Datasheet

Part I: Introducing SolidWorks Basics

compatible with OpenGL. Hardware changes too rapidly for me to give specific recommendations

here, but generally, nVidia brand boards in the Quadro line are acceptable, as are AMD/ATI brand

boards in the FirePro line. You should expect to pay $100 to $500 for a serviceable low- to mid-range

video card. Cards that are marketed as game cards, such as the Radeon or GeForce, have known limi-

tations and do not work well with SolidWorks.

In addition to installing the correct hardware, you also need to have a compatible driver version

installed. Again, refer to the SolidWorks system requirements Web site.

Whether you are installing SolidWorks or someone else is installing it for you, you should consider

purchasing a copy of the SolidWorks Administration Bible (Wiley, 2010), which contains all the infor-

mation you need on installing, configuring, and troubleshooting SolidWorks.

Alternatively, you might not want to get that involved at first. You can install the software with all

defaults just to get started, using it as a practice installation, especially if you intend to learn as much

as you can about it, and then come back and do a more thorough job of implementing it later. If this is

the case, just put the DVD in the drive and accept all the defaults. In the Summary page, shown in

Figure 1.1, you can choose to change the disk installation location and choose which products are

installed.

FIGURE 1.1

Changing installation settings on the Summary install page

You should count on the installation requiring about 6GB of space on your hard drive, depending on

the options you select to install. The locations of files on your computer will vary by SolidWorks ver-

sion, by your operating system, and by your own installation choices, but the bulk of the files are

placed into two separate folders: the Program Files folder (C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\

SolidWorks) and the Toolbox Data folder (C:\SolidWorks Data).

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