SOLIDWORKS Basic and Intermediate
SOLIDWORKS Basic and Intermediate is a course in parametric mechanical design with SOLIDWORKS, from fully defined sketches, part features, configurations and basic sheet metal to assemblies built with mates and 2D drawings with bills of materials. It suits mechanical engineers, drafters, product designers and engineering students who want to model and document real parts.
- Duration18 hours · 3 days
- FormatOnsite / live online
- Next roundOn request
- CertificateIncluded
Course overview
Most mechanical part and product design in industry is done in parametric 3D CAD, where parts, assemblies and 2D drawings are linked, so changing a dimension in one place updates everything else. Yet many beginners draw sketches without fully defining dimensions and relations, and add features in no particular order. When the design changes the model breaks, assemblies move in the wrong directions and the drawings sent to production no longer match the real part.
This course takes learners from the basics to intermediate level in SOLIDWORKS 2026, from setting up templates and units, drawing fully defined sketches and building parts with Extrude, Revolve, Sweep and Loft, to patterns, mirrors, Hole Wizard, equations, configurations, basic sheet metal and first-pass strength checks with SimulationXpress. Learners then assemble parts with mates, check for interference, create exploded views and bills of materials, and produce 2D drawings with dimensions and section views. The course closes with a workshop that designs a small assembly from parts through to drawings ready for production. (3 days, 6 hours per day, 18 hours in total, Beginner to Intermediate level.)
What you’ll gain
- Understand engineering drawing principles and how Part, Assembly and Drawing documents work together
- Draw 2D sketches with dimensions and relations until they are fully defined, following design intent
- Create and edit 3D parts with Extrude, Revolve, Sweep, Loft and supporting features
- Control designs with equations, global variables and configurations
- Build basic sheet metal parts and run first-pass strength checks with SimulationXpress
- Assemble parts with mates, check for interference and create exploded views and bills of materials
- Produce 2D drawings from parts and assemblies and export PDF, DXF and STEP files
Who this course is for
- Mechanical engineers, design engineers and mechanical drafters
- Product designers and R&D teams who need 3D models and production drawings
- Technicians and anyone moving from 2D drafting to 3D CAD
- Engineering students and others who want to use SOLIDWORKS in real work
Prerequisites
- Good computer skills, including managing files and folders
- Some familiarity with reading or drawing engineering drawings will help you progress faster
- No previous 3D CAD experience is required
- A licensed copy of SOLIDWORKS, your own or your organisation's, installed on the laptop you bring
Curriculum
Course Details
This is the 2026 edition of the SOLIDWORKS Basic and Intermediate course, which previously referred to SOLIDWORKS 2015-2017. It runs for 3 days, 6 hours per day (18 hours in total, 09:00-16:00), as lectures with a lab in every section, at Beginner to Intermediate level. The content follows the SOLIDWORKS 2026 interface and adds design intent and fully defined sketches, reference geometry, equations and configurations, basic sheet metal, interference checks, bills of materials and 2D drawings exported to PDF, DXF and STEP. Learners use a licensed copy of SOLIDWORKS, their own or their organisation's, which is paid software; Toolbox is included only in the Professional and Premium editions. Learners take home the course handbook, sample files and templates.
Day 1 Sketching and Basic Part Modelling
Section 1: Lab: Getting Started with SOLIDWORKS and a Part Template
- Engineering drawing principles and the parametric link between parts, assemblies and drawings
- The interface: CommandManager, FeatureManager design tree and PropertyManager
- Rotating, zooming, standard views and display styles
- Set MMGS units and a drafting standard, and save your own part template
- Choosing the starting plane to suit how the part sits and how it will be drawn
Section 2: Lab: 2D Sketches and Relations
- Sketch tools: line, rectangle, circle, arc, slot and centerline
- Edit sketches with Trim, Extend, Offset and Mirror Entities
- Dimension with Smart Dimension and add relations such as horizontal, coincident and tangent
- Sketch colours that show under, fully and over defined status
- Design intent: laying out sketches so the design is easy to change later
Section 3: Lab: Extrude and Cut
- Extruded Boss/Base with Blind, Mid Plane and Up To end conditions
- Extruded Cut for holes and removing unwanted material
- Edit sketches and features after the fact, and use the rollback bar
- Resize quickly with Instant3D
- Lab: model a mounting plate and a base block
Section 4: Lab: Revolve, Reference Geometry, Patterns and Mirror
- Revolved Boss/Base and Revolved Cut for round parts
- Create reference planes, axes and points
- Linear patterns, circular patterns and mirrored features
- Lab: model a handwheel and a flange with a bolt circle
Section 5: Lab: Supporting Features and Hole Wizard
- Round and bevel edges with Fillet and Chamfer
- Thin-walled parts with Shell, and stiffening with Rib
- Draft for cast or moulded parts
- Standard and tapped holes with Hole Wizard
- Lab: model an equipment housing with ribs and mounting holes
Day 2 Complex Parts and Design Control
Section 6: Lab: Sweep, Loft and Helix
- Swept Boss/Base and Swept Cut along a path
- Lofted Boss/Base and Lofted Cut between different profiles
- Helix and spiral curves for springs and threads
- Fixing features that fail, using the warning messages
- Lab: model a handle and a coil spring
Section 7: Lab: Equations and Configurations
- Give dimensions meaningful names and link them with equations
- Global variables for values shared in several places
- Configurations for several sizes of a part in one file
- An overview of design tables for driving many configurations from a table
- Lab: build a family of bolt sizes from a single model
Section 8: Materials, Mass Properties and Design Checks
- Assign materials and colours or appearances to parts
- Mass properties: weight, volume and centre of gravity
- Measure and section views to check internal dimensions
- Add custom properties for use in 2D drawings
- Lab: check a part's weight and change the design to hit a target
Section 9: Lab: Sheet Metal Basics
- Sheet metal concepts: thickness, bend radius and bend allowance
- Base flange, edge flange and miter flange
- Hems, jogs and closing corners with Closed Corner
- Unfold the part with Flat Pattern for cutting and bending
- Lab: model a bracket and a sheet metal box with flat patterns
Section 10: Lab: SimulationXpress and eDrawings
- What SimulationXpress covers: first-pass stress analysis of single parts
- Set fixtures, loads and material, then run the analysis
- Read stress, displacement and factor of safety results
- Share results and models with others through eDrawings
- Its limits, and when to move to full SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Day 3 Assemblies, 2D Drawings and Workshop
Section 11: Lab: Bottom-up Assemblies and Mates
- Insert components and fix the first component in place
- Standard mates: coincident, parallel, concentric, distance and angle
- Move Component and Rotate Component to check degrees of freedom
- Edit parts and mates inside an assembly
- Lab: assemble a mounting stand from the parts built earlier
Section 12: Lab: Assembly Checks, Toolbox and Smart Fasteners
- Introductory mechanical mates such as gear and hinge
- Interference Detection to find colliding parts
- The Design Library and standard parts from Toolbox
- Add screws and nuts automatically with Smart Fasteners
- Pack and Go to collect a complete set of files for sharing
Section 13: Lab: Exploded Views and Bills of Materials
- Create multi-step exploded views with explode lines
- Animate assembly and disassembly
- Bills of materials that pull data from custom properties
- An overview of SOLIDWORKS Visualize for presentation images, depending on your edition
- Lab: produce an exploded view and parts list for the assembly
Section 14: Lab: 2D Drawings from Parts and Assemblies
- Sheet formats, title blocks and drawing templates
- Standard three views, projected, section and detail views
- Model items, Smart Dimension, tolerances and annotations
- BOM tables and balloons on assembly drawings
- An overview of automatic drawing creation (beta) and checking its output before use
Section 15: Workshop: From Assembly Design to Production Drawings
- Design the parts of a small assembly such as a bench vice
- Assemble it, check for interference and create an exploded view
- Produce 2D drawings with a BOM and export them to PDF and DXF
- Export the model as STEP for exchange with other software
- Present the work and wrap up with a checklist before releasing drawings to production
Schedule & training options
For individuals — public rounds
No public rounds are open right now. Join the waiting list and we will contact you first when the next round opens, or ask us on LINE. Or call 02-570-8449 or 088-807-9770
For organisations — in-house / private
- Tailor the content to your team’s tools and projects
- Your dates, at your office or live online
- Quotation with tax ID for procurement
Instructors
Frequently asked questions
What is parametric design in SOLIDWORKS?
Parametric design means the size and shape of a part are driven by the dimensions, relations and equations you define. When you change a dimension, the 3D part, any assemblies that use it and the 2D drawings generated from it all update automatically. That is why this course stresses fully defined sketches that follow design intent, so changes are quick and the model does not break.
What are the steps to create a 3D part with Extrude in SOLIDWORKS?
Create a new part from a template with your units set, choose a suitable plane such as the Front Plane, then draw a closed 2D sketch. Dimension it with Smart Dimension and add relations until the sketch colour shows it is fully defined. Then use Extruded Boss/Base to give the profile thickness with the end condition you need, and Extruded Cut to make holes or remove unwanted material.
What are mates in a SOLIDWORKS assembly?
Mates are relationships that hold components in the correct position in an assembly, such as Coincident to bring two faces together, Concentric to align a hole with a shaft, and Distance or Angle to set spacing and orientation. Mechanical mates such as Gear or Hinge simulate how a mechanism works. Once fully mated, parts move only in the directions you allow, which helps check function and collisions before manufacture.
Who is SOLIDWORKS Basic and Intermediate for, and what background do I need?
It suits mechanical and design engineers, drafters, product designers, R&D teams, technicians and engineering students. You should have good computer skills; being able to read engineering drawings helps, but no previous 3D CAD experience is needed. You need a licensed copy of SOLIDWORKS, your own or your organisation's, installed on the laptop you bring.
What can I do after completing SOLIDWORKS Basic and Intermediate?
You will be able to draw sketches that are easy to change, build parts with Extrude, Revolve, Sweep and Loft, use equations and configurations for part families, model basic sheet metal, run first-pass strength checks with SimulationXpress, assemble parts with mates, create exploded views and bills of materials, and produce 2D drawings exported to PDF, DXF and STEP for production.
Which version of SOLIDWORKS does the course use?
The course is based on SOLIDWORKS 2026 and follows the latest release on the training day; the core commands work the same in nearby versions. Learners use a licensed copy of SOLIDWORKS, their own or their organisation's. SimulationXpress and eDrawings are available in every edition, while Toolbox and Smart Fasteners come with the Professional and Premium editions; if your edition lacks them, the instructor demonstrates them.