Here you will find a full list of all the SOLIDWORKS tutorials.
Use the buttons below to skip to a specific section.
Installation instructions can be found HERE.
Download a ZIP with the MecE 265 templates HERE.
Download a library of parts you might find useful HERE.
Click on the images to download the tutorials as a *.chm or *.zip file.
For the *.chm files to run correctly, right click on the download and select unblock.
If you are having trouble, try the FAQ HERE.
Guide to SOLIDWORKS
This tutorial is an introduction to the SOLIDWORKS tutorials and the SOLIDWORKS interface. This tutorial reviews essential SOLIDWORKS terminology, controls, and features.
Time: 15 Minutes
Parts
This tutorial demonstrates the creation of a SOLIDWORKS part.
Key Features: Sketch, Extruded Base/Boss, Extruded Cut, Hole Wizard, Chamfer, Shell, Fillet, editing materials, Section View.
Time: 30 Minutes
Drawings
This tutorial demonstrates the creation of an engineering drawing from a solid model.
Key Features: Make Drawing from Part, editing views, Centerline, Center Mark, Smart Dimension, Datum, Note, PDF export, PackNGo.
Time: 45 Minutes
Assemblies
This tutorial demonstrates the creation of a SOLIDWORKS assembly and of the appropriate engineering drawings.
Key Steps: create assembly and subassemblies, make exploded view, create assembly drawing.
Time: 60 Minutes
Revolves
This tutorial demonstrates the use of revolve-style features.
Key Features: Revolved Boss/Base, Revolved Cut, Swept Boss/Base, Mirror, Linear Pattern, Circular Pattern.
Time: 45 Minutes
Laser Cutter
This tutorial demonstrates the use the Mec E shop's laser cutter to make a 3D object from flat material stock.
Key Steps: Add offset configuration to model and drawing, create laser cutter drawing.
Time: 15 Minutes
Design Tables
This tutorial demonstrates the use of a design table in EXCEL to control the size and configuration of a SOLIDWORKS part.
Key Steps: name features/dimensions, insert design table, add configurations.
Time: 30 Minutes
Sheet Metal
SOLIDWORKS has sepecific toolboxes that have been developed to allow the design of complex shapes using a specific manufacturing approach.
This tutorial explains how to use create parts using the Sheet Metal tools.
Time: 45 Minutes
3D Printing
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a new manufacturing technique that allows many manufacturing constraints to be removed.
This tutorial walks through how to create parts for 3D printing.
Time: 45 Minutes
Tolerancing
Solid models are built in the virtual world where all dimenisons are mathmatically perfect.
This tutorial explains the concepts and uses of tolerancing to allow components to be manufacture to achieve a function.
Time: 30 Minutes
Click on the images to download the tutorials as a *.chm or *.zip file.
For the *.chm files to run correctly, right click on the download and select unblock.
If you are having trouble, try the FAQ HERE.
Car Motion
This tutorial shows how to simulate the motion of a car. This tutorial covers the use of appropriate mates, the addition of a simulation motor, and the execution of a motion simulation.
Basketball Throw
This tutorial shows how to simulate the trajectory of an object, and how to use a design study to find success cases.
Trebuchet Shot
This tutorial shows how to simulate event based motion. The events in the tutorial involve turning on/off mates, forces and motors.
MecE 260 Project
This tutorial demonstrates many SOLIDWORKS techniques pertaining to the MecE 260 Project.
Key Steps: making a gear, converting a toolbox part, using TreeHouse.
MecE 360 Project
This tutorial shows how to animate a gear pair with a mechanical mate, and with simulated contact between the gears.
Plunger
This tutorial describes how to run a motion analysis on a pre-existing assembly.
Time: 90 Minutes
Friction
This tutorial shows how to modify coefficients of friction in SOLIDWORKS motion. It also compares the SOLIDWORKS motion solution to the analytical solution of a problem where a car slips while climbing a hill.
Key Steps: running a Motion Study, running a Design Study, comparing numerical and analytical solutions.
Time: 95 minutes
Click on the images to download the tutorials as a *.chm or *.zip file.
For the *.chm files to run correctly, right click on the download and select unblock.
If you are having trouble, try the FAQ HERE.
Basic Cantilever Beam
This tutorial introduces beam simulation in SOLIDWORKS.You will learn how to solve for beam deflection using FEA methods and compare the results to a theoretical solution.
Key Features: SOLIDWORKS Simulation, Fixed Geometry, Force
Time: 30 minutes
FEA Elements
This tutorial explores the three types of elements that can be used in SOLIDWORKS simulation: Beam, Shell, and 3D.
Key Steps: Configuring and running a SOLIDWORKS simulation study, specifying mesh element type, comparing results.
Time: 30 minutes
Shear and Bending
This tutorial demonstrates the analysis of forces and bending moments in a beam. It also shows how to generate shear and moment diagrams in a Simulation.
Key Features: Simulation using Beam Elements, Reference Geometry, Immovable Fixtures, Non-Uniform Distributed Forces, Moments.
Time: 45 minutes
Mesh Refinement
This tutorial shows how to apply local mesh refinement and how this can be useful in obtaining more accurate simulation results around specific geometry.
Key Steps: Creating a part with multiple solid bodies, creating mesh control points, exporting specific data.
Time: 45 minutes
Bolted Connection
In this tutorial, you will analyze four methods to simulate bolted connections using FEA Simulation in SOLIDWORKS.
Key Features: SOLIDWORKS Simulation, Fixed Geometry, Force, Bolt Connection, Global Interaction
Time: 30 minutes
Constraints and Loads
This tutorial explores some of the less known loads and constraints within SOLIDWORKS simulation, and how they might be useful.
Key Features: Centrifugal Force, Torque, Pressure, Distributed Mass, Gravity, Advanced Fixtures.
Time: 90 minutes
Remote Loads
In this tutorial, you will learn how to run static simulations on a multi-part beam. Then, you will run an equivalent simulation on a simplified, single part structure using the Remote Load feature in SOLIDWORKS.
Key Features: SOLIDWORKS Simulation, Fixed Geometry, Force, Remote Load
Time: 20 Minutes
Shear
This tutorial explores the distribution of shear throughout a beam loaded in bending, and techniques to obtain and graph meaningful data from the simulation.
Key Steps: Creating a split line through the beam to measure shear stress, changing beam configurations, comparing simulation results with an analytical solution.
Time: 30 minutes.
Shaft Deflection
This tutorial shows how to use SOLIDWORKS to simulate the deflection and angular twist of a stepped shaft. You will also learn how to extract meaningful simulation data using Excel.
Key Features: Reference Planes, Split Lines, Mesh Control, Bearing Fixtures, Remote Loads, Torque, Distributed Forces.
Time: 45 Minutes
Click on the images to download the tutorials as a *.chm or *.zip file.
For the *.chm files to run correctly, right click on the download and select unblock.
If you are having trouble, try the FAQ HERE.
Custom Materials
Many SOLIDWORKS simulations depend on the material properties of the part or assembly being examined.
This tutorial will show you how to edit these properties, as well as how to create, import and export custom materials and fluids.
Time: 60 Minutes
Brick Wall Heat Transfer
Heat transfer is an important engineering problem. This tutorial shows you how to set up a steady-state heat transfer simulation in SOLIDWORKS.
Time: 60 Minutes
Critical Radius
Design studies can be used together with heat transfer simulations to examine many scenarios in a relatively short time. This tutorial examines the temperate of a copper wire with various thicknesses of insulation.
Time: 60 Minutes
Transient Conduction
Building off of previous concepts, transient heat transfer can be modelled in SolidWorks. This tutorial will show you how to set up, run, and analyze transient thermal studies for conduction through an egg over time.
Time: 75 Minutes
Click on the images to download the tutorials as a *.chm or *.zip file.
For the *.chm files to run correctly, right click on the download and select unblock.
If you are having trouble, try the FAQ HERE.
Cylinder Flow Introduction
This tutorial will introduce you to using SOLIDWORKS' flow simulation add-in. You will use the Flow Wizard to create a new simulation project, then use the simulation to determine the lift and drag coefficients of the flow over a cylinder.
Time: 30 Minutes
Cylinder Flow Parametric
In order to quickly analyse a number of flow scenarios, SOLIDOWORKS allows you to do a Parametric Study. In this tutorial, you will find the lift and drag coefficients of flow over a cylinder at a number of different flow velocities.
Time: 30 Minutes
Cylinder Flow Transient
A transient analysis allows you to observe the development of various fluid phenomena. In this tutorial, you will examine the vortices that are generated as water flows over a cylinder.
Time: 45 Minutes
Airfoil
This tutorial combines the knowledge we learned from the previous tutorial, we will perform a simulation on a NACA airfoil and see if our simulation results is close to the xfoil data.
Time: 45 Minutes
Pin Fin (CFD)
In this tutorial will use the flow simulation to capture the heat transfer coefficient distribution on the surface, as well as examining the average heat transfer coefficient used in the fin equation tutorial. Complete the Pin Fin (Heat Transfer) Tutorial before starting this tutorial.
Time: 30 Minutes