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Have you customized your keyboard shortcuts? Here’s how to print out your complete list!

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We’ll discuss some key differences and how you can make the transition smoothly from Fusion360 to SolidWorks.

Some key differences:

• Navigation and Views
• Rigorous Geometry Requirements
• Part, Assembly, and Drawing contexts instead of Workspaces
• File-Based Data (no cloud storage – work directly on DropBox or OneDrive to avoid catastrophic loss of data!)
• Separate add-ins for simulation, CAM, and rendering
• CommandManager instead of Feature Ribbon
• Separate Boss and Cut feature modes
• Configurations

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If you know nothing else about this class before beginning, you should know about these two things:

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

Students often get frustrated, feel overwhelmed, and stop working on this class – right as they are actually getting good at it! There’s a reason for this. It’s because of how learning works. The Intro-Challenge-Reveal system, and the design of this course, is designed specifically to prevent you from getting stuck. There should be NO shame in bailing to the solution. There is no penalty, it’s expected. The assignments are way too hard for anyone who needs to take this class to just rock through them without help. So either use the solution, or ask for help!

The Intro-Challenge-Reveal System

This is the instructional mode that you’ll be using to learn SolidWorks. Failure is expected. There are no tests (at least, not until the CSWA and CSWP exams, but by that point you’ll be ready for them!)

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Files in this course were created with SolidWorks 2020.
At this time, I cannot provide complete files in an older version. 

Buy a mouse!

• A mouse with three buttons (left, right, and clickable scroll wheel) is essential for the proper operation of SolidWorks. I like this one which is inexpensive and reliable. 

Install SolidWorks

• For students:
  • See if your college or school offers the SolidWorks Student edition. It is superior to the 3DExperience For Makers SolidWorks in that it comes with many more features and does not require the awkward and sometimes unreliable 3dExperience for Makers licensing system. 
  • If your school does not provide the Student edition of SolidWorks, you can buy it for $60/year directly from SolidWorks here. This is not the 3DExperience version, it is the Student Edition.
  • Alternatively, you can buy the 3dExperience for Students SolidWorks here for $60/year [Broken link]
  • [SolidWork now (as of fall 2026) allows free downloads of SolidWorks Design Standard, the desktop SolidWorks.]
• If you are not a student in the traditional sense, you may purchase the Student Edition (NOT the 3DExperience version – the better Student edition) through Titans of CNC here. [Broken link]

What is 3DExperience SolidWorks vs. Desktop Solidworks?

There is no difference in performance or basic functionality between any of the versions of 3DExperience SolidWorks and any other version of Desktop SolidWorks once the program is open.

The only thing cloud-based about 3DExperience SolidWorks  is in how the program is licensed and managed, and the fact that the files are stored on the cloud by default. The program itself is still fully local.
If you are able to open the 3DExperience SolidWorks, it will perform identically to any other version of SolidWorks on your computer. 
So, no worries if you already have the 3Dexperience SolidWorks for Makers. But the Student edition through Titans of CNC is preferable for a number of good reasons. [Broken link]

Options for Mac users (Intel only):

• Intel-based MacOS Computers:
  • MacOS computers can run a Boot Camp partition or Parallels Desktop virtual machine with an appropriate Windows 10 installation and SolidWorks Student edition. This works well, requires some setup work. If you are not comfortable repartitioning your main MacOS hard drive, you can install Windows 10 on a portable USB or Thunderbolt external SSD, which will give optimal performance without requiring any permanent modifications to your computer.
  • You do not have to purchase Windows 10. You can use it legally without activation, you will just not have access to all features (changing desktop background for example, nothing impacting your ability to use SW). https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 [Note: As of SolidWorks 2026, Windows 10 is no longer supported; Windows 11 is still an option with a similar process.]

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Join the Discord here! [broken link]

Be sure to @ me, @Marty in the chat to make sure I see your question! You can also @Mentors to get help any time.

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Join the Discord site for this course here: Discord Invite Code D9tCpppVZw [Broken Link]

To get started: Go to Modules, and work your way through the tutorials and exercises.

This is a self-paced course covering the basics of operating SolidWorks. The skills you will learn here are translatable directly to the operation of any parametric CAD system.

Who is the instructor?

Marty Jacobson, Certified SolidWorks Expert
SolidWorks Accredited Educator, Authorized Certification Provider
CSWA, CSWA-AM, CSWP, CSWPA-MM, CSWPA-SU, CSWPA-DT, CSWPA-WD, CSWE
Fusion360 Certified Associate, Fusion360 Certified Professional (CAM & DFM), Fusion360 Certified Expert (Generative Design for Manufacturing)

I am a design instructor with a background in industrial design. I’ve been teaching and running the machine shop in BME at Georgia Tech since 2010. We teach medical device development and make a lot of complicated CNC-machined parts for research, including microfluidic devices at the edge of what’s possible with CNC machining.

I have my own business doing design consulting, product development, and making acoustic and electric musical instruments. I use SolidWorks to design my products, and I make them using a 3-axis CNC machine I designed and built using SolidWorks.
You can see my personal work at http://www.martinjacobson.com [broken link]

What do I need?

• A computer with a Web browser and decent internet connection.
• A local installation of SolidWorks. See How to Get SolidWorks for more info here.
• A mouse with three buttons (left, right, and clickable scroll wheel). This is NOT optional for CSWA and CSWP studies. You must have a mouse if you want to work quickly and accurately, which is what these exams test for.
• The ability to install Tangix TesterPRO. This does not require administrator privileges and can be installed on your vLab desktop. [Note: SolidWorks recently switched from Tangix TesterPRO to an online delivery tool for their exams.]

Why this course?

The method being taught follows industry standard best practices and is aimed at training you to think the way SolidWorks (and every other major parametric solid modeling CAD system) is designed. It may seem overly rigorous at first, but the process is deliberately designed to allow your modeling strategies to fit in to the professional expectations for best 3d modeling practices.

You may have ideas for how to make things faster and easier. The software may allow you to work that way. But the content in this course is the result of the instructor’s 18 years of CAD experience, and was designed after taking dozens of SolidWorks certification exams personally. 

Should I pursue CSWA or CSWP?

CSWA is excellent practice for the CSWP exam. However, the CSWP exam is designed to test your ability to solve problems in SolidWorks, and is designed to test your ability to think creatively. The solutions are not straightforward like they are in the CSWA exam. I’ll teach you the skills you need to see the “tricks” and implement them.

SolidWorks recommends 150 hours of instruction before the CSWA is attempted. The CSWA is what many high schools and associate’s degree programs offer. It represents an understanding of the basic fundamentals of SolidWorks, as well as general mechanical design basics. 

The CSWA covers the basics of 3d modeling. There is no fancy geometry, no compound curves or funky shapes. It’s just a test to see if you can read a bunch of drawings and make a bunch of parts in a short amount of time. Perfectly. Without missing anything. It’s no joke, but definitely attainable by many students with an aptitude for mechanical design in less than 150 hours of practice.

The Certified SolidWorks Professional exam covers essentially the same content. There are a few curveballs they throw at you, and a few additional tools. But the CSWP, when earned, says that you can model pretty much any complicated shape (no lofts and sweeps, again, but still, complicated shapes created using a variety of tools). It requires you to work FAST – like a pro SolidWorks operator on a deadline. There is no time for snack or bathroom break when you’re working. And there’s no room for error or poor attention to detail.

If you earn the CSWP, you better like working in SolidWorks and other CAD programs. Because you’ll probably get to when you get hired. The CSWP is designed to ensure that you are ready to work hard, work fast, and minimize your frustration when working on the job because you’ve already encountered everything that can go wrong.  As of April of 2020, less than a dozen Georgia Tech undergrads have earned the CSWP exam. 

Feel free to message me by using @Marty on Discord!

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