SOLIDWORKS 2012 Essential Training

Introduction

• Welcome
• Using the exercise files

• Launching SOLIDWORKS for the first time
• Accessing and customizing the Ribbon
• Touring the shortcut bar and identifying essential keys
• Saving, renaming, and managing files

• Understanding the 3D world
• The six steps used in almost all modeling features
• Starting a new sketch

• Sketching lines and center lines
• Using the Circle tool
• Adding and removing relationships
• Understanding relationship types
• Dimensioning a sketch to define specific size attributes
• Setting system options, units, and templates

• Sketching rectangles
• Creating arcs in a sketch
• Drawing splines in a sketch
• Sketching polygons

• Trimming and extending portions of a sketch
• Creating offset geometry
• Moving, copying, and rotating elements
• Erasing, undoing, and redoing actions
• Mirroring part of a sketch
• Creating repeating patterns in a sketch
• Using construction lines to place features with precision

• Working with planes
• Placing and using axes
• Working with the coordinate system and individual points

• Extruding a sketch into a 3D object
• Using Revolve to create 3D parts around a circular axis
• Using Loft to create a complex shape
• Refining a loft shape with guide curves
• Using Sweep to create wire and pipe shapes

• Using Extruded Cut to trim parts of a 3D object
• Trimming with the revolve cut
• Trimming with the loft cut
• Trimming with the sweep cut

• Using fillets and chamfers to create smooth or angled corners
• Creating repeating rectangular patterns
• Creating repeating circular patterns
• Mirroring objects
• Creating hollow objects with Shell and Draft

• Working with reusable sketches using blocks
• Creating blocks
• Designing with blocks

• Understanding the tools for beginning a new assembly
• Identifying steps in creating an assembly
• Mating parts together in an assembly
• Matching part sizes accurately in the parametric prototyping environment
• Working with subassemblies
• Patterning in assemblies
• Downloading pre-made parts from the Internet
• Working with pre-made parts bundled with SOLIDWORKS Professional and SOLIDWORKS Premium

• Mating parts with coincident, parallel, and distance mates
• Mating parts with tangent and width mates
• Mating parts along a path
• Mating parts by aligning planes

• Getting started with the Hole Wizard
• Understanding hole types and standards
• Positioning holes in layout sketches

• Linking sketches to other parts
• Linking to layout sketches
• Using the Hole Wizard in context

• Calculating values for creating a threaded part
• Using a helix sweep path to create a thread
• Understanding internal and external threads

• Using equations in refining sketching
• Working with complex calculations
• Integrating Microsoft Excel to manage design tables
• Making assemblies using part configurations

• Working with drawing templates
• Setting up drawing options and sheet properties
• Choosing the correct projection angle: first angle vs. third angle
• Adding model views to a drawing

• Creating general dimension notations
• Creating chain and ordinate dimensions
• Dimensioning holes and curved features
• Applying auto dimensions

• Creating hole callouts
• Adding center marks and centerlines to a drawing
• Adding item notes
• Drawing revisions

• Adding assemblies to drawings
• Including a bill of materials
• Adding a title block and sheet properties to an assembly drawing
• Building an exploded view for an assembly drawing
• Including part balloons in an assembly drawing

• Rendering an image of a part or an assembly

• Next steps