Learning Solidworks?

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XViper

Gawd
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Aug 24, 2012
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Apologize ahead of time if this is in the wrong forum.

I'm trying to see what the best way to learn Solidworks. I prefer online classes but classroom could be nice as well but I don't have a lot of time to do something like that. Can anyone suggest a good place to do this?

Looking to design small car parts here and there. Thanks.
 
I only know what I did, so I'm not sure if it will work for you. If you have served in the military you can get the latest student edition for $20/year. It comes with tutorials and student design help as well as access to the forums. You tube also helps. There are also a number of good solidworks books available (real and digital) too.

This will get you decent experience on the cheap without certs, but of course it will be all self driven.
 
Check out their homepage for classes and courses. They always have them updated for the new releases.
 
Alternatively, you could give Fusion 360 (from AutoDesk, the AutoCAD people) a try. It is free and I've found the tutorials they offer through youtube to be pretty good. They also have the models for them which you can download and take apart to learn and replicate. The interface is similar to solidworks and I believe a lot of the skills transfer between the two.
 
XViper said:
Apologize ahead of time if this is in the wrong forum.

I'm trying to see what the best way to learn Solidworks. I prefer online classes but classroom could be nice as well but I don't have a lot of time to do something like that. Can anyone suggest a good place to do this?

Looking to design small car parts here and there. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Having learned a lot of different modeling software packages (AutoCAD, SolidWorks, 3D Studio, Blender, etc) myself in the past, I found the best method for me personally was just playing around with the software and watching tutorials. Of course most of these I learned before there were so many online tutorial videos. But mainly I taught myself through the tutorials the companies provided. Then I refined those skills by doing my own projects, then by watching tutorials on specific methods and tools. While I did take some very valuable classes early on with AutoCAD and 3d Studio, the other packages I learned on my own time and found when I did take classes later on, they didn't seem as valuable. Tutorials and videos of people using specific tools or projects were the most valuable to me.

tldr;

Start with company tutorials, play around with the various options in the software.
Plan projects then watch tutorials on how to use specific methods/tools.
Rinse, Repeat.
 
XViper said:
Apologize ahead of time if this is in the wrong forum.

I'm trying to see what the best way to learn SolidWorks. I prefer online classes but classroom could be nice as well but I don't have a lot of time to do something like that. Can anyone suggest a good place to do this?

Looking to design small car parts here and there. Thanks.
Click to expand...


Having used quit a few different CAD programs over the years, AutoCAD, CADD4, ProE, SolidWorks, and CATIA, I found SolidWorks to be the easiest one to learn and use. If you already have CAD experience, you can learn it on your own easily. If you have no CAD, or even drafting experience, then training will be needed. It really depends on how in debt you plan to go w/your car parts model designs.

SolidWorks isn't cheap to license by the way.

As pointed out above by PCMusicGuy above, Fusion 360 may be the better way to go, cost wise.
 
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