For hobby work, you can get a license of SOLIDWORKS Education Premium for free if you join the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) for $40/year. I got a 3-year membership for under $100.
https://www.eaa.org/eaa/eaa-membership/eaa-member-benefits/solidworks-resource-center
> Note: The version of SOLIDWORKS that EAA members have access to is for personal use only. You may not use this software to produce designs or products that you intend to offer for sale.
I recall there was a "startup license" of Solidworks available for very cheap, like $100, that was intended for commercial use as long as you met certain criteria. Revenue below a certain amount, etc. Here it is: https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/entrepreneurs-startups
Looks like it depends on the version you are using. It is obvious why SolidWorks doesn't support 32bit Win7 or Win8.0 in SW's new version though. 32 bit OS ≠ the 8gb Ram requirement, and Win8.0, well, isn't Win8.1 ⇒ no reason to support 8.0 when there is a free upgrade to 8.1.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
He's using it for classwork at University of Dayton. Mostly that's why I told him to ask his professors if he needs 8.1. He'd be in a much more familiar environment with Win7.
At the same time, he does have a bit of a leg up in that his laptop is touchscreen too. I've never used 8.1 with a touchscreen laptop (or any laptop). Maybe it will be more friendly to him. I kind of want to throw him into the fire, and see what he likes better before I tell him Win7 works with the newest SolidWorks.
edit:
I do not aim with my mouse; he who aims with his mouse has forgotten the face of his father.
I aim with my eye.
I do not draw with my hand; he who draws with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I draw with my mind.
I do not design with a tool; he who designs with a tool has forgotten the face of his father.
I design with my heart.
I just tried this:
https://www.solidworks.com/support/community-download#no-back
Input Hobbyist, select No from the Product Information, and try the code 921MAKER. Seems to have worked for me.
OP really needs to chime in and explain what discipline they're getting into, and what software they'll be using. The answer is highly dependent on these factors.
For example, if they're doing mechanical and need to run something like Solidworks, they may need a computer with a dedicated GPU. Solidworks is notorious for not running properly on integrated graphics.
Also I'm assuming they still have a computer lab at Dal, which would allow OP to run any/all required software without spending a cent, although it wouldn't be as convenient.
If you company is on subscription, you're entitled to accessing some of our exams for free. You can find additional information here:
https://www.solidworks.com/how-to-buy/subscription-services-certification-offers
As far as 'tokens' go, they are referred to as Vouchers of which we primarily only issue those to education institutions these days. So if someone if trying to sell you, or give you one, the persons school name will be printed on the certificate and we'll be able to track it. I would avoid using any sort of 'pirated' code because once our system discovers it, any resulting certification will be deleted and the certification will not be able to be verified electronically.
Hi /u/tsjmattar,
From the looks of this EDU/Student EULA, it looks like you have to be affiliated with a university.
If you are concerned at all whether you are eligible for this, and you are just looking for access to SOLIDWORKS and not the 3DEXPERIENCE apps then getting SOLIDWORKS as part of an EAA.org membership would be the way to go. That one is only $40/year.
I graduated the same year as you and never had issue.
That said, having a SolidWorks capable machine is still highly recommended.
>Windows 10
>
>3.3 GHz MPU
>
>16 GB RAM
>
> Nvidia Quadro or AMD FirePro or AMD Radeon Pro
I've said this to others asking the same question. You generally don't do as much CAD work during an engineering undergraduate program as prospective students tend to expect. Anything you need to accomplish can most likely very easily be handled in the universities computer labs without any inconvenience. On top of that, whatever work you are doing will most likely be extremely simple and not involve large complex assemblies. For this, just about any laptop in your price range would suffice.
Dassault provides all the information you need to make an informed descision here:
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
Also keep in mind that after you graduate, your employer will provide you with a machine that will likely run circles around whatever you'd buy now, if you end up even doing CAD work. There's a lot to engineering outside of CAD.
This isn't meant to discourage you from purchasing a laptop if you just want to have access to SolidWorks outside of campus labs. But you may be able to save some money by not buying an over-specced machine that you won't end up really needing. This leaves far more cash for beer.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html
There's more resources out there if you look as well. Solidworks officially only works on supported cards. And hint: none of them are gaming cards.
realview is only available for supported graphics cards. i don't see yours on the list, but take a look for yourself. https://www.solidworks.com/support/hardware-certification/
there is a registery edit hack you can do to work around, but i never recommend something like that as it can make things unstable and crash. search on here for how to do it if you need realview that bad. it is a pretty big resource drain though. you'll have better performance w out it on.
Have you considered going to Solidworks? Not sure where you are from, but if you are a US or Canada military veteran, you can get it for $20 per year.
https://www.solidworks.com/media/military-services-education-program
if not, with EAA, you can get it for free with a $40 per year EAA membership (less if you do longer memberships).
https://www.eaa.org/eaa/eaa-membership
It is a fully featured Solidworks Premium license (educational) which means the drawings will have a small watermark at the bottom, the files will be flagged as educational, and it’s meant for personal use only, but is otherwise all inclusive as far as functionality. I went with the veterans’ program. It’s not a huge stretch going from Fusion to Solidworks if you are already pretty familiar with Fusion, there are a lot of similarities. I did find myself changing hot keys to match Fusion’s because it’s what I was used to.
Here’s the specs from UA’s website. http://ites.eng.ua.edu/laptop/
And here’s what you’ll want for matlab or solidworks
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
https://www.mathworks.com/support/requirements/matlab-system-requirements.html
Do you mean this :https://www.solidworks.com/sites/default/files/2017-12/SW-FabLabs-Makers-FlyerR.pdf
I don't think that constitutes as SW having a free license. Seems as if you need to apply and get "sponsored" to get these licenses.
i.e. Dassault Systems are still arseholes
You probably want to start by going through all the SOLIDWORKS tutorials then try your hand at the CSWA (here's a practice test) then go from there. It's the introductory modeling test for SOLIDWORKS. If that goes well move up to the CSWP (here's a practice test).
Read through this PDF on Maximizing SOLIDWORKS Performance. In my own informal testing it netted a 38% improvement with no changes to the hardware. These are just OS, and SOLIDWORKS settings.
SSDs will offer a big improvement, do it. Files should never be opened from a network location, Files should be copied to the local PC when working on them.
A computer without a dedicated graphics card is a terrible idea. You won't need a Quadro P6000, but buy a dedicated card which is meant to run the software. Review the supported cards for your OS and SW version. The Quadro K2200 is inexpensive these days.
The number of parts in an assembly is not the best gauge of what defines a "large assembly". If the PC is running slowly, the assembly is large for it. Part complexity plays a big role. 1,000 wooden blocks may not be taxing on a system. 100 intricate parts is a bigger challenge.
Be careful choosing the future hardware. Users are going to love you or hate you based on your choices.
There's a Solidworks tool called Solidworks Composer that is focused on producing documentation. It costs extra. I don't know exactly whether it does what you're interested in but you could talk to a rep. As someone else mentioned, you could do it 'by hand' with almost any CAD package, the difference will be the amount of hassle that can be reduced.
Not 8x, read the rest of my post, AVX512 downclocks and you get thermal/power issues--your software package also has to be compiled to use AVX. I imagine it's just not that popular, honestly--Solidworks only asks for a CPU that supports SSE2, no AVX, given how many machines and firms it has to be compatible with.
It's no longer Workgroup and Enterprise. They renamed it to Professional and Standard. Which is stupid because Standard doesn't come with SW Standard, it comes with SW Professional.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/product-data-management/packages.htm
It's really not that important to have an extremely powerful graphics card. Just turn realview graphics and all the shading nonsense off. I run it on a cheap R9 270 on my home PC and it works just fine. (I think it cost about $150 over a year ago).
I'm a product design engineer and am on SolidWorks for hours most days. I've ran it on some pretty crappy machines with no issue, and some $3k+ machines where it crashed all the time. It's more about compatibility than power.
Check here:
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html
And don't let him spend more than $200 or so on a video card.
There are a lot of different SW certification types, talk to a professor about what would be best for you depending on the type of work you want to do, the basic one CSWA covers making models and using basic SW features to analyses them. There are practice exams online
That being said, do you need this? It cost $100 to purchase an exam and all it does it says to potential employers is "I am experienced with SW" which you could also tell them by saying it on your resume and including how long you've been doing it and what you've been doing with it, as well as going into detail in a cover letter.
Personally I held off getting it till SW had a promotion and I could get a free coupon for it, which I did last summer. I don't know if they will have an event like that again any time soon.
You might want to run the solidworks performance test (run it as an administrator) (start->solidworks->solidworks tools->Solidworks performance test) and compare your results to the other systems listed here. That should at least help get an idea of where your system stands relative to other users' builds.
*edit: as /u/mtan90 suggested, using featherweight mode could be useful. Also I wonder whether storing the assembly and part files on a local SSD would help at all.
Great job WoT!
Impressive project for High School, or college for some it would seem... :)
I'm a robotics engineer and think it's the best job on the planet. Every application is different, and you get to work with all sorts of customers and industries, using the latest and greatest technology and materials.
Anyone that's looking to do design should consider getting a cert like the SolidWorks Certified Professional: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/education/certification-programs-cad-students.htm
Going through the process will teach you lots of details you might not pick up in school.
Right now my robots assemble/repair circuit boards. But, if you've ever bought Monopoly in the past 8 years, my robotic assembly lines assembled all the parts into the boxes.
PM me if you ever have any questions!
Thanks!
To start I went through a lot of the videos put out by CAD CAM tutorial on YouTube. He goes through many of the surfacing functions and how they work.
I did the sample exam put out by SolidWorks as well as the surfacing tutorial found inside the software.
This video was very helpful for some good shortcuts/tips after you have a general idea of how to use the basic tools. Rob does a great job explaining what he is doing and his channel is underrated in my opinion.
Finally I think the biggest thing is to get reps with the functions inside the surfacing toolbar. Many of the questions reference options inside of a function you should be using without explicitly stating which function they want you to use. If you are familiar with each function and its options, it will make the exam go much easier for you.
Another part of the exam that I didn't realize was that each question uses a downloaded model that you have to make changes to. I personally didn't have to create any models from scratch, which I spent a lot of time practicing for. If you can find some existing models to practice making surface changes to (i.e. patching holes or adding drafts) that will be very helpful.
Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck if you decide to take it!
You have to be kidding. The student version is so inexpensive, and next month there will be an official hobbyist version for the same price - US$100.
Also, the software isn't what costs money - the LICENSE does. Downloading a torrent or crack is not a solution, because it's easy to get it the official way.
If you don't have the original e-mail with download instructions you can fill out the link below to request sponsorship for the 2016 season. They usually get back in 3 or 4 business days.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/education/robot-student-design-contest.htm
You are asking for a problems going that route. If he does SW professionally.... definitely don't get that. Solidworks will run in a crippled mode (no realview, reduced anti-aliasing), you're likely to experience artifacts, be crash prone, have performance issues. If it's for hobby, it maybe ok, but the cost of dealing with issues over the life of the computer is likely not worth it in the professional environment..... trust me I tried it.... a lot
quadro, firepro, or intel p series (less prefered).
If your military or a vet you can get access for $20 USD or $40 CAD a year IIRC (Its generally restricted to US/Canadian veterans though unless you stumble across the right person who is in the right mood.
https://www.solidworks.com/sites/default/files/2018-01/EDU-MVPProgram.pdf
From that link, the CSWP sample exam, the one with the purple part. If you can get that one done, perfectly, you can consider yourself good to go.
Just remember, if your answer is just a bit different than the 4 offered answers, you did something wrong. Stop right there and fix the issue. It's important to do that because let's say you have 99.5 and the correct answer is 99.8 (out of "92 105 150 99.8"). It's clearly you are really close to one of those, and you can get a correct answer. The problem is that for next question you'll have to enter the answer mannualy, and there is no way to get it right there.
Remember that the CSWP is actually 3 separate exams (segments). Only after you pass all 3 of those you'll recieve your certificate.
More relevant informations here:
https://www.solidworks.com/certifications/mechanical-design-cswp-mechanical-design
I've heard these are kinda a pain in the ass so make sure you need the certification for your job. I haven't ever heard of that being a requirement but I might be in a different industry so idk
Whatever you get, make sure your GPU is certified with Solidworks. . My old driver wasn't and if I ever needed support my reseller would just say "it'll be your driver"
https://www.solidworks.com/support/hardware-certification/ here you can find laptops which are 100% certified to work with solidworks. Of course solidworks runs just fine on things that are not certified, but you might run it to curious visual glitches and such.
But here is a fact about solidworks, if you are a patient person and not going to do any fancy image renders or massive assemblies. If it can run W10, it can run Soldiworks.
I personally use a Thinkpad workstation that I got for about half the price from a company that refurbishes enterprise laptops. I highly recommend considering something like that.
Now you can get a mid-range gaming laptop in your price range. I know lots of people who do that, even professionals. All my mates who are engineers basically get to choose their laptop and they always choose some gaming type to run their CADs on, commonly Solidworks.
Step 1. Check certified laptops.
Step 2. Consider the price range
Step 3. Get the gaming laptop which you really want to get anyway because it can double as a gaming laptop
Especially since you are a student and probably a beginner, you aren't going to do anything so intensive for a long time that you'd need specialised hardware. I think on my student class, only I and 3 others (out of 80) got a workstation laptop, the rest run with gaming laptops.
Seriously. I have seen solidworks run fine on a crappy All-In-One with intel graphics and Mini computers.
You can also get SolidWorks free for a year through the Entrepreneurs and Startups program. Then if your business is successful you can get into a real commercial license when you are ready at a significant discount.
https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/entrepreneurs-startups
It's two 90-minute segments. Average time for a passing score on the first segment is 85 minutes. Average time for a passing score on the second segment is 45 minutes.
Read more and take a sample exam here: https://www.solidworks.com/certifications/mechanical-design-cswa-mechanical-design
With Weldments I'd recommend the inbuilt SW tutorial as a start point. I found weldments much easier to get used to then I thought and after doing this tutorial & the CSWPA test (https://www.solidworks.com/certifications/advanced-weldments-cswpa-wd) just by using it for a few days you can get really good with it.
I found sheet metal tougher and did the SW (paid) training course but I don't use that as regularly.
When I took a modeling class my teacher turned us to the modeling challenges that can be found on YouTube from the Model Mania at the Solidworks conference. Here is an example from 2020, and you can find many more from years past. These parts tend to be slightly more difficult than what you would encounter on the CSWA. You can also Google previous CSWA questions and find the problems from tests of years past. Here is an example of that from the Solidworks website. That’s about as official as it gets
The company Dessault Systemes that creates SolidWorks, has a series of exams you can take to give you professional recognition. It’s not required and most employers probably don’t know about it but it can give you an edge in the job market since you can explain to potential employers that you have done the SolidWorks exams to confirm your skill. The first exam which this beginner series is based on is the CSWA (Certified SolidWorks Associate). It covers general sketching, part modelling, assemblies, working drawings and some analysis (finding a volume and assigning materials) Think link is here for more info https://www.solidworks.com/certifications/mechanical-design-cswa-mechanical-design Next goes CSWP for Certified SolidWorks Professional Then you need 4x CSWPa (professional advanced) You can then go for CSWE (expert)
There are more for specific areas like teaching or support but that’s the general flow of progression. It’s worth at least going for CSWA and CSWP. 2 years experience will easily get you through both of those online exams after a little revision of the exam content.
There's no other way to say this: HELL NO. The Go 2 (even with the high-end spec m3 device) was NEVER DESIGNED TO RUN ANY SORT OF CAD PROGRAM. If it somehow managed to get installed and load up, it would eat up all the RAM and CPU cycles immediately after trying to launch any project.
Even the Surface Pro 7 would have a hard time running Solidworks, unless you got the high-spec device.
Reference: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
TL;dr - NO
GTX cards are unfortunately not supported by Solidworks. You’ll have to find a laptop with a professional Nvidia or AMD graphics card. Here’s a list of compatible GPUs: https://www.solidworks.com/support/hardware-certification
Neither. You NEED to get a supported graphics card otherwise, Solidworks pushes the majority of the rendering off into your CPU. Your performance will be terrible.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html
Pick "Any system vendor", Solidworks 2019, Windows 10, and check the supported graphics card models.
Your graphic card is in the certified list from SolidWorks website?
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html
If yes, the driver is the same as shown there?
Had to downgrade my driver to improve my performance.
Depends on what you are programming. I believe it is a VERY simple version of CAM. As always is the case with Solidworks, their inclusion of it in the software is not necessarily to help people, but to get people to purchase an upgraded license of the software that actually contains useful functionality.
Here is a link to the official offer of free exam vouchers for customers who have an annual maintenance contract with us:
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/certification-offers-subscription-service-customer.htm
VARs do not have access to vouchers unless they contact my team to request them.
With the offer above, you get:
(1) free CSWA – OR – CSWP
(1) free CSWP Advanced Exam
That offer can be redeemed for each seat on subscription one time from Jan through Jun, and then once again from Jul through Dec. The credits that you get by redeeming the offer get placed into your certification account, and they never expire. Additionally, you don't have to wait until you're ready to take an exam before redeeming the offer. When you redeem the offer, it simply delivers the credit to your account for future use.
you can buy solidworks certification online https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/solidworks-certification.htm, but your school might have them for free. i would check with the instructor. maybe a user here (u/koehlr2) can tell you the exact contact if you provide your school. i am CSWP Certified, and have a few additional certs. i did all my solidworks for free, threw work. i am looking to get CSWE certified where i will need to pay $149
Hi /u/Commodore_VC1541,
Despite the odd message I believe you are running into a purposeful block. The SOLIDWORKS 2018 suite of software is blocked from installing to Windows Server 2008 R2 environments in general (as noted here: SOLIDWORKS System Requirements). So, if you are installing through the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager then a block will be encountered. Are you installing through the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager or from a direct eDrawings download (here: eDrawings Download)?
The options I gave are all good but after you go in a certain direction you'll be kind of committed. That's why it's important to pick the right one now. If you're a student, you can get solidworks for about $150 but it only lasts for 12 months (source). Or, Autodesk products for free. I will probably go with Autodesk fusion or inventor if I were you.
Edit: changed price and terms of SW for students
I believe the recommended minimum requirements for 2015 and 2016 is 8Gb
You can check here
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
I've never tried installing solid works on a workstation with less than 4gb but you could give it a go....it might be terrible slow and crash though especially if you we not running a supported graphics card.
Also keep in mind that after SW2014 , solid works no longer supports 32bit windows so make sure if you are using a newer version that you are in a 64bit environment.
It doesn't sound like you need too crazy of a system or an app, so I would probably recommend SolidWorks PDM (It should be packaged with 2016).
If your org has the capability to do virtual servers, I would probably go with one of those... Especially after having production down in one of my remote locations due to their local SmarTeam vault server running out of disc space... Shouldn't be a problem now that I P to V'd it.
I would also check out your connection/port speed, as that can have a big effect on data transfer rates (like in my office, where the Ansys guys are on the only switch we can't upgrade to gigabit... there is a big difference between 100 and a Gig.)
If you go for a SSD solution (solid state drives) you will get a bit better speed with data, I ran a benchmark on a Z230 with a Zdrive PCI-E SSD card, and holy crap did that thing fly. SSD tends to more costly than platters, however.
Addition: After reading your response below, I would check out your data transfer rate and overall network speed, that could be the cause of some of your slowness.
I don't know anything about what you do, so I'm not gonna tell you to run out and spend $X.xx on hardware that you may or may not see a benefit in. Only thing I would highly suggest is to meet the SOLIDWORKS System Requirements for the software you intend to run and to invest in a supported graphics card.
Usually I wouldn't care if you run a gamer card or a CAD card but since this is for business just take my word for it and get the CAD card. No gaming cards are tested or supported by SOLIDWORKS, meaning if you get slow performance, crashing, display issues, etc you're SOL. Time is money, and ain't nobody got time for that shit.
~~As far as I understand without having read the fine print, the fact that licenses are "student" editions only require that you fit the requirements of being considered a student to purchase the licenses. Beyond that, you are free to use the software as you please.~~
edit: found an old solidworks EULA from 2012 here: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/docs/EDU_Student_Edition_EULA_US_May_2012.pdf
Relevant quote:
>Eligibility for Student Edition License; Distinctions from Commercial Version.
>— You plan to use the Software and the files created by the Software for your personal learning purposes ONLY, e.g., not for in-person, remote or online instruction; independent consulting work; or any commercial purpose whatsoever. You may, however, use the Software and such files for any preparation of instructional materials for your own use.
You can not sell other's seat until you buy their company. And I think ~4k+ is the price you would find across US.
You can look at the maker's version (https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/makers) which would be very low cost.
Considering your reality, it's really dumb of Solidworks not to at least address this one way or the other. It's like they are pretending Windows 11 doesn't exist! Two of the top three posts in a DuckDuckGo search for "Solidworks Windows 11" are Reddit, and the other is a blog post from Hawk Ridge Systems saying "WE HAVE NO IDEA EITHER". This page at least acknowledges future versions of Solidworks will be announcing whether or not they will be compatible, whenever they get around to announcing it.
SOLIDWORKS (up to 2021 SP 4.1) isn't supported to be installed on Windows 11. I'm guessing SP5 (to be released in the last week of October) will have Windows 11 compatibility. Just like it was with the release of 2015 SP5 on Windows 10.
Pre 2015 SP5 releases can be installed on Windows 10, but it goed compared with random issues.
Therfore I would wait a couple of weeks installing this new workstation.
Check out 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers - $99 per year and the xDesign and xShape apps will work on your ipad. You'll also get SOLIDWORKS to install locally on your PC
Look on solidworks website for supported gpus:
https://www.solidworks.com/support/hardware-certification/
The architecture for many 3D modeling gpus is different than your standard gpu. Even though gaming ones are decent computers, once you get into the thousands of parts category, these types of setups will start to run like shit. Honestly gaming laptops spend money in all the wrong places when it comes to 3D modeling. I really wouldn't get a gaming one. I recommend getting a quadro; solidworks really likes quadros in particular which you can see on the recommended hardware page. My work laptop has an rtx 4000 and it does just fine for a majority of situations.
Another thing to consider is that soldiworks cannot run multithread processes, minus a few exceptions like fea analysis or rebuilds I believe. So don't get conned into getting a threadripper or any high thread count. Go with highest clock speed over anything!
Sounds like you have the rest figured out. Best of luck to you in school! Remember to have fun, don't take yourself too seriously, and focus on your strengths, because real life cares about what you're good at!
Sending good vibes for you, sir.
​
Cheers!
You can get Solidworks for very reduced prices if you are a starting entrepreneur. It will do the equation based parametric modeling you are looking for. It will also produce drawings. There are a ton of youtube tutorials to follow.
https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/entrepreneurs-startups
>If not, do you know any investors who might want to help me create and bring a product with these attributes to market?
You aren't going to be able to take on Dassault or AutoDesk. They have been doing this for decades with millions of dollars. These software packages are very advanced and refined, that is why they are so expensive.
Sounds like OP wants to run Solidworks, so they will need a dGPU certified by Dassault if they want any semblance of stability.
They should refer to the following database for certified hardware.
If you can afford $100 you can just buy the hobby online version of solidworks and as long as you maintain an internet connection it doesn’t matter what computer you get because it is browser based.
https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/makers
This also means you are not bound by the student license limitations of not being able to use solidworks to create meaningful product that you can keep.
Technically the student license is ONLY for learning and the files are saved as such. If you want to use the files in the future, you have to start from scratch using a full license as all files created in educations CANNOT be converted to the paid version. Trust me, I worked on a big project at uni and when I came to a business that wanted to take on the project the files where limited to education and even solidworks main office said they could do nothing as the education version was never meant for creating products.
EAA is well-respected and a trusted organization but I understand not wanting to share your credit card information.
Fortunately, Solidworks now has a (little known) Community License for hobbyists and education.
Head over to https://www.solidworks.com/support/community-download, enter in your contact info, click "No" under "I already have a Serial Number", and enter the code 921MAKER
.
More information here: https://reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/m68sr0/psa_solidworks_has_a_free_license_for_makers/gr63ina/
GeForce is not certified for Solidworks. Quadro is recommended since they are certified. I have a Dell Precision 7550 with Quadro RTX 4000 myself.
You can use a student version to take any of our exams. The certification will look the same, only certifications that are earned at one of our network of Academic Certification Provider Schools look different as they imprint the name of the school on the certificate.
Student version is $99 available at this link:
SW is also free if you're using it for personal use/hobbyist use (I believe simulation features do cost, but they don't cost $4000. more like ~$50 USD ish, I forgot the exact number)
https://www.solidworks.com/support/community-download#no-back
All3DP seem to have some useful suggestions:
CAD for Kids: Best 3D Modeling Software for Children
...including SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids. The apps seem to be web based.
Solidworks simulation definitely does have a learning curve to it.
The main thing you're going to have to learn is how to mesh the assembly properly, which can be difficult with very large assemblies.
Solidworks does have training on simulations:
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/806_ENU_HTML.htm
Give yourself like a week (two weeks max) to learn and get familiar with it.
Make sure you're very comfortable with statics and dynamics.
Good luck :)
If it's Solidworks, there is Solidworks PDM.
This is a dedicated Windows server that attaches to Solidworks to check in and out designs and centralize organization.
The server you'll need will run you about $5000.
I highly recommend a Dell server. 16 gigs of RAM, and ESET Antivirus if you don't have AV.
I set this up for 8 users.
There are differences in the software. Depending on how intense the work you are doing is going to be.
https://www.solidworks.com/sites/default/files/2020-04/EDU_ProductMatrix_2020.pdf
​
Technically you are not "supposed" to use it for non-educational work.
But technically speaking, you aren't supposed to wear your underwear on the outside of your pants.
Hasn't stopped me though
As stated. Make sure you avoid the watermark.
Check out the mechatronics add-ons, things like Labview https://www.solidworks.com/partner-product/ni-labview
You can connect SOLIDWORKS models to physical data and do some pretty amazing things.
Agreed. If you’ve been using SW professionally for 6 years, I bet all you’d need is to look at the content that will be covered on the CSWP, brush up on or learn anything you don’t feel comfortable with, take the practice exam to get familiar, and take the real exam.
Good luck!
Sure.
The built in tutorials include surface modelling.
https://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2013/05/get-more-with-solidworks-tutorials.html
There is a certification for advanced surfacing
https://www.solidworks.com/certifications/advanced-surfacing-cswpa-su
To be clear, this part is included in the samle exam for the CSWA exam itself and can be found here:
https://www.solidworks.com/sites/default/files/cswasampleexam.zip
This is not an actual exam model, and anyone asking for actual exam models shouldn't expect to find them posted by the original poster of this thread considering it's from a SOLIDWORKS User Group in Columbia which means we know the person understands that's not allowed!
Not a problem!
Anyway so far as I can tell, there's little change between this and the T14. Not sure why there's no PSREF available yet. There also is no info available regarding Solidworks Hardware Certification from Dassault themselves. Autodesk doesn't have Vega 7 iGPUs certed either, at least for Inventor, so I'm a bit confused. Maybe someone in Marketing jumped the gun?
I'm going with "Still too early to tell". I'm hoping this sells well so we can see AMD-Equipped P-Series laptops, but this particular model is still shrouded in mystery.
>gaming (think COD MW or siege)
>
>solidworks
Wrong machine. Solidworks will not work on an X1 E. See the Dassault's Hardware Certification page.
Suggested course of action: r/buildapc + P52.
Depending on your main use of solidworks. The RTX 2060 may not be the card for you. That’s a gaming card, which is structured differently from a workstation card. This card is made for high FPS gaming, and is not optimized for rendering 3D models or simulations. Check the Solidworks GPU cert website here for cards that excel at modeling and simulation. If you plan on building for both gaming and solidworks, or if you do not plan on using solidworks mostly for 3D modeling or rendering/simulation, then a gaming card should be sufficient.
> solidworks
Dassault's Hardware Certification page. TLDR the lowest you can go is P43s/P52. Look for Quadro Graphics. I'd look at this P53 sale right now.
Yeah i know about that site, i just find it very ... randomly distributed.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/shareyourscore.htm
Comparing this to say pugets gpu roundup, https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/SOLIDWORKS-2020-SP1-GPU-Performance-1682/
GTX is 1070 is great for games, and *can* work with SW, albeit unreliably. If you have a SW reseller with tech support, they'll basically stop the call when they find you're using a GTX.
https://www.solidworks.com/support/hardware-certification
Just click on "[All] Supported Cards" and it'll give you a list.
​
Anyone have a good place to buy workstation cards? The selection has been pretty poor on Newegg, Amazon, Microcenter.... my usuals.
SolidWorks for Veterans is $20/yr.
For US, a copy of your DD214, DD256 or DD257 form is required.
For Canada, a copy of your NDI 75 or CFOne Card replacing the NDI 75 (Effective Jan 1, 2016) or CAF 75 (Record of Service ID Card) is required. For Active Duty (US/Canada only), please provide a Statement of Service verified by your Chain of Command and include date of entry and end of service dates.
The SOLIDWORKS Student Edition cost to qualified US and Canadian Military including reserve, active duty and retired/discharged military personnel is $20 USD/$40 CAD.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/resources/solidworks-tutorials.htm
this will get you started, and practice will teach you most everything else.
the thing to know about sw is there are many ways to create the same geometry with different tools. learning when to use what method for the best results is key.
i have been using the software professionally for over 12 year, and there are still tasks that stump me, modules i don't know, and new technicians i am learning. you will probably never know it completely, but you can master the tools that your job needs.
Not a lawyer, but I deal with them. Daily, and at Thanksgiving.
It looks like you could release it as public domain and be ok.
SolidWorks 2015 Educational, etc Rules and Regs
From the 2015 agreement (definition 1a): “Educational Purpose” means classroom or laboratory learning by Qualified Students or instruction or preparation of courses by Qualified Instructors. Educational Purposes may also include Capstone or other student projects if the work is non-proprietary, does not create or transfer Intellectual Property and the results will become part of the public domain. Educational Purposes do not include Research Purposes, Commercial Purposes or Curriculum Development.
It seems like if you were using it to practice your skills, and you are releasing the file entirely into the wilds, you can give it away. You could probably even sell it, so long as you also give it away in the public domain - the "Commercial Purposes" restriction is really for using it in lieu of a real license for a company that would normally need a license to do business as you can see here (definition 1c):
“Commercial Purpose” means professional consulting, hardware production for resale, job shop activities, services performed under a Technical Services Agreement, corporate or government internships, private tutoring or training of anyone other than Qualified Students.
I don't think designs for 3d printing on a hobby forum is a concern of theirs, as there isn't much business to be captures there.
Hi /u/ddoherty958,
The sort of performance drop you describe is something I have come to expect from either 1) an occupied GPU, or 2) and underpowered GPU. It might be something as easy as updating a GPU driver (from here: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html) to get your performance back to working order.
SolidWorks has some sort of Maker license but it's super weird because they seem to redirect you to the entrepreneur page. See https://www.solidworks.com/solution/business-segments/makers
I don't like Dassault as a company, but their software has much better UI than Fusion.
for network license: If you have more computers than people, and the people change computers. network licence makes sense. if you have alot of computers and alot of people at the same location (or network / VPN) network licence makes sence. if you have a handfull of people all using dedicated machines, than to me standalone installs make sense.
​
use the compare features button (https://www.solidworks.com/product/solidworks-3d-cad)
​
i enjoy the solidworks PDM system (document and model control) and the professional (iirc) comes with a licence to use it.
Software licensing is the biggest barrier. I've been (re)teaching myself solidworks lately. OP's part would take me about me about 20 minutes to model, and then I'd literally click a button that says 'extract machineable features' and pray that there are no errors lol
There's a hobbyist license for Fusion 360, and something comparable for solidworks that I've got which has a CAM addin(from here, though I lost the extra instructions from the /r/cad post that I got it from).
I got my CSWP just before finishing school. Whether it helps find work is really dependent on the company, but it can't hurt to have it even if they don't care. In my case, my current employer doesn't; but I keep taking more tests; I got Drawing Tools last year, and will take the weldment test soon.
As for studying, just go to the Cert website and build things that use the features listed in whatever test you plan on taking next. The practice exams are helpful too, but the actual tests are harder.
Solidworks isn't free for hobbyists. On their site it states:
​
> The SOLIDWORKS® for Entrepreneur Program provides new start-up companies the following benefits:
>
>12-month licenses of SOLIDWORKS products for CAD, simulation, visualization, and more
For them the "start-up company" is:
​
> SOLIDWORKS sponsors early-stage hardware startups with less than $1MM in funding, less than $1MM in lifetime revenue, and selling their own physical product. SOLIDWORKS does not accept service companies or consultants.
​
So, if you apply for the terms, you will have a 12 month trial, that's all. Inventor has the same but for 3 years. Fusion is a different story - that it is really free for hobbyists.
Besides that, you cannot do a lemon like in Autodesk products ( :) ) because only the Autodesk products have the T-Splines which is regarded (one of) the best organic / free-form modelling CAD engines available. If you really want a lemon, learn to use this engine. In Inventor is on 3D model tab, "Create Freeform" pane.
The certification vouchers that you get from an active Solidworks subscription can't be used for the CSWE exam. They can only be used for CSWA, CSWP and CSWP advanced exams. I don't know if an educational subscription is any different.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/certification-offers-subscription-service-customer.htm
You can 3D print a gun. But it will be very VERY costly. The different filament will fairly expensive. The cost for a high tech printer will skyrocket. And even accessing the blueprints and knowing what to do with them is unlikely for the average person. I honestly don’t think this will be a huge problem. There’s so much room for error and I find it doubtful this will lead to a shooting.
Edit:if you want some background I am a second year student at a vocational school for Drafting and Additive manufacturing. I am too of my class and 3D printed my own Elastic Gun that I myself have created using SolidWorks . I’ve encountered so many trial and error even being very skilled at my trade. Even with my schools 200k 3D printer that can quite literally, print metal-like structures, it would be very hard to create and print.
I personally got the hang of it thanks to the materials at Lynda. YouTube also has considerable amount of tutorials, but they are mostly very specific.
>So I really want this job and want to prepare myself the best I can, but I dont have 4 grand to get a solidworks licence.
You can get a 60-day free trial I think.
Hi /u/stinjoshua,
The general prices of each Simulation package in the United States are these:
Package | Cost Breakdown |
---|---|
Simulation Standard | $5000 ($4000 base + $1000 year 1 software maintenance) |
Simulation Professional | $9300 ($7000 base + $2300 year 1 software maintenance) |
Simulation Premium | $14600 ($11000 base + $3600 year 1 software maintenance) |
Flow Simulation | $18000 ($14000 base + $4000 year 1 software maintenance) |
Flow Simulation HVAC Addon | $5100 ($4000 base + $1100 year 1 software maintenance) |
Flow Simulation Electronic Cooling Module Addon | $5100 ($4000 base + $1100 year 1 software maintenance) |
You would purchase these through your local reseller (you can find one here: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/purchase/varlocator.htm). If you want to know what comes in each Simulation package this matrix is a good outline of general functionality (https://www.solidworks.de/sw/products/simulation/matrix.htm).
Solidworks offers free student licenses for teams in various engineering and science competitions. https://www.solidworks.com/sw/education/all-student-competitions.htm I got my entire Shell Eco-Marathon team of 15 free licenses. Just another incentive to get on a team project.
Not sure exactly how powerful of a machine you need for that class, but seeing that it's a 100-level I'd hazard a guess that it won't be anything too hardware-intensive.
The Solidworks system requirements are listed online: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
The main one is having 8GB of RAM, and having done computer aided design myself before in AutoCAD I'd definitely recommend having a dedicated GPU (NVIDIA or AMD graphics card) to make things smoother. You could probably get away with integrated graphics (the somewhat common Intel HD 4000 is listed as "Certified") but a dedicated GPU will cut down on framerate "lag" significantly.
Tech support is definitely not my part of the business, but as a former user one of the things I discovered is that it's not always about having the most current driver as it is about having the certified driver instead. Check this site and use the recommended driver even if it's an older one:
If I were in your shoes, I would start with a single sketch to wrap my head around the kinematics. as Elrathias said, start with the fixed points.
This is just a matter of assigning lengths to sketch lines, defining coincidence relationships at their end points, and fixing two points.
If you don't know how to create a sketch, dimensions lines, and add constraints, no one here can convey that better than the introductory tutorials.
They (Solidworks) are discontinuing Workgroup PDM. 2017 will be the last release to include it I believe. WPDM is being replaced by PDM Standard, which as stated above, is based on SQL Express, rather than Windows Explorer. Enterprise PDM or EPDM has been renamed to PDM Pro. PDM Standard comes with SW Pro and Premium, Pro is a separate purchase. Standard can only have 1 Workflow and one location, Pro can have as many workflows as you want and can be multi-site. There are other differences, but those are the two big ones. Source - I'm an AE for a Solidworks VAR.
Edit: Here's the product comparison if interested. https://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/product-data-management/data-management-matrix.htm
Thier website says that only 2015 and 2016 will work on windows 10. So I would assume 2012 is out.
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
Now, i don't know if that means, absolutely won't work at all or just might be buggy and they don't want to officially support it. Only one way to find out.
You might also look at 123design from Autodesk. It's completely free, and I'd call it halfway between a fully parametric modelling program like Solidworks or Inventor and Sketchup. It will be enough to give you an idea of how Autodesk does stuff before you jump up to the fuller featured tools. You can also get a free educational version of Inventor here or Fusion360, which is basically Inventor Lite here. Fusion360 also has a subscription option for $25-30 a month I think, if you aren't a student. I'm a Solidworks user because I prefer it over the Autodesk options and it's what is used in the industries I'm trying to crossover into, and once again if you are a student of any kind you can get SW educational edition for... $60? I think, or $20 if you are a veteran(link here for details), but honestly, Dassault sucks at reaching the hobbyist market, so I usually suggest Autodesk stuff at this level.
It's really not so different than Sketchup, which is what I learned on years ago until I started attempting to do lofts and curves, and I found the transition to the more fully featured programs pretty easy. Just try some of the tutorials out and see how you like it; hopefully you will find something that clicks for you and is affordable.
you can get solidworks for free through https://www.solidworks.com/sw/education/robot-student-design-contest.htm
keyshot is $100 -- it's a rendering software, and one of our members already had it, so she just renders our models
You will want at least 8GB of RAM for SOLIDWORKS. I hear integrated graphics have become pretty good, so I wouldn't worry about that. I'm not totally up to date on processors, but stay away from Intel's low power or ultra low power processors. i5 is plenty though (wikipedia tells you which processors are standard vs low power). I also like this page for comparing processors.
If you need more than that for things you do in MATLAB, go back and write more efficient code.
I looked it up and it seems overpriced imo. Maybe it's because of the SSD it looks expensive to me. But if I were to look for a laptop I would start looking in the summer when back to school sales start. As for recommendations Lenovo usually has really good laptops for a good price.
You can find the recommended specs for SolidWorks here https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html Only reason I am saying to compare the specs for SolidWorks is because it is the most CPU heavy application you will use. Also these recommended specs assume you will be using all of SolidWork modules but in class you wont be. So if you get a laptop with less than the recommended specs you should be fine as long as its not too far off.
You can run bootcamp and run almost all the other windows software required. If you really don't want to swtich to a windows laptop you really dont have to. It is possible to finish the SolidWorks assignments and study for the midterms/exam for SolidWorks in the Labs at McMaster but the timings are limited by professor availability.
You can apply here. The first link leads to a survey form, and after filling it out Dassault should get back to you in a few business days. The links further down the page will be updated soon with CAD files of various field and game elements. I know season starts tomorrow (get hyped!) but I hope that in a few days it can be helpful.
This is correct. PDM Standard is EPDM "Lite". It will function just like EDPM on Windows SQL Express, but it will be missing the high end bells and whistles. It runs on Widows SQL Express which is free (the full SQL license is the majority of the cost of EPDM as I understand it), but SQL Express is limited to only 10GB of data.
I believe that SW is hoping folks will start to PDM Standard and then run past 10GB of data, and then migrate to full EPDM. Just be aware of that.
Link to the SW PDM Matrix:
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/product-data-management/data-management-matrix.htm
Link to the SQL Express Page:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/products/sql-server-editions/sql-server-express.aspx