# CSWA benchmark parts: sources, answer keys and rebuild recipes

Collected 2026-10-15. Every key is as published; every recipe was reproduced numerically (profile areas,
volumes, mass) by the reviewer before being written here, with the hypotheses that the drawings leave open
stated under "ambiguities". Tolerance: the official exam accepts an answer within 1 % of the key
("If you don't find an option within 1% of your answer please re-check your solid model"); keys are given to
two decimals. Units MMGS, "all holes through all unless shown otherwise".

## Sources

| Source | Status | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Dassault "CSWA Sample Exam" (2017 edition, 33 pp.; text identical to the 2013 edition and to Solid Solutions UK's Dec-2025 re-post, so still the current official sample) | OFFICIAL | https://www.solidworks.com/sites/default/files/2017-12/CSWASampleExam.pdf (archive: http://web.archive.org/web/20251230104817/https://www.solidworks.com/sites/default/files/2017-12/CSWASampleExam.pdf ; mirror https://www.solidsolutions.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SOLIDWORKS-Associate-CSWA-Sample-Exam.pdf) |
| Dassault CSWA sample 2013 (CAD Instructor Guide App. A), same questions and answers | OFFICIAL | https://www.solidworks.com/sw/docs/EDU_CSWA_Sample_Exam_2013_ENG.pdf |
| SolidWorks Corp 2007 sample, reseller-hosted | OFFICIAL content | https://cdn.goengineer.com/cswasampleexam2007.pdf |
| 3dengr "CSWA Practice Questions" (text-only geometry, worked answers) | COMMUNITY | https://www.3dengr.com/cswa-practice-questions.html |
| Planchard, Official CSWA Examination Guide, sample chapter (SDC) | COMMUNITY (book) | https://static.sdcpublications.com/pdfsample/978-1-58503-656-1-3.pdf |

Walkthroughs that confirm the Step 3/4 feature sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu1zbl1t7zc (13:25–23:47),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIsjTLH-GZg.

## Coordinate convention for the Tool Block (the exam says "Part origin: Arbitrary"; mass only)

Origin at the Ø14 hole centre, x right, y up, z = extrusion direction; "front" = the face the Step 3/4 cuts are made
from. Material AISI 1020 Steel, density 0.0079 g/mm³ (SOLIDWORKS library 7900 kg/m³).

## Part 1 — Tool Block, Step 1 (official, Q3; 2017 PDF p.18–19)

Key: **939.54 g** (option d); implied volume 118,929 mm³. Rebuilt: 939.54 g (0.00 %).
Variables: A = 81.00 (overall width), B = 57.00 (overall height), C = 43.00 (extrusion depth).

Profile sketch (Front plane), one closed loop + one circle:
- Ø14 through hole at (0,0): 14 from the left edge, 14 above the lobe-bottom line.
- Left lobe: left edge x = −14; bottom line y = −14; top y = +18 (lobe 32 tall); 45° chamfers 7×7 at both left
  corners, so the left edge runs y = −7 … +11.
- Top: from the chamfer end (−7, 18) horizontal to (0, 18) (the 10° line starts on the hole's vertical centreline,
  not at the chamfer; this is what the key requires), then a line falling at 10° to the right, tangent into a concave
  R19 arc ending at P = (A−43, 24) = (38, 24), the sharp top-left corner of the right lobe. The R19 arc is defined by
  R19 + tangent to the 10° line + through P (centre (21.54, 33.49); tangent point (18.24, 14.78)).
- Right lobe: top flat y = 24 from P to (A−19, 24); 45° chamfer 5×5; right edge x = A−14 = 67 from y = 19 down to
  y = 0 (corner at hole-centre height = B−57).
- Flank: straight line from (A−14, 0) to (A−43, −33) (48.7°, defined by its end points).
- V bottom flat: y = −33 (19 below the lobe-bottom line) from x = 38 leftward to where the R29 arc meets it (x = 32.79).
- R29 concave arc, centre at the intersection of the flank line (extended) with the lobe-bottom line y = −14 →
  (54.70, −14), running from the V flat up to an R5 fillet tangent to R29 and to the bottom line (fillet centre
  (21.07, −19)).
- Bottom line y = −14 from the fillet back to (−7, −14), then the chamfer.

Profile area 2765.79 mm² (pixel-measured 2766 ± 3). Features: one sketch (lines, two tangent arcs R19/R29, R5
fillet, 45° chamfers, circle) → Boss-Extrude C → material.

## Part 2 — Tool Block, Step 2 (official, Q4)

Key: **1032.32 g**. Rebuilt: 1032.32 g (0.00 %). A = 84, B = 59, C = 45, "all other dimensions the same".
What floats (the only hypothesis that reproduces the key AND the hole callout): the 24 (top → right-edge corner),
14 (hole → lobe bottom), 19 (V depth), 29, 14 hole offset, chamfers and radii are fixed; the right-lobe top is at
y = B−33 = 26, the right-edge corner at y = B−57 = 2, P = (A−43, 26) = (41, 26); the flank runs (A−14, 2)→(A−43, −33);
R29 centre again flank∩(y = −14). (Alternative "top = 26, corner still at y = 0" gives 1036.19 g, +0.37 %.)

## Part 3 — Tool Block, Step 3 (official, Q5; p.21–22)

Key: **628.18 g** (volume 79,516.5 mm³). Rebuilt: 628.18 g (0.000 %). A = 86, B = 58, C = 44 → top y = 25,
corner y = 1, P = (43, 25), right edge x = 72, flank (72, 1)→(43, −33). Features after the Step 2 part (mass is
order-independent):
1. Reference plane offset 12 from the back face; Cut-Extrude on it, blind 24 toward the front (slot at
   z = 12…36 of 44): sketch = circle R41 (Ø82) centred at (A−14, 28.70) = (72, 28.70). The drawing gives R41 and
   "36" = vertical distance from the top edge down to where the arc meets the flank; the intent that reproduces the
   key exactly is "centre on the extension of the right edge, arc through the flank point 36 below the top
   (61.76, −11)". Sensitivity: centre (72, 25) → −3.1 %; (72, 28.0) → −0.6 %.
2. Cut-Extrude from the front face, blind 19, through all in x: rectangle covering everything below the
   lobe-bottom line (y ≤ −14). Shown only in the side view on p.22 and the third isometric; omitting it gives +8.6 %.
3. Cut-Extrude from the front face, blind 19: rectangle from the left edge to the vertical line 52 from the right
   edge (hole-x ≤ 20), all y. Leaves the left lobe 25 thick at the back.
4. Ø11 hole through all, centred 14 from the right edge and 14 below the top edge → (58, 11); goes through both
   ears (back 12 + front 8).
Removed: step 1003.7 mm² × 19, under-notch 358.8 × 19, slot 1015.0 × 24, Ø14 × 25, Ø11 × 20.

## Part 4 — Tool Block, Step 4 (official, Q6; p.24)

Key: **432.58 g** (volume 54,757 mm³). "Only one pocket on one side; not symmetrical; unshown dims as in Q5."
Rebuilt: 432.86 g (+0.07 %) best case; every plausible reading lands within ±1 %. Two independent video
walkthroughs reach exactly 432.58 with this recipe (two cuts in practice):
- Sketch on the front face of the right section (x ≥ 34 from the left edge): Convert Entities of the face's outer
  loop, Offset Entities 1 mm inward ("1 TYP"): left wall along the step line (x = 35), top along the 10°/R19
  saddle, top flat, 5 chamfer, right edge, flank; bottom = horizontal line y = −13 (1 above the lobe-bottom line; it
  does not follow the V). Also offset the slot's R41 silhouette by 1 mm so a 1-mm wall remains between pocket and
  slot. Cut-Extrude, end condition "Offset From Surface" = 12 from the back face (depth 32), over the region outside
  the slot arc.
- Second cut over the ear region inside the R41 arc (same 1-mm rim, hole excluded): Cut-Extrude "Offset From
  Surface" = 1 mm from the slot's front wall (depth 7, leaves a 1-mm skin; section U-U on p.24 shows the skin and
  the 12 floor).
Areas for a checker: 1-mm-offset outline 1556.1 mm²; part outside R42 581.3 mm²; inside R40 860.4 / inside R41 936.3 mm².

## Part 5 — 3dengr practice set (COMMUNITY; text geometry, every number re-derived analytically)

Material 6061, 2700 kg/m³ (0.0027 g/mm³), MMGS, corner at origin, +X +Y +Z.
- Q5 block 100 (X) × 20 (Y) × 60 (Z): **324.00 g** (120,000 mm³).
- Q6 + Ø20 through hole along Y at X = 25, Z = 30: **307.04 g** (hole 6,283.19 mm³).
- Q7 CoM of Q6: **X = 51.38, Y = 10.00, Z = 30.00** mm.
- Q8 hole changed to Ø30: **285.83 g**.
- Q9 L-bracket, AISI 1020 0.0079: base 80 (X) × 10 (Y) × 40 (Z) at the origin corner; upright 10 thick (X) at the
  left end, 50 above the base, 40 deep: **410.80 g**, CoM **(26.54, 16.54, 20.00)**.

## Further official candidates (placeholders: URL and key only)

One line each. Nothing from these drawings is transcribed here: the geometry stays in the source.

- 2007 sample exam, Q1: https://cdn.goengineer.com/cswasampleexam2007.pdf (key 1280 g).
- 2007 sample exam, Q6: https://cdn.goengineer.com/cswasampleexam2007.pdf (key 2040.57 g).
- Planchard, Official CSWA Examination Guide, 3-3: https://static.sdcpublications.com/pdfsample/978-1-58503-656-1-3.pdf (key 302.40 g, CoM (0, 19.20, 0)).

## Assembly targets (future)

- Official chain-link assembly (2017 PDF p.26–28): 2 long_pins, 3 short_pins, 4 chain_links (parts in the sample
  ZIP on solidworks.com/cswa; not retrieved); pins concentric to link holes, pin end faces coincident to link side
  faces; A = 25°, B = 125°, C = 130° → CoM **(348.66, −88.48, −91.40)**; A = 30°, B = 115°, C = 135° →
  **(327.67, −98.39, −102.91)**.
- 2007 Q4: 3 identical L-brackets + 2 titanium pins, 45° angle mates → CoM option c (40.24, 24.33, 20.75).
  2007 Q5: Base / Yoke / AdjustingPin, 1060 Alloy → option d (30.00, 40.16, −53.82). Drawings p.4–5 (image only).

## Ambiguities and unverifiable items

1. Tool Block drawings are images; the start of the 10° line (hole centreline, not the chamfer) is not called out;
   pixel measurement + the key fix it.
2. Step 2: which dimension floats with B is not stated; the mass key fixes it (corner at y = B−57), but the
   hole-height alternative gives the same mass; a CoM check would settle it.
3. Step 3: the R41 centre is not dimensioned (see the intent above; the key is reproduced exactly). The 19×19
   under-notch cut is shown only in the side view.
4. Step 4: the wall between pocket and slot (1 vs 2 mm), whether the Ø11 keeps a 1-mm ring, and whether the ear cut
   leaves a skin cannot be read from the PDF; all combinations fall within −0.8…+1.0 % of the key, so this part must
   use the exam's 1 % band.
5. The current solidworks.com sample ZIP (chain-link part files) was not retrieved.
6. Goodheart-Willcox practice set has no published key; excluded.
7. 2007 Q1/Q6 and Planchard 3-3: dimensions only in images; not transcribed or verified.