Introducing SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS is a 3D design software that’s officially capitalized to SOLIDWORKS. It is one of the leading pieces of engineering 3D design software globally. Today, more than 2 million organizations use SOLIDWORKS to bring in products and innovations, which represent a large proportion of over 6 million SOLIDWORKS users in total. In this section, we will explore the different applications that SOLIDWORKS supports.
SOLIDWORKS is a Three-Dimensional (3D) design application. This is a ComputerAided 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 regarding engineering design.
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. Within SOLIDWORKS, several disciplines correspond to different design and analysis approaches.
- Core mechanical design
- Two-dimensional (2D) drawings
- Surface design
- Sheet metal
- Sustainability
- Motion analysis
- Weldments
- Simulations
- Mold making
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. These can include engines, furniture, and everyday consumer products such as phones and laptops.
These are the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (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.
Now that we know what SOLIDWORKS is and the different applications and disciplines it covers, we will cover the principle under which the software operates: parametric modeling.
Sample SOLIDWORKS 3D Models
As SOLIDWORKS caters to a variety of fields, it is possible to create 3D models with varying complexity using the software. Here, you can find samples of 3D models from different fields that have been made using SOLIDWORKS:
