SOLIDWORKS provides the ideal platform for 3D
CAD at University level and is certain to meet
expectations from commercial partners. A
Campus Licence for SOLIDWORKS provides all
the CAD functionality needed, at a competitive
price and with enough options to create a
bespoke solution for learning and research.
As Preferred Education Resellers, TechSoft
can provide the knowledge and experience
to support course leaders in guiding students
towards the qualifications required in modern
design & engineering disciplines.
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
A Student Premium licence is a time-limited, standalone,
version of the full SOLIDWORKS Education Edition.
Each year a campus licence subscription provides a number
of one year Student Premium licences (activations) for use by students and
lecturers on their personal laptops/home PCs. The university
can distribute the software either by instructing their students
to download it free of charge, or by purchasing Student Premium DVDs.
SOLIDWORKS is designed to be intuitive so the Student Premium licences
and a current subscription will be key to enabling students to develop
expertise independently.
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.
Employers will value SOLIDWORKS experience
and should students wish to formally show their
competence they can take the SOLIDWORKS
examinations. With a subscription, one free entry
for every student/lecturer to the CSWA-Academic,
CSDA, CSWSA-FEA and CSWP examinations is
provided.
CSWA-Academic Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate - Academic; CSDA Certified Sustainable Design
Associate; CSWSA-FEA Certified SOLIDWORKS Simulation Associate - Finite Element Analysis; CSWP
Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (must be CSWA-Academic qualified). For more information visit here.
Software Information
Classroom, Campus and Site Packs
These packs for SOLIDWORKS Education Edition let up to 60, 200, 500 or
2000 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)
. Whilst the licence permits
you to run that version of the software forever on the network, we advise
universities to keep their subscription up to date so that, along with the
other benefits of the subscription (see below), the students can still use
Student Premium licences.
Up to 60, 200, 500 or 2000 one year Student
Premium licences are also provided whilst in subscription.
Subscription
A subscription provides automatic software updates (annually), free
downloadable curriculum resources, up to 60, 200, 500 or 2000 one
year Student Premium licences and one free entry for each
student/lecturer to the SOLIDWORKS examinations CSWA-Academic, CSDA
and CSWSA-FEA. One free entry for every CSWA-Academic qualified
student/lecturer to the CSWP examination is also included.
Academic Research Licence
Unlike the Education Edition, the Academic Research Licence does not
contain the educational watermark and has no restrictions for use in
publications, industry-funded projects and patent applications. It is not
only available to university research departments, but also to medical
schools and teaching hospitals affiliated with a university. For further
information contact TechSoft or see here.
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 |
Classroom Pack (up to 60 students) Order Code: SWE-L60 | |
Campus Pack 1 (up to 200 students) Order Code: SWE-L200 | |
Campus Pack 2 (up to 500 students) Order Code: SWE-L500 | |
Site Pack (up to 2000 students) Order Code: SWE-L2000 | |
Subscription Renewals
Products | Price | Buy |
Classroom Pack Subscription (1 Year) Order Code: SWE-LR60 | |
Campus Pack 1 Subscription (1 Year) Order Code: SWE-LR200 | |
Campus Pack 2 Subscription (1 Year) Order Code: SWE-LR500 | |
Site Pack Subscription (1 Year) Order Code: SWE-LR2000 | |
Products | Price | Buy |
Classroom Pack Subscription (3 Years) Order Code: SWE-LR60-3 | |
Campus Pack 1 Subscription (3 Years) Order Code: SWE-LR200-3 | |
Campus Pack 2 Subscription (3 Years) Order Code: SWE-LR500-3 | |
Site Pack Subscription (3 Years) Order Code: SWE-LR2000-3 | |
Student 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 | |
Academic Research Licence
Please contact TechSoft to discuss your specific requirements and request a quotation.
If you would like to talk to us to discuss your options, please:Call us: +44(0) 1745 535007Email us: sales@techsoft.co.uk