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newSchoolWorks.com › VoTechWorks › Manufacturing & Marine › Drafting / CAD / BIM › Certification Exam Preparation: ACU, ACP, and CSWA › Lesson 3
MFG-DRAF17-09 · Lesson 3 · 20 clock hours · lab

CSWA Objective Domain Review

Objective. Students will apply SolidWorks part modeling, assembly modeling, and engineering drawing interpretation skills to CSWA-style problems—including mass properties calculations, mate relationships, and drawing view creation—at the accuracy and speed required to pass the exam.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a licensed engineer or certified journey-level tradesperson or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

CSWA Objective Domain Review

The Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) exam is issued by Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation and delivered through the SolidWorks Certification Center. Passing it demonstrates that you can create and evaluate solid models, constrain assemblies, and interpret engineering drawings at a professional entry level. Today's lab puts all three skill areas under timed, exam-like conditions so you can measure exactly where you stand before exam day.

What the CSWA Tests

The CSWA covers three broad domains:

1. Part Modeling — creating features (Extruded Boss/Base, Extruded Cut, Revolved Boss/Base, Fillet, Shell, Draft, Hole Wizard) and reporting mass properties such as mass, volume, surface area, and center of mass.

2. Assembly Modeling — importing components, applying Standard, Concentric, and Coincident mates to fully constrain an assembly (zero degrees of freedom), and answering questions about assembly mass properties.

3. Drawing Fundamentals — reading multiview and section-view drawings, identifying title-block data, scales, and GD&T callouts according to ASME Y14.5 (dimensioning and tolerancing) and ASME Y14.100 (engineering drawing practices).

The exam is open-book and timed. You may use SolidWorks Help and your own notes. Speed and accuracy both matter.

Part Modeling: Accuracy Within One Percent

Every CSWA part question ends with a mass-properties query: "What is the mass of the part in grams?" SolidWorks reports this automatically via Evaluate → Mass Properties, but the model must be built correctly first. Two habits protect your answer:

For center-of-mass questions, SolidWorks reports X, Y, Z coordinates relative to the origin. Read the question carefully—it often specifies which coordinate to report, and a sign error (positive vs. negative) costs the full point.

Assembly Modeling: Mates and Degrees of Freedom

A fully constrained assembly has zero degrees of freedom (DOF). SolidWorks displays the DOF count in the FeatureManager. The three mate types you need cold for the CSWA are:

In the exam, you are typically given pre-modeled components and asked to assemble them per a reference image, then report the assembly's center of mass or total mass. Always fix the first component (right-click → Fix) and use mates for every subsequent part. A floating component will give wrong mass-property coordinates even if the geometry looks correct on screen.

Engineering Drawing Interpretation

CSWA Drawing Fundamentals questions use standard multiview projection (third-angle, per US practice) and section views. Key items to identify quickly:

When you miss a drawing question, trace the error to the specific principle: wrong scale reading, misidentified view, or unread GD&T symbol. That trace tells you exactly which reference card to review.

Lab Safety in the CAD Workstation Environment

This lab takes place entirely at computer workstations, but standard lab conduct still applies:

Pacing Strategy for the Timed Challenges

The CSWA is timed. In the part-modeling sprint you have eight challenges to complete; aim for no more than ten minutes per part. If a feature is not cooperating, simplify: delete the failed feature, rebuild from the previous step, and re-apply. A model that is 95% correct and finished earns more partial credit than a perfect model left incomplete.

For assemblies, apply mates in logical order—fix the base component, mate the first moving part fully, then add the next. Avoid over-mating (adding redundant mates), which can trigger conflicts and cost time to resolve.

After the Lab

Compare every mass-property answer to the instructor key. Record errors in your CSWA domain checklist under the specific feature or concept that caused the miss. Students who score below 80% on the drawing interpretation quiz or miss more than two part/assembly tasks will receive a targeted re-drill assignment due before Lesson 4. Use that assignment as a gift, not a penalty—it identifies the exact gap before the real exam.

Key terms10

Mass PropertiesA SolidWorks evaluation tool (Evaluate → Mass Properties) that reports a part's or assembly's mass, volume, surface area, and center-of-mass coordinates based on the assigned material density and geometry.
Center of MassThe single point where the entire mass of a body can be considered concentrated; reported by SolidWorks as X, Y, Z coordinates relative to the part or assembly origin.
Fully Constrained AssemblyAn assembly in which every component has zero remaining degrees of freedom, meaning no part can translate or rotate independently; indicated by a black component icon in the SolidWorks FeatureManager.
Concentric MateAn assembly mate that forces two cylindrical or conical faces to share a common axis, commonly used to align a bolt with a hole or a pin with a bore.
Coincident MateAn assembly mate that makes two planar faces, edges, or vertices coplanar or collinear, removing translational freedom along the shared plane's normal direction.
ASME Y14.5The American Society of Mechanical Engineers standard governing dimensioning and tolerancing, including geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) symbols, feature control frames, and datum references used on engineering drawings.
ASME Y14.100The ASME standard that defines general engineering drawing practices in the United States, covering formats, title blocks, line types, views, and standard sheet sizes.
Feature Control FrameThe rectangular box on a drawing that contains a GD&T geometric characteristic symbol, the tolerance value, and any datum references required to fully define the geometric control.
Third-Angle ProjectionThe US-standard multiview drawing method in which the front view is placed at center, the top view above it, and the right-side view to its right; identified by the third-angle projection symbol in the title block.
CSWA One-Percent ToleranceThe allowable deviation published by Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks for mass-property answers on the CSWA exam; a student's reported value must fall within one percent of the correct value to receive credit.

Worked examples4

1. A SolidWorks part is modeled as a solid rectangular block: 120 mm long × 80 mm wide × 50 mm tall. The assigned material is AISI 1020 Steel with a density of 7,900 kg/m³ (0.0079 g/mm³). What is the mass of the part in grams, and what is the acceptable answer range for the CSWA one-percent tolerance?
  1. Step 1 — Calculate volume: V = length × width × height = 120 mm × 80 mm × 50 mm = 480,000 mm³.
  2. Step 2 — Convert density to g/mm³: 7,900 kg/m³ = 0.0079 g/mm³ (since 1 kg/m³ = 0.000001 g/mm³, so 7,900 × 0.000001 = 0.0079 g/mm³).
  3. Step 3 — Calculate mass: m = density × volume = 0.0079 g/mm³ × 480,000 mm³ = 3,792 g.
  4. Step 4 — Calculate the one-percent tolerance band: 1% of 3,792 = 37.92 g. Acceptable range = 3,792 − 37.92 to 3,792 + 37.92 = 3,754.08 g to 3,829.92 g.
  5. Step 5 — Verify in SolidWorks: open Mass Properties (Evaluate → Mass Properties) and confirm the reported mass falls within 3,754 g to 3,830 g.
Answer: The part mass is 3,792 g. Any SolidWorks-reported value between 3,754 g and 3,830 g is within the CSWA one-percent tolerance and earns full credit.
2. A solid cylindrical boss is extruded from a flat base. Diameter = 60 mm, height = 40 mm. Material: 1060 Alloy aluminum, density 0.00272 g/mm³. Calculate the mass and the one-percent acceptable range.
  1. Step 1 — Calculate the cross-sectional area of the circle: A = π × r² = π × (30 mm)² = π × 900 = 2,827.43 mm² (using π ≈ 3.14159).
  2. Step 2 — Calculate volume: V = A × height = 2,827.43 mm² × 40 mm = 113,097.2 mm³.
  3. Step 3 — Calculate mass: m = 0.00272 g/mm³ × 113,097.2 mm³ = 307.62 g.
  4. Step 4 — Calculate the one-percent tolerance: 1% of 307.62 = 3.076 g. Acceptable range = 307.62 − 3.076 to 307.62 + 3.076 = 304.54 g to 310.70 g.
  5. Step 5 — In SolidWorks, assign 1060 Alloy aluminum via the Material dialog, run Mass Properties, and confirm the result falls between 304.54 g and 310.70 g.
Answer: The cylinder mass is approximately 307.62 g. The CSWA-acceptable range is 304.54 g to 310.70 g.
3. A drawing is dimensioned at a scale of 2:1. A line on the printed drawing measures 150 mm with a ruler. What is the actual feature length on the physical part?
  1. Step 1 — Understand the scale notation: 2:1 means the drawing is drawn twice actual size, so 2 drawing units = 1 real unit.
  2. Step 2 — Apply the scale conversion: actual length = measured drawing length ÷ scale factor = 150 mm ÷ 2 = 75 mm.
  3. Step 3 — State the answer clearly: the physical part feature is 75 mm long.
Answer: The actual feature length is 75 mm.
4. An assembly contains three components. Their individual masses are: Base Plate = 1,450 g, Side Bracket = 340 g, Fastener Group = 85 g. What is the total assembly mass, and what is the CSWA one-percent acceptable range for that value?
  1. Step 1 — Sum all component masses: 1,450 g + 340 g + 85 g = 1,875 g.
  2. Step 2 — Calculate one percent of the total: 1% × 1,875 g = 18.75 g.
  3. Step 3 — Determine the acceptable range: 1,875 − 18.75 = 1,856.25 g (lower bound); 1,875 + 18.75 = 1,893.75 g (upper bound).
  4. Step 4 — In SolidWorks, open the assembly, run Evaluate → Mass Properties, and confirm the reported value falls between 1,856.25 g and 1,893.75 g.
Answer: Total assembly mass = 1,875 g. The CSWA-acceptable range is 1,856.25 g to 1,893.75 g.

The math in this lesson3

Learners divide a measured length by a 2:1 drawing scale to find true feature length.
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Brush up in the math halls at newSchoolWorks.com:
In class: Part modeling sprint: students work through a series of eight timed CSWA-style part challenges that progress from simple extruded boss/base features through fillets, holes, shells, and draft, recording mass and center-of-mass values to match instructor answer keys within the CSWA tolerance of plus or minus one percent. · Assembly and mate challenge: students receive a set of pre-modeled components and must fully constrain an assembly using standard, concentric, and coincident mates in under 25 minutes per assembly, then answer CSWA-style multiple-choice questions about the assembly's mass properties and degree-of-freedom state. · Engineering drawing interpretation drill: students read three multiview and section-view drawings typical of CSWA Drawing Fundamentals questions, identify GD&T callouts, title block information, and scale, then answer written questions; results are compared against an answer key and errors are traced back to the specific drawing standard principle (ASME Y14.5 or ASME Y14.100 general drafting) for targeted review.
Materials: SolidWorks 2024 (licensed lab workstations); CSWA sample exam files from the SolidWorks Certification Center; instructor-prepared part and assembly challenge packs; ASME Y14.5 and Y14.100 reference cards; digital calipers for physical model verification exercises; printed CSWA domain checklist.
Check: Each part and assembly task is checked against the instructor answer key; students must achieve mass-property answers within the published CSWA one-percent tolerance and correct mate definitions on at least six of eight parts and two of two assemblies; drawing interpretation quiz must score 80% or higher—any student below threshold receives a targeted re-drill assignment due before Lesson 4.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

CSWA — Part Modeling / Mass Properties
1. Before running Mass Properties on a SolidWorks part for a CSWA question, which two settings must you confirm first to ensure the reported mass is correct?
CSWA — Assembly Modeling / Mates
2. In a SolidWorks assembly, the FeatureManager displays a component with a minus (−) symbol before its name. What does this indicate?
CSWA — Assembly Modeling / Mates
3. Which mate type should you apply to align the axis of a cylindrical pin with the axis of a circular hole in a SolidWorks assembly?
CSWA — Part Modeling / Mass Properties
4. A CSWA part challenge specifies material as '1060 Alloy' aluminum. After assigning the material and running Mass Properties, SolidWorks reports a mass of 412.5 g. The instructor answer key value is 410.0 g. Does this answer fall within the CSWA one-percent tolerance, and why?
CSWA — Drawing Fundamentals
5. On a US engineering drawing produced in third-angle projection, where is the right-side view positioned relative to the front view?
CSWA — Drawing Fundamentals / GD&T (ASME Y14.5)
6. A feature control frame on a drawing reads: a perpendicularity symbol, followed by 0.05, followed by the letter A. According to ASME Y14.5, what does 'A' represent in this callout?
CSWA — Drawing Fundamentals
7. A printed engineering drawing shows a dimension of 200 mm for a feature. The title block states the drawing scale is 1:2. What is the actual size of the feature on the physical part?
CSWA — Assembly Modeling / Degrees of Freedom
8. During the timed assembly challenge, a student applies a Coincident mate between two flat faces and a Concentric mate between a bolt shaft and a hole, but the assembly still shows one remaining degree of freedom. What is the most likely explanation?
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