What's the best way to learn SolidWorks?

by www.video-tutorials.net
SolidWorks has got the market on CAD design essentially cornered.  What do you do if you need SolidWorks training or tutorials right away? The people who buy my courses usually need to ace an interview, upgrade their resumes, make a big software switch at work, or get the edge on their classes and find a way to learn that's easier and more intuitive than a CAD book.

Once you've got the basics under your belt, the best way to get good at SolidWorks is actual practice with the software.  You can get a student version for a good price these days, and sometimes SolidWorks offers trial software.  But how can you get the basics under your belt? Here is a list of some resources:

Classroom training -  the big advantage of this method is the SolidWorks expert teaching the class, who you can hit up for tips and tricks on how to get something done.  Many colleges and universities offer training in SolidWorks these days.  It's even available for study at some high schools now; we have a few clients that are high schools.

You can also sign up for classes with a SolidWorks reseller. These days SolidWorks Resellers have a lot of free events for SolidWorks users, like in-person classes, or lunch webinars that you can watch live or download later.  The experts that host these events are usually very good.

Once you're comfortable, you can take the SolidWorks certification tests from your reseller, or online directly from SolidWorks. They are not expensive and they look good on your resume. We'll be publishing a certification preparation course in mid-2013. We don't offer the certification itself, but are more than happy to help you get ready for it!

Self-study training: some people don't have time or the extra budget to enroll in formal classes, which are usually very slow-paced.  If you find that self-study training is more effective than classroom training, because you can study at your own pace, and review the materials as you require them, then you are in luck.  Just  search on YouTube for"SolidWorks video tutorials" or "SolidWorks tutorials" and you'll see thousands of free training videos. We have a lot of free material posted up on YouTube also at www.youtube.com/videotutorials2.  We of course recommend our SolidWorks tutorials; we have the best price for the most hours, and, as you can see from our many positive testimonials, the quality and service are excellent. Here is a link to our SolidWorksvideo tutorials.  We find that many people prefer self-study video tutorials because they are more detailed, move along quickly, can be replayed immediately,  and are easier to reference much later on than classroom training.

User Groups & Forums - Solidworks has a superb forum and user group that I recommend you join.  You will get lots of tips and videos from other users, and there are many experts in the forums who share their knowledge very graciously.  There are also many independent CAD forums that are really useful; many of the expert users go into great detail for their explanations on how to get something done.

I hope you find this article helpful! For more information, please visit us at www.video-tutorials.net.