Lesson 1 - Parts - Overview Page 1 of 16

Lesson 1 - Parts - Overview

In this lesson, you create your first SOLIDWORKS part.

You can begin with the first section or skip to a later section to bypass tasks you already know how to do.
Setting up a new part document
Creating the base feature
Adding a boss feature
Creating a cut feature
Adding fillets
Adding a shell feature
Editing features
Completed Part

Creating and Saving a Part Document

Open a new part document and save it as Tutor1.

1. Click New (Standard toolbar).

2. In the New SOLIDWORKS Document dialog box, double-click Part.

For a description of the SOLIDWORKS user interface, see the User Interface Overview topic in the
SOLIDWORKS Help.

3. Click Save (Standard toolbar).

4. In the dialog box, type Tutor1 for File name.

5. Click Save.

In tutorials, click toolbar buttons with orange borders (for example ) to flash the corresponding
button in the SOLIDWORKS window.

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Creating the Base

Extrude a rectangle with one corner on the origin and dimensioned as shown.

Sketching the Base

1. Click Extruded Boss/Base (Features toolbar).

The Front, Top, and Right planes appear and the pointer changes to . As you move the pointer over
a plane, the border of the plane is highlighted.
Why Start a Sketch with an Extrusion?

2. Select the Front plane.

The display changes so the Front plane faces you.
The Sketch toolbar commands appear in the CommandManager.
A sketch opens on the Front plane.

3. Click Corner Rectangle (Sketch toolbar).

4. Move the pointer to the sketch origin .

The pointer is on the origin when it changes to .

What if the Pointer does not Change?

5. Click the origin and drag the pointer up and to the right. Notice that it displays the current dimensions of
the rectangle.

You do not have to be exact with the dimensions.

6. Release the Corner Rectangle tool by doing one of the following:

Click the button for the tool you are currently using.
Press Esc.
Press Enter.
Click the button for the next tool you want to use.

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Click Select (Standard toolbar).

Dimensioning the Base

1. Click Select on the Standard toolbar.

The colored tags show Sketch Relations. The tags the

SOLIDWORKS software added when you created the rectangle
indicate vertical, horizontal, and coincident relations.
You can:
See a tooltip by hovering over a tag.
Modify or delete a sketch relation by double-clicking a tag.
Show or hide sketch relations by clicking View > Hide/Show
> Sketch Relations.

The sides of the rectangle that touch the origin are black. Because you started sketching at the origin, the
vertex of these two sides is automatically coincident with the origin, as shown by the symbol . This
relationship constrains the sketch.
What Does Constrain Mean?
Why is the Rectangle Different Colors?

2. Drag one of the blue sides or drag the vertex to resize the rectangle.

3. Click Smart Dimension (Dimensions/Relations toolbar).

4. Select the top edge of the rectangle.

5. Click above the line to place the dimension.

The Modify dialog box appears.
What if the Modify Dialog Box did not Appear?

6. Set the value to 120.

7. Click .
The sketch resizes to reflect the 120mm dimension.

8. Click Zoom to Fit (View toolbar) to display the entire rectangle and center it in the graphics area.

9. Repeat steps 3-8, with a vertical line, setting the height of the rectangle to 120mm.

The sketch is now fully defined, as shown in the status bar at the bottom of the SOLIDWORKS window.

Extruding the Base

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1. Click Exit Sketch (Sketch toolbar).

The Boss-Extrude PropertyManager appears in the left pane, the view of the sketch changes to Trimetric,
and a preview of the extrusion appears in the graphics area.

2. In the PropertyManager, under Direction 1:

a. Select Blind in End Condition.

b. Set Depth to 30.

3. Click .
The new feature, Boss-Extrude1, appears in the FeatureManager design tree and in the graphics area.

Press Z to zoom out or press Shift+Z to zoom in.

The sketch was absorbed into the extrusion feature. Click beside Boss-Extrude1 in the
FeatureManager design tree to expand the feature. Sketch1, which you used to extrude the feature,
is listed under the feature. To modify a sketch after it has been absorbed, right-click the absorbing
feature and select Edit Sketch.

4. Click Shaded with Edges on the View toolbar.

Adding the Boss

Extrude a boss, centered on the model and dimensioned as shown.

Use your model, or click here to open a model ready for this operation.

Sketching and Dimensioning the Boss

1. Click the front face of the model to preselect the sketch plane for the next feature.

2. Click Extruded Boss/Base (Features toolbar).

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3. Click Normal To (Standard Views toolbar).

4. Click Circle (Sketch toolbar).

5. Click near the center of the face and move the pointer to sketch a circle.

6. Release the circle tool.

7. Click Smart Dimension (Dimensions/Relations toolbar).

8. Select the circle.

9. Move the pointer outside the model to see the current dimension.

10. Click to place the dimension.

11. In the Modify dialog box:

a. Set the value to 70.

b. Click .

Constraining the Boss

1. Still using Smart Dimension , select the top edge of the face, select the circle, and click to place
the dimension.

2. In the Modify dialog box:

a. Set the value to 60.

b. Click .

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3. Repeat steps 1 and 2, selecting the right edge of the face and the circle.

The circle turns black, and the status bar indicates that the sketch is fully defined.

Extruding the Boss

1. Click Exit Sketch (Sketch toolbar).

The Boss-Extrude PropertyManager appears in the left pane and a preview of the extrusion appears in the
graphics area.

2. Click Trimetric (Standard Views toolbar).

3. In the PropertyManager, under Direction 1:

a. Select Blind in End Condition.

b. Set Depth to 25.

4. Click .
Boss-Extrude2 appears in the FeatureManager design tree.

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Making the Hole

Next, you cut a hole through the part by sketching the hole and then extruding it. The hole radius is 10mm
less than the boss.

Sketching the Hole

Next, you sketch the hole with a radius that is 10mm less than the boss.

Use your model, or click here to open a model ready for this operation.

1. Click Extruded Cut (Features toolbar).

2. Select the front face of the circular boss.

3. Click Normal To (Standard Views toolbar).

4. Click Circle (Sketch toolbar).

5. Move the pointer to the center of the boss.

The pointer changes to indicate that the center of the circle is coincident with the center of the boss.

6. Drag to create the circle and release the tool.

7. Click Smart Dimension and set the diameter of the hole to 50.

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Extruding the Sketched Hole

Next, you complete the extrusion.

1. Click Exit Sketch (Sketch toolbar).

The sketch closes and the Cut-Extrude PropertyManager appears.

2. Click Trimetric (Standard Views toolbar).

3. In the PropertyManager, under Direction 1, set End Condition to Through All.

4. Click .

Adding the Fillets

Create fillets:
5mm radius for:
The edge between the base and boss
The corners of the base
The front perimeter of the base
1.5mm radius for the top edges of the boss and hole

Use your model, or click here to open a model ready for this operation.

Creating the Base Fillets

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1. Click Fillet (Features toolbar).

2. Under Fillet Type, click Constant Size Fillet .

3. Select the front face of the base.

4. Under Fillet Parameters, set Radius to 5.

5. Under Items To Fillet, select Full Preview.

The face is highlighted and a preview of the filleted face is displayed.

6. Select the four edges at the corners of the base.

As you move the pointer over hidden lines, they highlight so you can select them.

As you select each edge, its name is added to Edges, Faces, Features and Loops and the preview
is updated.

7. Click .

Creating the Boss Fillets

1. Click Fillet (Features toolbar).

2. Under Fillet Parameters, set Radius to 1.5.

3. Select the face of the boss.

4. Click Zoom to Selection (View toolbar).

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5. Click .

Shelling the Part

Hollow out the part by:
Removing the back face
Leaving a shell thickness of 2 mm

Use your model, or click here to open a model ready for this operation.

Creating the Shell

1. Click Rotate View (View toolbar).

2. Drag the pointer to rotate the part until you can see the back.

3. Do one of the following to release the tool:

Click the button for the tool you are currently using.
Press Esc.
Press Enter.
Click the button for the next tool you want to use.

Click Select (Standard toolbar).

4. Select the back face.

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5. Click Shell (Features toolbar).

6. Under Parameters, set Thickness to 2.

7. Click .
The shell operation removes the selected face and leaves a thin-walled part.

Creating a Section View of the Shell

1. Click Trimetric (Standard Views toolbar).

2. Click Section View (View toolbar).

3. In the PropertyManager, under Section 1, click Top Plane .

4. Drag the handle up to show the section view.

5. Click .
You can rotate and zoom the section view. Only the display of the part is cut, not the model itself.

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6. Click Section View (View toolbar) to clear the section view.

7. Click Save (Standard toolbar).

Editing Features
Edit the base feature to:
Increase the depth of the model
Modify the edge fillets
Recreate the face fillets

Use your model, or click here to open a model ready for this operation.

Editing the Base Feature

1. Click Trimetric (Standard Views toolbar).

2. Double-click Boss-Extrude1 in the FeatureManager design tree.

The feature dimensions appear in the graphics area.

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3. Double-click 30.

4. In the Modify dialog box, set the value to 50 and click .

5. Click Rebuild (Standard toolbar) to regenerate the model with the new dimension.

6. Click Save (Standard toolbar).

Modifying the Base Fillets

The base fillets were created in a single feature, Fillet1. You want to change the radius of just the edge fillets.
To do this, you remove the fillets on the front face of the base and add them back as a separate fillet feature.

1. In the FeatureManager design tree, right-click Fillet1 and select Edit Feature .

2. Under Items To Fillet, scroll down and right-click Face<1>.

3. Click Delete.
The fillets on the face are removed.

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4. Change the radius to 10.

5. Click .

Recreating the Face Fillets

To recreate the face fillets you removed, you add a Fillet feature before the Shell1 feature. If you add it after
the Shell feature, the filleted area is not shelled.

1. In the FeatureManager design tree, place the pointer over the rollback bar below the Shell1 feature.
The pointer changes to a hand:

2. Drag the rollback bar above the Shell1 feature.

3. Click Fillet (Features toolbar).

4. Select the front face of the base.

The model shows the last radius used, 10mm.

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5. Under Fillet Parameters, change the Radius to 5.

6. Click .

7. Drag the rollback bar below the Shell1 feature.

Adding a Realistic Appearance

Now you can add a realistic appearance to your model.

Use your model, or click here to open a model ready for this operation.

1. Click Shaded (View toolbar).

2. Add RealView Graphics to the View toolbar by doing the following:

a. Click Tools > Customize > Commands.
b. Under Categories, select View.

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c. Under Buttons, select RealView Graphics and drag the button to the View toolbar.

3. Click RealView Graphics (View toolbar).

4. Assign a material:
a. Select the part name at the top of the FeatureManager design tree.

b. Right-click the part in the FeatureManager design tree and select Material > Edit Material .

c. In the Material dialog box, expand Steel .

d. Select Chrome Stainless Steel.
e. Click Apply and click Close.
Congratulations! You have completed this tutorial.
Return to the tutorials overview page.

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