Today, engineers and engineering students use many software programs while designing new constructions, mechanisms and systems. Of all those software programs; Autocad, Solidworks, Unigraphics, Catia and Proengineering are the most popular and preferred programs. Autocad is usually used for 2D design. However, others are for 3D design. I've started using Solidworks after one year experience in Autocad. I realized that Autocad sometimes doesn't meet my requirements. I discovered Solidworks and what I would do with the assistance of this program.
Why solidworks? Because it is very easy to use. Eveything is clear in Solidworks. If you know English and have a little computer knowledge and technical information, you can easily learn how to use Solidworks wtihout needing any additional source like books and tutorials. It is very easy to understand the fundementals of SW.
Other plausible reason is that there are many Solidworks books in Bookstores. One can find many resources written in different languages. For me, it is easy to find such sources written both in English and my native language Turkish. Solidworks have been given as two-semester course in most of European and American universities.
Designing starts with 2D in Solidworks. Above all, you should have a knowledge of drawing in 2D. You should be capable of making 2D sketches. You should be capable of forming the main 2D construction of solid systems. Rest is very simple because it goes on with simple extrusion, hole making, cutting, lofting and revolving processes.
Another advantage of Solidworks is that it works well with all versions of Windows operating system. The last version, SW 2008, is installed and worked on Vista after loading Service Pack of Vista. Without Service Pack, it doesn't run on your system.
To learn how to use Solidworks and how to design systems or just making drawings for fun, follow my tutorial set. My next article will be about simple 3D drawings. In the next articles, you should learn how to draw cylinders, rectangular prisms and cubes with very different dimensions.
In a nutshell, Solidworks is a good way to explain the things in your mind with simple lines and curves.
Using SolidWorks with one of our navigation devices will accelerate your entire workflow. From concept, to sketch, to part, to assembly and drawing, you’ll finish faster in every mode. With a 3Dconnexion navigation device, you click less and accomplish more. You’ll be amazed that you ever worked with a mouse alone!
#2 by wulmin, Sep 2, 2008
Improve productivity by more than 20%; reduce mouse usage by over 50%
#3 by drobjnicak, Sep 2, 2008
SolidWorks includes translators that allow users to communicate with all types of CAD data. No other CAD tool offers the proven power of SolidWorks when translating other CAD data.
#4 by depitak, Sep 2, 2008
SolidWorks has introduced more innovations to the CAD market since 1995 than any other CAD Software developer. Each new release of SolidWorks provides users with hundreds of innovative, time saving, productivity enhancing, and client requested features.
#5 by lachika, Sep 2, 2008
If you’re not dealing with very large, assemblies, don't make extensive use of top down design, have no interest in advanced surfacing (like you indicated you don't above), don't feel that having the CAD and CAM vendor be the same is important, don't deal with mainly native Pro/E files, than SolidWorks maybe a better choice as it has an easier to use UI.
#6 by nicolita, Sep 2, 2008
I've used Catia V5, pro/e wf2 and solidworks, and each has its ups. SolidWorks the easist to pick up and learn, especially with those online tutorials built in. Performance-wise, pro/e has a lot and advanced features, but definately not easy to just figure out. I think catia is one of the better ones for top down and assembly management. It seems solidworks is getting there slowly and it's used by many brcause it's cheap(relatively speaking). For Interface and functionality, I like using solidworks more. I think Catia is on a completly different level,a better one, and I really like the mouse functions.
#7 by parduse, Sep 2, 2008
SolidWorks only runs on Windows. Generally SolidWorks adopts and retires Windows platform support in step with Microsoft's "Mainstream Support" of the various flavors of Windows. SolidWorks was made available for 64-bit Windows shortly after Windows XP x64 was released. SolidWorks is currently beta-testing a Windows Vista version.
#8 by ruslan, Sep 2, 2008
In Windows XP, it is very easy to turn off the excess graphics effects. From your Desktop, right click on My Computer and choose Properties. Click on the Advanced tab of the dialog that appears, then hit the button for Performance Settings. On the first tab that appears (Visual Effects), choose the option to Adjust for best performance. If you want, you can check the box to turn on Use visual styles on windows and buttons, since that option probably has little performance impact and will allow you to keep the look of Windows XP.
