SolidWorks / CATIA
The engineering CAD tools behind physical product design — from consumer goods to aircraft.
What it is
About SolidWorks / CATIA
SolidWorks and CATIA are parametric history-based CAD applications by Dassault Systèmes, used to design physical products with engineering-grade precision. SolidWorks dominates mechanical engineering, product design, and manufacturing for small-to-mid-size businesses. CATIA is its enterprise-grade counterpart, used in aerospace (Airbus, Boeing), automotive (BMW, Toyota), and defence for programmes requiring the highest precision tolerances and large-assembly management. Both use a feature tree — a full history of every modelling decision that can be modified retroactively at any point.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Model a mechanical part using parametric sketches and feature operations (extrude, revolve, fillet) with dimensions that can be edited retroactively at any stage
Build a multi-part assembly with mates that define precisely how components fit together and how they move relative to each other
Run Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to identify stress concentrations under load before committing a part to manufacturing
Generate engineering drawings with tolerances, GD&T annotations, and bill-of-materials tables ready for production handoff
Export to neutral formats (STEP, IGES, STL) for CNC machining, 3D printing, or collaboration with teams on different CAD platforms
How to learn it
Learning Resources
SolidWorks' built-in tutorial files (Help > Tutorials) — work through Part, Assembly, and Drawing before anything external
YouTube: Geometric Learning Systems and CAD CAM Tutorial cover SolidWorks for beginners systematically
CSWA (Certified SolidWorks Associate) is an affordable, globally recognised credential worth pursuing in the first year
Dassault's Academic Programme offers heavily discounted CATIA access — worth applying for if your institution supports it
Pro Tip
Every sketch in SolidWorks should be fully defined before you extrude it — black lines only, no blue under-constrained geometry. Under-constrained sketches create models that break unpredictably when dimensions change. Fully defined sketches are what separate robust production models from student work.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool