Learn How to Get Started with SOLIDWORKS Composer

We’re excited to announce a new video series called The SOLIDWORKS Composer Quick Start Guide. SOLIDWORKS Composer is a technical communication software that uses your existing CAD models to create intuitive and informative deliverables such as animations, interactive PDFs, high-resolution images, and more. This series of videos is intended to orient new users in Composer and teach them how to use its basic functions. Videos in the series will include:

1. Importing Assemblies and Creating Views

One of the major benefits of Composer is the ability to use pre-existing CAD models. In this video, we will show you how to import them into Composer and how to create views to position your model in different ways. Views are the backbone of Composer, and are used in the creation of most deliverables.

2. The Translate and Exploded View Tools

Another benefit of Composer is the ability to manipulate your CAD models within the software without changing the model itself. The Translate and Exploded view tools are two of the most useful tools for doing so, and this video will walk through how they work and how to use them to create new insightful views of your assemblies.

3. The Digger Tool

The Digger is an easy way to add additional detail to you deliverables. This video will explain all its various functions and how to use them to supplement your existing views.

4. Creating and Using Styles

Styles are a way to keep track of the various property changes you have made to your annotations, labels, images, and other actors. This video will break down the process of creating and applying styles to make a uniform look for your deliverables.

5. Making a Bill of Materials (BOM)

A Bill of Materials is a useful document for both manufacturers and customers to keep track of the various parts that compose an assembly. Making one in Composer is a surprisingly simple process, and this video will walk you through how to create your own.

6. Generating Technical Illustrations

Technical illustrations are an incredibly useful tool for breaking down the geometry of an assembly. In this video, we’ll cover how to use the technical illustration workshop to create deliverables that provide new insight into your CAD assemblies.

7. Creating High-Resolution Photos

Sometimes, you don’t need to create detailed, technical documentation, but simply some marketing materials that make your product look good. Here, we’ll walk you through a series of tools that will allow you to create detailed and fantastic looking images of your product.

8. Animations

One of the clearest ways to show how your product is assembled, or how it functions, is through the use of animation. Creating insightful animations in Composer is an easy and intuitive process that can pay big dividends for your company.

9. Publishing Composer Files

What good are these deliverables if you can’t export them in a meaningful fashion? In this video, we’ll walk you through how to output your creations to a variety of common file formats, so that your deliverables are easily accessible and understood by those who need to see them.

Watch and learn

The SOLIDWORKS Composer Quick Start Guide video series is helpful in orienting new users in Composer and familiarize them with some of its basic functionality. For a breakdown and description of the future videos in the series, check out the video below on the SOLIDWORKS Blog. Remember to subscribe to our channel to stay up to date with the newest episodes in this series and other great SOLIDWORKS content!

Be sure to subscribe to the SOLIDWORKS YouTube channel to stay up to date with the newest videos in the series, not to mention other fantastic Composer content. We’re excited to have you with us, and we hope you enjoy the new videos!