SolidWorks
 

Many schools like Pontiac Central High School have SolidWorks as their CAD program in a Pre-Engineering class and it is also used by the FIRST program.

My students have found it easy but challenging to use. Support from our partner DASI Solutions has been great. The educational materials are clear and well organized for all ranges of learners. They even have a "SolidWorks for Dummies" publication available at most bookstores.

There are many CAD programs out there, you may want to check out SolidWorks and its features.

As with most CAD platforms there are educational programs to make the software affordable for a school with limited resources.

Re: SolidWorks
 

Hmm.. I see this is a new forum.
What is the purpose for it?
Will this be used for questions?


I can answer some if given some info about the version and some general info.

Good luck with SolidWorks. It's a great software.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask or PM me.

edit: OK, I saw Brandon's post about the new forums. The offer for help still stands.

Re: SolidWorks
 

You will not find a more capable and easy to use CAD software for the price. If you are a student or educator, you can get a copy of SolidWorks for 2 years for around $70. Incredible deal if you ask me.

Re: SolidWorks
 

Hmm.. got a link to that offer by any chance??

Re: SolidWorks
 

i started using solidworks 2004 around april. im fairly decent at it and if anyone needs help i can try and answer questions.

som helpful tips. Run through all the tutorials given. When you have free time just mess around and try to make something that uses most of the options available. After you know the basics, find something on your desk or just something cool and try to make it.

Re: SolidWorks
 

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/prod...e.html?PID=107 and more specifically www.journeyed.com

Re: SolidWorks
 

DASI Solutions is one of the supporting companies that bought a banner to help support ChiefDelphi this year (they have a banner popping up every now & then). Check out what products & services they offer, as well ..

Their banner, along with all of our sponsors can be found at the page linked by the PayPal button between the banners.

Re: SolidWorks
 

Oooooh.. So that's how you get to that page. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to get to thet page when you are a supporter and the banners and paypal button dissapears.

Unless I bookmark this thread and that link from here.

Is there any way to add that page to a link somewhere else??

Maybe as Dez originally suggested, under the "Quick Links" pulldown under Miscellaneous?

Re: SolidWorks
 

Ah right, I knew I forgot something. :)

It's in the 'Quick Links' pull-down, now.

Re: SolidWorks
 

Thanks!

Re: SolidWorks
 

Dave Darbyshire - Owner of DASI Soultions is a retailer of SolidWorks. It is his intent to have an expert from his company answer questions and to encourage other SolidWorks retailers accross the nation to do the same.

This forum is a starting place for support for all of us that have Solidworks or are thinking of getting SolidWorks.

It is an Awesome user friendly CAD program that will work with all types of files and drawings.

Re: SolidWorks
 

I just took an Advanced CAD course at IVY Tech. They use Solidworks. I loved most of it. I was using the 2004-2005 version. School was using the 2005.
The student version has some glitches though. Example: I spent almost an hour trying to get a Fillet right. Never got it quite right. Took the drawing to school and had it done in 5 minutes.
I pity the students that bought the 2006 version. They couldn't do the drawings at home and print them at school :( I could :)
I agree about the tutorials. They are first rate.

Re: SolidWorks
 

I have and use Solidworks 2005 alongside Inventor. The two share alot of features, so it is easy to transition back and forth.

Re: SolidWorks
 

Solidworks takes the gold

after using pro E, invetor, wildfire, solid edge, and solid works i have found that solidworks is the quickest and easiest way to draft...

Big ups to DASI

Re: SolidWorks
 

We use SolidWorks here at Innovation First. It is a GREAT program, with lots of cool sheet-metal features (we primarily design sheet metal components as part of Rack-Solutions).

I would highly recommend it to anyone designing a FIRST robot.

-JV

Re: SolidWorks
 

i also enjoy using solidworks. it gets things done so fast. however i have found that there are no frc parts for solidworke. does anyone know where i can find some?

Re: SolidWorks
 

So can you offer the SolidWorks native models for down load from the IFI website?

Re: SolidWorks
 

yes go to www.firstcadlibrary.com download the *.iges file (use the save it option not the open with one) and then you can open it with solidworks. theres a few steps you have to follow to edit the parts but its not that hard elgin showed me how last night. you have to convert entities and stuff.

Re: SolidWorks
 

Actually, that was for non-IFI mechanical parts (we did a sprocket and modified it to match our current one without having to redraw a sprocket with the teeth and what not for time savings.)

IFI CAD Parts are here:

http://www.ifirobotics.com/kitbot.shtml

I suggest IGES files, and then make them an actual assembly in SolidWorks and mate them as so.
When you first open the Iges file, it will dump them as individual parts if it's an assembly.
(Imported 1, Imported 2, Imported 3, Imported 4.. etc.)

Find them, rename them if you want, and then make a new SW assembly file and assemble them.

If you don't do this, the files are not locked to each other and when you put them in larger assemblies the tend to "float" around since they are not properly mated as an assembly.

If you open an IGES file and it is one piece (a screw for example) you are golden. Just do a save as and you can save it as a native SW part file.

Re: SolidWorks
 

I just noticed this forum (don't ask me why it took this long).

I know Dave Darbyshire and his entire crew (mostly) at DASI. We (FANUC Robotics) was one of Dave's first SolidWorks large customers (more than a few seats) back in 1997. He is a great guy and I will bug him to get one of his tech support guys to get a login name on this forum.

For anyone who needs help, I am a SolidWorks expert and have been using it for 9 years.

As far as getting stuff into SolidWorks I highly recommend using STEP files whenever possible. STEP files are much better than IGES for translation.

-Paul