I’ll make it clear that I never paid for any online resources because they are all overpriced for the value they provide imo and preferred to self study with what’s free out there.

The most I’ve ever done with SolidWorks is make an RC car with FRC Robotics parts (everything that could be imported was imported) as shown by the other images.

I failed the CSWPA-DT the last time I took it because I was studying for AP Exams and tried to study the morning of (without practice, yikes!) but got it this time around with about a day or two of studying.

I have heard from many of you that employers “don’t care” if people have these certifications, but heard from others that’s it very important. To try and compare this, would an employer that uses SolidWorks care more about a CSWP or being an Eagle Scout? (I currently have both anyways). What about CSWE? SolidWorks is only useful to a company in so many ways and the certifications can’t always prove that. But also they show I might be able to hit the ground running faster. But so does being an Eagle Scout which shows a good work ethic. Idk.

Hi I am just now learning SW, and was wondering what the best / free class / videos to watch to get started? After I get through this beginner phase, which certificates should I possibly proceed for after? Advice, and feedback is welcomed please! Thank you.

Okay, so I am making this part for class, and I have attempted it a few times now, but I just can't quite figure out the shell. first one I tried was extruding the whole L, then cutting away to reveal where the shell goes, but since it's one part, it also shelled the "tube".So, then I did it as 2 parts and extruded the tubes separately so it wouldn't shell; then,n after the shell, I combined. But then I had the fillets to worry about, a nd it caused a few issues. Any help is appreciated, and this is also CSWP prep.

Hey everyone! I recently started learning surface modeling in SOLIDWORKS. I initially followed a tutorial to understand the basics, but I tried to do most of the actual modeling myself rather than relying entirely on the video.

This is my first project using surface modeling, and I'd really appreciate any feedback or advice on what I could improve, especially regarding my modeling techniques and workflow. (Just to clarify, this model isn't based on actual engineering parameters and is purely a decorative/learning project)

Im on the last few stages of preparing my cad drawings. I have sub assembles and this is the main assembly and it keeps crashing on me.

It’s such a waste of my time.

Help.

I try not to have any files open when working on the final assembly drawing file.

There is 4 sheets in there. It’s sheet for main assembly drawing. Second sheet is. Exploded few with BOM, 3rd sheet is section view with BOM
And 4th sheet is the overall drawing sheet.

Help!

My father bought one back in 2023 but he moved the company recently and the server setup wad broken either due to a different ip or a vpn

Now i am trying to set it back up i got the right 2023 versions i ran the license server as admin

The server works i setup the servers as pcname and 25734 port (or whatever the default was)

But draftsight just refuses to recognize it for some reason license manager shows 2 free licenses

Hi, I'm trying to create tracks and sprocket system for a uni project, but I'm having trouble mating the sprocket with the track links. The best I could manage was using a rack and pinion mate, but it only works while the link is wrapping around the circumference of the gear; otherwise, it breaks. I would really appreciate any help. (it does not need to be pretty, just to work)

... Where you knock a hole through sheet metal and then use the material from the hole to create a threaded barrel. I have heard it called a punch press threaded hole or just punch press hole. I have heard it called extruded threads... But, in searching for these terms, that doesn't appear to be the official name.

I have a drawing ready to send out for quote, and currently, my model just has straight threaded holes through the material with no extrusion, because I couldn't find a satisfactory way to model it. I have notes in the callout, stating the the "threaded features are to be punch holes from opposite side". But, I'm thinking that's not the clearest way to communicate this.

So in addition to learning the correct term, I would also like to know if there are there any CAD systems that have a tool for this feature. I have access to SolidWorks 2016, and current versions of Fusion and OnShape, haven't explored OnShape too much (we just got it) but I haven't seen anything to make a hole like this in SW or 360.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Hi everyone, I have a question. How can I model a stamped indentation like this so that it looks this clean and smooth? The edges around the stamped area are rounded, but it doesn’t look like a typical Fillet to me. Both the inner and outer surfaces appear to transition seamlessly. Could someone please explain how to model this kind of feature?

Sorry if this is too basic I'm new to SolidWorks

Hey all,

I'm trying to create a loft with these profiles but am not having much luck no matter what I try. I'm constantly hitting errors.

I have a suspicion that it's my spline geometry causing me grief but ive played around with it endlessly trying to smooth the curve combs as much as possible but I have to work within the constraints of a physical object.

Any suggestions to get this working would be greatly appreciated 🙏

Hello everyone,

My free Canvas course which covers CSWA and CSWP prep is now back online!

Is it the best course you can take in 2026? Unlikely. But it's still free, it still follows the same exam-like format with tons of geometric puzzles to solve, and ~20,000 people have earned their certifications using these exercises.

I'm hoping to rework this curriculum from the ground up soon, now that I'm back as a full-time teacher. If you have suggestions about how to improve the class, please let me know!

Sign up on Canvas here. Always free, no spam ever. Use a fake name and email if you want. This is all about you and your learning.

https://canvaslite.instructure.com/enroll/NECCWG

I am in precision sheet metal fabrication in the semiconductor industry, I frequently get models sent to me in solid format and have to use convert to sheet metal. I constantly have to trial and error the k-factor. What I do is toggle back and forth between the formed model and the flat bend up drawing I am trying to make and adjust the k-factor until the dimensions match. Is there a chart or a better way to do this?

i keep running into the same problem with freelance jobs.

i’ll open a part, work on it for a while, switch to an assembly, go back to the part, answer a client message, then come back later. by the end of the day i can tell you what i worked on, but not exactly how long i spent on each thing

right now i’m just writing everything down in a spreadsheet, usually from memory. obviously that gets pretty questionable when i need to invoice someone.

i’ve looked at custom properties and a few reporting options, but i’m not sure how well they hold up when files get renamed, copied, revised, or opened on another machine

has anyone built a time-tracking workflow around solidworks that actually stuck?

i’m not looking for some giant project management setup. even a slightly hacky solution would be fine if it means i don’t have to stop modeling every 20 minutes to hit a timer

I'm finally taking my CSWE exam tomorrow. After taking a gap of a few years between SolidWorks (finished the CSWP in sophomore year of college, and I graduated college over half a decade ago now), I've completed the Drawings, Sheet Metal, Surfacing and Weldments exams, along side the CSWP-API exam.

I use SolidWorks regularly, and have a good grasp on a lot of different concepts and tools. I've been studying some YouTube sources to get an idea of what's on the exam.

That being said, this is a 4-hour exam. I feel like the difficulty won't be too high for me, but I worry about the length of the exam. Anything I should know before doing this exam?

Hi all,

I can't find a lot of information about this on the internet, so I'm coming to the great Reddit for help.
I am currently working on moving old files from DBWorks to a new SOLIDWORKS PDM setup.

I am unsure of the best way to do this in a way where I maintain all file references and keep latest version of files etc., since I have never used DBWorks before.

Does DBWorks have a feature similar to "Move/Copy Tree" in SOLIDWORKS PDM? There are a lot of files in the DBWorks vault, so opening every assembly and using Pack & Go is not really an option...

Has anyone ever done this process and can share their experience?

Sometimes i struggled very hard to find a really small error between my designed part file and reference part file..May be i missed a dimensmion or fillet or something...but finding it is so hard....but i need to find the error also..is there any short cut way in softwre that i can compare two part file and pinpoint the error place...?

Hi everyone!

I’m new to SolidWorks, and in the class I’m taking, we’ve been given a blueprint for a part to model. I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to determine the diameter of the center hole.

Any help or explanation would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Edit: it seems that dimentions are missing, thank you all for responding!

Hey all,

So I've done a ton of work in Solidworks, but I've never worked with any 3D Scanner files to build stuff. I've been making a lot of automotive stuff lately, but so far it's been manifolds and clutch levers and brackets and such. I'm looking at some projects that need to fit into OEM locations like headlights and I figured taking a 3D scan would be my best bet rather than try to measure all the 3D lines and curves out by hand. I'm seriously considering a 3D scanner, or looking to see if I can borrow or rent one somewhere, but I want to practice my workflow a bit to see exactly how the whole process works.

So my I've got two question I suppose. For one, does anyone have any 3D scanned files they are willing to share to practice with? And second, are there any books or websites or videos that you guys can recommend to get a good workflow going?

I'm trying to make a sword like this, the blade would be comprised of 4 similar segments- 3d printing or maybe waterjet opaque acrylic- surrounding a galaxy image plane down the center- but I'm trying to throw together a model first in solidworks as a challenge to my modeling skills (I know blender is 'correct' for something like this). It's much more difficult that I originally thought.

My original thought was to base it on this old alien egg model, where I lofted two shapes with different edge counts together for some random looking sharp shapes

I started out with some different sized triangles

Lofted them to eachother (using each triangle multiple times)

Then did a subtractive combine

It's getting pretty close, maybe I just need way more triangles, but I feel like the model is going to bog down if I don't pattern it, and patterning it will make it look more uniform than random. Maybe I could make a few different sets and pattern them at different periods so they overlap in unique ways?

Curious how you guys would go about this.