What version of Solidworks do we get access to?

[Jimmer12]

Hi everyone, I'm new here, my name is Jim. I'm a mechanical engineering technologist, and tool and die maker. I'm considering getting an EAA membership primarily for access to Solidworks for home projects. I cant seem to get a concise answer about what version of Solidworks educational is offered to EAA members. I've seen it listed as both student standard, and student premium on the same web page. Could someone who recently acquired it please let me know what version they got, so I can look up the included features?

I'm also curious what restrictions are placed on the software? Can you export in other file types, parasolid for example. What about CAM? can you create and post usable CNC programs?

thanks in advance
Jim

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[North_roll]

I just upgraded my Solidworks from the EAA site.....to the most recent version...mine says 2020 educational version...I'm not near my computer..it might say 2020-2021

im new to solid works so that's about as much information as I can offer...

[Jimmer12]

I just upgraded my Solidworks from the EAA site.....to the most recent version...mine says 2020 educational version...I'm not near my computer..it might say 2020-2021

im new to solid works so that's about as much information as I can offer...thanks I appreciate that. If possible could you look under the about tab in solidworks and see if it states exactly which version it is? There look to be a few different levels of educational versions on the solidworks website.

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[rwanttaja]

8504

Ron Wanttaja

[Jimmer12]

8504

Ron WanttajaThanks Ron, can you tell me if it allows you to export as neutral file formats like .stp or .iges? Also, can you program and post CNC files with the CAM module?

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[rwanttaja]

Thanks Ron, can you tell me if it allows you to export as neutral file formats like .stp or .iges? Also, can you program and post CNC files with the CAM module?

I found a STEP file on my computer, and it loaded it normally. Don't have any .iges files, but .iges is one of the options for the "open" function.

With that, I've reached the limit of my Solidworks abilities, so can't help with the CNC/CAM questions.

Ron Wanttaja

[Jimmer12]

I found a STEP file on my computer, and it loaded it normally. Don't have any .iges files, but .iges is one of the options for the "open" function.

With that, I've reached the limit of my Solidworks abilities, so can't help with the CNC/CAM questions.

Ron Wanttajathanks, i appreciate it.

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[2ndsegment]

Loading a file is not the same as exporting it. I'm a writer (author) not a reader. Make something simple then try to export it as all the types. My 2013 version won't let me export things I have imported as STL's or .obj's. I can easily export things I actually built from scratch as Solidworks .prt's and .asm's though they are not 2-D and the 2-D kind of AutoCAD files object unless I first section and create drawings. I am cautious about publishing anything that might be used in a real physical object where I have not first subjected it to rigorous stress analysis and chosen materials. Right now the only thing I have really wrung out is a 2-4-2 steam locomotive where I learned about boiler stays and balancing axle loads in tandem for non-divergent response to bumps. I would love to see a monocoque or semi-monococque structure I could open in Solidworks. W.K. Northrup is one of my heroes. ????? anyone?

[Jimmer12]

Loading a file is not the same as exporting it. I'm a writer (author) not a reader. Make something simple then try to export it as all the types. My 2013 version won't let me export things I have imported as STL's or .obj's. I can easily export things I actually built from scratch as Solidworks .prt's and .asm's though they are not 2-D and the 2-D kind of AutoCAD files object unless I first section and create drawings. I am cautious about publishing anything that might be used in a real physical object where I have not first subjected it to rigorous stress analysis and chosen materials. Right now the only thing I have really wrung out is a 2-4-2 steam locomotive where I learned about boiler stays and balancing axle loads in tandem for non-divergent response to bumps. I would love to see a monocoque or semi-monococque structure I could open in Solidworks. W.K. Northrup is one of my heroes. ????? anyone?yeah thats really what I'm looking for, if i can export in a neutral format to send to a machine shop for manufacturing. Not all CAM software can open native solidworks files.

As for the sample of a monocoque structure, have you tried searching grabcad to see if there is anything?

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[2ndsegment]

There is nothing I found on GrabCAD that is useful as instructive in the design of an airplane. As an aside, have you seen the astonishment at finding rubble in the walls of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and also the Los Angeles City Hall. They both decided it was a cheat and tried to fill it with something solid, not too many years ago. Now for us would be designers there is "Analysis of Aircraft Structures An Introduction" by Donaldson published by McGrawHill copyright 1993 With this broader view I tried "aircraft structure" as a search term. I will let you make your own decisions about looking at the files or even downloading them. My own view is none are as good in computer form as what is in the homebuilder's section here on this forum for real world activity. For instance are all of the longerons connected to every frame? Look at some of the Van's designs being built. The longerons stiffen the skins but there is not a grid frame work of the various elements. Look at some pictures of pressurized aircraft to see what is used around windows to prevent rips and cracks. And to see what was sitting on my desk in 1977 go look up the BE-10 jet made of honeycomb. I had the Stressskin manual in titanium and stainless steel diffusion bonded honeycomb. I did try looking for a FlyBaby on GrabCAD before I made these posts. I found a Mystic Baby. So I'm going to impose a new found technology limit on my looking and demand it at least recognize the man powered aircraft flown by bicycle racers and the Deanna Yeagar and Scaled Composites Brother Rutan flight around the world unrefueled with GA kind of power.

[Jeffrey Meyer]

I'll try to throw a little more light on what's been posted on this thread as far as exporting/importing is concerned:
1. The "Student" editions of SW usually lag behind the commercial version by about a year, even though they may be called the same year. The EAA version is no exception.
2. The Student versions of SW are fully functional and they can export and import CAD files to/from most other CAD systems. That includes CAM G-code for CNC machines.
3. It is extremely important to realize that the student versions are strictly for educational purposes. You cannot use your EAA SW for any commercial purposes, and the commercial software is clever enough to know if you imported a file from the student version.
4. That said, there are (among others) two widely used international standard protocols for transferring data to/from other CAD systems - IGES, and STEP. SW can read and write both. IGES is somewhat older than STEP and I would recommend the latter.
5. There are two other commonly used protocols - DXF and Parasolid (file extension .x_t). Both of these are de facto standards because they are very commonly used. Most CNC shops will accept these formats, as well as IGES and STEP. I call them de facto standards because they are (unlike IGES and STEP) proprietary protocols belonging to AutoDesk and Parasolid respectively. DXF is primarily 2D (good for laser or water-jet cutting).
6. Unless you have your own CNC machine, I would not recommend trying to export G-Code to your manufacturer. Much better to send STEP or .x_t files and let them generate their own g-code to suit their particular machines and tooling. If your shop can't use your STEP or .x_t files then it's probably not a good idea to use their services in the first place.
7. STL format: This comes from the rapid prototyping world (read "3D Printing"). STL is extremely primitive, and as such I would not recommend it as a means of transferring geometry between CAD systems. Basically, all it does is break ALL the geometry down into a huge number of triangles - nothing else, only triangles.
8. Hope this helps.
Jeffrey

[2ndsegment]

I just opened my copy of "Sport Aviation" and it has all the Add ins in Figure 1 of the article beginning on page 20. It says SOLIDWORKS Education Premium as the title on page 20. In my world the boss said "use it or lose it" and "what if". I went off on my own with "Do it or see it done" and "Where's yours?" Now if only we had a educator's copy of DAR's GaCAD to do performance and could merge those not in a game but in a design.

[Jimmer12]

I'll try to throw a little more light on what's been posted on this thread as far as exporting/importing is concerned:
1. The "Student" editions of SW usually lag behind the commercial version by about a year, even though they may be called the same year. The EAA version is no exception.
2. The Student versions of SW are fully functional and they can export and import CAD files to/from most other CAD systems. That includes CAM G-code for CNC machines.
3. It is extremely important to realize that the student versions are strictly for educational purposes. You cannot use your EAA SW for any commercial purposes, and the commercial software is clever enough to know if you imported a file from the student version.
4. That said, there are (among others) two widely used international standard protocols for transferring data to/from other CAD systems - IGES, and STEP. SW can read and write both. IGES is somewhat older than STEP and I would recommend the latter.
5. There are two other commonly used protocols - DXF and Parasolid (file extension .x_t). Both of these are de facto standards because they are very commonly used. Most CNC shops will accept these formats, as well as IGES and STEP. I call them de facto standards because they are (unlike IGES and STEP) proprietary protocols belonging to AutoDesk and Parasolid respectively. DXF is primarily 2D (good for laser or water-jet cutting).
6. Unless you have your own CNC machine, I would not recommend trying to export G-Code to your manufacturer. Much better to send STEP or .x_t files and let them generate their own g-code to suit their particular machines and tooling. If your shop can't use your STEP or .x_t files then it's probably not a good idea to use their services in the first place.
7. STL format: This comes from the rapid prototyping world (read "3D Printing"). STL is extremely primitive, and as such I would not recommend it as a means of transferring geometry between CAD systems. Basically, all it does is break ALL the geometry down into a huge number of triangles - nothing else, only triangles.
8. Hope this helps.
JeffreyThanks Jeffrey, I appreciate the information. I read somewhere that the student versions of SW couldn't export anything other than native SW files, which would kind of suck.

A bit about me, I started using SW with release 2000 or 2001 and have been using it steadily in a professional setting since then, ranging anywhere from sitting at a workstation 40 hours a week modeling items, to just using it to verify parts that were being machined.

In the past I've had pirated copies of SW and Mastercam on my home PCs, and never felt bad about it since it was only used for personal projects and never commercial, and several times I would speak to our SW retailer at work about some form of hobbyist license and was always told no option for that. I got tired of using pirated versions since quite often they didn't work the way they should, and I finally abandoned that a few years ago and started using Fusion 360 for personal stuff, and while it's good for a free program, it's not Solidworks! So I was quite excited when I heard about the EAA program to get a legit copy for personal use.

As for the CAM aspect, I am a Tool and Die maker and have formal programming training in both Mastercam and Powermill, and taught myself in Fusion 360, so the programming side it of I'll either do myself within solidworks, or export to an .Iges or Parasolid format and program it at work.

One more question perhaps you can answer for me. Does the copy we get access to VIA the EAA give you access to Solidworks PDM? Thats the one thing I've always wanted on my home setup, so I can manage my files and revisions much easier.

thanks again

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