View source for SolidWorks Tutorial 0: The SolidWorks User Interface



=Introduction=

SolidWorks is a very powerful CAD system, which is also to say that it can be very frustrating at times.  This page summarizes some of the most important features of the user interface to help you learn to navigate through it.

=Loading SolidWorks=

In the past at AA, there have been some tricks.  As of this writing, all of the earlier glitches with license management seem to have been solved and starting the application is quite easy.

Double-click on the [[File:SW_appl_icon.png|45px]] SolidWorks 2024 icon on the desktop.  It takes a minute or so to load, and then it will display a dialog box like the one shown below.

On the starting dialog there is a button that says "Log In."  You can ignore this.  IT is only if you have a Solidworks account on the cloud where you store your work.  If you store your work remotely you can ignore the button.  At AA it is best to have a USB flash drive for storing your work.  This allows you to move from computer to computer and save and resume your project at different times.

[[File:SW1a_pic1.jpg|550px|center|new part window]]

If you are just modeling a single part, click on the button that says "Part" to create a new document for a single 3D part (i.e. not an assembly or a 2D drawing.)

=Navigation=

SolidWorks runs on PCs not Macs.  You need to be handy with the standard three-button mouse on the PC.  Further, you need a mouse in which the middle button is actually a wheel, not a button.  This is shown below.

[[File:three_button_mouse.jpg|250px|left|3 button mouse]]
[[File:left_mouse.jpg|250px|center|left mouse]]

On the PC, the LEFT mouse button is used for selection.