Javelin / TriMech Author
John Lee, CSWE
Are you experiencing DPI Scaling issues within SOLIDWORKS?
By John Lee, CSWE on September 28, 2023
Are you seeing double or triple within your SOLIDWORKS display? Or, is the feature tree too magnified or shrunken? If the images below look familiar, and you are seeing this on a regular basis with your graphics area, then you may be a victim of…
How to confirm your DraftSight Enterprise serial number
By John Lee, CSWE on September 13, 2023
The DraftSight Enterprise serial number is recorded only on the network license server. For details, read on. At times when troubleshooting your DraftSight Enterprise installation with your reseller, you may be asked to confirm which DraftSight Enterprise serial number and product you have. DraftSight Standard,…
SOLIDWORKS File Utilities replaces SOLIDWORKS Explorer
By John Lee, CSWE on April 7, 2023
SOLIDWORKS 2020 has retained critical functionality from SOLIDWORKS Explorer, and has discontinued the SOLIDWORKS Explorer application. SOLIDWORKS File Utilities Functions The retained functionality is now called SOLIDWORKS File Utilities and is a must when renaming SOLIDWORKS reusable data (such as parts and assemblies) from outside…
Outside Dimensions for non-90° Sheet Metal bends in SOLIDWORKS
By John Lee, CSWE on February 22, 2023
When detailing a bent/formed sheet metal drawing, and generating a flat pattern, it is important to confirm that the flat pattern size is accurate. A practical way to do that is to use the Bend Deduction formula which relies on OD’s (Outside Dimensions) which can…
Oh no, you have a corrupt SOLIDWORKS drawing! It either won’t open properly, won’t save, throws a corruption message, suggests a repair or contacting technical support, etc. What steps can you try to fix it before calling in the cavalry? This article serves as a…
SOLIDWORKS Pattern Slow or Failing? Try the Geometry Pattern option!
By John Lee, CSWE on March 24, 2022
Is your SOLIDWORKS pattern slow to rebuild, or worse: just failing outright, with no explanation given? If so, then keep reading, as we introduce the Geometry Pattern checkbox! On tech support we have seen a few odd situations where the pattern fails without Geometry pattern…
Managing formed feature information in SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal, the easy way!
By John Lee, CSWE on April 16, 2021
When manufacturing sheet metal parts from a SOLIDWORKS model and drawing, how can we ensure that raised features (also commonly referred to as formed features) will protrude from the correct side/face of the part? This article guides you through how to control and communicate, in…
How to transfer your DraftSight Custom Settings between versions or computers
By John Lee, CSWE on April 2, 2021
A common DraftSight question we receive is how to transfer custom DraftSight settings between installations? This situation might crop up when upgrading versions, switching between computers, or cleanly uninstalling and reinstalling DraftSight. Standard procedure is found by searching for “Migrating Preferences” in the DraftSight help. …
Why you should use Restart (instead of Shut down) with SOLIDWORKS
By John Lee, CSWE on April 1, 2021
When troubleshooting unwanted behavior on a computer, especially when running SOLIDWORKS, there are a couple of simple steps worth trying early in the process. Restart SOLIDWORKS, and if that didn’t resolve it then restart/reboot the computer. But beware… “restart” may no longer mean what you…
Two settings to customize after a new SOLIDWORKS Installation
By John Lee, CSWE on March 17, 2021
Two settings worth customizing right off the bat after a new SOLIDWORKS installation (not necessarily an upgrade) are reviewing backup settings, and ensuring that Sheet Properties are easy to access in any drawing. It’s something you’ll do once and then not have to worry about…
How to Delete a Hole in a SOLIDWORKS Surface
By John Lee, CSWE on March 16, 2021
Every now and then we learn something new in SOLIDWORKS that is so simple and yet so powerful. Delete Hole is one of those. It is a time-saver compared to patching techniques. When working with a surface model in SOLIDWORKS, a hole can be deleted…
Are you seeing empty views when opening a SOLIDWORKS Drawing? Where did the Views and Annotations go? In this tech tip I’ll describe the blank view problem and provide a solution. Why are my Drawing Views empty? If the urge to swear out loud is…
Editing geometry created in the SOLIDWORKS model is usually easy, but what if the geometry belongs to an imported model from some neutral file format? Even if the model were created in SOLIDWORKS, sometimes modifying the geometry gets tricky, such as when adding draft. For…
Greetings, users of SOLIDWORKS Composer! In our previous article we explained how to access the Help for SOLIDWORKS Composer. In this article, we explain how to get the keyword search function working in the Help. The difference it makes in our productivity is like night…
Do you design injection molds with SOLIDWORKS? Did you know that SOLIDWORKS Plastics offers a comprehensive set of tutorials? New in the SOLIDWORKS Plastics 2021 release is a tutorial entitled Validating Injection Molding Simulation, where we learn how to simulate the injection molding process, and…