The Ultimate Guide to Skeleton Modelling in SolidWorks

A few years ago, I got a new job where I had to use SolidWorks.

I'd never used it before. But, eager to impress, I dived in, binging any tutorial I could get my hands on.

Within a few months, I was getting the hang of it. I knew my extrudes from revolves and lofts from sweeps.

But there was a problem.

As my models got more complex, they became brittle and hard to manage.

When clients requested changes, even a simple change would require hundreds of parts files to be manually updated. It was tedious and frustrating work.

Changes made to one part would ripple through the entire model, causing it to break and make my SolidWorks UI light up like a traffic light.

The problem was obvious.

While I knew how to use SolidWorks, I didn’t know how to design with it.

So I set off to understand the essence of design in 3D modelling, and how particular modelling strategies help to develop a good design.

It’s what led me to discover skeleton modelling. It’s an approach used widely by industry veterans that combines the high-level, iterative advantages of top-down design with the robustness and manufacturability of bottom-up design.

With skeleton modelling, my designs became quick to model and even easier to change.

It was at this point that I thought- if only there had been a guide I could have followed that would have fast-tracked me from beginner to effortlessly designing like a pro.

I hope you find it useful.

In this ebook, we’ll dive into the essence of design using skeleton modelling in SolidWorks.

We’ll cover:

• What is design in 3D modelling?
• Explore the foundational principles that make a model well-designed.
• Different modelling strategies including bottom-up and top-down design.
• Skeleton modelling and how to practically use it in SolidWorks with a worked example.
• A bonus section with tips from professional modellers on how to optimise your skeleton modelling workflow.

Ready? Let’s get started.

Still unsure?

Here's a sample from the book. No email address necessary.

Praise from others

"Wow! I've always struggled with managing more complex assemblies. Learning about skeleton modelling has been a game changer."

— Mohamed Gulam, CAD drafter

"OK this book is fantastic - this is by far the clearest explanation I've seen of skeleton modelling."

— Adam Tan, Industrial designer

"This is a great, practical guide on how to integrate skeleton modelling into your workflow."

— Sagal Jones, Application Engineer