SolidWork 2013 - Introduction And How To Start It

Introduction to SolidWorks 2013

INTRODUCTION TO SolidWorks 2013

Welcome to the world of Computer Aided Designing (CAD) with SolidWorks. SolidWorks, developed by the SolidWorks Corporation, USA, is a feature-based, parametric solid-modeling mechanical design and automation software. SolidWorks is the first CAD package to use the Microsoft Windows graphic user interface. The use of the drag and drop (DD) functionality of Windows makes this CAD package extremely easy to learn.

The Windows graphic user interface makes it possible for the mechanical design engineers to innovate their ideas and implement them in the form of virtual prototypes or solid models, large assemblies, subassemblies, and detailing and drafting.

There are  number of software provided by the SolidWorks Corporation, which can be used as Add-Ins with SolidWorks. Some of the software that can be used on SolidWorks’s work platform are listed below:

SolidWorks Animator, PhotoWorks, FeatureWorks, COSMOS/Works, COSMOS/Motion, COSMOS/Flow, eDrawings, CAMWorks, Toolbox,  Mold Base, SolidWorks Piping.

As mentioned earlier, SolidWorks is a parametric, featu re-based, and easy-to-use mechanical design automation software. It enables you to convert the basic 2D sketch into a solid model by using simple but highly effective modeling tools. SolidWorks does not restrict you to 3D solid output, but it extends to the bidirectional associative generative drafting. It also enables you to create the virtual prototype of a sheet metal component and the fl at pattern of the component. This helps you in the complete process planning for designing and creating a press tool. SolidWorks helps you to extract the core and the cavity of a model that has to be molded or cast. With SolidWorks, you can also create complex parametric shapes in the form of surfaces.

Some of the important modes of SolidWorks are discussed below.

Part Mode

The Part mode of SolidWorks is a feature-based parametric environment in which you can create solid models. You are provided with three default planes named as Front Plane, Top Plane, and Right Plane.

Assembly Mode

In the Assembly mode, you can assemble components of the assembly with the help of the required tools. There are two methods of assembling the components:

1. Bottom-up assembly

2. Top-down assembly

In the bottom-up assembly method, the assembly is created by assembling the components created earlier and maintaining their design intent.

In the top-down method, the components are created in the assembly mode. You may begin with some ready-made parts and then

create other components in the context of the assembly.

You can assemble all components of an assembly by using a single tool, the Mate tool.

Drawing Mode

The Drawing mode is used for the documentation of the parts or the assemblies created earlier, in the form of drawing views and the details in the drawing views. There are two types of drafting done in SolidWorks:

1. Generative drafting

2. Interactive drafting

Generative drafting is a process of generating drawing views of a part or an assembly created earlier. The parametric dimensions and the annotations added to the component in the Part mode can be generated in the drawing views. Generative drafting is bidirectionally associative in nature. Automatic BOMs and balloons can be added to an assembly while generating the drawing views of it.

In interactive drafting, you have to create the drawing views by sketching them using the normal sketching tools, and then add dimensions to them.

GETTING STARTED WITH SolidWorks

è  Install SolidWorks on your system and choose the Start button at the lower left corner of the screen. Next, choose All Programs to display the Program menu. Then, choose SolidWorks 2013 to display the cascading menu and then choose SolidWorks 2013.

è  Now, the system will prepare to start SolidWorks and after sometime, the SolidWorks window will be displayed on the screen. On opening SolidWorks for the first time, the SolidWorks License Agreement dialog box will be displayed.

è  Choose the Accept button in this dialog box; the SolidWorks 2013 window will open and the SolidWorks Resources task pane will be displayed.

This window can be used to open a new file or an existing file.

(OR)

You can also start SolidWorks 2013 by double-clicking on the SolidWorks 2013 shortcut icon available on the desktop of your computer. You need to create the shortcut icon of SolidWorks 2013, if it is not created by default.