Best SolidWorks courses

SolidWorks is one of the most widely used 3D CAD tools in mechanical engineering and product design.

If you work in manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, or consumer product development, there is a good chance the parts around you were designed in SolidWorks at some point.

However, when it comes to SOLIDWORKS, things can get a bit tricky.

The internet is full of options, with tons of courses. Some of these are genuinely good, and some of these are outdated tutorials dressed up to look like structured courses.

After going through what is currently available and looking at the course structure, instructor credibility, practical content, and value for money, we have put together a list of six SolidWorks courses that are actually worth your time.

This list covers free and paid options across different platforms, so there should be something here regardless of your budget or experience level.

Let’s dive in.

What Should a Good SolidWorks Course Have?

Before getting into the list, it is worth talking briefly about what actually makes a SolidWorks course worth taking, because not all courses are created equally.

● A structured learning Path The course should move logically from interface, navigation, and basic sketching through to 3D part modelling, assemblies, and then drawings.

If it jumps directly to advanced features without a solid foundation, the course is a recipe for confusion.

● Project-based learning This ensures that you are not just watching someone click buttons.

Building real parts yourself is the only way that SolidWorks concepts actually can stick.

● Instructor support 

There should be someone to go somewhere when you get stuck in a course.

An active Q&A forum or direct instructor access makes a real difference to your learning, especially when you are in the early stages.

● Alignment with CSWA certification 

The course should align with the certified SOLIDWORKS Associate exam if you are planning to sit for the exam.

Not every beginner course prepares you for it, so it is worth knowing upfront which ones do.

● Regular updates

A course recorded years ago and never updated may leave you looking at an interface that does not quite match what is on your screen.

The Six Best SolidWorks Courses Online

With those criteria in mind, here are the six best SolidWorks courses online right now.

1. SourceCAD’s SolidWorks Essentials Course for Complete Beginners (FREE)

We might be a little biased here, but this is probably the best free SolidWorks course out there on the internet.

Price: Free

Level: Beginner

Includes: Project-based lessons, quizzes, practice exercises, and instructor community support

What Makes It Different

If you have never opened SolidWorks before and want a free, structured place to start, this is the one to go with.

The SourceCAD Essentials course is built specifically for beginners.

It does not assume you have any prior experience with 3D modeling or CAD software.

What makes it genuinely useful is that lessons are project-based rather than tool-by-tool.

You learn by building two real-world objects: a doorknob and a pendant lamp.

They might sound simple, but they are carefully chosen to teach the core modeling concepts—2D sketching, extrusion, revolve, and fillets.

And the course does this without throwing everything at you all at once.

Each section includes practice exercises and multiple-choice quizzes to help you confirm your understanding before moving on.

And if you hit a wall, the SourceCAD community forum has direct instructor support, so you will actually get a response rather than posting into a void.

What You’ll Learn

● How to navigate the SolidWorks interface and set up your workspace from scratch

● 2D sketching with geometric constraints and smart dimensions

● Core 3D modeling features: Extrude Boss, Extrude Cut, Revolve, Fillet, and Chamfer

● How to build real 3D parts using the doorknob and pendant lamp projects

● How the feature tree works and how features relate to each other

Main Advantages

● Completely free — no credit card needed to sign up

● Verifiable completion certificate you can share on LinkedIn or your CV

● Active community forum with direct instructor Q&A

● Compatible with current SolidWorks versions

Best For

This course is ideal for students, hobbyists, or anyone who wants to try SolidWorks before spending money on a longer course.

It gives you a genuine taste of the software without any financial commitment.

Once you finish this, you have a solid foundation to build on with any of the other courses on this list.

To sign up, visit SourceCAD Free Courses.

2. MySolidWorks Official Training Portal

Best Official Resource from Dassault Systèmes

Price: Free (Guest account) | Included with SolidWorks subscription or Student Edition

Level: Beginner to Advanced

Includes: 600+ training videos, learning paths, eCourses, and certification prep content

What It Is and Who Can Access It

MySolidWorks is the official training platform from Dassault Systèmes, the company that makes SolidWorks.

When you learn from the source, you can trust that the content is technically accurate and current.

Access works in tiers, and this is worth understanding clearly before you sign up.

The guest here is for everyone.

All you need is a free account with an email address without any SOLIDWORKS license requirements. 

This gives you access to hundreds of free tutorial videos, community forums, the 3D model library, and the ability to try a browser-based version of SolidWorks without installing anything.

It is a genuinely useful starting point, but it is more of a resource library than a structured course.

The Standard tier unlocks significantly more content, including broader learning paths and additional video training.

This is included at no extra cost if you have an active SolidWorks commercial subscription or a Student Edition serial number from your school.

If you are a student, it is worth checking with your institution.

Many universities provide students with a SolidWorks license that includes the Standard access.

The Professional tier is where the full eCourse library lives, including certification prep content for CSWA, CSWP, and specialty exams.

This costs extra even for existing SolidWorks subscribers and is priced more towards teams and training departments

than individual learners.

What You’ll Find

● Structured learning paths for different roles — CAD user, simulation user, and more

● 600+ on-demand training videos organized by topic and difficulty

● Certification prep content for CSWA, CSWP, CSWE, and specialty certifications (Professional tier)

● eCourses converted from Dassault’s own instructor-led training materials

● Browser-based SolidWorks practice environment — no installation needed

Best For

MySolidWorks works best as a supplement to a more structured beginner course rather than a starting point on its own.

The free Guest tier is genuinely useful for exploring the software and watching reference videos.

However, the lack of guided progression and instructor interactions means most beginners will instead get further, faster, with a course that walks them through things step by step.

That said, if you already have a SolidWorks student or commercial license, the Standard tier costs you nothing extra, and the video library is well worth exploring alongside your main course.

Visit MySolidWorks to explore what is available at each tier.

3. SourceCAD’s CSWA Certification Prep Course

Price: Included with SourceCAD Premium subscription ($29/month annually)

Level: Intermediate

Includes: Exam breakdown, video-explained mock exams, timed practice test

Why the CSWA Certification Matters

The Certified SolidWorks Associate exam, commonly called the CSWA, is the entry-level certification from Dassault Systèmes.

Passing it demonstrates that your SolidWorks skills have been formally verified.

And not that you have just watched a few tutorials.

Employers recognize it, especially when you are early in your career and your portfolio is still thin.

This SourceCAD course is built specifically to prepare you for the exam rather than just teaching general SolidWorks skills.

It is split into two clear sections.

The first covers everything you need to know before sitting the test: how the exam is structured, what topics it covers, how questions are formatted, and how to book a sitting.

The second is the practical prep mock exams with questions that closely replicate the actual exam format, including a timed section so you practice under realistic conditions.

The most useful feature is that every single question in the mock exams comes with a video solution.

If you get something wrong, you are not left guessing where your thinking went off track.

You can watch the correct approach explained step by step and pinpoint exactly what you need to revisit.

What You’ll Get

● Full breakdown of the CSWA exam structure, syllabus, and booking process

● Topic-by-topic revision covering part modeling, assemblies, and mass properties the three main exam domains

● An untimed assessment exam with full video solutions for every question

● A timed mock exam that simulates actual test conditions

● Scored results so you can identify weak areas before the real exam

Best For

Do not come to this course cold.

It is designed for people who have already completed a structured SolidWorks beginner course and are ready to sit the CSWA.

The SourceCAD Essentials course (listed above) is a natural precursor, and the complete beginners course from SourceCAD is even better preparation since it covers the full scope of part modeling, assembly, and drawings that the exam tests.

If you are a student aiming to have a credential before entering the job market or a professional who wants to formalize their SolidWorks knowledge, this is one of the most direct ways to prepare.

You can access this course through the SourceCAD Academy.

4. SOLIDWORKS 2024 Essential Training by Gabriel Corbett (LinkedIn Learning)

Price: $39.99/month, one-month free trial available

Instructor: Gabriel Corbett, experienced SolidWorks educator and author

Includes: Parts, assemblies, drawings, and bill of materials workflows for SolidWorks 2024

Why This Course Stands Out

LinkedIn Learning (previously Lynda.com) has long been a platform associated with professional-quality training, and Gabriel Corbett’s SolidWorks course is a good example of why.

The course is recorded for SolidWorks 2024, which is one of the more recent versions available, so you are not dealing with interface differences that throw you off mid-lesson.

The course follows a clean progression: you start with interface orientation and 2D sketching, then move into 3D part modeling using Extrude, Revolve, Loft, and Sweep.

From there, it covers more advanced techniques, including blocks, mirror tools, and pattern features.

The final sections take you into assembly workflows and then into drawing documentation.

This includes creating itemized bills of materials, which is something a lot of beginner courses skip entirely.

Corbett’s teaching style is methodical and precise, which suits SolidWorks well.

The course does not wander; each lesson has a clear objective and builds on what came before.

It is the kind of course that rewards people who like to follow a structured path rather than jump around topics.

What You’ll Learn

● Full SolidWorks 2024 interface navigation, including the command manager and design tree

● 2D sketch tools: rectangles, circles, arcs, splines, and sketch relations

● 3D part modeling with Extrude, Revolve, Loft, Sweep, Shell, and Hole Wizard

● Assembly modeling, including standard and advanced mates

● Generating itemized bills of materials for manufacturing documentation

Best For

This course is a good fit for people who already have a LinkedIn Premium subscription, since Learning is included with it.

If you do not, the one-month free trial is enough time to complete the course if you put in a few hours per week.

It is also well suited to people who want to keep their professional development centralized on LinkedIn, since completed courses show up directly on your profile.

The main trade-off is that LinkedIn Learning does not offer direct instructor Q&A in the same way a community-based platform does.

You can leave questions in the comments section, but the interaction is limited compared to a course with a dedicated forum.

Start your free trial on LinkedIn Learning SOLIDWORKS 2024 Essential Training.

5. SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD for Education Specialization by Dassault Systèmes (Coursera)

Price: Free to audit | Certificate requires Coursera Plus ($59/month or $399/year) or individual purchase

Offered by: Dassault Systèmes, the makers of SolidWorks

Structure: 5-course specialization, self-paced, culminates in CSWA-level assembly and part modeling

Learning SolidWorks Directly from the Makers

This is a 5-course specialization published directly by Dassault Systèmes on Coursera. 

The fact that it comes from the company that actually develops SolidWorks matters.

The content is authoritative by definition, and it is structured around the CSWA certification syllabus, so every topic you cover is directly relevant to what the exam tests.

The five courses progress in a deliberate sequence.

The first covers the foundations, sketching and extrusion. The second goes deeper into advanced sketching and reference geometry.

The third introduces revolve and cut features.

The fourth teaches feature patterns and sweeps.

The fifth brings everything together through assembly modeling and exam-level part modeling challenges.

You are meant to take them in order, and each course is genuinely designed to build on the one before it.

One important thing to know before signing up: the course requires SOLIDWORKS Desktop EDU, which Dassault offers at $60 (excluding taxes) through a dedicated link in the course description.

This is separate from the course access itself, so factor that into your planning if you do not already have SolidWorks installed.

As for access, you can audit the full specialization for free, which means you can watch all the video content without paying anything.

If you want the shareable Coursera certificate at the end, you would need a Coursera Plus subscription or pay for the specialization individually.

What You’ll Learn Across the 5 Courses

● Course 1: Sketching and Extrusion in SOLIDWORKS, which involves creating 3D objects from 2D sketch profiles

● Course 2: Advanced Sketching and Reference Geometry. This goes over the linear and circular sketch patterns, reference planes, and axes.

● Course 3: Revolve and Cut Features like revolve boss, revolve cut, extruded cuts, fillets, and chamfers

● Course 4: Feature Patterns and Sweeps including mirror features, linear and circular patterns, sweep pause, and sweep cut

● Course 5: Assemblies and Exam Level Part Modeling. It concluded with the final assembly of components using mates and exam-level 3D modeling challenges.

Best For

This specialization is a great choice if you learn best through a structured curriculum from an official source and you are working toward the CSWA exam.

The problem-solving format is useful for developing the kind of applied thinking the exam actually tests, rather than just following along with a demonstration.

The honest caveat: because this is official Dassault content rather than a third-party instructor course, the teaching style can feel more textbook-like than conversational.

If you prefer a more informal, guided teaching style, one of the other courses on this list might suit you better.

But for technical accuracy and certification alignment, this specialization is hard to beat.

You can enroll in SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD for Education Specialization on Coursera.

How to Get SolidWorks for Free to Practice

Before you can follow along with any of these courses, you need access to SolidWorks.

Here are your main options:

● Student Edition: If you are enrolled at an accredited school or university, your institution may already provide access to SolidWorks through an educational agreement with Dassault.

Check with your IT department or engineering faculty first — it is often free or very low cost.

● 30-Day Free Trial: Dassault offers a full-featured 30-day trial of SolidWorks for anyone to download.

It is enough time to get through a complete beginner course if you commit to it.

● SOLIDWORKS Desktop EDU: If you do not qualify for the student edition but still want a low-cost license for learning, Dassault offers SolidWorks Desktop EDU at $60 (excluding taxes) — this is the same version referenced in the Coursera specialization above.

● SOLIDWORKS for Makers: A low-cost annual license aimed at hobbyists and independent creators.

If you are not a student and do not need a commercial license, this is worth looking at as a permanent option beyond the trial period.

FAQs

How long does it take to learn SolidWorks?

If you practice regularly, you can get comfortable with the SOLIDWORKS basics in about two to three months.

However, to master SolidWorks completely, it can take 6 to 12 months of consistent practice.

This is the level where you can take on a real-world design project without stopping to look things up.

How quickly you progress also depends on your background.

If you have worked with any other 3D software before, even something like Fusion 360 or Inventor, you will get comfortable quicker than someone coming in completely cold.

Is SolidWorks hard to learn if I already know AutoCAD?

It is different, not necessarily harder. 

AutoCAD is primarily a 2D drafting tool where you draw lines and shapes.

SolidWorks is a parametric 3D modeler.

In it you define features on a model, and the software maintains the relationships between them.

The way you think about building geometry is fundamentally different.

That said, knowing AutoCAD absolutely helps.

You already understand technical drawing concepts, dimensioning systems, layers, and how engineering documentation works. Those transfer directly into SolidWorks drawings.

The main adjustment is getting used to parametric thinking in 3D, which takes a bit of time but usually clicks fairly quickly once you start building things.

What is the difference between the CSWA and the CSWP?

The CSWA, or Certified SolidWorks Associate, is the entry-level exam.

It tests foundational skills in part modeling, assembly, and mass properties.

Most people who complete a structured beginner course can prepare for the CSWA in a few weeks of focused study.

The CSWP, or Certified SolidWorks Professional, is a step up. It covers advanced part configurations, design equations, and complex assemblies.

You need to pass the CSWA before you can sit the CSWP, and the preparation time is significantly longer.

As a beginner, the CSWA is the right first goal.

Get that on your CV, then work toward the CSWP once you have more hands-on SolidWorks experience.

Do I need a SolidWorks certification to get a job?

Not strictly necessary, but it helps, especially at the entry level when you are up against other candidates who also do not have much work experience yet.

A CSWA tells an employer that your skills have been independently tested, which is a useful signal when your project portfolio is still being built.

A lot of job postings in mechanical design list CSWA as preferred or a plus.

The honest answer is that a strong portfolio of real-world projects often carries more weight than the certification alone.

But for the best shot at an entry-level role, having both is the ideal position to be in.

Can I learn SolidWorks on a Mac?

SolidWorks does not run natively on macOS; this is one of its most notable limitations.

To use it on a Mac, you would need to run Windows through Boot Camp or a virtual machine like Parallels or VMware.

Its performance varies depending on your hardware, and some users find it workable while others find it frustrating enough to consider switching machines.

Do I need any prior CAD experience to start learning SolidWorks?

No.

You don’t need prior CAD experience to start with SOLIDWORKS.

All of the beginner courses on this list are designed for people who have never used CAD software before.

That said, having any experience with spatial thinking, even something like building things in video games or working with physical models, tends to make the 3D modeling concepts feel more natural early on.

What will slow you down more than lack of experience is lack of practice.

SolidWorks is one of those tools where watching lessons is only half the work.

You need to build things yourself, make mistakes, and figure out why the feature tree is throwing an error.

Summary

No matter which course you choose from this list, the most important thing is to finish it and practice what you learn along the way.

SolidWorks is a deep piece of software, but the fundamentals are accessible to anyone willing to put in the time.

The courses above cover a range of learning styles, budgets, and goals.

We have made sure there is genuinely something here for most people.If you are starting from nothing and want to spend as little as possible, the free SourceCAD Essentials course is the natural entry point.

If you want a structured, exam-aligned path from Dassault themselves, the Coursera specialization is worth exploring.

And if you want a one-time purchase with solid industry context baked in, Amar Patel’s Udemy course is a strong choice.