SW Beginner : Getting Started

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Getting Started


SolidWorks Graphic User Interface is Simple and user friendly. With its heads-up user interaction, it gives a complete set of visual capabilities and mouse-driven control capabilities that reduces design steps, minimizes the nedd for dialog boxes and lessons the visual clutter. All design properties are within the easy reach of the user.

In this chapter you will learn:
1. Starting SolidWorks in Windows.
2. Graphic User Interface of SolidWorks.
3. Mouse Buttons.
4. Keyboard Shortcuts.
5. Setting up the document options.
6. Customizing the document Interface.
7. Document Basics.
8. Saving Documents.
9. Auto Recover
10. Converting files to SolidWorks 2014
11. Exiting the SolidWorks

Starting SolidWorks in Windows

To run the SolidWorks software in the Windows environment, double-click the shortcut icon on the desktop. The alternate way is to choose Start – All Programs – SolidWorks 2014 – SolidWorks 2014 x64 Edition from the Start Menu. The main window opens on your desktop. The part mode of the main window is shown in figure
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Graphic User Interface of SolidWorks

The SolidWorks user interface is a native Windows interface and therefore it behaves in the same manner as other Windows applications. SolidWorks supports multiple document interface are as follows:

An updated color scheme for certain icon makes the SolidWorks application more accessible to people with color blindness. Also, provides a more readable font.
Icons in the active Property Manager use blue to indicate what you must select on the screen; faces, edges and so on. Adding blue to the icons provide a sharp contrast in colors so that many SolidWorks users with color blindness can distinguish one icon from another.
Along with style updates to the main elements of the SolidWorks user interface, there is a better readable font. Turn on ClearType, software technology developed by Microsoft, to make the text on your screen easier to read.
Windows and Displays
Each document in the SolidWorks application displays in a separate window. You can arrange document windows to suit your workflow needs. If you have multiple displays, you can set the SolidWorks application windows to span two displays.

Menu Bar

The Menu Bar contains a set of the most frequently used tool buttons from the Standard toolbar, the SolidWorks menus, the SolidWorks Search, and a flyout menu of Help options.
The menus are visible when you move the mouse over or click the SolidWorks logo. You can pin the menus to keep the visible by default. The toolbar moves to the right when the menus are pinned.
By clicking the down arrow next to a tool button, you can expand it to display a flyout menu with additional functions. This allows you to access most of the File menu commands from the toolbar. For example, the saveflyout menu includes Save, Save As and Save All.

Toolbars

Toolbars are available for most SolidWorks tools, and also for add-in products. Named toolbars assist you in performing specific design tasks such as applying surfaces or drawing curves.
Because the CommandManager contains the most frequently used tools for the currently selected documents. Toolbars are turned off by default.
To toggle toolbar visibility, do one of the following:

  • Right-click in the window border and select or clear a toolbar name.
  • Click Tools – Customize. On the Toolbars tab select the toolbars to display.
  • To toggle visibility of all active toolbars and the CommandManager : Press F10 Key or view Toolbar.

Command Manager

The Command Manager is a context-sensitive toolbar that dynamically updates based on the toolbar you want to access. By default, it has toolbars embedded in it based on the document type.
When you click a tab blow the CommandManager, it updates to show that toolbar. For example, if you click the Feature tab, the Features toolbar appears.
Use the CommandManager to access toolbar buttons in a central location and to save space for the graphical area. Toggle the descriptions and size of the buttons, right-click in the CommandManager and select or clear Use Large Buttons with Text. This option is also available in Tools – Customize on the Toolbars tab.
Use Ctrl+ Page Up and Ctrl+ Page Down to scroll through the CommandManager tabs

Feature Manager

The Feature Manager Design tree on the left side of the SolidWorks window provides an outline view of the active part, assembly or drawing. This make it easy to see how the model or assembly was constructed or to examine the various sheets and views in a drawing.
The Feature Manager Design tree is a unique part of the SolidWorks software that visually displays all the parts in a part or an assembly. As features are created, they are added to the Feature Manager Design tree. The Feature Manager Design tree represents also allows to access the editing of the features that it contains.
To toggle visibility of the Feature Manager Design tree area, press F9 or click View – Feature Manager Tree Area, which is especially useful when in full screen mode.
Feature Manager Design Tree allows user to perform tasks such as:

  • Select items in the model by name.
  • Filter the Feature Manager Design tree.
  • Identify and change the order in which features are created. You can drag items in the Feature Manager Design tree list to reorder them. This changes the order in which features are regenerated when the model is rebuilt.
  • Display the dimensions of a feature by double-clicking the features name.
  • Rename items by slowly clicking two items on a name to select it and then entering a new name.
  • Suppress and Unsuppress part feature and assembly components.
  • View parent/child relations by right-clicking a feature and selecting Parent/child.

Property Manager

The Property Manager is a means to set properties and other options for many SolidWorks commands. The Property Manager appears on the property Manger tab in the panel to the graphical area. It opens when you select entities or commands defined in the Property Manager.
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The Property Manager controls the properties of the SolidWorks component. The Property Manager menu occupies the same screen position as the Feature Manager Design Tree and replace it when they are in use.  He TOP row buttons contains the standard O.K., Cancel and Help buttons according to the command selection. Below the top row buttons are one or more Group Boxes that contain related options. They can be opened or closed and in many cases can be made active or inactive. To float the Property Manager, drag its title bar from the docked position. Once it is floating, you can drag the Property Manager anywhere in or outside the SolidWorks window.

Flyout Feature Manager Design Tree

The flyout Feature Manager design tree allows you to view both the Feature manager design tree and the Property Manager at the same time.
Sometimes it is easier to select items in the flyout Feature Manager Design tree than in the graphic. In addition, you can hide, change the transparency of, go to or zoom the selected items. You cannot suppress items or roll back the build.
The flyout Feature Manager Design tree automatically appears when a Property Manager is active. To expand it to one of the following:

  • Click ***, next to the document name in the flyout Feature Manager Design tree.
  • Click the name of the top-level items in the flyout Feature Manager Design tree.
  • Press C
If use transparent flyout Feature Manager in parts/ assemblies is selected in Tools – Options – System Options – Feature Manager, the flyout Feature Manager design tree is transparent so you can see the model underneath it.
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Graphical Area

The Graphics area is the drawing area where your models are drawn, displayed and modified. The Graphics Area contains the Triad and Origin for drawing reference.
Reference Triad
The triad facilitates manipulating various objects such as 3D sketch entities, parts, certain features and components in assemblies.
The rings and wings are displayed when rotation and dragging along the wings plane are possible.
Use commands to display information about the triad or to change the position and orientation of the triad. Available commands depend on the triad’s context.
To access the triad, perform one of the following:

  • In assemblies, right click a movable component and click move with Triad
  •  In assembly exploded views, select a component.
  • In parts, click Move/Copy Bodies ( Feature Toolbar) or Insert – Features – Move/Copy, and Translate Rotate. In parts, click Flex or Deform to use the Triad to shape features.
  • In 3d Sketches, right-click an entity and click show Sketcher Triad

Head-up View Toolbar

A transparent toolbar in each viewport provides all the common tools necessary for manipulating the view such as viewports, model display, section view etc.
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Callouts and Handles

Callouts are text-filled boxes that appear in the graphics area when you use certain tools. Handles allow you to dynamically click, move and set certain parameters without leaving the graphics area.
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Application Features

You have several streamlined ways to accept features you create, including right click actions, using the Confirmation Corner, and using Standard Property Manager Commands. After Creating a previewofa feature, you can:

  • Right –click and select O.K./ Cancel from the shortcut menu.
  • Right-click menu when the pointer changes to accept the preview or click to return to the preview without accepting the values.
Confirmation Corner
Another way to accept features is to use the Confirmation Corner. You can:
Click the O.K./Cancel icons that appear in the confirmation corner of the solidworks graphics area. Click the exit Sketch icon in the confirmation corner to finish the sketch or click the cancel sketch icon to discard changes to the sketch.

Task Pane

The task pane provides access to SolidWorks resources, libraries of reusable design elements, views to drag onto drawing sheets and other useful items and information.
The task Pane appears when you open the SolidWorks software. It contains the following tabs:

  • SolidWorks Resources
  • Design Library
  • File Explorer
  • Search
  • View Palette
  • Document Recovery
  • Appearances, Scenes and Decals
  • Custom Properties
  • SolidWorks Forum

Status Bar

The Status bar at the bottom of the SolidWorks window provides information related to the function that you are performing.
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Mouse Buttons

The left, right and middle mouse buttons have distinct meaning in SolidWorks.
Left mouse button is used for select such as geometry, menus buttons and the objects in the Feature Manager Design tree.
Right mouse button activates a context sensitive shortcut menu. The content of the menu differ depending what object the cursor is over. These menus also represent shortcuts to frequently used commands.
Middle mouse button dynamically rotates pans or zoom a part or an assembly. It also pans a drawing.

Mouse Gesture

You can use a mouse gesture as a shortcut to execute a command or macro quickly, similar to a keyboard shortcut. You can use mouse gestures by right dragging in the graphics area to invoke a preassigned tool or macro from sketch, part, assembly or drawing. You can enable or disable mouse gestures and set the number ofmouse gesture that appear in the mouse gesture guide.
By default, mouse gestures are enabled and display four gestures in the mouse gestures guide.
To enable or disable mouse gestures, with a document opens, click Tools – Customize. On the Mouse Gestures select or clear Enable mouse gestures.
To set the number of mouse gestures in the mouse gestures guide, with a document opens, click Tools – Customize. On the mouse gestures tab, select 4 gestures or 8 gestures
To use a mouse gesure:
In the graphical area, right-drag in the gesture direction that corresponds to the tool or macro.
The mouse gesture guide appears, highlighting the icon for the tool or macro mapped to the direction of the gesture. For example with a drawing opens, right-drag to the upper right, dragging towards the highlighted Note tool. To use mouse gestures with assemblies, right drag I the graphics area away from components to avoid component rotation or press Alt + right-drag.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcuts in SolidWorks are either accelearator keys or keyboard shortcuts.
Accelerator Keys
Accelerator keys are available for menu items and in dialog boxes and are indicated by underline letters. They cannot be customized.
To display the underline letters from menus or on a dialog box:
Press Alt key.
To access menu :
Press Alt plus the underline letter.
E.g. Alt + F for the File menu.
Some commonly used shortcuts are:

The List Keyboard Shortcuts are:

Shift+____

  • hh

Setting up the Document Options

When you install SolidWorks on your computer, you will be prompted to specify the dimensioning standards and units for measuring linear distances, the settings specified at that time are default settings and whenever you start a SolidWorks document, it will use these settings. However, if you want to modify these settings for a particular document, you can change them in the Document Properties dialog box. To invoke this dialog box, choose Tools - Options. The System options dialog box will be displayed. Set the Options for the current document using this dialog box. The options are dealt in details in the later chapters.
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Customizing the Document Interface

You can customize the SolidWorks document interface using the Customize dialog box. In this dialog box, you can control the display/hide of the required toolbars and control/create the keyboard shortcuts. You can also the workflow customization and customize the display of the menu bars.
Right-Click on the toolbar area and choose Customize from the list. The Customize dialog box appears. Set to options as required for the current document.

Document Basics

You can Open, Close, Save, Share and print SolidWorks documents and send SolidWorks documents to another system by email
Basic operations for SolidWorks document include:
  • Open,close and save the documents.
  • Controlling access to shared documents in a multi-user environment.
  • Printing documents.
  • Sending documents by email

Creating a New SolidWorks Document

New documents are templates as the basis for their format and properties. Templates include user-defined document properties, such as units of measure or other detailing standards. Templates allow you to maintain different styles of documents. A document templates can be part, drawing or assembly that you saved as a template.
To create a new SolidWorks document :
  • Click File - New from menu bar or New icon from Standard Toolbar
  • Select a type of document
  • Click O.K.
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Document Templates

Templates are part, drawing and assembly documents that include user-defined parameters and are the new documents.
You can maintain many different document template. For example, you can create:
  • A document template using millimeters and another template using inches.
  • A document template using ANSI and another template using ISO dimensioning standards.
  • A template for detached drawings.
You can Organize and access your document templates by placing them on different tabs in the advanced display of the New SolidWorks document dialog box. Templates can include settings for such Document Properties as :
  • Grid Spacing
  • Extension line and break line gap
  • Balloon bent leader length
  • Text scale and text display size
  • Material density

To Create a Template

1. Click New (Standard Toolbar) or File - New
2. Double-click the type of template that you want to create : Part, Assembly and Drawing.
3. Click Options (Standard toolbar) or Tools-Options.
4. On the Document Properties tab, Select Options to customize your new document template, then click O.K.
5. Click File - Save As
6. Select template type for Save as:
  • Part Template (*.prtdot)
  • Assembly Template (*.asmdot)
  • Drawing Template (*.drwdot)
7. Type a name for File name.
8. Browse to a folder, then click Save.

Opening Existing Part, Assembly or Drawing Documents