Anyone know Solid Works?
- Thread starter VoKuS
- Start date
bobc
10 kW
Install it. Do the tutorials in the help menu.
good to go ;^)
good to go ;^)
nieles
10 kW
yes what bobc said will get you started!
after that is is just practice practice practice.
if you really like working with solidworks and use it a lot. consider buying one of these:
http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacenavigator.html
it makes working so much easier.
i have worked with solidworks in the past, but now i work with inventor.
after working with both, it's really hard to chose which is better
i attached an old rc drive i made in solidworks, have a look
after that is is just practice practice practice.
if you really like working with solidworks and use it a lot. consider buying one of these:
http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacenavigator.html
it makes working so much easier.
i have worked with solidworks in the past, but now i work with inventor.
after working with both, it's really hard to chose which is better
i attached an old rc drive i made in solidworks, have a look
Nice first foray into solid modelling! Get some assemblies done and have a go at rendering some stuff - BLING! I use Solid Edge for my job - design bits for planes, but i've always wanted to have a go at Works, where did you find a copy if you don't mind me asking?
adrian_sm
1 MW
Good luck with SolidWorks. Once you learn one of the 3D solid modellers you will easily be able to pick up others.
I have used UniGraphics, ProE, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, IDEAS, and lower end packages over the last decade or so.
When I was recruiting CAD Designers/Engineers we would ask them to model some pretty simple parts, and from the approach they took it was obvious very quickly if they knew their stuff. This typically boiled down to two things, so the best advice I can give you is:
- know your manufacturing methods, and model for them
- Try and predict the changes you may need to make to the model in the future, and build the model to make it easy.
So definitely dive in to the tutorials, but don't just follow all the mouse clicks. Use them to teach you the various functions, but play around, explore, to make sure you understand how each feature works, and it's limitations. Challenge yourself to model the same part a different way. Or modify the model you built.
Have fun.
Cheers,
- Adrian
I have used UniGraphics, ProE, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, IDEAS, and lower end packages over the last decade or so.
When I was recruiting CAD Designers/Engineers we would ask them to model some pretty simple parts, and from the approach they took it was obvious very quickly if they knew their stuff. This typically boiled down to two things, so the best advice I can give you is:
- know your manufacturing methods, and model for them
- Try and predict the changes you may need to make to the model in the future, and build the model to make it easy.
So definitely dive in to the tutorials, but don't just follow all the mouse clicks. Use them to teach you the various functions, but play around, explore, to make sure you understand how each feature works, and it's limitations. Challenge yourself to model the same part a different way. Or modify the model you built.
Have fun.
Cheers,
- Adrian
marty
1 MW
I am also trying to learn Solid Works. Got Solid Works 2011. Did those same tutorials. I need more practice to draw what is in my mind.VoKuS said:Well I like it so far, for some reason I went form metric to inch between the part and the drawing...
I really like the modeling with dimensions...
Here is my first drawing...
Took me a while to figure this out:
Click on the advanced button. See Templates.
To see metric / inch settings: Options (at the top) > Document Properties > Units
Drunkskunk
100 GW
Someone told me I should try Blender instead of Solidworks. Has anyone tried both and care to comment on which is better?
dodjob
1 kW
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2010
- Messages
- 320
The comment of Adrian_sm was very wise
You can design quite everything you want with even a parametric modeler. The "art" is to keep in mind during your design that you will have to manufacture your part. If you do, you will place the dimensions at the right place and you will be able to really use your design. If not you may get a beautiful part on your screen but absolutely NO WAY to get it in your hand
I've studied 3 years of mechanical engineering and trust me.. This is the trick. Never forget that you will have to build it
Solidworks is a very powerful tool BUT it's too "easy" IMHO. That means that you can make design mistakes and go to "production" without seeing them. A Soft like Proe for example is quite a "bitch" but when you got a part done.. It is machinable On the other side, if you are designing a part for plastic injection or epoxy fiber process Proe is a real pain in the A..
So if you want to design something try to learn how the machines are working, which tool you want to use and THEN start design something. That's hard I know.. but that's also why people learn it years long at school
Hope you will succeed to design the parts of your dreams ^^
Gruß,
H.
PS: also when you are finished with your design you can try to throw an eye at geometric tolerancing. This will helps you to get the parts you want if you ever ask someone to make it for you
You can design quite everything you want with even a parametric modeler. The "art" is to keep in mind during your design that you will have to manufacture your part. If you do, you will place the dimensions at the right place and you will be able to really use your design. If not you may get a beautiful part on your screen but absolutely NO WAY to get it in your hand
I've studied 3 years of mechanical engineering and trust me.. This is the trick. Never forget that you will have to build it
Solidworks is a very powerful tool BUT it's too "easy" IMHO. That means that you can make design mistakes and go to "production" without seeing them. A Soft like Proe for example is quite a "bitch" but when you got a part done.. It is machinable
On the other side, if you are designing a part for plastic injection or epoxy fiber process Proe is a real pain in the A.. So if you want to design something try to learn how the machines are working, which tool you want to use and THEN start design something. That's hard I know.. but that's also why people learn it years long at school
Hope you will succeed to design the parts of your dreams ^^
Gruß,
H.
PS: also when you are finished with your design you can try to throw an eye at geometric tolerancing. This will helps you to get the parts you want if you ever ask someone to make it for you
damcard
100 W
My student license expired and have not been able to use it since. But, I was loving Solidworks. I even started modeling stuff in it and exporting it to use on some web development projects like buttons just because I found the way you build stuff in Solidworks is the way my brain works. I love how you can mate surfaces, check interferences, do weldments, create assemblies. There is a video of how Trek uses it to design their frames. I didn't get that far, but was working on it. The whole app kicks ass. I never got to use the physics modeling stuff but was looking forward to that. I hope to get another edition any way I can soon again after I finish retrofitting my mill with a cnc package. I want to make some of the parts I draw. Must be nice working at a cnc shop. -Damcard
marty
1 MW
First back up all your stuff. There is a good chance you can get a virus doing this.Jimbo said:,,,,,,, where did you find a copy if you don't mind me asking?
Downlaod and install a BitTorrent client http://www.utorrent.com/ is good.
Check your local laws. What you are about to do is "share". Any lawyers here?
Search for what you want.
Like this......
solidworks premium 2011 torrent
Can also get music and movies like this.
Choose a good place to get the torrent from, thepiratebay.org is bad, http://btjunkie.org is good.
Downloading can take a while. Installing programs can be tricky. Read the .txt instructions.
We are having some problems here
For those of you who don't know where we are? The United States of America (also called the United States, the U.S., the USA) We spent all the money 
It gone! Billions, Trillons, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$???? wasted on wars for no reason The only way to get it back is MANUFACTURING! Please get off you ass, Stop looking at the internet, Do something! Unemployment is not the answer. Social Security is not the answer. Welfare is not the answer.Dream of something
design it
draw it (http://www.solidworks.com/ is good)
build it
sell it
PAY TAXES!
acuteaero
100 W
All he's saying is that you can pirate the software online. And some other silly stuff that doesn't really matter.
Good on you for starting the tutorials- SW is great fun and easy to get started with! You'll have fun teaching yourself all about the advanced functionality as time goes on!
Solidworks is a great engineering-focussed parametric modeller- others like Blender, Rhyno, Cinema 4D are more focussed on modelling for animation or graphic design. There is overlap, of course, I know an architecture shop that uses Revit for all sorts of things- from building plans, to free form surfacing, even including designing furniture and exporting straight to a CAM system for a CNC router.
I work in a CNC shop as well- very small quick-turn prototype shop- I program and operate 3axis mills- I have found my solidworks skills really useful for designing custom fixturing and vacuum fixturing directly from the part models.
I hope that your new skills will give you new opportunities as you develop them! I hear that particularly expert surfacing skills are quite sought after :wink:
Good on you for starting the tutorials- SW is great fun and easy to get started with! You'll have fun teaching yourself all about the advanced functionality as time goes on!
Solidworks is a great engineering-focussed parametric modeller- others like Blender, Rhyno, Cinema 4D are more focussed on modelling for animation or graphic design. There is overlap, of course, I know an architecture shop that uses Revit for all sorts of things- from building plans, to free form surfacing, even including designing furniture and exporting straight to a CAM system for a CNC router.
I work in a CNC shop as well- very small quick-turn prototype shop- I program and operate 3axis mills- I have found my solidworks skills really useful for designing custom fixturing and vacuum fixturing directly from the part models.
I hope that your new skills will give you new opportunities as you develop them! I hear that particularly expert surfacing skills are quite sought after :wink:
Just a question, VoKuS: Why destroy the thread and possible usefulness of it's information to others by deleting your posts and replacing them with a smiley?
bobc
10 kW
just backing up the notes above about thinking how you will make the stuff you're designing while designing it. For example if a part is going to be turned, then design it by drawing the blank, then removing the material that will be machined away. That way the single design includes drawings of the finished item AND the blank you will need to make it. Think about how you will hold the part in the machine, where the 3 or 4 jaw chuck will grip it at every stage, or include a parallel section that can go in a machine vice. I have (for example) included cut-outs in a laser cut part so it can be gripped in a 3jaw chuck - little things like that make the difference between a nice design and a bitch!
see the cutouts in the top part above so it can be held in the 3 jaw chuck to machine out the bearing housing
see the cutouts in the top part above so it can be held in the 3 jaw chuck to machine out the bearing housing
