Electrical CAD
SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D
Draw electrical schematics in SOLIDWORKS Electrical and place components in a 3D cabinet with wire routing.
SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers. It has 12 modules and takes about 26 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 26 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D (check with Dassault Systèmes or your reseller which licence or trial gives you access). Hardware: none required.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Create a project with templates, locations and functions
- Draw schematics with intelligent wires and marks
- Manage manufacturer parts, terminals, relays, PLCs and cables
- Create macros, reports and revisions
- Place components in a 3D cabinet and route wires
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers.
Level: Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. Reading electrical drawings is assumed.
What you need
Software: SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D (check with Dassault Systèmes or your reseller which licence or trial gives you access).
Hardware: None required.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
12 modules in order, at your own pace. 26 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Introduction and Licence Types2h 32m
- 2Projects, Templates, Locations and Functions57m
- 3Title Blocks and Symbols1h 50m
- 4Manufacturer Parts and Libraries1h 44m
- 5Schematics: Wires, Marks and Multiwires, with lab practice: 1h 17m
- 6Terminals, Relays and Black Boxes43m
- 7PLCs and I/O, with lab practice: 1h 59m
- 8Cables and Harnesses2h 32m
Show the other 4 modules
- 9Macros, Reports and Revisions1h 11m
- 10SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D and Routing1h 57m
- 11Mechanical Schematics, P&ID and PDM3h 7m
- 12Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (1 tool)
Required
- 01Paid only
SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic
Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS
- Runs on
- Windows PC
- Account
- A MySolidWorks account and a quote from a SOLIDWORKS reseller
SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and Electrical 3D are sold through SOLIDWORKS resellers; the product page offers a quote, not a self-service trial. Students get Electrical only through the paid Design Premium for Students or free through a school that holds the SOLIDWORKS EDU Edition.
Steps
- 1.Open the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic page on solidworks.com.
- 2.Select Request a quote to contact a local SOLIDWORKS reseller.
- 3.Ask the reseller whether an evaluation licence is available for your use.
- 4.Install SOLIDWORKS Electrical on a Windows PC with the licence you receive.
- 5.Open a sample project to check the installation.
- If you study at a school with the SOLIDWORKS EDU Edition, ask your teacher for a home-use licence.
Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS product pagesolidworks.comLegitimate free routes
- SOLIDWORKS EDU Edition through your school: Schools with an EDU licence can give students the full desktop suite, including Electrical, at no extra cost.
- AutoCAD Electrical (Autodesk Education): Free for a year for eligible students and educators.
- Eplan Education: Free Eplan Electric P8 for pupils, trainees and students.
- QElectroTech: Free open-source schematic editor for anyone.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Wire the contactor circuit and the PLC sensor inputs you draw in SOLIDWORKS Electrical, and see how a schematic becomes a panel that works.
- Commission the transfer-pump starterElectrical labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Commission the transfer-pump starter
- Commission the sorting station sensorsElectrical labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Commission the sorting station sensors
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 14 hours
Conveyor control panel in SOLIDWORKS Electrical: schematic, PLC input card, cable and 3D cabinet
Build the SOLIDWORKS Electrical project for the control panel of a belt conveyor. It has a motor starter, a 16-input PLC card, terminal strips and a 7-core motor cable. Then place the parts in a 3D cabinet, route the wires, and write the duct fill and cable lengths back to the project. You deliver the project archive, your I/O allocation, the 3D cabinet, the reports and a design review of your own set.
- 8documents in the pack
- 9steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 14 hof work, at your pace
- Drawing listDrawing and Document List: Conveyor CV-1 Control Panel CP1
- I/O listI/O Allocation: PLC -A1, Input Card DI16 and Output Card DQ8
- Wiring drawingsSchematic Set: Sheet Index, Numbering Rules and Two Circuits, Panel CP1
- Panel GAPanel CP1: 3D Layout, Door, Mounting Plate, Routing and Duct Fill
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP1 and Machine Devices (generated from manufacturer parts)
- Cable scheduleCable List: Panel CP1 to Machine, Lengths from 3D Routing
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Electrical Design
Eight short weeks of single-line diagrams, load schedules, cable sizing and protection: notes, diagrams, a few videos and self-checking design exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Electrical design engineer
- Panel designer
- Electrical technician
- Maintenance engineer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: GoEngineer, Intercad. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
GoEngineer · Intercad. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Do I need SOLIDWORKS?
Electrical Schematic runs alone; the 3D module needs SOLIDWORKS with Electrical 3D. Check on the Dassault Systèmes page, or with your reseller, whether your edition or an education or trial licence includes SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
How is this different from EPLAN?
Same job, different ecosystem: SOLIDWORKS Electrical is chosen by machine builders whose mechanical design is already in SOLIDWORKS.
Is P&ID covered?
Yes, with mechanical schematics and PDM in the final module.
Is the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How long does the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course take?
Plan on about 26 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the twelve modules at your own speed.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course cover, module by module?
The SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course has 12 modules. It opens with "Introduction and Licence Types", goes through "Projects, Templates, Locations and Functions", "Schematics: Wires, Marks and Multiwires", "Cables and Harnesses" and "Mechanical Schematics, P&ID and PDM" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course?
After the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course: Create projects with templates, locations and functions; Build title blocks, symbols, manufacturer parts and libraries; Draw schematics with wires, marks, multiwires, terminals and relays. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course, and does it cost anything?
For the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course, software: SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D (check with Dassault Systèmes or your reseller which licence or trial gives you access). Hardware: none required. The course itself is free.
Is the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course suitable for me, and what level is it?
SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D is rated beginner. Beginner to intermediate. Reading electrical drawings is assumed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers, and takes about 26 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course?
Skills from the SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D course (for example: create projects with templates, locations and functions) are used in roles such as electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer, and in electrical design engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic and 3D, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.