You can find and download the companion files from the Wiley website at www.wiley.com/go/mastersolidworks. The download materials consist of single zip files, one for each chapter. You will also find video tutorials, but I'll tell you more about them later in this appendix.
Extract the contents of the file to your hard drive in a location that is easy to access. The download material contains examples and tutorial parts, assemblies, and drawings, as well as templates, macros, and tables as appropriate for each chapter. The files are organized within folders for each chapter and are named for the chapter and the function they demonstrate. Some of the files are starting points for tutorials, and some are finished models meant to be examined.
If you make changes to files, I recommend that you use the Save As command (File ➢ Save As) and rename the altered file to keep the original file intact. You also can retrieve originals from the original downloaded files again if needed.
The download material also includes video tutorials for each chapter. The videos are narrated and offer another learning option to the print-only tutorials found in the book. The videos do not duplicate the print-only tutorials.
Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements listed in this section. If your computer doesn't match up to these requirements, you may have a problem using the contents of the download site.
Because of the changing nature of hardware and software requirements, please refer to the SolidWorks website for the latest in system requirements:
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
Files created in SolidWorks 2018 are not compatible with older versions of SolidWorks. So, if you have a version of SolidWorks older than 2018, you will have difficulty reading most of the files on the accompanying downloaded files. You may find some files that came from older versions in the downloaded data, but this only happens where the files have not been updated for new versions. Most if not all of the files are updated between versions of the book.
As a matter of policy, SolidWorks software does not open up future-version files. So, if you have SolidWorks 2015 installed, you cannot read files saved in SolidWorks 2018. If you have a question about this policy of the Dassault Corporation, you should contact your SolidWorks reseller. The author of this book does not have the ability to save 2018 files to previous versions.
This book was written using the SolidWorks 2018 version software, and while some of it may be applicable to previous versions, some of it may not due to annual changes that happen in the course of software development. This book was based on an earlier SolidWorks Bible I wrote. Earlier versions of the SolidWorks Bible do exist (2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, and 2013) and are still available—although some may only be available used or from third-party sellers, not from Wiley (the publisher of these books).
If you have difficulty installing or using any of the material in the companion downloads, try the following solutions:
www.dezignstuff.com) or blog (www.dezignstuff.com/blog), or send me an e-mail (matt@dezignstuff.com).If you have trouble viewing the downloaded videos, please install the TechSmith video codec.
If you still have trouble with the download data, contact Wiley Product Technical Support at http://support.wiley.com. John Wiley & Sons will provide technical support only for installation and other general quality control items. For technical support on the applications themselves, consult the program's vendor or author.
To place orders or to request information about other Wiley products, you can call: