Welcome to Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with SOLIDWORKS Simulation for Beginners.
This course is designed to take you from zero to confident in running meaningful FEA studies using SOLIDWORKS Simulation. Whether you’re new to simulation or have run analyses before but never fully trusted the results, this course will give you the foundation you need to do it correctly, efficiently, and with confidence.
We’ll start by focusing on best practices for setting up your model, because good results begin long before you ever click “Run.” You’ll learn how to properly apply materials, loads, and restraints, and how to handle real-world features like sliding contacts, pins, and bolts so your simulation reflects how the part actually behaves—not just how it looks in CAD.
After running the analysis, we won’t stop at colorful plots. We’ll dig into interpreting results, verifying whether they make physical sense, and identifying red flags that indicate a setup problem. When results don’t match expectations (and sometimes they won’t), you’ll learn practical strategies to diagnose and fix the issue.
We’ll also explore all of the result viewing tools and plot options available in SOLIDWORKS Simulation, helping you extract meaningful insights instead of being overwhelmed by data. Finally, we’ll cover solver and mesh settings—what really matters, what doesn’t, and how to balance accuracy with reasonable run times.
Throughout the course, one principle will guide everything we do:
Garbage in equals garbage out.
The better we define the problem, the better—and more trustworthy—the results.
By the end of this course, you won’t just know which buttons to press. You’ll understand why you’re making each decision and how to build simulations you can stand behind as an engineer.