CAD coursework · Completed

SolidWorks modeling exercises

SolidWorks parts and assemblies recreated from instructor-provided engineering drawings.

Boston University · ME357 · Individual coursework · Spring 2025

Role: Individual CAD coursework
Contribution: Recreated instructor-specified geometry and produced assemblies and drawing views.
Evidence: Scope: parts, assemblies, section views, exploded views, drawings, and BOMs

Section view through the housing, ball, shaft, seals, covers, and fasteners of a ball valve assembly — Section view of the reconstructed ball valve assembly.Open full-size image

Scope

This collection includes in-class exercises and homework from ME357. I recreated mechanical parts and assemblies in SolidWorks from instructor-provided engineering drawings. The models and drawings demonstrate CAD fluency; the underlying designs were supplied by the course.

The course work included:

parametric part models built from dimensioned drawings;
assemblies with standard fasteners and purchased components;
section and exploded views;
drawing sheets with dimensions and bills of materials; and
basic motion studies for mechanisms and assemblies.

Modeling workflow

Each exercise began with a supplied drawing rather than an existing CAD file. I translated the views and dimensions into a feature order, constrained the base sketches, and built repeated or symmetric geometry with patterns and mirrors where the drawing supported them. The final models had to agree with the drawing while remaining readable in the feature tree.

For assemblies, I inserted standard hardware and applied mates that reproduced the intended motion or fixed relationship. Section and exploded views then served different checks: a section exposed the internal interfaces, while an exploded view showed how parts and fasteners fit together without hiding them inside the housing.

Ball valve assembly

The ball valve exercise combined a housing, ball, shaft, covers, handle, reducers, and fasteners. I assembled the supplied geometry, checked the internal arrangement with section views, and created exploded and motion views.

SolidWorks interface showing the assembled ball valve and its feature tree — Completed ball valve assembly in SolidWorks. The geometry was recreated from course-provided drawings.

The section view made the stack of the ball, shaft, housing, covers, and fasteners legible in one frame. The exterior view then confirmed the handle position and the relationship between the two reducers and the main body. Together, the views document both the assembled form and the internal arrangement.

Exploded ball valve model with covers, reducers, ball, shaft, handle, and fasteners separated from the housing — Still from the ball valve exploded-view animation.

Ball valve model with a transparent housing exposing the ball beneath the handle and shaft — Still from the handle-motion study, with the housing transparent to expose the ball.

Wheel assembly and bill of materials

The wheel exercise combined a purchased rubber wheel with a screw, washers, and a locknut. The drawing identifies the components in a bill of materials and shows their assembled arrangement.

Wheel assembly drawing with shaded isometric view, orthographic views, fastener callouts, and bill of materials — Wheel assembly coursework: purchased components, drawing views, and a bill of materials.

Linkage assemblies

The rocker and four-bar exercises used exploded views to show links, pins, bearings, and fasteners. The assembled four-bar drawing shows the relationship between the links and their supports.

Exploded rocker linkage drawing showing three links, a base plate, interlocking pins, and a bill of materials — Rocker assembly recreated from the supplied exercise, with exploded component callouts.

Exploded four-bar linkage drawing with links, bearings, washers, fasteners, and a bill of materials — Four-bar linkage exploded view and bill of materials.

Assembled four-bar linkage in front, side, and top drawing views — Orthographic views of the assembled four-bar linkage.

Shaded four-bar linkage model in an angled position with a circular path trace beside the mechanism — Still from the four-bar motion study, showing the linkage position and path trace.

Coursework plot of the four-bar linkage motion path, with X and Y displacement axes in inches — Motion-path plot exported for the four-bar coursework. This is a simulation result, not a measured mechanism trajectory.

Gearbox assembly

The gearbox coursework used supplied components. These stills from the assembly animation show the supporting plates and the gear arrangement with the plates hidden.

Close-up of the gearbox model with a motor, support plate, bearings, and visible gears — Gearbox assembly close-up from the coursework animation.

Close-up of the gearbox with its support plates hidden to expose gears, shafts, and motor — Gear arrangement with the support plates hidden. Components were supplied for the course assembly exercise.

Part models and drawings

These drawings pair modeled geometry with dimensions, sections, and detail views. Each part follows an instructor-provided exercise; the images document my modeling and drawing work.

Cam part drawing with a shaded yellow model, dimensioned orthographic views, and a longitudinal section — Cam model with dimensioned views and a section through the internal geometry.

Cap drawing with a shaded model, circular and side views, two sections, and an edge detail — Cap model with section and detail views.

Gauge block drawing showing a shaded model, angled faces, hole callouts, and a section view — Gauge block model with hole callouts and a section view.

Insert assembly

Assembly drawing of a rectangular plate with circular, triangular, and hexagonal inserts, dimensioned views, and a bill of materials — Plate and insert assembly recreated from the supplied drawing, with component callouts and a bill of materials.

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