Page 30 - Mastering SolidWorks

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xxxIv INTRODUCTION

What You Need
Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements listed on the
SolidWorks website. If your computer doesn’t match up to these requirements, you may have a
problem using the contents of the download site.
You need to be somewhat familiar with engineering principles (a first-year college engineer-
ing curriculum would certainly suffice) and have some experience with engineering documenta-
tion practices. Spatial reasoning skills are very helpful to visualize some 3D concepts, and a basic
understanding of logic or programming will help you understand the typical workings of a
history-based modeler.

Windows versions
These requirements apply to Windows 7 and Windows 10:
◆ Intel and AMD processors, single, dual, or quad cores
◆ 1 GB RAM minimum (2 GB recommended)
◆ Virtual memory twice the amount of RAM (recommended)

◆ A certified OpenGL workstation graphics card and driver (Check the SolidWorks website
for details: www.solidworks.com.)
◆ A mouse or other pointing device
◆ Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 minimum (IE 7 recommended)
◆ A CD drive minimum (DVD drive recommended)
For more details about the system requirements for SolidWorks 2018 and a list of certified
graphics cards and drivers, visit www.solidworks.com.

SolidWorks versions
Files created in SolidWorks 2018 are not compatible with older versions of SolidWorks. So, if you
have a version of SolidWorks older than 2018, you will have difficulty reading most of the
accompanying downloaded files. You may find some files that came from older versions in the
downloaded data, but this will happen only where the files have not been updated for new
versions. If you have any questions, you should contact your SolidWorks reseller. The author of
this book does not have the ability to save 2018 files to previous versions.
This book was written using the SolidWorks 2018 version software, and while some of it may
be applicable to previous versions, some of it may not be due to annual changes that happen in
the course of software development.

Troubleshooting
If you have difficulty installing or using any of the material from the download data, try the
following solutions:
◆ Turn off any antivirus software that you may have running. Installers sometimes mimic
virus activity and can make your computer incorrectly believe that it is being infected by
a virus. (Be sure to turn the antivirus software back on later.)