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Free course · CAD

SOLIDWORKS 3D Modelling, Assemblies and Drawings

This free beginner course teaches mechanical CAD in SOLIDWORKS the way machine builders use it: sketching with relations, extrude, revolve, sweep and loft, fillets, shells and patterns, assemblies with mates, drawings with BOMs and balloons, and sheet metal with flat patterns. It suits UK mechanical design students, apprentices, technicians and engineers moving into CAD for machine building, fabrication and product design, and it helps with design and CAD technician roles.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
14
Video
34 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Sketch fully-defined profiles with relations, build parts with extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, fillet, shell, rib, draft, patterns and hole wizard, assemble parts with standard, advanced and mechanical mates, produce drawings with views, dimensions, GD&T, BOM and exploded views, design sheet metal with flat patterns, use configurations, equations and multi-body techniques, apply materials and mass properties, and import and export STEP and other files.

  • Set up SOLIDWORKS and sketch fully defined profiles
  • Build parts with extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, fillet, shell, rib and patterns
  • Assemble parts with standard, advanced and mechanical mates
  • Produce drawings with BOM, balloons and exploded views
  • Design sheet metal with flat patterns and bend tables
  • Use configurations, equations, materials and STEP exchange

Software

SOLIDWORKS (education, student or trial licence)

Hardware

None required.

Syllabus

14 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1Interface, Settings, Units, Planes and Sketch Basics7 lessons
  2. 2Sketching: Lines, Circles, Arcs, Splines and Relations9 lessons
  3. 3Extrude, Revolve and Cut9 lessons
  4. 4Sweep, Loft and Boundary10 lessons
  5. 5Fillet, Chamfer, Shell, Rib, Draft and Wrap9 lessons
  6. 6Patterns, Mirror, Hole Wizard and Threads11 lessons
  7. 7Practice Parts14 lessons
  8. 8Assemblies and Mates20 lessons
  9. 9Drawings, BOM and Exploded Views15 lessons
  10. 10Sheet Metal and Weldments19 lessons
  11. 11Advanced: Surfaces, Configurations, Equations and Multi-Body10 lessons
  12. 12Materials, Mass, Properties, Import, Export and Xpress Tools13 lessons
  13. 13Capstone: One Product from Part to Drawing7 lessons
  14. 14Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for SOLIDWORKS 3D Modelling, Assemblies and Drawings

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Jobs

Jobs this course can lead to

The skills in this course are used in mechanical design and CAD work, for example as a mechanical design engineer, a CAD technician and a design technician. No course can promise a job, and employers also look for experience, so read what live adverts ask for.

Pay: Mechanical engineers (SOC 2122) had a median of £52,527 a year, full-time, in April 2026. Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 (provisional). Checked 28 Oct 2026.

Questions

About this course

Last reviewed 28 October 2026.

Is SOLIDWORKS widely used by UK employers?
It is one of the common mechanical CAD packages in UK machine building, fabrication and product design, though employers also use Inventor, Creo and others. The modelling ideas transfer between them, so your skills stay useful if the software changes.
Do I need SOLIDWORKS to follow along?
To practise, yes: it is commercial software. Dassault Systèmes offers education and student options on its own terms, so check what is available to you. You can watch the lessons first to see whether the course suits you.
Is the certificate an official SOLIDWORKS certification?
No. It is a paid certificate of completion from EDWartens, £19 including VAT. Official SOLIDWORKS certifications are set by Dassault Systèmes, and this is not one. It is not a regulated qualification and CPD is not accredited.
SOLIDWORKS or SOLIDWORKS Electrical?
This is the mechanical modeller; SOLIDWORKS Electrical is the schematic tool and has its own course here.
Is SOLIDWORKS free?
Students and makers have low-cost and education options and there is a trial; the course needs nothing beyond the standard package.
Do I need AutoCAD first?
No. SOLIDWORKS sketching is taught from scratch in modules 1 and 2.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How long does the course take?
Plan on about 34 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the fourteen modules at your own speed.

Mechanical and product CAD

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Want a live class and career support?

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module
Engineers talking beside an automation test rig, one looking up and smiling