In this chapter, you will need to have access to SOLIDWORKS.

The project files for this chapter can be found in this book's GitHub repository: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Learn-SOLIDWORKS-2020/tree/master/Chapter02.

Check out the following video to see the code in action: http://bit.ly/2q6q7fW

This section addresses the three types of SOLIDWORKS files: parts, assemblies, and drawings. Here, we'll briefly cover what each file is for and how we can use each of them. More about each type of file will be covered throughout this book.

SOLIDWORKS files fall into three distinctive categories: parts, assemblies, and drawings. Each file type corresponds to a certain deliverable when we're making a product. By deliverable, we mean whether we need to deliver a 3D part file, a 3D assembly file, or a 2D engineering drawing that's delivering parts or an assembly. To illustrate these three file types, let's break down...

In this section, we will discuss the main components of the SOLIDWORKS interface. These main components are the command bar, the task pane, the canvas, and the design tree. Being familiar with these components is essential if we wish to use the software. For a practical follow-up, you can download the SOLIDWORKS part linked with this chapter, which will be used to explain the main components of the SOLIDWORKS interface.

In this chapter, we will be focusing on the interface that's used when we need to deal with parts, instead of assemblies and drawings. However, the main components of the interface are the same when we deal with each file type.

When opening a part in SOLIDWORKS, regardless of whether it is new or existing, you will be faced with the view shown in the following screenshot. We will cover the four main categories...

Since SOLIDWORKS is an engineering software, all of the models are constructed in relation to the user-provided (user-input) measurements. To facilitate communication, SOLIDWORKS uses standard systems that are currently used in the industry, including the International System of Units (SI), the imperial system, and variations of each.

When modeling with SOLIDWORKS, the user must take note of the measurement system that is set in the document. A measurement system is a set of common agreed-upon units that facilitate how we communicate quantities in terms of length, mass, volume, and so on. Some examples of such units are meters and inches, which are measurements...

In this chapter, we learned how to start the different types of SOLIDWORKS files, that is, parts, assemblies, and drawings. We also learned about the main components of the SOLIDWORKS interface, as well as the different measurement systems that are available and how to adjust them. These are the first steps we need to follow when we plan to use the software to make a project and its foundations.

In the next chapter, we will start working with SOLIDWORKS sketching. Sketching is the first step we need to take if we wish to build a 3D model.

1. What are the three types of files a SOLIDWORKS user can create?
2. What is the difference between SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies, and drawings?
3. What is contained in the canvas?
4. What does the design tree show?
5. What is the difference between SI units and imperial units?
6. Open a new SOLIDWORKS part file.
7. Set the unit for the new SOLIDWORKS file to MKS (meter, kilogram, second).

The answers to the preceding questions can be found at the end of this book.