SolidWorks 2022: Sketching

Name: SolidWorks 2022: Sketching
Author: Will Tenney

Learn the basic principles of and features for sketching

Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 6 lessons.

Course: On-Demand

Hello, my name is Will Tenney, and in this lesson you will learn a bit about planes, what they are and why they are necessary for sketching. In order for us to build 3D models in SolidWorks, we first need to create 2D sketches that we can grow in the third dimension, but in order to create 2D sketches, we need something to sketch on. This is where planes come in. A plane in SolidWorks can essentially be any flat surface. It can be the surface of an existing model perhaps. It can also be created with lines and points in space to make a flat surface. It can also be one of the three main planes that exist in every part and assembly model. They are shown over here to the left in the feature manager. They are the front, top, and right planes. The point where all of these three planes intersect is known as the origin. In other words, if this were a coordinates system, the origin would be written as (0, 0, 0) with no values in any of the three dimensions. You can see that as I move my cursor over the planes and the origin they highlight in the graphics area. When we first open SolidWorks and we are presented with this blank screen, usually the first thing we will do is select one of these planes to begin our sketch. We can do that by mousing over the plane we wish to sketch on, right clicking on the mouse, and selecting this first icon at the top, which is the sketch icon. We are now sketching on the front plane. Let's go ahead and close this out by clicking this red X up here. Another way to do this would be to go into the Command Manager here at the top. Make sure that we are in the Sketch tab and select that same Sketch icon over here to the left. Immediately it's going to prompt us to select a plane to sketch on. Let's sketch on the top plane this time. We are now in the middle of an active sketch on the top plane. Let's close that out once more. Thanks for watching. Stay tuned for the next lesson where I will show you how to begin a sketch and create sketch entities. We will also discuss open contours and fully defined sketches, close and save a sketch, and then reopen it for editing.

Beginner Provider : Will Tenney 6 Lessons · 27m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Before creating 2D sketches of your own, it is important to understand how sketches function as well as the purpose they serve in 3D modeling in Solidworks. Sketches are the scaffolding that make 3D modeling possible. They are also a way of embedding a large amount of design intent into single stages within the part modeling process. You will discover how that design intent is recorded and expressed. Furthermore, you will discover how to leverage other sketches in the building of new parts and pieces. Ideally, as a part becomes more complex, at any given moment you can go back to the initial stages of the modeling process, make changes, and see the entire model update accordingly. All of this will be covered in basic detail in this module.

In addition to the basics of sketch generation, you will learn how to evaluate sketches both in the thoroughness of their design as well as the analysis of the result. The Measure Tool is one method you will explore to dissect sketches and determine how well they capture your concept.

What You'll Learn

Understand what planes are and why they matter in sketching for 3D modeling
Start, manipulate, and save a sketch using a plane in SolidWorks 2022
Define sketches using Smart Dimension to set precise measurements
Apply relationships between sketch entities to embed design intent
Explain how and why 2D sketches are necessary for building 3D models
Use the Measure Tool to evaluate and analyze how well a sketch captures your concept

Key Takeaways

Sketches act as the scaffolding that makes 3D modeling possible in SolidWorks.
Sketches embed design intent into individual stages of the part modeling process, and this module shows how that intent is recorded and expressed.
As a part becomes more complex, you can return to the initial stages of the modeling process, make changes, and see the entire model update accordingly.
Smart Dimension and relationships between entities are two ways to define a sketch and capture design intent.
The Measure Tool is one method for dissecting sketches to determine how thoroughly they capture the intended concept.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this SolidWorks 2022 Sketching module cover?

It covers how sketches function and their purpose in 3D modeling, including planes, starting and manipulating a sketch, Smart Dimension, relationships between entities, how sketches relate to models, and using the Measure Tool to evaluate sketches.

Why are 2D sketches important in SolidWorks?

Sketches are the scaffolding that make 3D modeling possible and a way of embedding design intent into single stages of the part modeling process. The module explains how and why 2D sketches are necessary for building 3D models.

How can I evaluate the quality of a sketch?

You will learn to evaluate sketches both for the thoroughness of their design and the analysis of the result, exploring the Measure Tool as one method to dissect sketches and determine how well they capture your concept.

What skills does this course help build?

It builds skills in Sketching, Sketchflow, Solid Modeling, SolidWorks (CAD), and related design tools such as SketchUp and Sketch.

What topics are taught across the lessons?

Lessons cover What are Planes?, How to Create a Sketch Using a Plane, Defining a Sketch with Smart Dimension, Defining a Sketch with Relationships, How Sketches Relate to Models, and Measurement.