Tables, explains how you can apply equations to link different dimensions within the model. You will also learn how to utilize configurations and design tables to generate multiple variations of a single part within one SOLIDWORKS file.
Chapter 14, SOLIDWORKS Assemblies and Advanced Mates, covers using advanced mates to generate more dynamic assemblies. These include the profile center, symmetric, width, distance and angle range, path, and linear/linear coupler mates.
Chapter 15, Advanced SOLIDWORKS Assemblies Competencies, explores additional assembly features to better evaluate and generate more sound and flexible assemblies. These include the Interference and Collision Detection tools, assembly features, and configurations and design tables for assemblies.
To get the most out of this book
You will need to have access to the SOLIDWORKS software for most of the chapters. Some chapters will also require you to have access to Microsoft Excel on the same machine.
You should practically follow all the steps and examples in this book in SOLIDWORKS as you are reading the book. This is because the book was designed to give you hands-on practical experience.
There are no prerequisite knowledge or skills required to follow this book. However, having a basic, theoretical understanding of what 3D modeling is would be helpful.
Download the example code files
You can download the example code files for this book from your account at www.packt.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit www.packtpub.com/support and register to have the files emailed directly to you.
You can download the code files by following these steps:
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The code bundle for the book is also hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Hands-On-3D-Modelling-with-SOLIDWORKS-2020. In case there's an update to the code, it will be updated on the existing GitHub repository.
We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!
Download the color images
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Code in Action
Visit the following link to check out videos of the code being run:
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Conventions used
There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.
CodeInText: Indicates code words in the text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: "Input theRight View and Top View notes the same way."
Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see on screen. For example, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in the text like this. Here is an example: "Select Drawing, then click on OK."
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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
Introducing SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS is a 3D design software, officially capitalized to SOLIDWORKS. It is one of the leading pieces of engineering 3D design software globally. Today, more than two million organizations use SOLIDWORKS to bring in products and innovations, which represent a large proportion of over 3 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. SOLIDWORKS uses applications under the following disciplines:
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. This discipline 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 CSWA and 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.
Now that we know what SOLIDWORKSis, and the different applications and disciplines it covers, we will cover the principle under which the software operates: parametric modeling.
Understanding parametric modeling
Parametric modeling is the core principle on which SOLIDWORKS operates. It governs how SOLIDWORKS constructs 3D models and how a user should think when dealing with SOLIDWORKS.
In parametric modeling, the model is created based on relationships and a set of logical arrangements that are set by the designer or draftsman. In the SOLIDWORKS software environment, they are represented by dimensions, geometric relations, and features that link different parts of a model to each other. Each of these logical features can be called a parameter.
For example, a simple cube with a side length of 1 mm would contain the following parameters:
Four lines in one plane
with the following relations listed and noted in the following sketch in writing:
All two-line endpoints are merged at the same point. This is presented with the
merged
parameter in the following diagram.
Two opposite angles are
right angles
(90 degrees).
Two adjacent lines are equal to each other in length.
The length of one line is
1 mm
, as follows:
A
Vertical
Extrusion that is perpendicular to the square defined in the first set of parameters above. The extrusion is by an amount equals to the length of the square's side (1 mm). This vertical extrusion will result in the shape shown in the following diagram:
The parameters listed above show the details of how software such as SOLIDWORKS interprets and constructs 3D models. Another term that is commonly used to refer to those parameters is design intent. The user of the software should specify all those parameters to create a cube or any other 3D model. The creation of 3D models based on parameters/design settings has many notable advantages. One major advantage for SOLIDWORKS users is the ease of design updates.
Notice that in the preceding cube, we have specified the length of only one side in the base square; the other specifications are all relations that fix and highlight the fact that the model is a cube (equal, parallel, and perpendicular sides). Those parameters make all parts of our cube inter-connected based on what we decide is important. Thus, an update to the length of the side of the cube will not sabotage any of the cube's structure. Rather, the whole cube will be updated while keeping the parameters intact.
To clarify this, we can revisit the cube we just made for the purpose of updating it. In the same model, let's change the dimension we identified earlier from 1 mm to 5 mm:
With that single step, the cube is fully modified, with all the sides changing to 5 mm in length. Again, this is because our cube parameters must have equal perpendicular and parallel sides. Given that we have defined our intended parameters/design settings for the software, all of those will be retained, resulting in the whole cube model being updated with one single adjustment.
This can be contrasted with pure direct modeling methods. In pure direct modeling, the user creates the cube more abstractly by drawing each line separately and constructing a cube of a certain size. Even though creating the initial cube might be faster, updating it would require updating all of the elements separately as they don't relate to each other with any intent or logical features. This would result in considerably more time and effort being invested in creating variations, which is an essential requirement for industrial applications.
Other advantages of parametric modeling are as follows:
The ease of modifying and adjusting models throughout the design and production cycles.
The ease of creating families of parts that have similar parameters.
The ease of communicating the design to manufacturing establishments for manufacturing.
All the advantages of parametric modeling make it a popular modeling method for technical applications relating to engineering or product design. On the other hand, direct modeling can perform better in more abstract applications, such as modeling more artistic objects used in gaming or architecture. Understanding parametric modeling will enable us to use the software more easily as we are aware of its limitations, as well as how the software interprets the commands we apply. As we go through the book, we will expand our understanding of parametric modeling as we tackle more advanced functions, such as design tables and other features.
Now that we know more about SOLIDWORKS and parametric modeling, we will discuss the certifications offered by SOLIDWORKS.
Exploring SOLIDWORKS certifications
SOLIDWORKS provides certifications covering different aspects of its functionality. As a user, you don't need to gain any of those certifications to use the software; however, they can prove your SOLIDWORKS skills. SOLIDWORKS certifications are a good means of showing employers or clients that you have mastery over a certain aspect of the software that would be required for a specific project. Certifications can be classified under four levels: associate, professional, professional advanced, and expert. Associate certifications represent the entry-level, expert certifications represent the highest level, and professional and professional advanced represent middle levels, respectively. The following section is a list of the certification levels provided by SOLIDWORKS. Note that SOLIDWORKS adds or removes certifications over time. You can check the SOLIDWORKS certification online catalog for more information.
Associate certifications
Associate certifications are the most basic ones offered by SOLIDWORKS. Some of those certifications require hands-on testing, while others require the student to have a theoretical knowledge related to the certification topic. Brief details pertaining to each certification are as follows:
CSWA
: This is the most popular
SOLIDWORKS
certification. It covers the basic modeling principles involved in using the software. This certification allows the user to prove their familiarity with the basic 3D modeling environment in
SOLIDWORKS
. It touches on the creation of parts, assemblies, and drawings. The test for this certification is hands-on, so the student will need to have
SOLIDWORKS
installed before attempting the test.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Associate
—
Electrical
(
CSWA-E
): This covers the general basics of electrical theory, as well as aspects of the electrical functionality of
SOLIDWORKS
. This certification test does not involve practical work, so the student will not need to have
SOLIDWORKS
installed.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Associate
—
Sustainability
(
CSWA-Sustainability
): This covers theoretical principles of product-sustainable design, such as cradle to cradle. To take this certification,
SOLIDWORKS
software is not required.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Associate
—
Simulation
(
CSWA-Simulation
): This covers basic simulation principles based on the
Finite Elements Method
(
FEM
). This mainly includes stress analysis and the effect of different materials and forces on solid bodies. This is a hands-on test, so the student is required to have
SOLIDWORKS
installed.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Associate
—
Additive Manufacturing
(
CSWA-AM
): One of the newer certifications offered by
SOLIDWORKS,
due to the emergence of the common use of additive manufacturing methods such as 3D printing. This certification covers basic knowledge regarding the 3D printing market. This is not a hands-on test and, hence, the student does not need to have
SOLIDWORKS
software installed.
Professional certifications
Professional certifications demonstrate a higher mastery of SOLIDWORKS functions beyond the basic knowledge of the certified associate. All the certifications in this category involve hands-on demonstrations. Thus, the student is required to have access to SOLIDWORKS before attempting any of the tests. Brief details regarding each certification are as follows:
CSWP
: This level is a direct sequence of the CSWA level. It demonstrates the user's mastery over advanced
SOLIDWORKS
3D modeling functions. This level upgrade focuses more on modeling more complex parts and assemblies.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Professional
—
Model-Based Definition
(
CSWP
-
MBD
): MBD is one of the newer
SOLIDWORKS
functionalities. This certification demonstrates the user's mastery of MBD functions, which enable the communication of models in a 3D environment rather than in a 2D drawing.
Certified
PDM
Professional Administrator
(
CPPA
):
PDM
stands for
Product Data Management
. This certification focuses on managing projects with a wide variety of files and configurations. Also, it facilitates collaboration in teams working on the same design project.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Professional
—
Simulation
(
CSWP-Simulation
): This is an advanced sequence of the CSWA-Simulation certificate. It demonstrates a more advanced mastery of the simulation tools provided by
SOLIDWORKS
, as well as the ability to evaluate and interpret more diverse simulation scenarios.
Professional advanced certifications
Professional advanced certifications address very specific functions within SOLIDWORKS. Often, these certifications are applicable to more specific industries compared to the CSWP certificate. All these certificates are advanced specializations of the CSWP certificate. Advanced certificates offered by SOLIDWORKS are as follows:
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Professional Advanced
—
Sheet Metal
(
CSWPA
-
SM
): This focuses on applications related to sheet metal. This includes bending sheet metal into different shapes, as well as conducting different related analyses.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Professional Advanced
—
Weldments
(
CSWPA-WD
): This focuses on applications related to welding. This includes welding both sheet metals and different formations such as frames.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Professional Advanced
—
Surfacing
(
CSWPA-SU
): This focuses on modeling surfaces of irregular shapes, such as car bodies and computer mice.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Professional Advanced
—
Mold Making
(
CSWPA-MM
): This focuses on making molds for productions. This includes molds for both metal and plastic parts.
Certified
SOLIDWORKS
Professional Advanced
—
Advanced Drawing Tools
(
CSWPA-DT
): This focuses more on generating 2D engineering drawings to help communicate models to different parties. These can include internal quality teams or external manufacturers.
Expert certification
There is only one type of expert-level certificate, which represents the highest-level certification offered by SOLIDWORKS: Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert (CSWE). It demonstrates mastery over all SOLIDWORKS modeling and design functions. To qualify for this exam, the user must have the CSWP in addition to four CSWPA certificates.
It is not necessary for a SOLIDWORKS user to obtain all certifications. In fact, it is rare to find one person with all the certificates. This is because each certification level can address very different needs and serve different industries and/or positions. Also, some certification levels are more in demand than others as they are more essential and, hence, used in more industries. Sequentially, the certifications can be viewed as follows:
This book covers the two most essential, sequential certification levels: Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP). These two certifications cover common usage scenarios with SOLIDWORKS.
Summary
In this chapter, we have learned about what SOLIDWORKS is, how parametric modeling works, and the different certifications offered by SOLIDWORKS. This will help us to set our expectations and create our future development roadmap in relation to SOLIDWORKS. It will also help us to understand the capabilities of the software and its vast scope.
In the next chapter, we will cover the SOLIDWORKS interface and navigation. This will enable us to navigate the software and identify the different components that exist in its interface.
Questions
What is
SOLIDWORKS
?
Name some industries that utilize
SOLIDWORKS.
How is parametric modeling defined?
What are the major advantages of parametric modeling?
What is the difference between parametric modeling and direct modeling?
What are the
SOLIDWORKS
certifications and why are they important?
What are the main categories of certification levels offered by
SOLIDWORKS
?
The answers to the preceding questions can be found at the end of this book.
Further reading
More information about the certifications offered by SOLIDWORKS can be found here: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/solidworks-certification.htm.
Interface and Navigation
In this chapter, we will look at SOLIDWORKS and its software interface, as well as its main components. In addition, we will cover how to navigate through the software interface so that you will be able to easily navigate your way around the software in the upcoming chapters. We will also talk about the document's measurement system in terms of the different standard units it uses globally, such as feet, inches, centimeters, and millimeters for measurements of length. Interacting and setting up an interface with the software and setting up our measurement system will be the first two actions we will perform in any new project.
The following topics will be covered in this chapter:
Starting a new part, assembly, or drawing file
The main components of the SOLIDWORKS interface
The document's measurement system
Technical requirements
In this chapter, you will need to have access to SOLIDWORKS.
The project files for this chapter can be found in this book's GitHub repository: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Learn-SOLIDWORKS-2020/tree/master/Chapter02.
Check out the following video to see the code in action: http://bit.ly/2q6q7fW
Starting a new part, assembly, or drawing file
This section addresses the three types of SOLIDWORKS files: parts, assemblies, and drawings. Here, we'll briefly cover what each file is for and how we can use each of them. More about each type of file will be covered throughout this book.
What are parts, assemblies, and drawings?
SOLIDWORKS files fall into three distinctive categories: parts, assemblies, and drawings. Each file type corresponds to a certain deliverable when we're making a product. By deliverable, we mean whether we need to deliver a 3D part file, a 3D assembly file, or a 2D engineering drawing that's delivering parts or an assembly. To illustrate these three file types, let's break down the simple cylindrical box shown in the following diagram:
From the preceding diagram, we can see that there are three distinctive categories:
Parts
: Parts are the smallest elements that make up an artifact. They are the first step in building any product in SOLIDWORKS. Since
SOLIDWORKS
is used to create 3D software, all of its parts are 3D. Also, each part can be assigned to one type of material. Our cylindrical box contains two parts: the main
Cylindrical container
and the
Cap
, as shown in the following diagram:
After creating the two parts separately in two different part files, they can be put together into an assembly file.
Assemblies
: SOLIDWORKS assemblies are where you will be able to mix more than one part together to make an assembly. Most of the artifacts we use in our everyday life contain more than one part, linked together. Some examples include cars, phones, water bottles, tables, and more. In our cylindrical box example, the assembly will look as follows:
The main purpose of SOLIDWORKS assemblies is to check how different parts—which are often created separately—interact with each other. This will help us evaluate whether or not the parts fit together correctly. It also helps the design and engineering teams evaluate the look of the product as a whole. In addition, through SOLIDWORKS assemblies, we can simulate the movements of mechanical products.
Drawings
: SOLIDWORKS drawings allow you to create 2D engineering drawings out of your parts or assemblies. Engineering drawings are the most common way to communicate designs on paper. They often show dimensions, tolerances, materials, costs, parts IDs, and so on. Engineering drawings are often required when designs need to be reviewed by certain parties. Also, they are often required if you wish to talk about your designs with clients or manufacturing/prototyping establishments. For our
Cylindrical Box
, an engineering drawing may look as follows:
All three types of files—parts, assemblies, and drawings—are essential to SOLIDWORKS users. This is because they are all necessary for the creation of products.
Now that we understand what parts, assemblies, and drawings are, let's look at how we can open them in SOLIDWORKS.
Opening a part, assembly, or drawing file
Now that we know the difference between parts, assemblies, and drawings, we will explore how to start each type of file. Once you open SOLIDWORKS 2020, the Welcome slide will appear, along with some shortcuts. One of those options is opening a NewPart, Assembly, or Drawing file. These options are highlighted in the following screenshot. Once you click on any of these options, that type of file will be opened:
If the welcome message does not appear, there is another way to open a new file, as follows:
Click on
File
in the top-left corner of SOLIDWORKS.
Select
New...
, as shown in the following screenshot:
After selecting
New...
, you will be able to pick one of the three options, that is, to either open a
Part
, an
Assembly
, or a
Drawing
file, as shown in the following screenshot. You can select the type of file you want and click
OK
. Alternatively, you can double-click on the file type you would like to start:
In this book, first, we will focus on creating parts, then assemblies, and finally drawings. Being able to distinguish between the different types of files is very important as everything we do afterward will be building on top of the file type we choose. Now that we understand how to open parts, assemblies, and drawings in SOLIDWORKS, let's look at how to use the software's interface further.
The main components of the SOLIDWORKS interface
In this section, we will discuss the main components of the SOLIDWORKS interface. These main components are the command bar, the task pane, the canvas, and the design tree. Being familiar with these components is essential if we wish to use the software. For a practical follow-up, you can download the SOLIDWORKS part linked with this chapter, which will be used to explain the main components of the SOLIDWORKS interface.
