Learn the fundamental steps to generate professional, industry-standard 2D technical drawings from your 3D parts and assemblies in SolidWorks.
With your part or assembly file open, go to the menu bar and select File > Make Drawing from Part/Assembly. This will launch the drawing environment.
In the 'Sheet Format/Size' dialog box, choose a standard sheet size (e.g., ANSI, ISO) and a template. You can also use a custom template. Click OK.
The View Palette will appear on the right. Drag and drop a primary view (like the Front view) onto the drawing sheet. Move your cursor up, down, left, or right to project other standard views (Top, Bottom, Left, Right). You can also place isometric views.
Navigate to the Annotation tab. Use the Smart Dimension tool to add critical dimensions to your views. You can also add notes, hole callouts, surface finish symbols, and geometric tolerances.
If you are creating a drawing of an assembly, go to Insert > Tables > Bill of Materials. Select a drawing view, configure the BOM properties, and click the green checkmark to place the table on your sheet.
Once your drawing is complete, save the SolidWorks Drawing file (.SLDDRW). To share it, go to File > Save As and choose a common format like PDF or DWG/DXF.
Tips for Better Technical Drawings
Create and save your own drawing templates (.DRWDOT) with a pre-defined title block, company logo, and document properties to ensure consistency and save time.
Use Section View, Detail View, and Broken-out Section tools from the View Layout tab to show internal features or small details clearly without cluttering the main views.
Use layers to manage different types of annotations like dimensions, notes, and centerlines. This allows you to easily control their color, line style, and visibility.
Dimensions and views are linked to the 3D model. If you update the part or assembly, your drawing will update automatically, but always double-check for any dimensioning errors after a change.
Explore other SolidWorks guides and shortcuts