SolidWorks For Dummies

Greg Jankowski, Richard Doyle

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780470129784
• eBook ISBN: 9781118051474
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: CAD-CAM
• Index: Computer Science

Whether it's your first venture into 3D technical drawing software or you're switching to SolidWorks from something else, you're probably excited about what this CAD program has to offer. Chances are, you figure it's going to take awhile to get the hang of it before you can begin cranking out those perfectly precise 3D designs. SolidWorks For Dummies, 2 nd Edition, can help you dramatically shorten that get-acquainted period!

SolidWorks For Dummies, 2 nd Edition will help you get up and running quickly on the leading 3D technical drawing software. You'll see how to set up SolidWorks to create the type of drawings your industry requires and how to take full advantage of its legendary 3D features. You'll discover how to:

• Work with virtual prototypes
• Understand the user interface
• Use templates and sketch, assemble, and create drawings
• Automate the drawing process
• Review drawings and collaborate with other team members
• Define and edit sketches
• Create dimensions and annotations
• Print or plot your drawings
• Leverage existing designs

Sample files on the bonus CD-ROM show you how to apply the latest version of SolidWorks and accomplish specific tasks. Even if you're brand-new to CAD software, SolidWorks For Dummies, 2 nd Edition will have you feeling like a pro in no time. You'll find you've entered a whole new dimension.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Part I

Beginning the SolidWorks Journey

In this part . . .

Beginning the journey into 3D can seem daunting. It’s not that bad — honest. In fact, it can be fun. This part introduces you to SolidWorks. You find out about some of the new features in SolidWorks 2008 as well as how to set up SolidWorks before you start your first design project. You also delve into the topics of design layout and intent.

Chapter 1

Getting to Know (And Love) SolidWorks

In This Chapter

Becoming familiar with SolidWorks

Discovering the advantages of the virtual prototype

Figuring out where to start with SolidWorks

Getting acquainted with new features in SolidWorks 2008

SolidWorks is a tool that helps design engineers harness their imaginations and add creativity to their designs. The true mark of a good tool is when it becomes part of your process without getting in your way. When you design, you need to do just that — design!

When SolidWorks was created, the power of 3D wasn’t yet widespread. The company’s original mission back in 1995 — and a goal it still pursues today — is to bring the power of 3D to every engineer’s desktop. Two early quotes of SolidWorks founders that still hold true today are

“No matter how easy it is to use, it is never easy enough.”

“No matter how fast we make it, it is never fast enough.”

In this chapter, I introduce you to SolidWorks, the wonderful world of 3D, and the virtual prototype. You discover the basic system requirements for SolidWorks and tips to keep the program running smoothly. I also give you the lowdown on the newest features in SolidWorks 2008.

Exploring the SolidWorks Advantage

As a design engineer, you need to be critical about how you work with your craft and to understand how you can do it better. As tools and technology continue to improve, you also need to evolve. That means staying abreast of the latest design tool innovations. In this section, you find out how to take advantage of the benefits that 3D and SolidWorks offer.

Improving the way you work

Designing in SolidWorks may be different from how you designed in the past. My greatest satisfaction in my early days as a designer came from creating a complex assembly on my computer and then watching the darn thing actually come together on the shop floor just the way I designed it.

Without the ability to create 3D solid models and assemblies, however, your goal isn’t easily attainable. The following workflow example shows how modeling in SolidWorks enables you to achieve better results:

1. Design 3D parts (such as the one shown in Figure 1-1) and assemblies.

One big advantage to working in 3D is the ability to capture design intent early in the design process. Good designs are built on solid foundations. SolidWorks 3D modeling gives you a better understanding of your design, long before you create the first part.

Figure 1-1: An example of how a part is reused in the design process.

Design intent is an intelligent arrangement of part features and dimensions, or in the case of assemblies, the location of parts and the interaction between them. Starting your designs by building in good design intent makes reacting to future changes or additions easier.

2. Test your design as a virtual prototype, using advanced features in SolidWorks to test different ideas more quickly and easily than you can with drawings or traditional prototypes.

A virtual prototype is such an important idea in using SolidWorks that I discuss it greater detail in the next section.

3. Generate 2D manufacturing drawings, based on the geometry defined in the original part or assembly.

Refer to Figure 1-1 for an example. You can find out more about generating drawings in Chapter 7.

Embracing the virtual prototype

In the old days (more than 25 years ago), designers drew their designs on paper. When a designer was done drawing, he built a physical prototype to test his design ideas in the real world. If things didn’t work quite right, he went back to the drawing board. Building all those prototypes was time consuming.

Nowadays, you do all that testing and simulating on a virtual prototype, which is a concept I refer to throughout this book. When you design a product in SolidWorks, essentially you create a virtual prototype with all the characteris...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Beginning the SolidWorks Journey
• Part II : Design Intent and the Virtual Prototype
• Part III : The Devil’s in the “Drawing” Details
• Part IV : Playing Nicely with Others (And Picking Up Your Toys)
• Part V : The Part of Tens
• : Further Reading