Learn How To Design In 3D With 2024‘s Top 11 Best Online SolidWorks Courses
Did you know that almost every physical object that you see around you today, from a simple toothbrush to an electric car, was once a 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model?
So to set you on the right track, I have gathered a list of the best online SolidWorks courses that will teach you how to model sophisticated functional products on your own.
You will be taken through basics like navigating the interface, creating sketches, and doing extrudes, to more advanced skills like executing lofts, applying complex mates, and using design tables.
In many of these courses, you will learn from professional design engineers with years of experience, gain access to extra resources, and earn certificates of completion. So, let’s begin!
Top 11 Best Online Solidworks Courses & Training 2024
1. Master SolidWorks 3D CAD using real-world examples (Skillshare)
First on my list is a great beginner-level online course that will make you a SolidWorks pro by taking you through 12 different projects, each one more advanced than before.
Your instructor for this course will be John Ellison, a design engineer with over 10 years of experience in SolidWorks modeling. John also holds a First Class Honors degree from a top UK university in Sustainable Product Design and has over 200 satisfied clients from around the world.
Over the course of 11 hours, students will work on 12 different projects, starting with basic skills and moving up to the advanced features in SolidWorks. Projects include making a pencil sharpener, coke bottle, computer mouse, Lego figure, gamepad controller, and much more.
As this online course is hosted on Skillshare, new users can take advantage of the 1-month free trial (cancel anytime), which includes a thriving student community to get feedback on your work, on-demand video lessons, and access to 29,000+ other classes! Overall, a fantastic online course for SolidWorks beginners.
- Beginner level
- 11 ½ hours long
- Taught by a design engineer with 10+ years of experience
- Taught in SolidWorks 2018
- Free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium
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2. SolidWorks: Mold Design (LinkedIn Learning)
The spread of 3D modeling and SolidWorks has revamped the world of mold design. So, if you’re looking to learn how to use SolidWorks to design the best molds for your casting purposes, enroll in this online course! More than 25,000 students have already taken this popular course, and you could join them.
In this course, you will be instructed by Tam Black, a design consultant who is an expert in designing molds using SolidWorks and is a teacher at the Artisan’s Asylum in Somerville, Massachusetts, where she guides her students regarding building and crafting techniques.
In this beginner-level, 1 ¾ hours long course, students will learn everything about mold making using SolidWorks with topics including the type of materials and molds, how to design a mold, how the box is set up, how to design for 3D printing and CNC manufacturing, and much more.
Hosted on LinkedIn’s online learning platform LinkedIn Learning, this course comes with continuing education credits, downloadable resources, and a certificate of completion. You won’t want to miss this great online SolidWorks course to learn all the design tips and tricks you need!
- Beginner level
- 1 ¾ hours long
- Taught by expert design consultant
- Certificate of completion
- Free access for new LinkedIn users
3. SolidWorks Complete Training: Learn 3D Modeling (Skillshare)
Next on my list is a course that will take you from SolidWorks and product design outsider to a knowledgeable insider with the ability to model any creative idea that comes to mind. You will join over 350+ students in this online SolidWorks course which is particularly suited to mechanical engineers.
As for your instructor, Joseph Frayne, a design engineer with more than 10 years of experience using SolidWorks, will be teaching you in this course. Joseph is an expert in 3D modeling and enjoys working on developing ways to solve mechanical problems.
In this beginner-level course of almost 6 hours, students are taught a number of SolidWorks basics including part manipulation, changing units, making sketches, using solid features, measuring quantities, putting together assemblies, making annotations, and much more.
Hosted on Skillshare, the global online learning platform, this online course is a great introduction to SolidWorks! Skillshare also has over 29,000 other courses available, plus you get a 1-month free trial and can cancel anytime!
- Beginner level
- 5 ¾ hours long
- Taught by expert 3D CAD modeler
- 1-month free trial of Skillshare Premium
- Access to hundreds of other courses
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4. SolidWorks: Become a Certified Associate Today – CSWA (Udemy)
Are you wanting to become a Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA)? Consider enrolling in this fantastic online course to take you from SolidWorks beginner to expert!
As for your instructor, you will be taught by Tayseer Almattar, who has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from NC State University. Tayseer is the author of the book Learn SolidWorks 2020: A hands-on guide to becoming an accomplished SolidWorks Associate and Professional.
Throughout 4 ½ hours in this beginner-level course, students will follow a learn-as-you-do approach and get comfortable with sketching, using basic features like extrudes and lofts, exploring material and mass properties, making assemblies, and much more.
You can acquire full lifetime access to this course on a limited-time discount of 91%, and earn a certificate of completion at the end!
- Beginner level
- 4 ½ hours long
- Taught by the author of Learn SolidWorks 2020
- A limited-time discount of 91%
- Certificate of completion
5. SolidWorks 2020 Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning)
As the name suggests, this beginner-level course will bring you up to speed with all the essential skills needed to comfortably design products using SolidWorks 2020. This online SolidWorks course has been taken by almost 10,000 other students already, which is a testament to the quality it delivers.
In this course, you will be taught by Gabriel Corbett, a mechanical engineer by training who has been working as a product designer for more than 18 years. Gabriel has consulted for a number of startups and big organizations such as Panasonic and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Throughout 8 hours of learning, you will step through all the important skills required to start designing innovative products using SolidWorks 2020 including working with sketches, extrudes, lofts, sweeps, and surface features; using best practices to create assemblies, and much more.
With LinkedIn Learning, you can access this course for free if you are a new LinkedIn user, and you will receive a certificate of completion at the end to share with your network! Overall, an excellent course for beginners to learn fundamental SolidWorks design knowledge!
- Beginner level
- 7 ½ hours long
- Taught by product designer with 18+ years of experience
- Free access for new LinkedIn users
- Certificate of completion
6. SolidWorks Class 1: Interface and Navigation (Skillshare)
Next up on my list is a comprehensive online SolidWorks course featuring a 12-part series that dives deep into all of the important aspects of SolidWorks you need to know to become a master designer. You will join over 2,000 students who have already started their SolidWorks journey.
Instructors for this course will be provided by TforDesign, an organization that specializes in designing learning experiences and produces exceptional courses that are available to the public. TforDesign has also published a coursebook on SolidWorks titled Learn SolidWorks 2020.
Through 12 courses that are anywhere between 15 to 90 minutes, you will start out with learning how to navigate the SolidWorks interface and start making a part, before moving on to advanced topics like making complex assemblies, using design tables, and much more.
Currently, you can find this online course hosted on the global online learning platform, Skillshare. There are over 29,000 other courses available on the platform, plus you get a 1-month free trial as a new user! All in all, a great all-levels course for any stage of your SolidWorks journey!
- Beginner-to-advanced
- 12 courses that are between ¼ and 1 ½ hours long
- Taught by instructors from TforDesign
- Free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium
- Access to hundreds of other courses
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7. Getting Started With SolidWorks Hands-On – Learn By Doing (Udemy)
If you’re looking for a short course to get started with SolidWorks through plenty of hands-on practice, this beginner-level course would be a great fit for you! With an average rating of 4.7 stars, this bestselling online SolidWorks course has already seen over 16,000 students enroll and you could be one of them.
You will be taught in this course by instructors from New Horizon e-Learning Solutions, a company that has been developing quality courses for over 2 decades now. It has served 30,000+ students on Udemy and earned an instructor rating of 4.7 stars.
In this 2 hours long course, you will be introduced to the very basics of SolidWorks that will give you the confidence to pursue further learning. You will learn how to make sketches and use features like extrudes, lofts, and revolves to make assemblies, and much more.
Udemy is where you can access this SolidWorks class, a great online course platform that offers its students over 150,000 on-demand online courses from beginner to advanced level! Overall, a fantastic introduction to SolidWorks!
- Beginner level
- 2 hours long
- Developed by e-Learning company with 2 decades of experience
- Full lifetime access
- Limited-time discount of 81% off
- Certificate of completion
8. Introduction to SolidWorks (Pluralsight)
For those of you who are interested in using SolidWorks to further your engineering career aspirations, this beginner-level course offered could be the one for you! With an average rating of 4.6 stars, this highly-recommended online course starts your SolidWorks learning journey from scratch.
As for your instructor, Matt Morgan, a SolidWorks veteran with 20 years of experience, will be teaching you in this course. Matt has published 3 courses on Pluralsight that have earned him an average rating of 4.7 stars.
In this 2 ¼ hours long course, Matt will start from the very beginning – by running SolidWorks for the first time. He will show you how you should set up your designing environment and then go on to teach you how to make basic parts, drawings, dimensions, assemblies, and much more.
You can access this online SolidWorks course on PluralSight. After a free 10-day trial, all you need is one subscription plan to gain access to hundreds of high-quality courses! Overall, a fantastic introduction to SolidWorks!
- Beginner level
- 2 ¼ hours long
- Taught by SolidWorks veteran with 20 years of experience
- Free 10-day trial
- Access hundreds of other courses
9. SolidWorks: Sheet Metal Design (LinkedIn Learning)
One of the benefits of using SolidWorks is that it makes tasks like designing the right sheet metal parts a convenient and easy process. If you want to start using this important tool to improve your own designs and simplify your on-floor manufacturing, this online SolidWorks course is a great option for you!
Gabriel Corbett, who has an undergraduate-level degree in mechanical engineering, will be teaching you in this course. Gabriel has been working as a product designer for more than 18 years, and has manufactured parts for large corporations like Panasonic and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
During the 3 hours of learning in this intermediate-level course, you will go through a wide range of topics that include creating base features, tabs, flanges, corners, and cuts, using forming tools to make more complicated geometries, making multi-body parts, and much more.
You can access this course for free if you are a new LinkedIn user, and receive a certificate of completion at the end to share with your network! Overall, a brilliant course to dive into SolidWorks design software!
- Intermediate level
- 3 hours long
- Taught by product designer with 18 years of experience
- Free access for new LinkedIn users
- Certificate of completion
10. SolidWorks: Become a Certified Associate Today – CSWA (Udemy)
Rounding out my list of the best online SolidWorks courses is a highly-rated course that will teach you all the SolidWorks skills you need and certify you as a Certified SolidWorks Associate (CWSA). With an impressive average rating of 4.5 stars, this online class has been taken by over 3,300 students!
Your instructor for this course will be Tayseer Almattar, a mechanical engineer who received his training from the NC State University who also has a master’s degree in International Design. Tayseer has taught over 21,000 students on Udemy and earned a rating of 4.5 stars.
In this beginner-level 4 ½ hours SolidWorks course, you will complete the checklist of skills required to qualify the CSWA exam along with loads of hands-on practice, going through topics like sketches, extrudes, reference geometry, materials, properties, assemblies, drawings, and much more.
Students can find this course on the Udemy platform, which also has over 150,000 on-demand online courses available for all levels and provides a certificate of completion at the end. Head over to Udemy to enroll in this short course, one of the best online SolidWorks classes available on the platform!
To learn more about CAD, you can see my other posts on Revit, AutoCAD, and SketchUp.
- Beginner level
- 4 ½ hours long
- Taught by mechanical engineer with 4.5 star rating
- Full lifetime access
- Certificate of completion
- Limited-time discount of 86%
