The Complete 3D Design and Engineering Education Solution
CAD for Creativity
SOLIDWORKS was conceived to give designers
an intuitive and powerful tool which quickly gets
past learning how to use it, and on to using it
to design better products. Speak to any design
professional or undergraduate and they will
recognise SOLIDWORKS as a global leader in 3D
CAD - and there’s a pretty good chance it is what
they use in their day to day work.
Designed To Be Intuitive
It makes sense that students should be using
industry-leading products but commercial
credibility is not the same as educational
suitability. SOLIDWORKS is different. We believe
that the designed-in advantages of SOLIDWORKS
make it by far the most appropriate and easiest to
use system for education.
Grasping the Basics
3D CAD does require a new way of thinking and
you start by getting the idea of planes, features
and sketches clear in your mind. SOLIDWORKS
makes these key concepts as clear and obvious
as possible so, once grasped, learning builds on
understanding rather than remembering which
button to click. Help is always available to show
you where tools are and what they do. Whilst
working, you can pause at any point to run
through one of the many on-screen interactive
tutorials if needed. Each step of the modelling
process is recorded in a history bar and, using
this, you can go back to any point and edit the
original work. Once the edit has been made all
subsequent work will automatically update. Gone
are the days of ‘bin it’ and start again!
Find Your Own Level
Alongside the main design area is a ‘Home’ tab
with access to on-line support, further tutorials
and your own customer portal where case
studies can be downloaded. Example videos
range from entire millionaire yachts to jewellery
and brakes for F1 cars - all modelled and tested
in SOLIDWORKS. The examples demonstrate
what a powerful package SOLIDWORKS is but, if
it seems daunting, don’t worry. Few users will be
experts in every aspect of the software, and most
will be using the main features and tools that
apply to their particular sector. Education is no
different. Most of the time students will be using
SOLIDWORKS to create straightforward parts that
they can assemble, test, render and animate onscreen.
If this seems like you’re only scratching
the surface then that’s OK. As confidence grows,
more advanced tools can be added to the
repertoire and all have the same intuitive feel and
built-in support.
Direct Modelling - 'Instant 3D'
SOLIDWORKS models are usually created by
building up features based on 2D geometry. This
‘feature-based-modelling’ is ideal for teaching and
starting-out, but it’s not the only way of working.
Once a basic model is created then ‘Instant 3D’
functionality becomes available.
Most features can then be adjusted, copied,
moved or edited by simply clicking and dragging
with the mouse.
‘Instant 3D’ gives SOLIDWORKS the best of both
worlds - direct modelling when a ‘free-form’
experience is helpful, or feature-based when key
dimensions and parameters are being set. There’s
no ‘big decision’ needed about which way to work
– simply choose what works best for you at any
stage in the modelling process.
Home Use
Once the basics have been taught in school,
students will want to develop expertise
independently and, in our experience, this is
where SOLIDWORKS really starts to take off.
SOLIDWORKS has a huge web-presence so
students will soon find masses of resources and
like-minded colleagues keen to share ideas, tips
and techniques. This way, students will develop
personal expertise at a pace that would be hard
to match in the classroom. To facilitate this
important learning opportunity, schools and
colleges will need to maintain their subscription
to SOLIDWORKS and provide access to the
Student Standard (formerly SDK) and Student Premium (formerly SEK) licences.
SolidWorks Analysis Tools
Behind the 3D image, a SOLIDWORKS model can
be referenced to other data that describes, for
example, material properties or manufacturing
methods. The following packages operate within
SOLIDWORKS to give students unparalleled
access to sophisticated analysis tools. Operation
is via a simple wizard in all cases, ie., the software
does all the hard work!
Sustainability
Decide what your
model is made from, the
manufacturing method,
where it will be made and
where it will be used. A life
cycle assessment is then
calculated and a report
shows the environmental
impact of your design. Try
it again but make some changes to see how it
affects your ‘green’ credentials.
Simulation
Will your model bend or
break when you use it?
SOLIDWORKS Simulation
is a simple Finite Element
Analysis (FEA) tool that
allows students to analyse
stress, flow and motion in
relation to their 3D model.
Results are displayed
graphically as colours on
the model, or as an animation, making it easy to
spot potentially weak areas of the design.
SOLIDWORKS Costing
The SOLIDWORKS Costing tool provides estimates
of how much parts should cost to manufacture.
SOLIDWORKS models are easy to edit so why
not create different versions of your design
and try to ‘economise’ in the choices you make.
SOLIDWORKS costing can compare models so you
can develop the most economical solution.
Don’t let a 3D image on the screen be the end of the process for your students. SolidWorks models can be easily saved as STL files for
manufacture on all Roland 3D capable
miller/routers, the TechSoft
RouterCAM range and our
3D Printers. The students
can then realise and handle their designs.
Home Use - Student Premium or Student Standard?
Student Premium is a time-limited, standalone licence for the full SOLIDWORKS Education Edition.
Each year a school licence subscription provides 60 one year Student Premium licences (activations) for use by students and teachers on their personal laptops / home PCs.
Student Standard is a time-limited, standalone licence for the core 3D Design part of the SOLIDWORKS Education Edition.
Each year a school licence subscription provides an unlimited number of one year Student Standard licences for use by students and teachers on their personal laptops / home PCs.
For both the Student Premium and the Student Standard licences, the school can distribute the software either by instructing their students to download it free of charge, or by purchasing DVDs.
Comprehensive, interactive tutorials are built-in to SOLIDWORKS and these are a great way to get started. Whilst in subscription, students also have access to ‘MySolidWorks’ which provides online videos and tutorials, as well as training for the SOLIDWORKS certifications - a great boost for independent learning. In addition, TechSoft offer numerous
SOLIDWORKS courses.
SOLIDWORKS provides students with powerful yet
intuitive 3D Design and Simulation tools they can use
to help them achieve success in their exam courses.
Employers will value SOLIDWORKS experience
and should students wish to formally show their
competence they can take the SOLIDWORKS
examinations CSWA-Academic & CSDA. The entry fee is normally £68
but with a school licence subscription, entry is free. Teachers too can formally
show their competence by passing both the CSWA-Academic and TECE
Examinations to gain the SOLIDWORKS Accredited Educators Certification.
CSWA-Academic Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate - Academic; CSDA Certified Sustainable Design
Associate; TECE Technology Educator Competency Examination; CSWP Certified SOLIDWORKS
Professional (must be CSWA-Academic qualified). For more information see here.
Software Information
School Licence
A School Licence for SOLIDWORKS lets up to 60 students use the package
simultaneously via a network (computers must be linked to the one server
holding the licence, but there is no limit to the number of computers onto which the
software can be installed) and also provides a standalone licence for the
teacher’s use. Whilst the school licence permits you to run that version
of the software forever, we advise schools to keep their School Licence
Subscription up to date so that, along with the other benefits of the
subscription (see below), the students can still use the software at home.
School Licence Subscription
A school licence subscription provides automatic software updates
(annually), free downloadable curriculum resources, an unlimited number of Student Standard licences and up to 60 activations of the Student Premium licences per year. It also provides one
free entry for every student/teacher to the SOLIDWORKS examinations
CSWA-Academic, CSDA and CSWP. Teachers also have free entry to the
TECE examination. (Any teacher passing both the CSWA-Academic and
TECE examinations is awarded the SOLIDWORKS Accredited Educator
Certification.)
Minimum Hardware Requirements
2019-2020 Edition: Windows 7/10 (64-bit only)
N.B. if Windows 8.1 or 32-bit is required we can supply either:
2018-2019 Edition: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit)
2014-2015 Edition: Windows 7/8/8.1 (32 and 64-bit)
A full list of system requirements and recommendations can be found here.
Prices (excluding VAT)
SOLIDWORKS Education Edition
(includes 1st year subscription)
| Products | Price | Buy |
SolidWorks Education Edition: School Licence (Download). Provides up to 60 networked + 1 stand-alone + up to 60 1 Year Student Premium Home Use Activations + up to 60 free certification exams + unlimited 1 Year Student Standard Home Use. For Schools and FE Colleges Only Order Code: SWE-L61SO | |
Subscription Renewals
| Products | Price | Buy |
School Licence Subscription 1 Year Order Code: SWE-LR61 | |
School Licence Subscription 3 Year Order Code: SWE-LR61-3 | |
Student Standard/Premium DVDs
(Subscription holders only - Free download or buy to distribute)
| Products | Price | Buy |
Student Standard/Premium DVDs Order Code: SWE-MK1 | £26.00 | |
Student Standard/Premium DVDs (Pk of 5) Order Code: SWE-MK5 | £53.00 | |
Student Standard/Premium DVDs (Pk of 10) Order Code: SWE-MK10 | £89.00 | |
Student Standard/Premium DVDs (Pk of 25) Order Code: SWE-MK25 | £169.00 | |
If you would like to talk to us to discuss your options, please:Call us: +44(0) 1745 535007Email us: sales@techsoft.co.uk
