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How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program

Have you ever wondered how 3D models are designed and wanted to try to model yourself? This article will teach you the basic skills needed to model a basic laptop design as well as many other shapes Open the SolidWorks program.
Part 1 of 3:

Creating the Basic Shape

  1. Open the SolidWorks program.
    1. Select "new part" in the new SolidWorks document menu and then press 'OK.'
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 1How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 1
  2. Set up the first sketch.
    1. Click on Sketch at the top left corner of the screen.
    2. Select any of the three planes shown (The top plane was chosen in this example).
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 2How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 2
  3. Begin the first sketch.
    1. Use the line tool at the top left side of the screen to create a rectangle.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 3How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 3
    2. This rectangle will be used as the base of the laptop.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 4How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 4
  4. Begin to dimension the rectangle and place it in a convenient position.
    1. Select the lower line of the rectangle and hold the 'Ctrl' button on the keyboard while selecting the predefined origin of this shape.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 5How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 5
    2. By simultaneously having these two objects selected, a relation is able to be made.
  5. Add the first relation. Make sure the two objects are still selected.
    1. The left side of the screen's properties menu shows which lines are selected and contains a small sub-menu that says 'Add Relations.' The Midpoint button must be selected from this menu.
    2. The midpoint button will center the bottom line with the origin as well as move it to the origin.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 6How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 6
  6. Dimension the rectangle.
    1. Select the "Smart Dimensions" button at the top left side of the screen.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 7How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 7
    2. Then, click on two opposite corners of the rectangle to dimension the diagonal length.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 8How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 8
    3. The length used in this design is 15 inches (38.1 cm).
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 9How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 9
  7. Dimension the top and bottom of the rectangle.
    1. This dimension is done using a very similar method as the previous step.
    2. Instead of selecting two opposite corners, the top and bottom lines are selected and dimensioned.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 10How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 10
    3. The vertical length used was 8 inches (20.3 cm).
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 11How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 11
  8. Extrude the rectangle.
    1. Now that the rectangle is dimensioned, the Exit Sketch button at the top left of the screen is selected and the Features tab under that button is clicked.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 12How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 12
    2. In the Features menu, click Extrude Boss/Base button after selecting your sketch from left menu.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 13How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 13
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 14How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 14
    3. In this example, Sketch 2 is selected.
    4. From here, the rectangle that was made can be extruded to any desired length and the green check mark can be selected to confirm.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 15How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 15
    5. In this example, the rectangle was extruded by 0.3 inches (0.8 cm).
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 16How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 16
Part 2 of 3:

Adding the Hinges

  1. Set up the Sketch for the hinges of the laptop.
    1. The next step is to create the hinges for the laptop screen.
    2. First, select the side face of the laptop.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 17How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 17
    3. Then click the sketch tab at the top left of the screen. In the Sketch menu, select the "Sketch Button".
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 18How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 18
    4. When the sketch is selected to be on the plane specified, click on the "Space Bar" on the keyboard to open up another menu.
    5. The orientation menu box will appear in which you are able to change the views of the shape. Click on the picture of an arrow sticking out of a flat plane (the normal button). The normal button is used to change the orientation to a view that is normal to the plane selected.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 19How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 19
    6. When the normal plane is being viewed, the sketch for the hinges can begin.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 20How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 20
  2. Begin the sketch for the hinges of the laptop.
    1. In this sketch, create a rectangle (in a similar fashion to the first sketch) on the left side of the plane as shown.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 21How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 21
  3. Dimension and add relations to the rectangle created for the hinges.
    1. Like before, this rectangle needs to be dimensioned and certain parts of it need to be given relations.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 22How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 22
    2. Below, the edge of the previous rectangle and the left side of the new rectangle are both selected. The relation added to them is co-linear (similarly to the last sketch). The same is done to the bottom of the rectangle and the top of the previous rectangle.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 23How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 23
    3. When that is done, the width and height of this rectangle is decided by using the smart dimension button as done before.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 24How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 24
    4. The dimension result should look something like shown below.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 25How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 25
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 26How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 26
    5. When they are completed, you can select Exit Sketch.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 27How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 27
  4. Extrude the hinge sketch.
    1. The hinge sketch can now be extruded in the same way as was done in the previous sketch.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 28How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 28
    2. The direction of the extrusion can be changed with the button shown below.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 29How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 29
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 30How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 30
    3. 'Through all' should also be selected from the left side menu in order to have the hinge extruded up to the other end of the laptop base.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 31How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 31
    4. When everything is confirmed, select the green check box.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 32How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 32
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 33How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 33
  5. Setup the sketch used to cut away parts of the extruded hinge.
    1. Select the inside face of the hinge and create a sketch.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 34How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 34
    2. When the sketch is created, change the orientation to the normal face of the sketch.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 35How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 35
    3. In this sketch, the cuts are going to be created to turn the long rectangle into two normal sized hinges.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 36How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 36
    4. The rectangles that will make the cut should look like the picture shown below.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 37How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 37
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 38How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 38
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 39How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 39
  6. Edit sketch used to cut away parts of the extruded hinge.
    1. A horizontal line should be created at the center of the object.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 40How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 40
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 41How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 41
    2. When this line is created, the 'Trim Entities' (also around the top and left of the screen) button should be selected. This button allows you to trim away certain parts of the sketch.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 42How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 42
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 43How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 43
    3. In this example, the entire bottom of the sketch was trimmed away as well as the lines in between the rectangles.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 44How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 44
    4. When this is complete, the sketch is finished and the Exit Sketch button can be selected.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 45How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 45
  7. Use the Extrude Cut command with the sketch that was just created.
    1. The features tab should be selected and the 'Extruded Cut' button should be pressed.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 46How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 46
    2. This will cut through the piece and create the two desired hinges.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 47How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 47
    3. The picture below shows the complete hinges.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 48How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 48
Part 3 of 3:

Adding the Details

  1. Create the screen part of the laptop. A very similar method to creating the hinges is used when creating this piece.
    1. The side plane is selected for the sketch and the orientation is changed to a view normal to the plane.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 49How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 49
    2. A rectangle is then created and dimensioned to the shown specifications.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 50How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 50
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 51How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 51
    3. The "Exit Sketch" button can be selected after this is done.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 52How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 52
    4. The screen piece is then extruded exactly as the hinges were.
    5. This model now somewhat looks like a laptop as shown below.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 53How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 53
  2. Create a cutout of the touch pad. This cutout will be made using the same commands as shown before.
    1. The top plane of the first rectangle is selected for the sketch and a rectangle is drawn as shown.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 54How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 54
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 55How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 55
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 56How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 56
    2. In this example, the touch pad was extrude cut 0.1 inches (0.3 cm) into the material after the Exit Sketch button was selected.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 57How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 57
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 58How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 58
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 59How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 59
  3. Create the cutout of the keyboard.
    1. The cut-out for the keyboard is also made in a very similar way with the shown dimensions.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 60How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 60
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 61How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 61
  4. Create the cutout for the screen.
    1. The screen is made similarly too (on the inside plane of the screen extrude) with the shown dimensions below.
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 62How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 62
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 63How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 63
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 64How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 64
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 65How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 65
  5. Finished.
    1. Now you are capable of completing more complex designs and can apply what you learned in this tutorial on other projects!
      How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 66How to Create a Basic Laptop Design in the Solidworks CAD Program Picture 66
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