Week 1
Measure, Then Open SOLIDWORKS
Measure a real object in millimeters, then open CAD Premium, set units, and save a part.
12-week path
SOLIDWORKS & CAD
A separate 12-week path. AI & Coding is the other one.
Why this path
Participants learn enough SOLIDWORKS to model one real object, try to print it, and leave with a picture if the print is not ready. That file is something they can pick up later.
AFF’s goal is to sit participants for the SOLIDWORKS Design Associate exam. The twelve weeks stay in ordinary CAD: sketch, extrude, cut, and the features that exam covers, then their own object. The other products on the educational seats stay closed.
The twelve weeks
Week 2
Sketch Until It Locks
Add relations and dimensions until the sketch is fully defined, then extrude it.
Week 3
Cut, Hole, and Fillet
Sketch on a face, cut, place a Hole Wizard hole, fillet an edge, and change one number.
Week 4
Pattern, Mirror, and Revolve
Repeat features with a pattern or mirror, and build one round part with a revolve.
Week 5
Pick the Prototype
Choose one small object, dimension it, and mark the face that will sit on the printer bed.
Week 6
Model the Base
Sketch their object and extrude it to the real size.
Week 7
Make It the Object
Add the cuts and details until the model looks like the thing they chose.
Week 8
Change a Number
Edit one dimension, rebuild, and fix the model so the file is usable later.
Week 9
Ready to Print
Thicken thin walls, set the bed face, and export an STL.
Week 10
Try a Prototype
Print it if a machine is free. Otherwise slice the STL and confirm it will print.
Week 11
A Picture for Later
Make one clear visualization of the object they can show when a print is not in hand.
Week 12
Capstone — Product Demo Day
Show the model, the picture, and the prototype or the STL.
AI & Coding is a separate 12-week path. See that sequence.