Inside SolidWorks 2003

13 chapters, 480 pages. Read the first 90 pages as an introduction to "what the software expects from the user." Then complete the design tutorial in chapter 4, 33 more pages. You actually need no more help from this point on...you'll get the hang of it by then. Use the remaining 9 chapters merely as reference as you rip through your design projects. The key to learning fast is to already have a pretty complicated design project that you have to complete when you sit down to learn SolidWorks.


I can only give it 5 stars? It deserves many more...   August 29, 2004
Sprout (Port Townsend, WA)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

I really don't get these reviews, and I honestly suspect theres some foul play involved because there is no way so many people can be so absolutely clueless.

This book couldn't be any more clear, concise and spot on. I just don't think I could say it any better than that. When starting Inside SolidWorks 2003, I had very little background in any CAD system. I had learned a little bit from SolidWorks' built-in tutorials, but they cover the very basics, and I kept getting stuck.

I decided it was time to look for a book. Inside SolidWorks 2003 was the first book I looked at on Amazon.com, but seeing the 2 1/2 stars, I felt uncomfortable spending $50 on it. So I went looking some more but didn't find any other books that really looked any better.

So I came back to Inside SolidWorks 2003 and read the reviews...and realized they didn't exactly add up. None of the reviews really had any reliable content, they were all written with the same 'attitude' (though not necessarily the same person), and the positive reviews completely contradicted what they were saying. They just didn't add up.

I figured, what the heck, I'll give it a shot. Many of the negetive reviews didn't appear legitimate to me... And boy do I know I was right.

Being extremely ready to jump right in, I had the book shipped Next Day Air and got it the next morning, took it home, and got reading. Even though I'd figured out a lot of stuff from just messing around with the software, the first 150 pages covered everything in good detail (without getting TOO detailed and complicating things), and while I had figured some of the initial content out already, I learned that I had missed numerous very helpful things...things that the book quickly taught me.

This is the best software book I've ever read, by far. I can't even begin to express how happy I am with it. I believe it would even be appropriate for people who don't have much computer experience at all, since the author covers some basic Windows GUI techniques that are built into SolidWorks.

Seriously, if you're looking for a book to get you up to speed on SolidWorks, this is probably the best book you could buy. I can't even begin to share all of the things I have learned in the past couple weeks.

Go read the negetive reviews for yourself, and see if they strike you as if something is amiss. I'm glad I came back and gave Inside SolidWorks 2003 a second chance.


The best CAD book I have ever read!   August 26, 2003
Robert (Loves Park, IL. United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

My background goes back to the drafting board. Since then, I have learned four CAD systems. Because of that, I have read many CAD instructional books and this is the best and most complete one that I have worked through.
When I decide to start into a book, I am expecting to get enough information from it to be proficient with the software. What I usually get is a "kindergarden" dose of instruction and have to find more books to take up the slack. This book actually covered so many features and in such a clear way that I have been compelled to write this review. How others in this section were able to be so critical, I cannot begin to guess. Other books such as "SolidWorks 2001 Tutrial", one with a higher four star rating, I found to be of the lesser quality I just mentioned. Hey, serious CAD users out here want a lot more information...we can handle it, trust me!
Some of the reviews here suggest that the book is full of errors but I did not find them to be significant and nothing that stopped me in my tracks.
The book is big and takes time to work through (three weeks if you are determined) but you will not be short changed by receiving "beginers only" information. The features touched on are many and could not be any clearer. If you have the capacity and desire and want good information on Solidworks, get this book.


Encyclopedic, readable   December 16, 2005
David Elliott (Marlborough, MA United States)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is THE big fat reference book. Every computer application needs one - and this is it for SolidWorks - updated to 2005 & a bit of 2006 (the current version). If you are just learning I recommend Planchard's Engineering Design with SolidWorks first. But if you are already familiar with the territory, Inside SolidWorks will provide the nitty gritty detail for functionality you didn't know existed, often cutting through corporate SolidWorks obfuscation. I'll read a paragraph and think, this guy digs through every detail of a command - like me. I have used the book extensively for years, basing much of the intro class I teach on it, assigned it as the text for my advanced class, and there remains much still to read. The only downside is that as a reference it has few examples. Thank you Thompson for updating it. By the way, the $47 price is below wholesale.


Great book for Beginners and Advanced users   February 17, 2010
Loeb (Seattle, WA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a very comprehensive book which focuses on showing you how to accomplish common AND advanced tasks in SolidWorks. It goes into great detail how to use most of the features SolidWorks has to offer. I am an expert user of 10 years and still use it as a reference when I need to research a modelling task I have not yet performed or have forgotten in SolidWorks.

If you are new to CAD, you might want to start with a thinner book. If you are familiar with CAD and parametric modelling, this book makes a great immersion course or advanced reference.

This 4th edition was written for the release of SolidWorks 2006. It is still very valuable for newer versions (we are now on version 2010). It does lack reference to the features that have been added since 2006, but that's what the SolidWorks Help is for. This does not detract from the value of the book.

If you are looking for a text that covers Add-Ins for Solidworks such an Animator, PhotoView360 (previously PhotoWorks), PDM Works, CosmoWorks/Simulation, etc, look elsewhere, and good luck.