Introduction to solid modeling using SolidWorks 2011

"Introduction to Solid Modeling Using SolidWorks® 2011 presents "keystroke-level" tutorials, providing users new to the SolidWorks® program with all the detail they need to become confident using the software. Topics are illustrated and infused with examples from the real world such as flanges, brackets, helical springs, and more. Additionally, this easy-to-use guide has modular chapters, allowing for flexible organization of a course or self-study.Accessible and updated for the newest version of software, Introduction to Solid Modeling Using SolidWorks® 2011 by Howard and Musto relates solid modeling exercises to engineering concepts in a way that introduces the engineering design process while simultaneously building student proficiency with a state-of-the-art software tool"-- "P R E F A C E ix As design engineers and engineering professors, the authors have witnessed incredible changes in the way that products are designed and manufactured. One of the biggest changes over the past 20 years has been the development and widespread usage of solid modeling software. When we first saw solid modeling, it was used only by large companies. The cost of the software and the powerful computer workstations required to run it, along with the complexity of using the software, limited its use. As the cost of computing hardware dropped, solid modeling software was developed for personal computers. In 1995, the SolidWorks Corporation released SolidWorksʼ95, the first solid modeling program written for the Microsoft Windows operating system. Since then, the use of solid modeling has become an indispensable tool for almost any company, large or small, that designs a product"--