What is Solidworks: Definition and 100 Discussions

SolidWorks is a solid modeling computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) computer program published by Dassault Systèmes, that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. While it is possible to run SolidWorks on an Intel-based Mac with Windows installed, the application's developer recommends against this. SolidWorks does not support macOS.According to the publisher, over two million engineers and designers at more than 165,000 companies were using SolidWorks as of 2013. Also, according to the company, fiscal year 2011–12 revenue for SolidWorks totaled $483 million.

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  1. S

    Comparing ANSYS Fluent/ANSYS, CATIA, Solidworks & Creo

    Hi,I wanted to know what is the difference between ANSYS Fluent/ANSYS and CATIA. And what purpose do both of these applications serve? Furthermore, does Solidworks compete with CATIA? (If so, then i can focus on learning only one of them instead of two).I am just confused if i should learn ANSYS...
  2. J

    Clamp force divide by surface ?

    hi, newbies here ! found clamp load in some catalogue for bolt and screw. is that value should divide by 2 since bolt is connect 2 surface together ? by the way, i am try to solidworks simulation, want to apply force on a surface to see how it respond on that surface both...
  3. R

    Inverse Kinematics - Obtaining the Equation of a Path

    Obtaining the Equation of a Path I'm working on a project for myself in SolidWorks which involves a scissor-type mechanism. The bottom ends of the linkages are attached to disks that are free to rotate around the central hub where all the gears are attached. On the other side of the hub is...
  4. G

    Torque on the Drive Shaft of a Screw Conveyor

    My work has a drive shaft that has been breaking on a U-trough screw conveyor. I am looking for some helpful equations to find the torque on the shaft so I can accurately model and optimize the shaft in SolidWorks.
  5. P

    Software for calculating aircraft aerodynamic coefficients

    Hi, I want a software that can generate aerodynamic coefficients (CD, CL, CY,Cl,Cm,Cn, etc) I am aware of some specialized software (e.g. AVL, open source from MIT, LinAir Pro, commercial, etc). But was wondering whether I can use 'common' software like AutoCAD Mechanical or Solidworks...
  6. S

    Airframe FEA boundary conditions

    I'm working on a student design project building a multirotor UAV to host a sensor array. The airframe supports arm beams with motors producing thrust at the end, a battery, a flight controller, payload, ESC's and needs to be custom made so that it is of a size that can support large blades and...
  7. J

    Multi-body dynamics sim software

    Hi all, I've been looking around for a simple software to test mechanical assemblies, typically ones using a motor to drive some gear or pulley system. This is for garage scale projects, nothing really big or really small. Ideally it would be something that would be able to give me the...
  8. shinnsohai

    Airbags Simulation: Learn How to Do It & Can Solidworks Help?

    Stimulating "Airbags" Recently I'm into it on Airbags and really want to know how it works I've seen some airbags stimulation on YouTube and I'm curious on how to do it? Anyone have experience doing it? Can Solidwork produce such stimulation? PS:Immma Poor English It's Simulation instead of...
  9. A

    ANSYS Workbench: Plane Strain Problem

    I have an assembly of two 2D surfaces. I modeled it on SolidWorks however, I could not import it to Ansys in any format. I tried SLDASM, Step and IGES. I tried modelling the same on Workbench modeller. However, I could not figure out a way to model 2D assemblies on the modeller. Can someone...
  10. S

    Plate Fin Simulation in Ansys Workbench 14.5

    Hi all, I have started learning ansys workbench for steady state heat transfer based analysis. I am doing this analysis to validate analytical results given for heat transfer from a single plate fin. The fin tip is given a base temperature and heat transfer is calculated for natural...
  11. S

    Qualitative advice on two phase flow problem.

    Hi guys I have a rather qualitative question. let's imagine a tank with two openings. pressure is measured at one opening (A) to be at a constant 33 bar at time t=0s. the other opening(B) is at atmospheric pressure. Inside the tank we have a two phase flow half is N2 gas and the other half is...
  12. C

    What to do/how to become a pro at cad design solidworks

    hey guys For the last year, I've been learning and working in solidworks, mainly youtube videos, reading tutorials, manuals and solidworks support . But I don't know when you reach "PRO" What (else) Can I do to improve my solidworks skills.
  13. B

    Choosing a material for a mill handle

    Hello. MechE noob here. I'm an ECE guy and I'm apart of a group of students working on a solar car. I decided I wanted to get more mechanical experience so I joined one of the ME teams. However, before they let you work on real stuff they make you go through smaller projects. So my first...
  14. K

    SolidWorks FEA results questioned - torque on cylinder

    Hi everyone, I have a 100 mm long, solid cylinder (shaft) with a diameter of 20 mm. The base circular surface at one end is fixed and the other end gets a torque of 100Nm. The SolidWorks simulator (URES) results show that the diameter of this shaft increases by about 0.1 mm due to the...
  15. W

    How do you calculate Stress of a curved beam?

    How do you calculate Stress of a curved beam?? Hi there, I'm new here so I got a project to make a windscreen on solidworks and analysis using FEA no problem :) However I'm also asked to analysis stress on the windscreen experienced by the air resistance manually, I have worked out the air...
  16. S

    Heat Transfer Coefficient to Air Flow Rate

    Hey all, I'm trying to simulate a simple chip-heatsink situation in SolidWorks using their thermal modeling suite. I have found an ideal set of parametric values for the chip to work at a reasonable temperature, but I need to figure out what the convection coefficient means in terms of air flow...
  17. B

    Force generated at caliper bracket while braking

    Hi to all, I'm new to the forum. I'm designing a bracket for a front caliper of a motorcycle. I'm learning to use solidworks just to design a bracket that will be safe to use in the real world :-).. but I'm stuck on calculating the force that will be generated on the bracket (or better...
  18. S

    Statically indeterminate fixed end beam problem

    Im having difficulties performing stress analysis on a component i designed for a project. I've ran FEA in solidworks giving me the Von Mises stress and the displacement due to the load. My supervisor has asked me to back up the fea with hand calculations but I am have a hard time. The part...
  19. S

    Stress analysis of quadcopter part

    Hi Everyone, I am a student studying civil engineering and want to do a stress analysis on a part I have made in Solidworks (CAD software). However, it is somewhat complex for handcalculation purposes, so I have simplified it down. I want to run a full ansys simulation on the part, however I...
  20. B

    FEA Thermal Stress Factor of Safety Question

    Hi Guys I'm analysing a heat exchanger based on an existing commercial model in SolidWorks Simulation. The same materials etc have been applied to it in the Static analysis. Deflection on the heat exchanger is very small. The one thing that baffles me though is how, regardless of even...
  21. T

    Acoustic Resonance Chamber Design- Wine glass shattering

    Greetings PFers, I'm designing a demonstration unit for use in grade schools demonstrating the principle of resonance upon wine glasses (shattering them). I intend to put a wine glass into an acrylic chamber of some geometry, hand the student a microphone and see if they can generate the...
  22. I

    The correlation between AI and C.V. to these automation systems

    I want to know how the artificial intelligent become integrated or can improve more automation systems and machine that build in automatic way Display screen, solar cells, lithium ion batteries, printed circuit boards and 3D printers. I know that these automation systems and machine are...
  23. A

    Thermal simulation with SolidWorks (looking for tutorials/sources)

    Dear PF-ers (whats a thing right?), Alright as per previous experience, I ask what I'm looking for first, then explain (for those lazy readers): I am looking for some books/ebooks/sources specifically relating to simulation (Thermal) in Solidworks. I've gone through all videos on Youtube and...
  24. G

    Help with windup/pull back toy mechanism floating gear placement

    Hi, I'm trying to design a windup baby toy (think toy stuck on wall rotating) with a gearing mechanism that works similar to a pull back toy car. Essentially I want to do a three quarter turn of the front of the unit anticlockwise to wind a coil spring via a gear train. When the front of the...
  25. D

    Misc. Home project - rotary table calculations

    Hi guys, I'm a mechanical engineering student and my dad want's a simplified motorized rotating table. I want to take it as a chance to implement my study in it, and I'm doing it all the way modeled on solidworks and animated. The calculation part is holding me back, there's a couple of things...
  26. E

    Beam welded to plate. Plate stress?

    I have a design where a beam gets welded to a plate. The plate is not against a wall or foundation, but for simplicity I can say that the edges of the plate are fixed. I am concerned about the stress in the plate, and the deflection in the beam. I have access to solidworks simulation, but I want...
  27. J

    Fabricating bipedal-ish walker legs,

    so, I have to make a single-actuator walker for a class. it has to have two (unpowered) wheels, and two legs (it's a mechanism design class) here's the motor i have to use: http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/71 i've drafted out a klann mechanism, and even made an assembly in...
  28. P

    Laptop for CAD Software (Entry Level)

    As suggested on my last post 'how to become a design engineer' self practice is the key to learn a design program to a competent level.. At this point, I am looking for a computer so to be able to train myself, refresh my pro/E skills, and be able to apply what I read in tutorials and watch...
  29. H

    Need Help with Cycloidal Propeller Theory

    Trying to figure out how to model a cycloidal Propeller. Here is the concept I am using. http://www.rexresearch.com/voight/propbew2.gif When the Socket (left side) is on the axis, the propeller blades to the left or right are at 90 degrees. As long as this socket is on the axis the blades...
  30. P

    How to become a Design Engineer?

    Hi all! I am happy to find this very informative forum! I have graduated with a degree in Production Engineering and Management and I am interested to gain more knowledge in CAD and work as a Design Engineer. While in University I had a CAD course where I learned to use Pro/E, but that's all...
  31. T

    Ansys Workbench Help (creating load in center of body)

    I'm just learning how to use Ansys Workbench 13 to analyze static structures. I need to analyze the deformation of a simply supported beam with a concentrated force in the center vertically downward. I have a 3D model of this beam created in Solidworks. How do I create a force in the center...
  32. Mech_Engineer

    Is free (or very cheap) FEA software really available and worth it?

    Last night I tried answering a question I've had for a while- can you really do a proper FEA analysis using free (or at least very cheap) software? I've found myself recommending a couple of times to find a free FEA package for running an analysis on simple geometries, but I don't actually have...
  33. C

    Automotive Exploring CVT Extroid Gearbox: Looking for Ideas!

    I'm very interested in the cvt extroid gearbox, and I'm looking for more information. I make a project using SolidWorks and all the information i could receive is useful for me! I put the video here, if you have some ideas for improve the project please tell me! thanks...
  34. E

    Solidworks models of spur gears

    where can i get Solidworks models of spur gears? I have Solidworks student edition, and it doesn't include the toolbox that you can use to create gears. thanks
  35. B

    Bezier Curves in Mechanical Design

    Hi Folks, Sorry if this has been asked before but I have searched the forums and can't anything to do with this. Also please correct me if I am posting in the wrong forum. I am making an application with functionality similar to a revolution of a sketch within any CAD program. I...
  36. M

    Wing and wind turbine blade aerodynamic center?

    Hello everyone, Now i am trying to model wind turbine blade using solidworks. I have the airfoil coordinates at each section of the blade, but the coordinates are distance per chord (x/c,y/c) so i have to scale it using the calculated chord. When i scale it with respect to the origin -...
  37. M

    Need advice on getting back into Mechanical Engineering

    I need advice! After graduating college in 2007, I've been in the Army fighting wars and the like, instead of touching anything mechanical engineering. I recently left the service, and was lucky enough to land a job in manufacturing/automations that I'm extremely happy with. We essentially...
  38. B

    Drafting Question: What are auxiliary and sectional views?

    What are auxiliary and sectional views when making orthographic projections? I missed class today, so I would like if someone could explain their significance in drafting. P.S. I am drafting by hand, so no references to auto-CAD or SolidWorks please. BiP
  39. W

    What's the Best Desktop Setup for CAD Work on a Budget?

    Im looking to buy a desktop for some CAD work. I'm an engineering student on the formula SAE team and we design a formula style car on Solidworks, so Solidworks is the main program I would be running and it's what's used mostly by the school. I'd also like to try out a few others like...
  40. S

    Understanding Geometry's Role in Causing Cavitation | Designing an Impeller

    So I'm designing an impeller and rather than how to prevent cavitation, I'd like to know how to cause cavitation. I've read up on fluid shear stress and Couette flow, but this all appears to be based on relative velocity dV, of parallel discs, separated by a small distance dX, and fluid of...
  41. O

    Fluid Flow Analysis of Howitzer Recoil Mechanism

    I'm looking to do a fluid flow analysis on the recoil mechanism of a howitzer. The analysis will involve simulating oil flowing through some complex orifice profiles. There will be 2 fluids (oil & nitrogen) in different parts of the recoil mechanism. The results I would like from the...
  42. T

    CFD Analysis of Pressure Distribution Around Large Fan

    I am using Solidworks to model the pressure distribution of air around a large fan. The fan is 10' in diameter and moves 94,000 CFM. I need to know the effect adding a large duct around the inlet of the fan would have on the pressure. If the duct causes a huge pressure drop then we can't use it...
  43. R

    Ansoft Maxwell, "cannot apply Current Excitation to non planar entity" error

    Hello I am new with Maxwell. I made a motor drawing in solidworks and imported it in maxwell. I found some tutorials, and searched on the internet but could not find answer to my problem. So when i try to assign Excitation Current to an coil i get the message Excitation 'Current1' : Cannot...
  44. K

    Understanding Rotational Stability of Long Axles: Theory and Analysis

    Does anyone know the theory behind rotational stability of a (long, thin) axle? I would like to know the maximum allowable rotational speed of a 5 meter long axle. I suppose its something in line with the theory of column stability, but I can't find anything about it. I have made a FEM...
  45. Femme_physics

    Choosing a gripper mechanism

    So we need to make a gripper in Solidworks only for this object http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/2285/thepart.jpg Our current goal (as per our professor) is to focus on our gripper mechanism. My classmate suggested the following for the gripper final grip mechanism...
  46. H

    SolidWorks Rotation of Component Problem

    Hi, I am having a little bit of difficulty rotating an assembled component in SolidWorks. I have followed the help file to the letter and for some reason the component is not rotating as expected. I have rotated it using the Triad method described and also by selecting the component and moving...
  47. L

    Torsion on materials of variable cross section

    New here, sorry if I'm in the wrong place or unclear, etc. I've been looking at torsion on solid plates and the torsion constant. I was wondering how to handle the torsion constant on a plate of changing cross section (e.g. there are holes drilled in it, changing the area of the cross section...
  48. C

    Career prospects for a CAD Monkey?

    What realistic value and job security does a true “CAD Monkey” have? I’ve been considering for some time now making a career move more towards embracing the idea of being a true “CAD Monkey” I think it may make the most sense for me at this point for the sake of long term job stability. I’m...
  49. B

    Electromagnet Design Questions

    Hey guys, so I have a couple questions about electromagnets that I was hoping to get some insight on here. Basically, I've been tasked with designing an electromagnet that is low-heat (<150F or so) yet high pull force. I'm improving on a past design where the electromagnet got way too hot (>...
  50. B

    UGS NX4 vs Solidworks: Which is Better?

    Hi, i have a question about UGS NX4 software is any of u guys know what kind of company that usually use this software and why they choose it? i mean why they prefer to use this software rather than Solid works or solid edge..i hope you guys can share yours experience..thanks a lot..:biggrin:
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