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Step-by-Step Lesson

This chapter includes the following topics:

• Getting Ready for the Lesson

• Creating a Box
• Creating a Lid for the Box
• Putting the Box and Lid Together
• Creating a Drawing

Getting Ready for the Lesson

Before you begin this lesson, it is helpful to know how to access the SOLIDWORKS
software's tools.
Many of the tools you use are accessible in three ways:
• Menus
• Toolbars
• CommandManager
These tools are context sensitive, which means that menu items are grayed out if the
tools are not available for your current task. Sometimes, the tools do not appear at all,
so it is helpful to know which toolbar you use to access them.

For more information, see Menus in the Help.

The following table lists the tools you use in the lesson and their locations on menus,
toolbars, and the CommandManager.

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Tool Icon Menu Toolbar CommandManager

New File > New Standard Menu Bar

Save File > Save Standard Menu Bar

Options Tools > Standard Menu Bar

Options

Sketch Insert > Sketch Sketch

Sketch

Smart Tools > Sketch Sketch

Dimension Dimensions >
Smart

Rectangle Tools > Sketch Sketch Sketch

Entities >
Rectangle

Extruded Insert > Features Features

Boss/Base Boss/Base >
Extrude

Shell Insert > Features Features

Features >
Shell

Insert Insert > Assembly Assembly

Components Component >
Existing
Part/Assembly

Mate Insert > Mate Assembly Assembly

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Creating a Box
The first part you create is a box.

Opening a New Part

A part is the basic building block in the SOLIDWORKS software. In this procedure, you
open a new part document where you will build a model.

1. Click New (Standard toolbar) or File > New.

2. In the New SOLIDWORKS Document dialog box, click Part and click OK.
A new part document opens.

Setting the Drafting Standard and Units

Before you begin modeling, you set the drafting standard and unit of measurement for
the part.

1. Click Options (Standard Toolbar) or Tools > Options.

2. In the System Options - General dialog box, select the Document Properties tab.
3. In Overall drafting standard, select ISO.
4. On the left pane, click Units.

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5. Under Unit system, select MMGS to set the unit of measurement to millimeter,
gram, second.
6. Click OK.

Sketching a Rectangle
You use a sketch to construct the basic outline of the part. The sketch is in 2D. Later,
when you extrude the sketch, it becomes a 3D model.

1. Click Corner Rectangle (Sketch toolbar) or Tools > Sketch Entities >
Rectangle.
• The software enters sketch mode.
• The Front, Top, and Right planes are visible.
• The PropertyManager opens at the left and prompts you to select a plane on which
to sketch the rectangle.

• The pointer changes to to indicate that you can select a plane.

2. Click the Front plane.

The pointer changes to to indicate that you can now draw the rectangle.

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3. Starting anywhere, click, then drag the pointer to create a rectangle.

4. Click to complete the rectangle. It does not matter what size you make the rectangle;
you can dimension it later.

You may see four symbols: . These symbols are called sketch relations. In
the rectangular sketch, they indicate where lines are vertical and horizontal .

The current view is isometric, which makes the rectangle appear skewed. To see
the rectangle normal to (straight on), press the spacebar. In the Orientation dialog
box, double-click Normal To.

Instead of exiting sketch mode, you keep the sketch open so you can dimension the
rectangle in the next set of steps.

Dimensioning the Sketch

Now that you have a sketched rectangle, you need to dimension it by adding
measurements. You can use the Smart Dimension tool to dimension the rectangle. If
you had exited sketch mode in the previous procedure, you would have to re-enter sketch
mode to dimension the sketch.

1. Click Smart Dimension (Dimensions/Relations toolbar) or Tools > Dimensions >

Smart.

The pointer changes to .

2. Select the top horizontal line in the rectangle.
A dimension appears.
3. Drag the dimension up and click to place it.

4. In the Modify dialog box, type 100 and click .

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5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the right vertical line in the rectangle.

6. In the upper right corner of the window in the Confirmation Corner, click the sketch

icon exit sketch mode.

Extruding the Sketch

After dimensioning the 2D sketch, you can extrude it to make a 3D solid model.

1. Click Extruded Boss/Base (Features toolbar) or Insert > Boss/Base >

Extrude.
• If the sketch is selected, the Boss-Extrude PropertyManager appears and a preview
of the extrude appears.
• If the sketch is not selected, the Extrude PropertyManager appears and indicates
that you need to select a sketch.
2. If the Extrude PropertyManager appears, select the sketch by clicking any line in the
square. Otherwise, go to the next step.
A preview of the extrude appears.

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3. In the PropertyManager:

a) Set Depth to 100.

b) Click .
The 2D sketch changes to a 3D model.

Creating a Hollow Model

In this procedure, you use the Shell tool to create a hollow box.

1. Click Shell (Features toolbar) or Insert > Features > Shell.

2. In the Shell PropertyManager, under Parameters, set Thickness to 5.

3. In the graphics area, select the face as shown:

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Face<1> appears in the PropertyManager under Faces to Remove .

4. Click .
The box is hollow with walls that are 5mm thick.

The box is complete.

Saving the Part

1. Click Save (Standard toolbar) or File > Save.

2. In the Save As dialog box:
a) Browse to the location where you want to save the document.
b) For File name, type box.
c) Click Save.
The part is saved as box.sldprt.
3. Keep the part open.

Creating a Lid for the Box

You created the first part, a box. Now you need to create a second part to make a lid for
the box.

Opening a New Part

1. Click New (Standard toolbar) or File > New.

2. In the New SOLIDWORKS Document dialog box, click Part and click OK.
A new part document opens.

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Setting the Drafting Standard and Units

Before you begin modeling, you set the drafting standard and unit of measurement for
the part.

1. Click Options (Standard Toolbar) or Tools > Options.

2. In the System Options - General dialog box, select the Document Properties tab.
3. In Overall drafting standard, select ISO.
4. On the left pane, click Units.
5. Under Unit system, select MMGS to set the unit of measurement to millimeter,
gram, second.
6. Click OK.

Sketching a Rectangle
The lid for the box is shaped like a square. In this procedure, you sketch a rectangle.
Later you can dimension it to fit the box.

1. Click Corner Rectangle (Sketch toolbar) or Tools > Sketch Entities >
Rectangle.
The PropertyManager prompts you to select a plane on which to sketch the rectangle.
2. Click the Front plane.

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3. Click, then drag the pointer to create a rectangle.

4. Click to complete the rectangle.

Dimensioning the Sketch

Now that you have a sketched rectangle, you need to dimension it so it has the proper
measurements.

1. Click Smart Dimension (Dimensions/Relations toolbar) or Tools > Dimensions >

Smart.

The pointer changes to

2. Select the top horizontal line in the rectangle.
A dimension appears.
3. Drag the dimension upwards and click to place it.

4. In the Modify dialog box, type 100 and click .

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5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the right vertical line in the rectangle.

6. In the upper right corner of the window in the Confirmation Corner, click the sketch

icon .
Sketch mode is turned off.

Extruding the Sketch

After dimensioning the 2D sketch, you can extrude it to make a 3D solid model.

1. Click Extruded Boss/Base (Features toolbar) or Insert > Boss/Base >

Extrude.
Depending on what is selected in the graphics area, the following occurs:
• If the sketch is selected, the Boss-Extrude PropertyManager appears and a preview
of the extrude appears.
• If the sketch is not selected, the Extrude PropertyManager appears and indicates
that you need to select a sketch.
2. If the Extrude PropertyManager appears, select the sketch by clicking any line in the
square. Otherwise, go to the next step.
A preview of the extrude appears.

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3. In the graphics area, click the handle (arrow) and drag it until you reach 10 on the
scale, then click in the PropertyManager.

The 2D sketch changes to a 3D model.

Creating a Lip on the Cover

To ensure that the cover fits tightly on the box, you create a lip on the cover using another
extrude.

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1. Press the spacebar or click View > Modify > Orientation.

2. In the Orientation dialog box, double-click *Front.
The cover is rotated so the front is visible.

3. Click Corner Rectangle (Sketch toolbar) or Tools > Sketch Entities >
Rectangle.
4. In the graphics area, select the face as shown:

5. Sketch a rectangle on the face. It does not matter what size you make the rectangle;
you can dimension it later.

Dimensioning the Sketch

You need to dimension the rectangle so it has the proper measurements.

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1. Click Smart Dimension (Dimensions/Relations toolbar) or Tools > Dimensions >

Smart.

The pointer changes to .

2. In the graphics area:
a) Select the top horizontal line in the rectangle.
b) Select the top edge of the extrude.

A dimension appears.

3. Drag the dimension upwards and click to place it.

4. In the Modify dialog box, type 2 and click .

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5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the rest of the sketch:

6. In the upper right corner of the window in the Confirmation Corner, click the sketch

icon .
Sketch mode is turned off.

Extruding the Sketch

After dimensioning the 2D sketch, you can extrude it to make a lip for the lid.

1. Press the spacebar or click View > Modify > Orientation.

2. In the Orientation dialog box, double-click *Isometric.
The cover is rotated.

3. Click Extruded Boss/Base (Features toolbar) or Insert > Boss/Base >

Extrude.

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4. In the graphics area, select the sketch by clicking any line in the square.

5. In the graphics area, click the handle (arrow) and drag it until you reach 5 on the
scale, then click in the PropertyManager.

The 2D sketch changes to 3D.

The lid is complete.

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Saving the Part

1. Click Save (Standard toolbar) or File > Save.

2. In the Save As dialog box:
a) Browse to the location where you want to save the document.
b) For File name, type lid.
c) Click Save.
The part is saved as lid.sldprt.
3. Keep the part open.

Putting the Box and Lid Together

An assembly is a collection of part documents. The part documents become “components”
in the assembly, in this case, the box and lid.

Opening a New Assembly

In this procedure, you open a new assembly document where you will insert the box and
lid models.

1. Click New (Standard toolbar) or File > New.

2. In the New SOLIDWORKS Document dialog box, click Assembly and click OK.
A new assembly document opens, and the Begin Assembly PropertyManager appears.

Inserting Parts into the Assembly

An assembly is a collection of parts. In this procedure, you insert the box and lid into the
assembly, where they become components in the assembly.

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1. In the Begin Assembly PropertyManager, under Part/Assembly to Insert, select

box.

The part appears in the graphics area and the pointer changes to .
2. In the graphics area, click to place the part in the assembly.
The part moves to the center of the graphics area.

3. Click Insert Components (Assembly toolbar) or Insert > Component > Existing
Part/Assembly.
4. In the Insert Component PropertyManager, under Part/Assembly to Insert, select
lid.
5. In the graphics area, click to place the part in the assembly.
The part appears in the graphics area. It is OK if the parts overlap.

Moving a Component
When you insert components into an assembly, you may want to move them so they do
not overlap. By moving the components, it is easier to select them when you mate the
components.

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1. Click Move Component (Assembly toolbar) or Tools > Component > Move.

The Move Component PropertyManager appears and the pointer changes to .

2. Drag the lid component to the right of the box. If you try to drag the box component,
you are warned that the component is fixed and cannot be moved. By default, the
first part in an assembly is fixed in position.

3. Click .

Rotating a Component
To align the components before you mate them, you can rotate them so they are in the
proper orientation. By aligning the components, it is easier for you to select faces during
the mate process.

1. Click the Move Component arrow (Assembly toolbar) and click Rotate
Component or click Tools > Component > Rotate.
The Rotate Component PropertyManager appears and the pointer changes to .
2. Click the lid and rotate it approximately as shown. The lip should be in the back.

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Before rotating After rotating

3. Click .
The assembly appears as shown:

Mating the Components

Mates create geometric relationships between components. As you add mates, you define
the allowable movement of the components.

1. Click Mate (Assembly toolbar) or Insert > Mate.

The Mate PropertyManager appears.

2. Select the highlighted faces on each component. Click Zoom In/Out (Heads-up
View toolbar) or View > Modify > Zoom In/Out to help you select the faces if
necessary.

When you select the second face:

• The most logical mate is applied to the faces. In this case, the software makes the
faces coincident.

• In the PropertyManager, under Standard Mates, Coincident is selected.

• The Mate pop-up toolbar appears with Coincident selected.

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Before mating After mating

3. Click .
The mate is applied, but the PropertyManager remains open so you can add more
mates.

4. Select the highlighted faces on each component. Use Rotate View by clicking
View > Modify > Rotate to help you select the back face of the lip on lid.sldprt:

Front face of box.sldprt Back face of lip on lid.sldprt

A coincident mate is applied to the faces.

Before mating After mating

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5. Click .
6. Select the highlighted faces on each component:

A coincident mate is applied to the faces, and the lid fits into the box.

7. Click twice.

Saving the Assembly

1. Click Save (Standard toolbar) or File > Save.

2. In the dialog box:
a) Browse to the location where you want to save the document.
b) For File name, type box_with_lid.
c) Click Save.
The assembly is saved as box_with_lid.sldasm.
3. Keep the assembly open.

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