MySolidWorks 101 — I’m a New SOLIDWORKS Student, How do I Start?

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A MySolidWorks for Students Guide: Part 3

Greetings! Before reading this article, please make sure you have at least a Student-level MySolidWorks account. If you don’t, please read my previous article explaining how to make one.

Alright! Now that you’ve created your Student account, we can finally get started with some SOLIDWORKS material! Go to the MySolidWorks website and log in.

MySolidWorks home page emphasis on log in_join

Once you have done this, click on the “Training” tab on the menu. Scroll down until you find a small grid of common course options. I imagine you are reading this article because you are brand new to SOLIDWORKS and have no idea where or how to begin. I would recommend that you start by clicking on the “CSWA Exam Prep Course” option. All of the “Sketch Tools” lessons are included in the CSWA prep, as are the “Basic Assembly Modeling” lessons.

view course path options

You will be shown a list of 44 courses meant to prepare you for the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) exam, a SOLIDWORKS engineering  exam that tests your knowledge on engineering design fundamentals and your ability to use the software. I know no one likes tests, but trust me here, this is one exam you definitely want to take.

Even though these lessons are exam-oriented, they are very good for teaching you the basics as well. Select the first lesson, “Starting a Sketch on a Plane or Face.”

CSWA training course selection: start learning SOLIDWORKS

Before you can do anything fun and exciting in SOLIDWORKS, you need to be able to make a sketch. This first video goes into detail about how to make a sketch and what types of surfaces you can sketch on. There are also interactive components so you can learn where the buttons are as well as a brief quiz at the end that you can retry as many times as you like.

Starting a Sketch on a Plane or Face

The quiz questions effectively reinforce the material covered in the lesson and there is absolutely no pressure if you get a few things wrong the first time. These lessons are here to help you learn, not judge you for not knowing what you’re doing.lesson completed, progress marked

Once you finish the lesson, a check mark will be placed next to it and its status will be updated to “Completed” Your progress count will also be updated to display the number of lessons you have completed.

So now you can make a sketch, that’s great! Now you’re going to need to know how to say what size your shape is. This process is called dimensioning, and it happens to be the next lesson on the list.

Sketch Smart Dimension

Just keep going through these lessons and you’ll know how to use SOLIDWORKS in no time! If you are a student learning how to use SOLIDWORKS in school, these lessons will be a good tool to reinforce what you do in class. If you are learning how to use SOLIDWORKS on your own, then these lessons are really great for teaching you the basics.

Remember to reach out to us on Twitter @SOLIDWORKSedu or the SOLIDWORKS Forums of you have any questions!

See you next time!

—

Rachael Naoum

Mechanical Engineering

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Class of 2018

 

 

Rachael Naoum

Rachael Naoum is a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and a SOLIDWORKS Education intern. She is studying Mechanical Engineering and is a Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional.

@SOLIDWORKSedu