SOLIDWORKS SURFACING Fundamentals for CAD Professionals (Udemy.com)
Learn SolidWorks Surface Modelling -take your CAD skills further with advanced techniques for complex design
Created by: Johno Ellison
Last updated March 2026
What you will learn
- Learn what SolidWorks Surface Modelling is and how to use it
- Understand the SolidWorks surfacing tools
- Use the Surfacing to create SolidWorks surface models
- Gain an understanding of how Surfacing can be used together with Solid Modelling to widen your CAD skillset
How it compares
Against the other 545 rated Udemy courses in 3D Modeling on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 56% of them
- Reviews188#329 of 546 by number of reviews
- Length2.7 hoursshorter than 77% of them
- Last updatedMarch 2026more recently than 89% of them
Course Description
Level up your SolidWorks skills by mastering the fundamentals of Surface Modelling!
SolidWorks is one of the world's most popular 3D CAD programs, used by millions to design everything from 3D-printed toys to fully-working mechanical vehicles. Yet many users never venture beyond Solid Modelling — missing out on a powerful set of tools that can transform what they're able to create.
This course changes that, teaching you the fundamentals of Surface Modelling and expanding your CAD toolkit in the process.
Why this course is different
Beginner-friendly, step-by-step progression. Switching to Surface Modelling can feel daunting, but this course starts from the very basics and builds gradually — so you always understand not just how to use each tool, but why.
Taught by a working professional. Your instructor has used SolidWorks since 2006, holds SolidWorks Certified Associate and Professional qualifications, and works daily as a Product Design Engineer — designing real products for real clients. No academic-only experience here.
Learn how Surfacing fits the real world. Advanced modellers rarely use pure Solid or pure Surface Modelling — the best results come from mixing both. This course shows you how to blend the two approaches effectively.
Built on thousands of students' feedback. This course builds on the instructor's other bestselling SolidWorks courses, refined using feedback from over 30,000 Udemy students.
What's included
2.5+ hours of high-quality video
Downloadable models for every section
Prompt support from your instructor — post a question and we'll get back to you
What you'll learn
You'll work through a series of detailed, practical projects covering the full range of SolidWorks Surfacing tools:
Introduction to Surfacing — Creating simple surface models and converting them to solids
Deleting and Moving Faces — Two deceptively simple tools that are incredibly useful in everyday modelling
Basic Surfacing – Candlestick Holder — Extruded and ruled surfaces, trimming, knitting and thickening
Advanced Surfacing Tools – Paint Sprayer — Surface revolves, lofts, sweeps, and filled and planar surfaces
Boundary Surface & More – Vacuum Cleaner Nozzle — The powerful Boundary Surface tool and offset surfaces
Practising Surfacing – Spoon Model — Recapping boundary and lofted surfaces, plus extending, trimming and thickening
Other Surfacing Tools — Surface flatten, surface from mesh, freeform and cut with surface
Course Conclusion and Future Learning
A note on versions
The course is taught in SolidWorks 2022 and is compatible with any newer version. Older versions can also be used — the core techniques remain the same.
Sign up today and take your 3D modelling to the next level!
Instructor Details
- 4.6 Rating
188 Reviews
Johno Ellison
I am a UK design engineer who specialises particularly in Solidworks 3D CAD modelling.
I have a wide range of Design Engineering experience covering areas including mechanisms, 3D printing, materials selection, rapid prototyping and other design and manufacturing techniques.
I have more than twelve years of Solidworks experience and hold a First Class Honours degree in Sustainable Product Design from a Top 25 UK university. I have also completed a range of Solidworks-certified training courses in the UK.
I particularly enjoy working on projects which solve mechanical problems using innovative ideas and mechanisms. I previously trained as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force and am a keen mountain biker, and these experiences and skills feed into my love of mechanical design.
I have travelled extensively. Prior to becoming a full-time freelancer I drove a vintage London Black Cab from London to Sydney, passing through fifty countries, setting two Guinness World Records and raising over £20,000 for the British Red Cross, before writing a book about the adventure. This innate curiosity to explore and investigate how things are done differently around the world provides me with a wide range of design inspiration.
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Reviews
By Thi Han Soe on 9/28/2026
I have taken several SolidWorks Courses on udemy by different instructors. Johno's course is the best so far. Compact and interactive. This is my first course from Johno that I have taken, and I regret not taking his courses sooner. I will be joining his other courses after this. Thanks.
By Thomas Webb Warren on 6/2/2026
The instructor is very good at the level of details that he uses with his explanations, and you can learn and ton just by all of the intermediate ways that he uses solidworks in between his main explanation of the different tools.
By Mourad Daire on 4/6/2026
Exactly on point of what I was looking for! Simple step by step exercise highlighting in context the key features and their subtle nuances!
By Josuè Caidor on 10/18/2025
This course is very good and detailed, and I would definitely recommend it. The instructor explains how each tool works in depth. I think it helps to have some prior exposure to the main tools before taking this course — if you’re familiar with how to use them but not exactly sure how or why they work, this course clears that up very well. If youve never used surfacing at all even just the very basic basic level, this course i think will be too hard to follow. This is just my opinion of course.
By Haiqal Jamal on 9/9/2025
Great course for beginner. However I wish this course cover completely for chapter surface from mesh. I would like to see what to do to create a solid after we convert the mesh to surface. Thank you.
By Jason Bryant on 3/21/2025
Great instructor! Gives clear, concise, instruction, doesn't go too fast, and gives good explanations of what they are doing and why. I love all of Johno's courses and only wish there were more.
By Blackand Gold on 7/25/2024
Absolutely awesome course! The only thing I would add is an exercise that utilizes a blueprint for a real world product, where surfacing would be required to model it.
By Kim Semler on 5/24/2024
This Course is a great overview of surfacing tools. I feel like I can now begin to use them and explore how they work. The course is through and the descriptions and examples are clear. I understand how each tool works and how to use them together. I do wish the pace was just a bit slower. The audio is very fast at times. I also would have liked more explanation into the workflow. Workflow is so important in Solidworks and understanding how to build that for your project is key. There wasn't instruction on this at all. Knowing why the placement of the key points on the spoon were chosen and the strategy behind those decisions would have been really helpful in using the tools on my own projects. I think it's the only miss in the class. Otherwise it's a great course and I left with almost al of the knowledge needed to use the surfacing tools independently. I hope there is an advanced course at some point.
By Kudugunti Nandhishwar on 4/13/2024
It could have more complex designs in the course may help a little more.
By Jake LaBombarbe on 11/29/2023
Johno has a pretty direct but engaging teaching style. I've taken more than a few Solidworks classes on Udemy, but I find myself preferring his teaching style. This class is great for intermediate and in some cases, advanced Solidworks users (as a refresher). Beginners would be better off to start with his SW fundamentals courses.
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 92 / 100











