Why you should be using a SOLIDWORKS Hole Table

A SOLIDWORKS hole table is an excellent way to convey hole information in a convenient and organized manner.  Columns can be created to show such information as hole tag, size, location, and more.

SOLIDWORKS has an automated function to help you generate your hole tables faster and easier than ever.  All that is needed is an origin datum, and the software will automatically calculate hole size and position for any specified holes in your model.

Imagine a simple plate with a number of holes placed such as the drawing given below:

Simple plate with holes

Let’s try dimensioning this simple plate by just using standard horizontal and vertical linear dimensions.  This can get fairly disorganized quite quickly as the image below shows.

Linear Dimensioning

To improve upon this, we can first take a look at using ordinate dimensions.  As shown in the image below the drawing is now more organized and easier for manufacturers to read and interpret.

Ordinate Dimensioning

To improve upon this even further we can try using a hole table. Again, this will clean up our detailed drawing even further to produce a very organized final drawing that can be easily understood and interpreted as shown below.

Dimensioning with a hole table

This example is a fairly simple model, but imagine a plate with 50 holes including a number of different hole sizes and you can easily see how useful a SOLIDWORKS hole table can be!

Learn more about Drawings

To learn more drawing techniques you should plan to attend our SOLIDWORKS Drawings training course either online or in a classroom near you.