SolidWorks Drawing Views and Dimensions — Episode 9 Beginners Guide (Updated June 2026)

The best 3D model in the world is useless if you cannot communicate it to a machinist or a toolmaker. Engineering drawings are how design intent travels from your screen to the factory floor — and every company in Maharashtra's manufacturing belt runs on them. The AURIC zone with its ₹71,343 crore investment and 62,405 committed jobs has dozens of Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers who need engineers who can produce drawings that meet IS, ISO and company-specific standards. Episode 9 of our SolidWorks Essentials series shows you exactly how to create professional engineering drawings from your 3D models, from selecting the right view to exporting a print-ready PDF.

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How the SolidWorks Drawing Module Works — Linked Views, Not Static Images

When you create a Drawing in SolidWorks (File → New → Drawing), you are not creating a static snapshot — you are creating a live document linked to your 3D part or assembly. Every view in the drawing reflects the current state of the model. If you change a dimension in the part, the drawing updates. If you add a fillet in the assembly, the drawing view updates too. This bidirectional link is the fundamental difference between SolidWorks drawings and traditional 2D drafting. It is also why companies like Tata Technologies and KPIT can run concurrent engineering — the design team updates the model while the drawing office prepares supplier documentation in parallel, with automatic synchronisation between model and drawing.

Creating Standard Views: Front, Top, Right and Isometric

When you open a new drawing sheet, the View Palette on the right shows your open part or assembly with pre-generated standard views. Drag the Front view onto the sheet — SolidWorks places it and immediately offers to add the Top view above and the Right view to the side as projected views. Drag them into place. Then drag the Isometric view to the top-right corner of the sheet. Set the drawing scale using the sheet properties (right-click the sheet → Properties). For A3 sheets with medium-sized parts, 1:2 or 1:5 are typical scales. Tip: always select the drawing template matching your company standard before starting — most manufacturing companies in Pune provide a DWT template file with their border, title block and standard layers preconfigured.

Section Views and Detail Views — Showing Internal Features Clearly

Section views reveal internal features — threaded holes, bores, counterbores — that are hidden from the outside. In SolidWorks Drawing, click Section View from the View Layout tab, draw a cutting line across the view where you want to cut, and SolidWorks generates the cross-section automatically with hatch (section lines). For complex parts like engine housings or hydraulic valve bodies used at Bajaj Auto's R&D facility, stepped or offset section lines let you cut through multiple features in one view. Detail views zoom into a small area of an existing view — click Detail View, draw a circle around the area you want enlarged, and SolidWorks creates a zoomed view at a larger scale (typically 2:1 or 4:1) with the scale noted under the view.

Adding Dimensions and Tolerances to Your SolidWorks Drawing

SolidWorks can import dimensions from the 3D model into the drawing using Model Items (Insert → Model Items). These are the exact dimensions used to create each feature — they are driven dimensions. For additional callout dimensions, use Smart Dimension in the drawing — click two entities and place the dimension. You can add tolerances by right-clicking a dimension and selecting Properties — then choose Bilateral (±), Limit or Geometric tolerances. For standard hole callouts (diameter, depth, thread) SolidWorks adds the Hole Callout symbol automatically when you select a hole feature. This is how drawing offices at Force Motors, Bosch and Siemens India produce fully toleranced machining drawings.

GD&T Symbols, Surface Finish and Weld Annotations in SolidWorks

GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) is the international language of precision manufacturing. SolidWorks includes a full GD&T annotation toolbar: add a Feature Control Frame by clicking GD&T, select the characteristic symbol (flatness, circularity, perpendicularity, true position, concentricity), type the tolerance value and the datum reference. Surface finish annotations use the Surface Finish symbol from the Annotations toolbar — set Ra value (e.g., Ra 1.6 for precision-machined surfaces, Ra 3.2 for standard machining). Welding symbols follow AWS A2.4 or ISO 2553 standards and are added via the Weld Symbol tool. At companies like Bharat Forge Kagal, Endurance Technologies and Skoda Volkswagen, GD&T on drawings is mandatory for any precision component drawing.

Who Hires SolidWorks Drawing Engineers in Pune, Sangli and Sambhajinagar?

In Pune's Hadapsar and Hinjewadi corridors, Tata Technologies, KPIT and Mahindra Engineering Services regularly recruit drawing office engineers at ₹3.8–₹7 LPA for freshers. Bosch India at Nashik, Force Motors at Akurdi and Whirlpool at Ranjangaon require CAD drawing skills for their manufacturing support roles. In Sambhajinagar, Skoda Volkswagen at Shendra (Plot A-1/1), Bajaj Waluj (Plot G-137) and Endurance (Plot E-92) all need in-house drawing engineers; PayScale shows these Tier-1 Sambhajinagar roles at ₹3.5–₹6 LPA for junior engineers. In Sangli, the Kupwad MIDC belt with 250+ industries and the Walchand College alumni network (average ₹10.55 LPA starting) drive steady demand. Bharat Forge at Kagal, Kolhapur is another strong employer for GD&T-certified drawing engineers.

FAQs

Does SolidWorks Drawing update automatically when I change the 3D part?

Yes — SolidWorks drawings are fully associative with the 3D model. When you change a dimension in the part or assembly, the drawing views and model-item dimensions update automatically the next time you open or rebuild the drawing. This live link saves hours of manual drawing updates and eliminates the risk of drawings being out of sync with the 3D design — a critical quality assurance benefit for manufacturing companies.

What drawing standard should I use for mechanical engineering drawings in India?

In India, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) IS 696 governs engineering drawing practice. Most manufacturing companies also follow ISO 128 (drawing views) and ISO 5455 (scales). For GD&T, companies with international customers use ISO 1101 (aligned with ASME Y14.5 by many multinationals). If you are working with a specific customer like Bosch, Siemens or Skoda Volkswagen, they will provide their own company drawing standard — always use the customer-specified standard.

How do I export a SolidWorks drawing to PDF?

Go to File → Save As, then change the file type to PDF (*.pdf). Choose the sheets you want to export and click Save. Alternatively, use File → Print, select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer, and set the paper size to match your drawing sheet. For professional use, Save As PDF gives better quality control. Many drawing offices use the Publish command when issuing large packages.

Can I add a Bill of Materials (BOM) to a SolidWorks drawing?

Yes — for assembly drawings, SolidWorks can auto-generate a Bill of Materials. Click Insert → Tables → Bill of Materials, select the assembly view, and SolidWorks creates a table listing all components with part numbers, descriptions and quantities. You can link the BOM to item balloons placed on the drawing view — select a component in a view and click Auto Balloon from the Annotation toolbar. The balloons and BOM stay in sync with the assembly.