Chapter 3-The 40 Minute Running Start

3
Lesson 3: The 40-Minute Running Start
Goals of This Lesson
Create and modify the following part:
Top View Isometric View
Front View Right View
Before Beginning This Lesson
Complete the previous lesson — Basic Functionality.

This lesson plan corresponds to The 40-Minute Running Start in SolidWorks Getting
Started.
SolidWorks Student Workbook 27

Outline of Lesson 3
In Class Discussion — Base Features

Active Learning Exercise — Create a Part
Exercises and Projects — Modifying a Part
• Converting Dimensions
• Calculating the Modification
• Modifying the Part
• Calculating Material Volume
• Calculating the Volume of the Base-Extrude
Exercises and Projects — Creating a CD Jewl Case and Storage Box
• Measuring the CD Jewel Case
• Rough Sketch of the Jewel Case
• Calculate the Overall Case Capacity
• Calculate the Outside Measurements of the CD Storage Box
• Creating the CD Jewel Case and Storage Box
More to Explore — Modeling More Parts

Lesson Summary
28 SolidWorks Student Workbook

In Class Discussion — Base Features
Select a simple object in the classroom — such as a piece of chalk or board eraser. How
would you describe the base feature of these objects? How would you create the additional
features for these objects?
Active Learning Exercise — Create a Part
Follow the instructions in The 40-Minute Running Start section of

SolidWorks Getting Started. In this lesson you will create the part
shown at the right. The part name is Tutor1.sldprt.

3
The 40-Minute Running Start
This chapter guides you through the creation of your first SolidWorks model. You create
this simple part:
This chapter includes:

q Creating a base feature
q Adding a boss feature
q Adding a cut feature
q Modifying features (adding fillets, changing dimensions)
q Displaying a section view of a part

You should be able to complete this chapter in about 40 minutes.
NOTE: Some of the illustrations in this book have been modified for clarity.
What you see on your screen may look different from the
illustrations.
SolidWorks 2001 Getting Started 3-1

Mastering the Basics
Overview of the Next Four Chapters
The Mastering the Basics section contains a series of tutorial exercises designed to teach
you basic SolidWorks concepts, as follows:
q Chapter 3. The 40 Minute Running Start - Create your first part.
q Chapter 4. Assembly Basics - Add parts and build an assembly.
q Chapter 5. Drawing Basics - Create a drawing of the parts and the assembly.
q Chapter 6. Design Tables - Rename features and dimensions, and create variations of
the part from Chapter 3, using a design table.
For consistency, you take the first part you create, then build your knowledge by using the
same part throughout this section.
Starting SolidWorks 2001
1 Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar.

2 Click Programs, SolidWorks 2001, SolidWorks 2001.
The SolidWorks main window appears and the Welcome to SolidWorks 2001 screen
opens.
NOTE: If a dialog box appears reminding you to register your copy

of SolidWorks 2001, click OK.
Creating a New Part Document
1 To create a new part, click New Document on the Welcome to SolidWorks 2001
screen, click New on the Standard toolbar, or click File, New.
The New SolidWorks Document dialog box appears.
2 Click the Tutorial tab and select the Part icon.
3 Click OK.
A new part window appears.
3-2
Chapter 3 The 40-Minute Running Start
Sketching the Rectangle
The first feature in the part is a box extruded from a sketched rectangular profile. You
begin by sketching the rectangle.
1 To open a 2D sketch, click Sketch on the Sketch toolbar, or click Insert, Sketch.
A sketch opens on the Front plane.
2 Click Rectangle on the Sketch Tools toolbar, or click Tools, Sketch Entity,
Rectangle.
3 Move the pointer to the sketch origin. You
know the pointer is on the origin when the
pointer changes to . Click the left mouse
button and start moving the pointer to create a
rectangle.
As you move the pointer, notice that it displays
the dimensions of the rectangle. Click the
mouse button to complete the rectangle.
For more information about inferencing
pointers and lines, see the SolidWorks 2001 Online User’s Guide.
4 Click Select on the Sketch toolbar, or click Tools, Select.

The two sides of the rectangle that touch the origin are black. Because you began
sketching at the origin, the vertex of these two sides is automatically related to the
origin. (The vertex is not free to move.)
The other two sides (and three vertices) are blue. This indicates that they are free to
move.
5 Click one of the blue sides, and drag the side or the
drag handle at the vertex to resize the rectangle.

Adding Dimensions
In this section you specify the size of the sketched rectangle by adding dimensions. The
SolidWorks software does not require that you dimension sketches before you use them to
create features. However, for this example, you add dimensions now to fully define the
sketch.
As you add dimensions to a sketch, the state of the sketch appears in the status bar. Any
SolidWorks sketch is in one of three states. Each state is indicated by a different color:
q In a fully defined sketch, the positions of all the entities are fully described by
dimensions or relations, or both. In a fully defined sketch, all the entities are black.
q In an under defined sketch, additional dimensions or relations are needed to completely
specify the geometry. In this state, you can drag under defined sketch entities to modify
the sketch. An under defined sketch entity is blue.
q In an over defined sketch, an object has conflicting dimensions or relations, or both. An
over defined sketch entity is red.
1 Click Tools, Options. On the System Options tab, click General, then click to clear
the Input dimension value check box. Click OK.
2 Click Dimension on the Sketch Relations
toolbar, or click Tools, Dimensions, Parallel.
The pointer shape changes to .
3 Click the top edge of the rectangle, then click

where you want to place the dimension.
The vertical line at the right changes from
blue to black. By dimensioning the length of
the top of the rectangle, you fully defined the
position of the rightmost segment. You can
still drag the top segment up and down.
Its blue color indicates that it is under defined.
4 Click the right edge of the rectangle, then

click to place its dimension.
The top segment and the remaining vertices turn
black. The status bar in the lower-right corner of
the window indicates that the sketch is fully
defined.
3-4
Changing the Dimension Values
To change the dimensions, you use the Dimensions tool.

1 Double-click one of the dimensions.
The Modify dialog box appears. The current dimension is
highlighted.
2 Type 120mm, then click .
The sketch changes size to reflect the new dimension. The
dimension value is now 120mm.
3 Click Zoom to Fit on the View toolbar, or press the f key, or click View, Modify,
Zoom to Fit, to display the entire rectangle at full size and to center it in the graphics
area.
4 Double-click the other dimension and change its value to 120mm.
5 Click Zoom to Fit again to center the sketch.

Extruding the Base Feature
The first feature in any part is called the base feature. You create this feature by extruding
the sketched rectangle.
1 Click Extruded Boss/Base on the Features toolbar, or click Insert, Base,
Extrude.
The Base-Extrude PropertyManager appears in the left panel, and the view of the
sketch changes to isometric.
2 Under Direction 1, do the following:
Sketch
• Set End Condition to Blind.
• Set Depth to 30mm. To increment the value,
either use the arrows or enter the value.
When you click the arrows, a preview of the
result appears in the graphics area.
Preview of
the extrusion
3 Click OK to create the extrusion.

The new feature, Base-Extrude, appears in the
FeatureManager design tree.
4 If you need to zoom to view the entire model, press Z
to zoom out, or press Shift+Z to zoom in.
5 Click the plus sign beside Base-Extrude in

the FeatureManager design tree.
Sketch1, which you used to extrude the feature,
Click here
is now listed under the feature.
3-6
Saving the Part
1 Click Save on the Standard toolbar, or click File, Save.

The Save As dialog box appears.
2 Type Tutor1 and click Save.
The extension .sldprt is added to the filename, and the file is saved to the current
directory. To save the file to a different directory, use the Windows browse button to
browse to that directory, then save the file.
NOTE: File names are not case sensitive. That is, files named
TUTOR1.sldprt, Tutor1.sldprt, and tutor1.sldprt are all the same
part.

Sketching a Boss
To create additional features on the part (such as bosses or cuts), you sketch on the model
faces or planes, then extrude the sketches.
NOTE: You sketch on one face or plane at a time, then create a feature based
on one or more sketches.
1 Click Hidden Lines Removed on the View toolbar, or click View, Display,
Hidden Lines Removed.
2 Click Select on the Sketch toolbar, if it is not already selected.
3 Move the pointer over the front face of the part.
The edges of the face become dotted lines to show that
the face is available for selection.
The pointer changes to to show that you are
selecting the face.
4 Click the front face of the part to select it.
The edges of the face become solid lines and change
color to show that the face is selected.
5 Click Sketch on the Sketch toolbar, or right-click
anywhere in the graphics area and select
Insert Sketch.
A sketch opens.
6 Click Circle on the Sketch Tools toolbar, or click
Tools, Sketch Entity, Circle.
7 Click near the center of the face and move the pointer to
sketch a circle. Click again to complete the circle.
3-8
Dimensioning and Extruding the Boss
To establish the location and size of the circle, add the necessary dimensions.
1 Click Dimension on the Sketch Relations toolbar, or right-click anywhere in the
graphics area and select Dimension from the shortcut menu.
2 Click the top edge of the face, click the circle, then click a
location for the dimension.
Notice the dimension preview as you click each entity. The
preview shows you where the witness lines are attached, and
that you have selected the correct entities for the dimension.
When you add a locating dimension to a circle, the witness
line is attached to the centerpoint by default.
3 Click Select, double-click the dimension, then enter 60mm as
the new value in the Modify dialog box.
4 Repeat the process to dimension the circle to the side edge of
the face. Set this value to 60mm also.
5 Still using the Dimension tool , click the circle to
dimension its diameter. Move the pointer around to see the
preview for the dimension.
When the dimension is aligned horizontally or vertically, it
appears as a linear dimension; if it is at an angle, it appears as
a diameter dimension.
6 Click a location for the diameter dimension. Set the
diameter to 70mm.
The circle turns black, and the status bar indicates that the
sketch is fully defined.
7 Click Extruded Boss/Base on the Features toolbar, or
click Insert, Boss, Extrude.
The Boss-Extrude PropertyManager appears.
8 Under Direction 1, set the Depth of the extrusion to
25mm, leave the other items at the defaults, and
click OK to extrude the boss feature.
Boss-Extrude1 appears in the FeatureManager design tree.

Creating the Cut
Next, create a cut concentric with the boss.
Sketching and dimensioning the cut

1 Click the front face of the circular boss to select it.
2 Click Normal To on the Standard Views toolbar.
The part is turned so that the selected model face is
now facing you.
3 Click Sketch on the Sketch toolbar to open a
new sketch.
4 Sketch a circle near the center of the boss as shown.
Click Dimension , and dimension the diameter
of the circle to 50mm.
Adding a concentric relation

Now you add a concentric relation between the two circles.
1 Click Add Relation on the Sketch Relations toolbar,
or click Tools, Relations, Add.
The Add Geometric Relations dialog box appears.
2 Select the sketched circle (the inner circle) and the edge of
the boss (the outer circle).
Notice the contents of the Selected entities box. Only
those relations that are appropriate for the selected entities
are available. The most likely relation is automatically
selected.
3 Make sure that Concentric is selected, click Apply, and
click Close.
The inner and outer circles now have a concentric
relation.
3-10
Finishing the cut

Finally, you create the cut.
1 Click Extruded Cut on the Features toolbar, or
click Insert, Cut, Extrude.
The Cut-Extrude PropertyManager appears.
2 Under Direction 1, set the End Condition to
Through All, and click OK .
3 Click Isometric on the Standard Views toolbar.
4 Click Save on the Standard toolbar to save the
part.

Rounding the Corners of the Part
In this section you round the four corner edges of the part. Because the rounds all have the
same radius (10mm), you can create them as a single feature.
1 Click Hidden In Gray . This makes it easier to
select the hidden edges.
2 Click the first corner edge to select it.
Notice how the faces, edges, and vertices highlight
as you move the pointer over them, identifying
selectable objects. Also, notice the changing
pointer shape:
Edge
Face
Vertex
3 Click Rotate View on the View toolbar, or click View, Modify, Rotate, and drag to
rotate the part approximately as shown.
4 Click Select , then hold down the Ctrl key and Select these
click the four corner edges. four edges
5 Click Fillet on the Features toolbar, or click

Insert, Features, Fillet/Round.
The Fillet Feature PropertyManager appears.
Four callouts appear that show the Fillet Type and
Radius .
Under Items to Fillet, the Edge fillet items box
shows the four selected edges.
6 Make sure the Radius is set to 10mm. Leave
the remaining items at the default values.
7 Click OK .
The four selected corners are rounded. The Fillet1
feature appears in the FeatureManager design tree.
3-12
Adding More Fillets
Now add fillets and rounds to other sharp edges of the part. You can select faces and edges
either before or after opening the Fillet Feature dialog box.
1 Click Hidden Lines Removed .
2 Click Fillet .
3 Click the front face of the base to select it.
Both the outside and inside edges (around the boss) are
highlighted when you select the face.
The Fillet Feature PropertyManager appears.
The Edge fillet items list shows that one face is selected.
The callout indicates the Fillet Type and Radius .
4 Under Items to Fillet, change the Radius to 5mm, and
click OK .
The inside edge is filleted and the outside edge is rounded in
a single step.
5 Click Fillet again.
6 Click the front face of the circular boss.
7 Change the Radius to 2mm, and click OK .

Notice that the features listed in the FeatureManager design
tree appear in the order in which you created them.
8 Click Rotate View and rotate the part to display
different views.
9 Click Save to save the part.

Shelling the Part
Next, you shell the part. Shelling hollows out the part by removing material from the
selected face, leaving a thin-walled part.
1 Click Back on the Standard Views toolbar.
The back of the part now faces towards you.
2 Click Shell on the Features toolbar, or click
Insert, Features, Shell.
The Shell1 PropertyManager appears.
3 Click the back face to select it.
The selected face appears under Parameters in the
Faces to Remove list.
4 Under Parameters, set the Thickness to 2mm
and click OK .
The shell operation removes the selected face.
5 To see the results, click Rotate View
and rotate the part.
You may need to drag parts to different areas
of a window.
1 Click Pan on the View toolbar, or
click View, Modify, Pan, then click the
part, drag it to a new location, and release
the mouse button.
2 Click Pan again to turn off the Pan
tool.
3-14
Changing a Dimension Using Feature Handles
This section illustrates a way to change the dimension of an extruded feature using feature
handles.
1 Click Rotate View on the View toolbar and drag to rotate the part approximately as
shown. Click Rotate View again to turn it off.
2 Double-click Base-Extrude in the FeatureManager design tree.
The Base-Extrude feature expands to show the sketch it was based on.
The feature dimensions appear in the graphics area.
3 Click Move/size features on the Features toolbar.
The feature handles for the extruded feature Resize
appear. Feature handles allow you to move, (depth)
rotate, and resize some types of features.
4 Drag the Resize handle to increase
the depth of the extrusion from 30mm to Rotate
50mm.
Watch the pointer for feedback about the
dimension you are changing. When you
release the pointer, the part rebuilds using
Move
the new dimension.
5 Click Move/size features to turn off the
features handle display.
6 Click anywhere outside the part in the
graphics area to hide the dimensions.
7 Click Save to save the part.
For more information about feature handles, see the
SolidWorks 2001 Online User’s Guide.
NOTE: You can also change a dimension using

the Modify dialog box method as
discussed earlier (see page 3-5).

Displaying a Section View
You can display a 3D section view of the model at any time. You use model faces or
planes to specify the section cutting planes. In this example, you use the Right plane to cut
the model view.
1 Click Isometric , then click Shaded view mode.
2 Click Right in the FeatureManager design tree.
The Right plane becomes highlighted.
3 Click Section View on the View toolbar, or click View, Display, Section View.
The Section View dialog box appears.
4 Select the Preview check box.
A section cut arrow appears.
NOTE: When you select the Preview option,

the view updates each time you change a
value in the dialog box.
If a message appears about the model not being

properly sectioned, click OK.
5 Click the up arrow in the Section Position box to
set the Section Position to 60mm.
A section cut plane appears. The view
dynamically updates as you increment the value,
which is the offset distance from the Right plane to the section cut plane.
The section cut arrow indicates the area of the model that will be visible, starting from
the section cut plane and going in the direction of the arrow.
TIP: Switch to Top or Front view to better understand how the

Section View tool works.
6 Select the Flip the Side to View check box to flip the direction of the section cut arrow.
7 Click OK.
The section view of the part is displayed. Only the display
of the part is cut, not the model itself. The section display is
maintained if you change the view mode, orientation, or
zoom.
8 Click to clear Section View .
You return to a complete display of the part.
3-16
5 Minute Assessment
1 What features did you use to create tutor1? ________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________
2 What does the Fillet feature do?____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3 What does the Shell feature do? ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4 Name three view commands in SolidWorks.
_____________________________________________________________________
5 Where are the display buttons located? ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
6 Name the three SolidWorks default planes. ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
7 The SolidWorks default planes correspond to what principle drawing views? ________
_____________________________________________________________________
8 True or False. In a fully defined sketch, geometry is displayed in black. ____________
_____________________________________________________________________
9 True or False. It is possible to make a feature using an over defined sketch. _________
_____________________________________________________________________
10 Name the primary drawing views used to display a model._______________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Exercises and Projects — Modifying the Part
Task 1
The design for Tutor1 was created in Note: Units are in Millimeters
Europe. Tutor1 will be manufactured in
the US. Convert the overall dimensions of
Tutor1 from millimeters to inches.
Given:
Conversion: 25.4 mm = 1 inch

Base-Extrude width = 120 mm
Base-Extrude height = 120 mm
Base-Extrude depth = 50 mm
Boss-Extrude depth = 25 mm
Answer:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Task 2
The current overall depth of Tutor1 is 75 mm. Your
customer requires a design change. The new required overall
depth is 100 mm. The Base-Extrude depth must remain fixed
at 50 mm. Calculate the new Boss-Extrude depth.
Given:
New overall depth = 100 mm

Base-Extrude depth = 50 mm
Answer:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Task 3
Using SolidWorks, modify tutor1 to meet the customer’s requirements. Change the
depth of the Boss-Extrude feature such that the overall depth of the part equals 100mm.
Save the modified part under a different name.
Task 4
Material volume is an important calculation for designing
and manufacturing parts. Calculate the volume of the Base-
Extrude feature in mm3 for tutor1.
Answer:
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Task 5
Calculate the volume of the Base-Extrude feature in cm3.
Given:
1cm = 10mm
Answer:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Exercises and Projects — Creating a CD Jewel Case and Storage Box
Description
You are part of a design team. The project manager has provided the following design
criteria for a CD storage box:
The CD storage box is constructed of a polymer (plastic) material.
The storage box must hold 25 CD jewel cases.
The title of the CD must be visible when the jewel
case is positioned in the storage box.
The wall thickness of the storage box is 1cm.
On each side of the storage box, there must be 1cm
clearance between the jewel case and the inside of the
box.
There must be 2cm clearance between the top of the
CD cases and the inside of the storage box.
There must be 2cm clearance between the jewel cases and the front of the storage box.
Task 1
Measure the width, height, and depth of one CD jewel case.
What are the measurements in centimeters?
Answer:
Width: ________________________________________
Height: _______________________________________
Depth: ________________________________________
Task 2
Using paper and pencil, manually sketch the CD jewel case.
Label the dimensions.
Task 3
Calculate the overall size of 25 stacked CD jewel
cases. Record the overall width, height and depth.
Answer:
Overall width: ___________________________

Overall height: __________________________
Overall depth: ___________________________

Task 4
Calculate the overall outside measurements of the CD storage box. The box requires a
clearance to insert and position the CD jewel cases. Add a 2cm clearance to the overall
width (1cm on each side) and 2cm to the height. The wall thickness is equal to 1cm.
Answer:
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Task 5
Create two parts using SolidWorks.
Model a CD jewel case. You should use the dimensions you obtained in Task 1. Name
the part CD case.
Note: A real CD jewel case is an assembly of several parts. For this exercise, you will
make a simplified representation of a jewel case. It will be a single part that represents
the overall outside dimensions of the jewel case.
Design a storage box to hold 25 CD jewel cases.
Save both parts. You will use them to make an assembly at the end of the next lesson.
More to Explore — Modeling More Parts
Description
Look at the following examples. There are at least three features in each example. Identify
the 2D Sketch tools used to create the shapes. You should:
Consider how the part should be broken down into individual features.
Focus on creating sketches that represent the desired shape. You do not need to use
dimensions. Concentrate on the shape.
Also, experiment and create your own designs.
Note: Each new sketch must overlap an existing feature.

house.sldprt
Overlap
sketched Boss
geometry Cut
Boss
Base-Extrude Boss
Task 6 door.sldprt
First, Create the
The Chamfer feature is a new Cut-Extrude Base-Extrude feature
feature. The chamfer feature
removes material along an
edge. It works very similarly to
a fillet except the result is a
beveled edge rather than a
rounded edge.
Cut-Extrude Chamfer
Task 7
truck.sldprt

Lesson Summary
Base Feature is the first feature that is created — the foundation of the part.
The Base Feature is the workpiece to which everything else is attached.
You can create an Extruded Base Feature by selecting a sketch plane and extruding the
sketch perpendicular to sketch plane.
Shell Feature creates a hollow block from a solid block.
The views most commonly
used to describe a part are:
Top View
Front View
Right View
Isometric View

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3

Lesson 3: The 40-Minute Running Start

Goals of This Lesson

Create and modify the following part:

Top View Isometric View

Front View Right View

Before Beginning This Lesson

Complete the previous lesson — Basic Functionality.

SolidWorks Student Workbook 27

In Class Discussion — Base Features

More to Explore — Modeling More Parts

28 SolidWorks Student Workbook

In Class Discussion — Base Features

Active Learning Exercise — Create a Part

Follow the instructions in The 40-Minute Running Start section of

SolidWorks Student Workbook 29

This chapter includes:

q Adding a boss feature

q Adding a cut feature

q Modifying features (adding fillets, changing dimensions)

q Displaying a section view of a part

SolidWorks 2001 Getting Started 3-1

Overview of the Next Four Chapters

q Chapter 4. Assembly Basics - Add parts and build an assembly.

Starting SolidWorks 2001

1 Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar.

NOTE: If a dialog box appears reminding you to register your copy

Creating a New Part Document

Sketching the Rectangle

4 Click Select on the Sketch toolbar, or click Tools, Select.

SolidWorks 2001 Getting Started 3-3

3 Click the top edge of the rectangle, then click

4 Click the right edge of the rectangle, then

Changing the Dimension Values

To change the dimensions, you use the Dimensions tool.

SolidWorks 2001 Getting Started 3-5

Extruding the Base Feature

3 Click OK to create the extrusion.

5 Click the plus sign beside Base-Extrude in

Saving the Part

1 Click Save on the Standard toolbar, or click File, Save.

SolidWorks 2001 Getting Started 3-7

Dimensioning and Extruding the Boss

SolidWorks 2001 Getting Started 3-9

Creating the Cut

Next, create a cut concentric with the boss.

Sketching and dimensioning the cut

Adding a concentric relation

Finishing the cut

SolidWorks 2001 Getting Started 3-11

Rounding the Corners of the Part

5 Click Fillet on the Features toolbar, or click

Adding More Fillets

6 Click the front face of the circular boss.

7 Change the Radius to 2mm, and click OK .

SolidWorks 2001 Getting Started 3-13

Shelling the Part

Changing a Dimension Using Feature Handles

NOTE: You can also change a dimension using