Lesson 2 : Creating Your First Part File
1. Open the SolidWorks software by clicking the SolidWorks software on the desktop.
2. Create a new Part file.
3. Right-click on Front Plane and click the Sketch button (
) to create a new sketch.
4. Your screen should now look like this:
5. You have now created your first sketch. In SolidWorks, two dimensional geometry is drawn in a Sketch, and then turned into three dimensional geometry using a variety of tools.
We will start by drawing a simple square. To do this choose the Rectangle tool (
) from the menu at the top.
NOTE: There are a few different types of rectangle tools you can use, as seen above in the Rectangle Type menu. For this example, we will be using the Corner Rectangle tool, which should be the default tool for the software.
6. Start by clicking on the origin, which looks like this:
7. Drag the rectangle toward the upper right hand corner of the screen, then click again to create the rectangle.
8. Now that we have drawn a rectangle, we can now add dimensions to it to make it the size we want it. For this example, we will create a 1 inch by 1 inch square.
First, click on the Smart Dimension button.
9. Then click on the bottom line of the rectangle and drag the dimension out past the edge of the rectangle. The process should look like this:
10. Once the number is placed, a box will appear where you can put in the dimension you would like. In this box, put a 1, for 1 inch.
11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 for the left side of the rectangle.
NOTE: Since a rectangle has 2 parallel sides, you only need to dimension two adjacent sides.
12. Your sketch should now look like this:
13. You have now completed your first sketch! To make this sketch into a 3D cube, click on the Features tab and then the Extruded Boss/Base button.
14. Change the thickness of the extrusion to 1 inch and press the Green check mark to create the 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 inch block.
15. Your part should now look like this:
16. Save the file as both a PRT and STL file. To do this, go to File > Save As
17. Name your file and select .STL from the Save As Type dropdown box:
18. Click Save to save your file as an STL. An STL file can be used in the MakerBot Desktop software or other slicing software to slice your 3D model. Slicing is a process that is done to a 3D model to prepare it for 3D printing.
19. Repeat the process and choose Part (.prt, .sldprt). This will save your model as a Part file which you can then edit later in SolidWorks.
20. Congratulations, you have created your first part in SolidWorks!