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Oh, and learn to CAD :) This guide assumes you have a part already fully modeled, so unless you have a completed CAD file from someone else, unfortunately this won’t be much help. If you’re on Rocket Team (or really just in college), however, you are surrounded by people who are very experienced with CAD - reach out! Everyone (at least that I’ve met) is super friendly and more than happy to help you out. It’s a super fun and useful skill to have, and pretty critical to design your own parts.

Table of Contents

How to Not To Waste Hours of Your Life: A Beginner’s Guide to SolidWorks Drawings1

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Helpful Videos - This whole guide is intended to be a living document, so please add!!29

1. Creating a Drawing

Did I have to Google how to do this the first time? Yes. I could not find the drawing tab for anything.

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Image Description: Screenshot of option to “Make Drawing from Part/Assembly” in upper left of SolidWorks interface.

Choose a Template

I believe this is mostly up to you, but I typically go with the “A (ANSI) Landscape” option (basically just because it is first on the dropdown menu), and delete the sections at the bottom I don’t need so I have more space for actual drawings. This is probably a rookie mistake; please ask your subteam lead until I get clarification on this :)

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If you’re in “Edit Sheet Format” mode where you can edit all the details on the bottom of the document like your name, the drawing name, etc, you can’t create drawing views. To exit this mode, right click on empty space on your document and click “Edit Sheet Format”.

Filling Out Basic Info

First things first: fill out the “TITLE”, “DRAWN - NAME”, “DRAWN - DATE”, and “MATERIAL” sections of the sheet format. This way when people are looking at the file, even if it’s in progress (which you should add in the “COMMENTS” section), they know who to contact with questions/comments, as well as generally what this drawing is supposed to be of. 

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Image Description: Screenshot of portions of the “Edit Sheet Format” interface to fill out first.

Basic Document Property Settings

Seriously, do these before you start your drawing. Future you will thank past you. Best if you do all this when actually creating the CAD so you’re more familiar with the numbers you’re seeing as you create the drawing, but now you definitely need to swap.

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[IMAGE OF COMPLETED TITLE BLOCK]

2. What Even Is A Drawing

Okay so you made a cool part in CAD. Congrats! But someone can't just look at your 3D model and magically know how to make it. A drawing is basically a 2D instruction manual that tells the machinist:

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This is similar to how you wouldn't show someone a picture of a random personalized cake and expect them to bake it without measurements and instructions.

3. Minimum Requirements for Rocket Team Drawings

According to official Rocket Team standards, at minimum your drawing shall:

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[IMAGE OF GOOD MULTI-PAGE DRAWING EXAMPLE]

4. Making Views That Are Easy to Understand

The Basic Three Views (Required!)

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• Shows internal features with dashed lines
• Honestly section views are usually clearer, but sometimes this works
• Use sparingly, as too many dashed lines gets confusing fast

5. Dimensioning (a.k.a. actually having the measurements you need when machining)

It sounds stupid and maybe it’s just me, but this is where I spent like 80% of my time fixing mistakes, both from myself and others. 

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• Dimension from datum surfaces - these are the flat surfaces you'd clamp from when machining
• Dimension multiple things from the same datum when possible
• Don't dimension the same thing twice in different ways
• If you can calculate it from other dimensions, don't add it (though sometimes I do find this convenient for myself and will make an extra sheet just for these drawings because addition and subtraction are hard and I don’t trust myself to input numbers into a calculator correctly)
• Take note of where the zeroes for your part will likely be when machining; e.g., the face of the piece and the centerline through the diameter

6. Tolerances - Yes You Need Them

Tolerances are very important, and can drastically affect your part’s performance or usability. If you are unsure, it is best to contact your subteam lead.

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• Pressure vessel stuff
• O-ring grooves
• Anything that sounds important
• Anything you're unsure about

7. Notes, a.k.a. The "Deburr All Edges" Section

The Notes You Should Include

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1. Insert → Annotations → Note
2. Click where you want it
3. Type your note
4. For symbols:
• Diameter: <MOD-DIAM> or click the Ø button
• Depth: <MOD-DEPTH> or click the ↧ button

8. Common Rocket Team Drawing Notes

These are official Rocket Team standard notes you can use on your drawings. The "X" just means whatever note number you're on (1, 2, 3, etc.). See: https://wikis.mit.edu/confluence/display/RocketTeam/Rocket+Team+Standard+Drawing+Notes for more details.

Machining Notes

1. MACHINE PER BEST SHOP PRACTICE

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• Requires all edges be deburred
• Can be done after machining or as part of CNC operation
• Usually the chamfer isn't modeled in CAD

Part Marking Notes

Every part needs a part number and serial number for traceability. These follow aerospace standard AS478.

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• For integral part marks (cast in, machined in, or 3D printed)
• Must update serial number and revision before making the part

Finish Notes

1. ANODIZE TO CLASS II, TYPE 2 (COLOR) PER MIL-A-8625F

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• Can specify brand or chemical formulation

Testing Notes

1. TEST PER MIT ROCKET TEAM FIREBOLT HYDROSTATIC TESTING PROCEDURE

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• Flag note for electrical resistance checks
• Important for avionics/e-matches to avoid shorts

9. How to Catch (almost) Everything Before Physically Machining

Word of advice when creating the drawings: go through it like you're actively machining the part (can be after you get everything you think is good down); you will likely catch a lot of useful dimensions you missed by accident.

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• Depth of holes or pockets
• Location of holes from edges
• Which holes are threaded
• Corner radii
• Material callout
• Deburr note

10. When to Use 2-3 Pages (Often)

I highly recommend using 2-3 pages of drawings depending on how complex the part is, because it very quickly gets hard to read. Don't be afraid to have multiple sheets of drawings (In my extremely limited experience, 2-3 can be good for the nozzles and more complex parts, as it's better to have an extra sheet of paper than cluttered, easy-to-confuse-dimensions drawings.)

Use Multiple Pages When:

• You have more than 8-10 dimensions crammed onto one view
• You need section views AND detail views
• The drawing is starting to look like a mess
• You're squinting to read dimension numbers
• Features are on multiple sides of the part
• You're working on nozzles or other complex parts

How to Split It Up

Page 1: The Big Picture

• Front, top, right views (your three required orthogonal projections)
• Overall dimensions (length, width, height)
• Major features
• General notes (including the DEBURR one)
• Material and finish callouts

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[IMAGE OF MULTI-PAGE DRAWING ORGANIZATION]

How to Add Pages in SolidWorks

1. Right-click on the sheet tab at the bottom
2. Add Sheet
3. Update your title block sheet numbers (Sheet 2 of 3, etc.)

Better to have clear drawings on 3 pages than one incomprehensible page!!

11. Checklist Before You Bug Todd

Go through this before you show up. Seriously, it'll save everyone time.

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• Not cluttered (if it is, add pages)
• Neat and organized
• Everything is readable
• You'd be able to machine it from this drawing
• Your teammate who ends up machining this won't hate you
• Drawing is PRINTED OUT and ready to bring to Todd

12. Easy-to-Make Mistakes

1. Forgetting Hole Depths

The mistake: A hole shows diameter but not depth.

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The fix: If unsure about anything, STOP and ask the CAD designer, subteam lead, or Todd before continuing. Also, your life is way more important than “bothering” someone if you’re not sure if the machine is supposed to be making that noise or if the parting tools can be moved on the Z-axis while in a part (DO NOT DO THIS).

13. Working in Todd Shop

This is important stuff about actually machining your part in Todd Shop.

Before You Even Get to the Shop

• Make sure ALL your dimensions are clear and correct
• If you're unsure of ANY dimension, contact whoever made the CAD and/or your subteam lead BEFORE continuing to machine
• Preferably figure this out before you even get to the machine shop
• Todd would, like you, prefer not to redo the part and would rather you take as long as you need to figure out the proper dimensions

While You're Machining

If you are unsure of something while machining, tell Todd immediately.

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• Rush and mess up the part
• Guess and get it wrong
• Hide mistakes and compound them
• Do something dangerous

Clean up!!!

• Do not leave a mess. When you’re done for the day, make sure to use the compressed air to blow any chips into a paper towel (not on the floor, but you do need to vacuum if there are chips/other stuff on the floor. 
• Wipe up the motor oil with a paper towel with a bit of SimplyGreen (the spray bottles on top of the lathes)

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Tapping holes in the mostly-machined piece I used for this tutorial! Did I spend 80+ hours on this project in the span of 2 weeks? Maybe, but hey, Todd still got his (morning) coffees uninterrupted :) Fun note: it’s best to arrive at shop not at 9am, but 9:30am so Todd can turn on all the machines, make sure everything is in working order, figure out who he needs to help with what, and finish his coffee!

Random Machining Notes:

Quick Reference - Common Callouts

Through Holes: Ø.2500 THRU

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UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED: TOLERANCES: .XX ± .01 .XXX ± .005
.XXXX ± .0010

Most Common Rocket Team Standard Notes

For Basic Parts: X. MACHINE PER BEST SHOP PRACTICE X. BREAK ALL EDGES X. SURFACE IS SEAL BEARING (flag note for o-ring surfaces)

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For Steel/Titanium Parts: X. MARK PART NUMBER AND SERIAL NUMBER PER AS478 4.1.7.4

Helpful Videos - This whole guide is intended to be a living document, so please add!!

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