Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate Preparation

Topics covered in this course

• Sketch entities.
• Sketch tools.
• Sketch relations.
• Dimensions
• Boss and cut features.
• Fillets and chamfers.
• Linear, circular, and fill patterns
• Feature conditions: start and end.
• Mass properties.
• Materials.
• Inserting components.
• Standard mates.
• Reference geometry.
• Drawing views.

• Introductions about CSWA
• Tangix tester pro client
• CSWA sections
• Drafting competencies
• Part creation and modifications
• Assembly creation

• Working space
• Command manager
• Adding and removing tabs
• Feature manager design tree
• Searching bar
• Status toolbar 

• SolidWorks overview
• Rotate, zoom, zoom to fit and pan
• Orientation
• Normal to 

• SolidWorks basic techniques
• Start anew Sketch
• Select sketching plane
• Editing sketch

Create lines, centerlines and Midpoint line as entities in a sketch.

• Understand the options for creating lines in a sketch.
• Draw different types of lines
• Use centerlines for relations and dimensions to facilitate the creation of model geometry.

Create circles as entities in a sketch.

• Learn about the variety of tools you can use to create circles.
• Understand when you might choose the different circle tools based on points in the center or along the perimeter of the circle.

Create rectangles as entities in a sketch.

• Learn about the variety of tools you can use to create rectangles.
• Understand when you might choose the different rectangle tools based on the center and corners of the rectangle.

Create arcs as entities in a sketch.

• Learn about the variety of tools you can use to create arc.
• Understand when you might choose the different arc tools based on points in the center or along the perimeter of the arc.

Create slots as entities in a sketch.

• Learn about the variety of tools you can use to create slots.
• Understand when you might choose the different slot tools based on points in the center or along the perimeter of the slot.

Create Polygons as entities in a sketch.

• Learn about the variety of tools you can use to create Polygons.

·       Sets the number of sides in the polygon. A polygon can have 3 to 40 sides.

·       Understand when you might choose the different Polygon tools based on circle in the center  of the Polygon (inscribed circle or circumscribed circle)

• Trim and Extend sketch entities to remove unwanted geometry or extend entities to the others.
• Trim sketch entities by their proximity and intersections with other sketch entities.
• Trim sketch entities using Power tools options.

Mirror existing sketch entities with the Mirror Entities tool or by adding symmetric relations. Or, dynamically mirror sketch entities as you create them.

• Mirror sketch entities that you previously created.
• Dynamically mirror sketch entities as you create them.
• Add symmetric relations to sketch entities to mirror the entities.

Use the sketch tools Offset Entities to reference sketch entities and model geometry to create new sketch entities. If the original geometry changes, then the offset entities also change.

• Create offset entities.

Create a pattern of one or more features or bodies in one or two linear or circular directions. Unwanted instances can be left out of the pattern, and spacing and other dimensions may be varied.

• Create bi-directional linear patterns of existing features.
• Skip instances in a pattern.
• Vary parameters of pattern instances.
• Create circular patterns of existing features.
• Vary spacing and range.

Create fillets and chamfers to modify geometry in a sketch. Set the size and options for the sketch fillets and sketch chamfers.

• Create fillets and chamfers in a sketch.
• Understand the options for creating sketch fillets and sketch chamfers.

how to move, copy, rotate, scale and stretch entities.

• Understand the options for moving entities.
• Understand the options for rotating entities.
• Understand the options for scaling entities.
• Understand the options for stretching entities.

Use sketch relations to fully define a sketch and capture design intent. Insert driving dimensions into a sketch using the versatile Smart Dimension tool.

• Learn about automatic sketch relations and sketch relations that you add manually.
• Add relations between two lines to understand common sketch relations.
• Add relations between circles and arcs to observe additional sketch relations.
• Insert linear, angular, radial, and other dimensions.
• Modify dimensions.
• Move and reattach dimensions.

Use the sketch tools Convert Entities to reference sketch entities and model geometry to create new sketch entities. If the original geometry changes, then the converted  entities also change.

• Create converted entities into a new sketch.

• Create entities
• Add relations and dimensions
• Create fully defined sketch

The sketch is fully defined if the entities on the sketch are all black. This means that there can be no unexpected changes within the model due to all the geometry of the sketch being fully defined

Global variables declare a named value that dimensions can be set equal to or that can be used in equations. Equations are mathematical expressions that can define dimension values as well as relate dimensions to each other.

• Create global variables.
• Use global variables in equations.
• Use equations to control dimension values.

This lesson contains Sketching exercises so you can improve your proficiency with Additional Tools before taking the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) exam.

Features are the individual shapes that, when combined, make up the part.

• Boss /base features.
• Cut features
• Sketch-Based features
• Applied features

• Methods to start anew part.
• Document properties
• Edit Unit system

Extend sketch profiles to create extruded bosses to add material

• Use sketch relations and dimensions to define sketch profiles.
• Understand some of the options for extruded features.
• Add material with an extruded boss 

Revolve sketch profiles about an axis to add or remove material.

• Create sketches, with the proper entities, relations, and dimensions that facilitate revolved features.
• Understand some of the options for revolved features.

Extend sketch profiles to create extruded cuts to remove material.

• Use sketch relations and dimensions to define sketch profiles.
• Understand some of the options for extruded cut features.
• Remove material with an extruded cut.

Move a sketch profile along a path to create a swept feature.

• Use sketch relations to create a sketch path relative to other sketches in the part.
• Understand some of the basic options for swept features.

Review the various start and end condition options for extruded features.

• Examine the start conditions defined from: Start plane, Surface/ Face/Plane, Vertex and Offset.
• Examine the end conditions defined by distance from the sketch: Blind, Through All, and Midplane.
• Examine the end conditions defined by existing 3D geometry: Up to Next, Up to Vertex, Up to Surface, Offset from Surface, and Up to Body.
• Identify geometry differences based on the selected end condition.

Create rounded or beveled edges using fillets or chamfers, respectively.

• Understand general filleting rules to facilitate better modeling practices.
• Create and understand some of the options for constant radius fillets.
• Create and understand some of the options for chamfer features.

Create reference planes in any orientation using existing reference and solid geometry. You use reference planes for sketching or as a reference for other features.

• Create reference planes in a variety of orientations from different reference selections.
• Create reference planes from one or more geometric references.

Logical thinking in the design of complex parts

Add materials to parts for calculations of mass properties, for use with SOLIDWORKS Simulation, and to modify the appearance of the part.

• Define the material for a part.
• Add a custom material to a part.

This lesson contains part modeling exercises so you can improve your proficiency with Additional Tools before taking the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) exam.

• Methods of assembly
• bottom-up design
• top-down design

Create assemblies by adding and orienting existing parts in an assembly. Add mates to connect the components.

• Create a new assembly from a part.
• Introduce the assembly Feature Manager design tree.
• Insert components into the assembly.
• Move and rotate components.

Create a new assembly from a part

• Insert components into the assembly.
• Insert components methods
• Move and rotate components.
• Add mates between components.

Explore the various methods for moving and rotating components, including dragging, using the triad, and setting the options in the Property Manager

• Move and rotate a component by dragging
• Using the triad, or using the options in the Property Manager.

Use standard mates to constrain the degrees of freedom of components relative to other components or reference geometry such as planes or axes.

• Learn about standard mate types such as coincident, concentric, and more.
• Understand how selected entities such as faces, edges, vertices, planes, or axes determines the available mate types.

• Bringing features, particularly faces/planes, together.
• Two or more faces or planes to be flush or lines up.

make planar or cylindrical features parallel.

make planar or cylindrical features perpendicular.

Concentric is used when the cylindrical feature is not lined up with the default planes of the part model

used most often for touching planar features to cylindrical features together or for touching circles together. 

This lesson contains assembly exercises so you can improve your proficiency with Additional Tools before taking the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) exam.

Create a drawing from an existing part file, insert basic views.

• Make a basic drawing of a part.
• Insert standard views.
• Demonstrate the associativity between the model and its drawings.

create drawing views as follows: Standard views, such as standard 3 views, various named model views (such as isometric), and relative views created automatically from the model

• What is the Section View?
• Uses of the Section View
• Types of the Section View

• What is the Break View?
• Uses of the Break View
• Types of the Break View

• What is the Relative View?
• Uses of the Relative View
• Types of the Relative View

• What is the Alternate Position View?
• Uses of the Alternate Position View
• Types of the Alternate Position View

• What is the Empty and Predefined View?
• Uses of the Empty and Predefined View
• Types of the Empty and Predefined View

• What is the Detail and Crop View?
• Uses of the Detail and Crop View
• Types of the Detail and Crop View