SolidWorks® 2009 Bible

Introduction

Welcome to the SolidWorks 2009 Bible. This book has been written as a desk reference for beginning and intermediate SolidWorks users. SolidWorks is such an immense software program that trying to cover all of its functions is an extremely ambitious undertaking, and I know that a few have been left out. Because of the scope of the topic, I have limited the book to covering the basic SolidWorks package, without the Office, Office Professional, or Office Premium add-ins, although I have devoted half of a chapter to Toolbox.

About This Book

You will find enough information here that the book can grow with your SolidWorks needs. I have written tutorials for most of the chapters with newer users in mind, because for them, it is most helpful to see how things are done in SolidWorks step by step. The longer narrative examples give more in-depth information about features and functions, as well as the results of various settings and options.

I have included an extensive appendix covering the Tools, Options settings. This offers an in-depth explanation of each option, including both System Options and Document Properties. This appendix uses special symbols to identify items that are new for SolidWorks 2007 or that affect file size or speed.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided into eight parts.

Part I: SolidWorks Basics

This part explores basic concepts and terminology used in SolidWorks. You need to read this section if you are new to the software and especially if you are ...