Solidworks Project: Learning the Ropes - Entry #1 Building a Pressure Plate 3D Model

February 12, 2022

This week’s blog entry marks the beginning of a series of entries documenting the process of learning Solidworks (2021), a computer aided design and engineering program by Dassault Systèmes (who also make CATIA, for those of you familiar with industrial level CAD programs).

In theory, proficiency with this program can create a much more immersive experience for engineering students, enabling greater opportunities for “play,” which leads to deeper understanding of the program and the field itself. This also provides a head start for any student early on in the educational process, since Solidworks is broadly used in engineering programs at some point in the process and is why this endeavor was chosen. The theory being tested, however, is the internal tutorial program embedded within Solidworks is rumored to be all that is needed to reach intermediate to advanced level understanding of the software, with additional sources only needed for specialized uses or integration with other programs such as Blender for 3D printing. This series will document the progress of a first year engineering student with no prior experience with computer aided engineering design to weigh the theory based on outcomes.

The process demonstrated followed the tutorials presented through the software itself, with no external assistance from other sources. This started with an introduction to the program that was very brief, but with an optional PDF with substantially more information, and from there moved immediately to producing an actual 3D model of a pressure plate.

Execution of the pressure plate model build began with creating a blank file onto which the model was to be built, as seen in Figs. 1, 2. The model began with using the draw features to create a circle, as seen in Fig 3, which was very easy to bring from 2D to 3D as seen in Fig. 4. The remainder of the tutorial, as seen in figures 5-12, focused primarily upon repetitive usage of basic “draw” features to create circles, using “smart dimensions” to program specific sizing of the circles along with their depth, switching between the “top view” and “trimetric view” of the model, navigating the “property manager” and adding “fillets” to the model to create the 3D effect. The “extruded cut” feature was used to create a hole in the middle of the model as well as a single “tall cylinder extrusion” that would be placed along the periphery of the center hole, and finally replicating the tall cylinder extrusion in a 360 degree circle around the hole in the center. A mistake in initial placement original tall cylinder extrusion, as seen in Fig. 10, resulted in the cylinder being elevated above the face of the pressure plate, which required correction. The tutorial offered no means of correcting this issue, thus requiring the use of the “undo” command and starting the cylinder from its beginning. This caused a minor discrepancy in the tutorial text since the “layers” of the model automatically name themselves, but do not “undo” the naming when undoing the progress. As seen in Fig. 11, the issue was corrected, and the cylinder was correctly positioned in the model. Fig. 12 shows the finished model, which was accomplished by using commands to replicate the original cylinder and automatically align the additional five copies of the cylinder in a perfect circle in the model, and adding a fillet for depth.

Fig 1. Setting up the file for use.

Fig 2. Selecting which type of model is to be built.

Fig.3 (Above) It all started with a simple circle.

Fig. 4 (Below) The first taste of 3D modeling.

Fig. 5 (Above) Setting the parameters of the circles.

Fig. 6 (Below) The trimetric feature grants a better 3D view of the model.

Fig. 7 (Above) The model before applying the fillet feature.

Fig. 8 (Below) The model after applying the fillet feature.

Fig. 9 (Above) An overhead view of the part at this point in building the model.

Fig. 10 (below) The tall cylinder extrusion should be in contact with the face of the base of the pressure plate, but as shown, it is not. This had to be fixed.