Tip for getting started with Solidworks from scratch

mr_coke · January 2, 2019, 1:25pm

Hello Community,

I've been interested in "Solidworks" for a while now, as this software fascinates me because of its possibilities. I'm not a daily user because my job has nothing to do with CAD but I've fallen "in love" with it the few times I've used it.

So if just like me some of you have started from scratch and can advise me, don't hesitate. You're going to tell me that everyone started from scratch but by that I mean, other than the school curriculum because at 44 years old I can't change my academic orientation :-)

My current research:

I am looking at the possibility of following a training course using my training account (CPF). It seems compromised, but I persist to see.
In terms of equipment, I look at the HP fixed stations presented on the site. But from what I've already read on the forum, it's better to have a good opportunity than a new average station. I haven't defined a budget but if you know where to find good opportunities, thank you in advance. It's a pity that there is no section for the sale of forums.
In terms of Solidworks software, I will ask my company if we can have access to a license at a preferential price. If you know of other alternatives, I also saw that there is rental in the 300€/month approximately.
For training, I am looking for methodical learning because this world is so vast that I don't know where or where to start. MyCAD Premium Services offers an alternative to eLearning but it must be prohibitively expensive on a private basis.

There you have it, friends, all your remarks will be welcome to start with a good mouse.

Wishing you a happy new year 2019 very "Solid" :-)

Schuss!!

Note: For reasons of advertising charter or other forum do not hesitate to contact me by private message if necessary.

gt22 · January 2, 2019, 2:44pm

For the courses here are the basics

https://openclassrooms.com/fr/courses/1553986-apprenez-a-utiliser-solidworks

for the rest there are a lot of tutorials here

For PCs a good mobile station with an external SUP screen does the job well

You will find among others an HP 8770 W laptop around 500€

to make 1 SSD of RAM ++

See this page

https://www.ebay.fr/sch/i.html?cmd=Blend&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=pc+hp+elitebook+8770w&_sacat=58058

1 docking station

https://www.ebay.fr/sch/i.html?_odkw=pc+hp+elitebook+8770w&cmd=Blend&_osacat=58058&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=pc+hp+elitebook+8770w+station+d%27acceuil&_sacat=58058

1 screen 2440w or + is better but + expensive

https://www.ebay.fr/sch/i.html?_odkw=pc+hp+elitebook+8770w+station+d%27acceuil&cmd=Blend&_osacat=58058&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=ecran+hp+2440w&_sacat=58058

That's already a good start I think

@+ ;-)

Aliende · January 2, 2019, 5:40pm

Hello

Here is my old site to learn SW:

http://tutoriel.solidworks.free.fr/

It's for beginners but there are also modules such as mechanical-welding and more advanced tutorials.

You have to allow Flash on your internet explorer (Google Chrome in particular).

For refurbished computers, here is the site where I bought my PC for 500 € this summer:

https://www.laptopservice.fr/ordinateur-portable/12884-dell-precision-m6700-16go-500go-3700868424570.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw3cPYBRB7EiwAsrc-uZK1Unk20GPHYOBdxEXIYt9DXu9ClFm5JexC-bXMv6oafv1qp4RZxxoC7u0QAvD_BwE

Very happy with my purchase, the PC was like new in appearance.

mr_coke · January 3, 2019, 12:37am

Hello Gt22 and Aliende,

Thank you for your participation as well as the links for the trainings. I haven't watched yours Aliende because I'm on my iPhone, but I'll be sure to watch it once I get home.

On the other hand, you both run on a laptop!! There.. I'm surprised, in terms of ergonomics, numeric keypad, PAD, etc. You don't find it a bit difficult to enter numerical values. Maybe it's a matter of habit though.

In any case, thanks again to both of you. I made a new request for training by CPF and also for a SolidWorks license at my job. I'm continuing my research :-)

Schuss the friends !!

mr_coke · January 3, 2019, 12:37am

Published in duplicate so text deletion

Aliende · January 9, 2019, 9:23am

An interesting site also with desktop PCs:

https://www.materiel-informatique-occasion.com/stations-de-travail-occasion_147_0_0_0_p1-cX.html

gt22 · January 9, 2019, 9:55am

@ Aliende +1

Yes I agree with you here and on other dedicated solidworks site

a lot of people have bought from MIO

which I often promote their seriousness and quality equipment

having of course tested myself

@+ ;-)

mr_coke · January 12, 2019, 11:29am

Hello guys,

Thank you for your feedback on my post. But damn... I was not warned of your presence... hence my late intervention. I have indeed seen this site and I am reassured to make an acquisition from them if that is my choice.

@gt22 I could see by reading one of your posts that you had an HP Z400 or 420 I don't really know. Are you satisfied with it?

You could let me know the characteristics of your equipment and get your feedback please e/or tell me if I'm right or not?.

Because it is obviously preferable:

To have a Xeon processor rather than an Intel one.
Running more beyond 3Ghz with fewer cores than more cores but slower
Favor HPZ rather than DELL (If you want to make it evolve later)

Thank you in advance to the team.

Schuss..!!

gt22 · January 12, 2019, 4:46pm

You have understood everything and read my various communication threads on the optimize stations for SolidWorks

yes a xeon that has a Max of giga

1SSD for system and log

1hard for storage

1 Max ram

1 Certified Graphics Card

stefbeno · January 14, 2019, 8:42am

I just allow myself one adjustment: not to bother with an HDD anymore. What bothers me now is the access times so the data is on SSD.
This technology has evolved a lot in terms of reliability and capacity, so don't deprive yourself of it.

Provide a backup system (machine mounted in RAID or NAS but suddenly problem of access time and loss of SSD benefit) if critical files need to be processed.

mr_coke · January 14, 2019, 5:46pm

@ Stefbeno,

Thank you for your intervention on the thread.

I discovered the SSD while doing a Crucial upgrade on my old DELL. So I make a backup with their app and it's very fast.

For the moment I'm thinking about which PC to choose. The first one will be enough to start and suit me for the first few years? Where is it better to take the second one directly? That the question? If you want to express yourself and give me your opinion, I am all ears.

1-HPZ400

2-HPZ800

There is an HP Elite that is not bad on the site but it seems to me that the HPZ are "special" CAD.

Well, let's redo the pros and cons lol.

Schuss friends.

stefbeno · January 15, 2019, 8:16am

Now we have to start from the basics:
- What is your maximum budget?
- Are you comfortable if there are modifications to be made in the machine (hard/soft)?

The criteria on the site:
- 8GB mini memory
- Processor: Xeon
- Graphics card: Nivdia Quadro
- OS: W10

What for:
- The advantage of a tower on a laptop is the possible evolutions: it is always possible to add memory, a disk.
- W7 is at the end of its life at the level of M$, future versions of SW will not support it.
- The base brand (DELL/HP/Lenovo) is of little importance.

I will favor a good graphics card, it is the key and expensive element of the machine. I have a Quadro K2000 (2GB of memory), it runs fine. You need to determine your uses: simple modeling or realistic rendering? On the other hand, on the site they announce Quadro 2000 or 4000 (you have to be told the exact reference, the Quadro 2000/4000 are starting to date seriously).

A 160GB SSD is not enough, on my machine 50GB for W7, 55GB for programs (I have several versions of SW and full Inventor), 32GB of swap (I needed it even with 16GB of RAM, the project was huge).

Depending on the configuration you choose, plan the additional budget to change the disk (1TB SSD: 150€), the memory costs almost nothing.

Think about the screen budget: a 22/24" is the minimum, it can be useful to have a second screen (for now, given your position it is not essential).

Don't forget that you need a M$ Office license to run SW.

mr_coke · January 15, 2019, 5:26pm

@Stefbono,

A big thank you for all these details.

I will answer these questions as much as possible. :-)

To start with, I'm more oriented towards a tower than a laptop because you point out, it's easier to add elements to improve performance and/or storage. Maybe a misconception on my part, I don't know.

Am I comfortable with the hard/soft of a PC, I will say that I manage and that as a general rule with a "procedure" the most in time I get by. I can get help from a friend if necessary. I had also seen that you had to favor W10, but I didn't know that you needed Office to run SW. For my part should be SW2016, waiting for confirmation of pro license sharing.

Regarding the brand, I was more oriented towards the HPZ models because they were already configured for CAD. Just to focus on performance and not to wonder if the chosen hardware is recommended to do CAD. DELL, I have an old one (XPS420) that I "boosted" to the max in Crucial (SSD and RAM) but opinion divided because motherboard dedicated and obviously not modifiable (A bit exclusive DELL for upgrades , on the other hand, indestructible). Concerning LENOVO, (My daughter's cell phone) I have nothing to reproach it with. So I'm fixated on HPZ because I don't want a high-performance "Gaming" type PC. My knowledge of computer equipment is limited.

The Z800 model of the site offers an Nvidia Quadro 4000 reference card VCQ4000-PB with 2GB in GDDR5. I couldn't get the reference of the Z400 model. The notion of Swap doesn't speak to me but I'll take the time to see what you're talking about.

Having two screens can be a significant comfort, but I can possibly make this purchase a little later and use my 20-inch DELL at first. The SSD. I confirm it's fast and understand the need for this type of product. Then this PC will be dedicated CAD only. My DELL will take over for the rest.

I am new to CAD and want to get serious about it. I'm not at the point of wanting to get realistic rendering for the moment. I prefer to invest in a "high-performance" used PC than an "average" new one. I wouldn't want to have reached the end of my machine in 3 years and be constantly waiting for the treatment and dealing with system freezes regularly. So I'm looking for a good compromise to start with, even if it means thinking bigger later.

I have a project to make an Ac Cobra 427 from plans to get my hands on SW. Suffice to say that I would have different cases to deal with and I think that will allow me to discover the different features of SW. What could be better than working on a project where the passion for this car and the SW software are mixed.

Schuss and I look forward to reading you.

stefbeno · January 16, 2019, 11:57am

SW's machine/software recommendations: System requirements

/!\ For office, Office365 is not suitable.

Brand: The DELL Precision are CAD stations in the same way as the HP Z. Currently, in the office, we are on HP because that's what our software supplier sells, before we had DELL, Fujitsu.
It's more the graphics card that makes the gamer or CAD orientation. For CAD, the board must support OpenGL. The best way is to check on the SW website if the card is certified: video cards

Given your needs, switching to an SSD is just a comfort but not essential. Given the extra cost, I would skip it to favor the graphics card. On the other hand, you still need 1TB of storage, to be partitioned (30/70) to protect the data given the problems to come with the semi-annual updates of W10.

This machine (789€ on the site suggested by Aliende: Z420/SSD256/16GB/Quadro K2000) seems nice to me, just a disk to add (50€: LDLC WD Blue 1TB).