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SolidWorks is CAD software that includes drawing tools as well as data management tools. The Simulation feature allows you to test your newly drawn designs or products in real-world settings. The basic drawing tools in SolidWorks work like most other CAD software programs, so if you have experience in drafting software, you will have no problem mastering SolidWorks' tools. A few tricks may come in handy.

Customize Toolbars

Create and use shortcuts in SolidWorks to customize your tools and to tailor the program for your own uses. To customize your toolbars, bring up the toolbar you would like to customize. Toolbars that can be customized in SolidWorks include the Parts, Assemblies, Drawings and Sketches bars. Right click the bar and click "Customize..." When the Customize screen comes up, click the "Commands" tab and scroll to the command you would like to add to the toolbar under the Categories section. Locate the corresponding button for the command under the "Buttons" section. When you click the button, a description will come up so you can verify that you have made the right selection. Drag the button to the toolbar and drop it. The button will be added to the toolbar. You can resize the toolbar if you need more space to add buttons. Hover over the edge of the bar until your cursor changes to a two-sided arrow and pull the side to change the size of the bar. You can also remove tools by dragging them off the bar and back into the Customize box.

Using 3-D Rulers

When you are drawing in three dimensions, 3-D rulers can be helpful to line your objects up perfectly. The 3-D rulers will appear pointing both up and down and from side to side in the image. When you are resizing objects by using the grips on the sides, if you move your cursor over the ruler, the ruler will become active and when you let go of the edge of the object at a certain point on the ruler, the edge of the object will snap to exactly that point.

Protect Your Designs

To keep your SolidWorks drawings protected while being displayed on the Internet or in other promotional material, you can add a watermark over the image. Watermarks are see-through and are designed to be just visible enough to deter theft. SolidWorks does not have a watermark tool, but there are still ways to incorporate this security device. To embed a watermark from Word, open the image you would like to watermark in SolidWorks and right click it. Choose "Edit Sheet Format" from the menu. When the dialog box opens, select "Object" from the Insert menu. This will bring up the Insert Object window. Beneath Object Type, select "Microsoft Word Picture" and click "OK." In Word, pull down the "Format" menu and select "Background -- Printed Watermark." Select "Text Watermark" and select the text you want from the Text drop-down menu. Click "OK." The watermark will be pulled into your drawing in SolidWorks. Once it has appeared, you can drag the watermark to any spot on your image.

Solidworks is a widely used 3-D modeler that employs a simple-to-use, intuitive interface that allows user to quickly take a basic idea for a model and develop it fully. There are several interrelated functions in Solidworks that you need to understand to produce your own models in it.

Part

"Part" is the function in Solidworks in which you create the basic shape of the overall object you will be working on. With Solidworks open, select "New," then "Part" and click "OK." Now click on the "Top Plane" and select "Sketch." Use the tool to draw the basic shape of your object on the ground plane. The result is a 2-D outline. To turn your outline into a 3-D object, Select "Features," then "Extruded" and click "Boss/Base." Set the dimension to what you want the height to be.

Sketch

Once you have the basic 3-D shape created, you need to start adding details. This is done using the "Sketch" function. Select the face that you want to work on. Then select the "Sketch" tool and chose the "Rectangle." Use this to draw a shape onto the surface of the face you picked. Now select the inner shape you just made. You can now modify this shape. Select "Features" and chose the modification you want, such as "Extruded Cut." Then in the dialog select "Through All" and a whole will be cut through the main object. Extruded cut is essentially Solidworks boolean function.

Assembly

One of the main points of Solidworks is to create various small parts separately and then to bring them together into a larger, more complex model. This is where the "Assembly" function comes in. When you have created a group of parts that need to be brought together, click on "Insert Components" and bring all the parts into the assembly workspace. To assemble two parts, select "Mate," then select the the faces on the two parts you want to bring together. This will roughly align the to parts where you want them. You can then refine this by moving the parts position. And that's it. Just export your model in one of the available formats.

Solidworks is a computer-aided design (CAD) software program. Solidworks can create three-dimensional parametric solid models. It uses parametric relationships to define surfaces, defining curves and surfaces based on equations or a distance from the center of the object. Solidworks parametric models can resize the entire model if a major surface or dimension is changed. Solidworks can create models that can be imported into finite element analysis software for testing or animation software to visualize how the item will look or function.

Planning Ahead

Plan the dimensions to be used on the three-dimensional model to show those dimensions necessary in a two-dimensional drawing. Solidworks three- dimensional models can be sliced with those slices rendered as two-dimensional drawings when printed or shown in a thumbnail two-D view. Dimensions on the Solidworks model and references are then transferred to the two-dimensional drawing slice. This avoids extra work of adding the original dimensions and then adding more dimensions to fit the drawing's views.

Create relationships between surfaces before creating dimensions. This allows the dimensions to automatically resize as surfaces are changed in the model. Create dimensions based on surface edges of an object instead of a point or a corner. This allows the dimension to remain unchanged if the point is changed, such as after adding rounded bevel edges.

Built-In Tools

Click on the "Smart Dimension" icon to use smart dimensioning. This allows dimensions to be created automatically after clicking on two surfaces or edges. Use the DimXpert when dimensioning models to meet AMSE Y 14.41-2003 that defines geometric tolerance modifiers. The DimXpert tool is a built-in dimensioning help tool in Solidworks 2008 and later editions. Use the Instant3D tool to resize the model via dragging the dimensions. This allows the model to be resized automatically as a single dimension is changed. Use the Spin box of the "Modify" dialog box to increment the dimension by specific amounts or percentages. This avoids the uncertainty of changing dimensions by dragging one of the dimension edges.

When Creating 2D Sketches First

Add all defined dimensions on the two-dimensional sketch before extruding it into a three-dimensional model. The dimensions added to the two-dimensional sketch will then carry over to the three-dimensional model and any other drawing slices created. Remember that two-dimensional drawings are linked to the three-dimensional model. Changing a dimension in the two-dimensional sketch also changes the three-dimensional model.

Solidworks is a 3D CAD program used for mechanical design work. Knowing how to use Solidworks can be very helpful when applying for engineering, design and drafting jobs. Some colleges and universities offer courses in Solidworks, but there are resources that can help you learn to use the software on your own.

Solidworks Tutorials

A convenient place to start learning to use Solidworks is through the tutorials built into Solidworks itself. Open Solidworks, click on the "Solidworks Resources" tab on the right side of the screen, and then click on "Tutorials." There are tutorials covering basic part modeling, assemblies and other important features of Solidworks.

Solidworks Website

If you are having trouble using a Solidworks command, you can look it up on the Solidworks Online Help page to get a description of how it works. The Solidworks site also has a discussion forum that offers answers to questions you may have on how to use Solidworks features.

Other Websites

There are a number of other websites offering information on using Solidworks, covering topics from basic part and assembly creation to advanced modeling techniques. There are even Youtube videos that will show you various tasks in Solidworks step by step.

Books

Most major bookstores offer a number of books about Solidworks written for people who want to learn to use the software. A reliable and accurate Solidworks book can be very helpful to have, as it will explain how the features of Solidworks operate in far greater detail than any website.

In the 1950's, car designers drew their designs by hand. In the 21st century, computer applications like SolidWorks put the design team and the manufacturing team on the same page with clear, tested designs and specs that can be transferred digitally from department to department.

SolidWorks Design Software

With the SolidWorks design software application, you can create car models out of 2-D drawings and turning them into 3-D parts. Build a car one element at a time. Learn to test custom shapes and patterns based on sheet-metal capabilities. Learn to move from the design phase of the project into manufacturing a prototype.

Learning the Program

The video tutorial will show you how to navigate the command manager after starting a SolidWorks session. You will learn how to specific dimensions and set units for SolidWorks documents. Creating 2-D sketches will become easier for you once you've learn to use the sketch plane feature. Then you'll learn to modify the specifications to create 3-D models.

Where to Find Resources

On the application creator's website, video tutorials are available to build parts, chassis, advanced assembly and comprehensive use of the SolidWorks software. There are also white papers and industry studies to download in PDF version to accompany your video learning experience. Several other companies produce video tutorials for SolidWorks such as CATIA and Solid Professor.

If you are running a small business or have a lot of copying and printing needs at home, you may want to invest in a copier machine. Sharp has been manufacturing electronic devices for decades including digital copiers. If you are interested in extensive photocopying, and find it more cost-effective to buy your own device, you may want to consider a Sharp digital copier.

Copy Features

Sharp digital copiers have a variety of copy features including the ability to perform continuous copies, copy up to 20 pages per minute and zoom anywhere from 25 to 400 percent. Sharp digital copiers also have a copying gradation of 256 scan levels and a stationery platen design.

Connectivity

Sharp digital copiers are compatible with several operating systems including Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. The copiers can connect to your computer using the built-in USB port on your computer.

Copy Size

Sharp digital copiers can copy anywhere from 8.5 inches by 14 inches to 3.5 inches to 5.5 inches and allow for a maximum original size of 8.5 inches by 14 inches.

Other Features

Sharp digital copiers include 18 rapid dial keys for quick-copy functions; 30-second warm up time; AL-110TD toner, which provides up to 4,000 letter-size copies; a one-year limited warranty; and printer functions that allow for up to 16 prints per minute and a resolution of 600 dots per inch. The printer weighs 37.9 pounds.

Standard low res file sizes refer to the resolution of files that are posted on the Internet. Resolution tells how many pixels per square inch are in an image. Images on the web have a standard resolution of 72 pixels per inch (ppi). Most of the time ppi is referred erroneously to dpi (dots per inch). They are not the same. dpi refers to printing using an ink jet printer. Nevertheless, you will see 72 dpi as the standard low res photo size in the Internet, and that is what will be used here.

File Types

There are different types of image files. The most common types of files with low res image sizes are JPG and TIFF. You will see the file type at the end of the file name of an image. For example if you name an image "bigrocks" and it is a JPG, the file name will appear as "bigrocks.jpg." Conversely if it is a TIFF file, the name would be "bigrocks.tif."

Compression of Files

TIFF and JPG files are compressed to make them smaller to send by email or upload or download onto the Internet. Each file is compressed differently. You also have the option to leave TIFF photos uncompressed, but you don't have that option with JPG files. JPG files are compressed into much smaller photo sizes than TIFF files are. TIFF files are much bigger than JPG files so they aren't used much on the Internet because they take up a lot of the computer's memory.

File Size Verses Image Resolution

File size and image resolution are different. The resolution of images on the Internet has a standard; however, the file sizes vary. Photos are measured by using tiny squares called pixels (px). The wider the photo is on the monitor, the more pixels the width will have, and the taller the photo, the more pixels the height will have. When you see file size measurements, say on Google Images, they look like multiplication problems. The first number will be the width in pixels of the image and the second number will be the height. For example, a thumbnail (size of a thumbnail) image is about 10 X 10, whereas a large image would be about 400 X 400.

Measurments in Bytes

File sizes are also measured in a unit called "bytes." Standard low res images on the Internet (images that are 72 dpi) are at least 1000 bytes or 1 kilobyte (kb). If they were any smaller, they would look like a dot on your monitor. Low res images on the Internet are usually between 10 and 200 kb.

Traced to Paleolithic times, seashells were likely the first spoons used for dining. For convenience, handles made from wood or bone were added to the shells. Later, spoons were made from carved wood, ivory or slate and, eventually, bronze, pewter, gold and silver. The word spoon is derived from the Old English word for splinter or chip. Dessertspoons were not introduced to place settings until more recent times.

Early Spoons

Spoons come in several sizes depending on their use.

Two early spoons used by the Romans in the first century were the ligula, used for soups and soft foods, and the cochleare, a smaller spoon used for eating shellfish and eggs.

Dessertspoon Size

In size, a dessertspoon is between a teaspoon and a tablespoon.

A dessertspoon -- of intermediate size -- equals the measure of 2 teaspoons.

The dessertspoon is one of the many spoons placed on a formal table.

The dessertspoon is one of 100 flatware pieces that can be used on a formal table. The five basic place setting pieces -- two spoons, two forks and a knife -- do not include the dessertspoon.

Formal Place Setting

Informal place settings do not use a dessertspoon. In formal place settings, however, the dessertspoon is placed above the dessert fork, with the handle pointing to the right. The dessert fork is placed an inch above the plate with the handle pointing to the left. Alternatively, the dessertspoon can be brought to the table when the dessert is served.

Photo is a program that lets you view, edit, organize and share photos you have taken with any digital camera, including the iPhone and iPad 2. The software supports three major file types, which include JPEG, TIFF and RAW. Other picture formats work with iPhoto, but they are not fully supported, meaning you could experience technical issues with viewing, editing or sharing unsupported file types.

JPEG

The JPEG image format is fully supported in Apple iPhoto. It is a common file type for editing and distributing digital photos between computers and via the Web. JPEG uses lossy compression, which discards some data in favor of compressing the image to a smaller size. The file format shrinks an image by 5 percent of its original size.

TIFF

The TIFF file format is a bitmapped image originally developed in 1986 by Aldus. Adobe now owns the rights to the TIFF format and technology. Image files in this format are predominantly large. With the large file size comes a higher quality photo, so it makes a good format to work with when you need high-resolution photos.

RAW

RAW files store a digital camera's system data and settings in a format that represents a truer image of what was photographed. For example, the file type can store up to 16,384 brightness levels, which are often times later transferred to a lower-quality format that contains only 256 brightness levels. Many professional photographers using digital cameras prefer to work with the RAW file type, because of its high-quality and wide spectrum of brightness levels.

Unsupported Formats

Apple iPhoto works with many other file types, but they are not fully supported. This means the photos will usually load properly, but there could be issues on how the image is processed and displayed. Some of the other known file types for iPhoto include PNG, GIF and BMP. File types that are not supported at all include Adobe PDF and PSD files.

Canon released the PowerShot A470 digital camera in early 2008. The camera features a 3.4X retractable optical zoom lens and a 7.1-megapixel sensor. The A470 fits into the budget or beginner category of cameras, according to tech review site CNET, which in March 2008 described the camera as inexpensive and fast. The A470 still has lots of options, however, though not as many as a mid-range Canon camera.

Mode Dial

On the back of the A470 you'll find the mode selection dial. This dial gives you a choice between four different shooting modes and the review mode, from which you can watch your videos and look at the pictures you've taken. When the camera is on, spin this dial to enter automatic mode (indicated by the camera icon), manual mode (the camera with the "M" next to it), video mode (the video camera icon) or scene selection mode (SCN).

Photo Sizes

In any of the three photo modes, you can change the options to change the size of the image being recorded. The A470 records images at six different resolutions, from 640 by 480 pixels at the lowest up to 3,072 by 2,304 pixels at the largest. The number of photos you can record on a single memory card depends on the capacity of the card and the resolution you set in the recording options. To access the resolution options, press the "Func./Set" button in a shooting mode and then press the up and down arrow to highlight the resolution you wish to change to.

Zoom Options

The camera's built-in optical zoom may not always be enough for you, but the A470 has a digital magnification option that you can use in conjunction with the optical zoom. On any shooting mode, press the "Menu" button and then the down arrow on the control pad until you see "Digital Zoom." Hit right or left to change the digital magnification and "Menu" again to save your options. Additionally, you can toggle between macro (super close-up) or infinity (super telephoto) modes without entering the menu. Click the left arrow key to engage macro mode or the right arrow key to start shooting in super telephoto mode.

Scene Selection

Beyond the automatic and manual shooting modes, the PowerShot A470 offers a range of scene selection modes. On any of these modes, the A470 adjusts its settings to match the type of scene you're shooting. Choose from portrait, night snapshot, kids and pets, indoor, sunset, foliage, snow, beach, fireworks or aquarium to have the camera adjust for typical light levels in these situations. Scene modes aren't foolproof but should help you get better shots in tricky conditions.

The Nikon D3X represents Nikon's top of the line professional DSLR camera as of time of publication. The D3X offers users a 24.5 megapixel CMOS sensor and provides selectable bit depths of 12-bit or 14-bit. Depending on the bit depth selected the camera yields either 4,096 tones (in 12-bit mode) or 16,384 tones (in 14-bit mode). The D3X produces multiple image sizes based on the image quality settings selected by the user.

FX Format Images

The D3X is a full frame sensor DSLR camera. In other words the sensor size is equivalent to a full frame of 35 mm film. The sensor measures 35.9 mm wide and 24 mm high. The D3X also offers a 5:4 ratio shooting mode and a DX shooting mode. When used in the FX or full frame shooting mode the D3X produces large image sizes of 6,048 pixels wide and 4,032 pixels high. In medium mode the camera produces images 4,544 pixels wide and 3,024 pixels high and in small mode the D3X produces images 3,024 pixels wide and 2,016 pixels high.

DX Format Images

When used in DX format mode, the D3X mimics the sensor size of Nikon's smaller compact sensor cameras. Nikon's compact sensor cameras typically have a sensor size of 24 mm wide and 16 mm high. Image sizes from the D3X when used in DX mode are 3,968 pixels wide and 2,640 pixels high in large mode, 2,976 pixels wide and 1,976 pixels high in medium mode and 1,984 pixels wide and 1,320 pixels high in small mode.

5:4 Ratio Images

The 5:4 aspect ratio delivers images that fit the standard aspect ratio of printed image sizes such as 8 inches by 10 inches, 16 inches by 20 inches and 24 inches by 30 inches. Images shot using the 5:4 aspect ratio use a smaller portion of the full size sensor. The 5:4 aspect ratio uses an area 30 mm wide and 24 mm high of the D3X's full size sensor. Images recorded in the 5:4 aspect ratio come in three sizes: large images measure 5,056 pixels wide and 4,032 pixels high; medium images measure 3,792 pixels wide and 3,024 pixels high; and small images measure 2,528 pixels wide and 2,016 pixels high.

RAW vs. JPEG

In the Nikon D3X image size selections only relate to images photographed in non-RAW format. Images photographed in the camera's proprietary RAW format called NEF always render using the camera's largest image size available. The D3x can capture images in RAW format, JPEG format, TIFF format and RAW plus JPEG simultaneously.

The ideal image size for HTML pages varies based on a number of factors, including the upload speed of your Internet connection and download speeds of the Internet connections of visitors to your website, the size and quality of the original image, the intended use for the picture and the number of images per page.

Connection Speeds

Most Internet connections won't have a problem with uploading images, but dial-up, satellite, or other slow-upload connections may be unreasonably slow uploading images that are more than 100 kilobytes.

Original Image Size/Quality

Even a 1- or 2-megapixel image is too large to fit on most computer monitors. Most pictures should be scaled down to a resolution of less than 640x480 pixels and less than 250 kilobytes.

Intent of Use

If the image needs to be very large, with its high detail playing a factor in how the site's visitors use it, its pixel count shouldn't be reduced as much. It may still need to be reduced slightly, but will probably end up with a resolution that falls between 640x480 and 1280x1024 pixels--most people won't have monitor resolutions higher than that. File sizes could reach as much as 1 megabyte.

Number of Images

For a page with multiple images, such as a gallery, the best format is to show a thumbnail-sized image that links to a larger-sized image.

JPG

For HTML pages, images should always be converted to .jpg extensions because .jpg files offer the highest file size compression of all image formats. The exception to this rule is when the image will be used for printing or detailed viewing on larger monitors because converting a file to .jpg permanently reduces image quality.

Megabytes and megapixels may both start with the same letters and may both be related to computer technology, but they are very different in meaning. Megabytes refers to an amount of virtual space while megapixels refers to digital image size and display.

About Megabytes

Megabytes is a multiple for the common computer term "byte" which denotes computer memory or storage capacities. A megabyte is specifically denoted as 1 million bytes when based on computer storage and 1,048,576 bytes when in terms of computer memory. You can commonly see kilobytes (KB) and megabytes (MB) in common computer use, denoting the size of files.

About Megapixels

Megapixels are also a multiple of the term "pixel," which denotes the size of the smallest point on a digital image. Pixels are arranged on a digital image in a coordinate plane, meaning that the size of images can be denoted in amount of pixels rather than say inches or millimeters. A megapixel is, accordingly, about 1 million pixels. Megapixels specifically have a separate meaning when in reference to digital size, commonly denoting the number of image sensor units on a digital camera or the number of display elements on a digital display. This separate definition is still based on a megapixel being 1 million pixels.

Pixel and Byte Differences

While both pixels and bytes can refer to sizes of digital objects, they both have separate specific areas to measure. Bytes commonly measure file size in digital objects, while pixels measure size in terms of length and width in both digital images, sensors and displays.

The size of image files on your computer will directly impact how much space on the hard drive they require, with higher-resolution images requiring more hard drive "real-estate" to fit on the computer. Adjusting the image size of a file can help you to ensure that the picture is tailored to the resolution of your display and to the capacity of your hard drive.

Step 1

Click "Start" and select "Programs."

Step 2

Click "Accessories" and open "Paint."

Step 3

Select "File," click "Open," and double-click the image file to be adjusted.

Step 4

Click "Image," choose "Attributes," and enter the new size in the "Height" and "Width" fields. Press "OK" to apply changes.

Step 5

Click "File" and select "Save" to save the image with the new image size.