Javelin / TriMech Author
John Lee, CSWE
Define Hole Wizard Depth to Tip or Shoulder with SOLIDWORKS 2020
By John Lee, CSWE on November 18, 2019
Prior to SOLIDWORKS 2020, the SOLIDWORKS Hole Wizard holes would specify end condition of drilled or tapped holes as depth to shoulder. Now in 2020, we can specify drill depth to tip. For example, maybe it is critical that the drill hole not pierce through…
When upgrading to a new year version of SOLIDWORKS, or when installing multiple year versions of SOLIDWORKS, we recommend our best practices guide for the installation. This article assumes that the aforementioned guide was used, and employs a technique designed to work with the settings…
Are you using the SOLIDWORKS Mate Pop-up Toolbar?
By John Lee, CSWE on July 23, 2019
Mating components together in a SOLIDWORKS assembly? Frequent use of the SOLIDWORKS mate pop-up toolbar can often save you much time and mousing! The mate pop-up toolbar is not quite as intelligent as the mate manager. For example, the mate manager will usually predict when…
Retain PMI and Design Intent when you translate CAD Models into SOLIDWORKS with ELYSIUM
By John Lee, CSWE on July 19, 2019
Got a lot of CAD models and drawings to translate into SOLIDWORKS format? Don’t want to lose your design intent in the process? If so, keep reading! At SOLIDWORKS World 2018, a Dassault Systèmes team [who brought us SOLIDWORKS as we know it] out of…
What if we need an angle dimension in a sketch, but one of the entities is not a line (perhaps it is a spline or arc instead)? The answer, we can take the angle between 3 endpoints! In this sketch on the right plane (which…
SOLIDWORKS Design Intent: what is it, and why should I care?
By John Lee, CSWE on July 10, 2019
Ever hear of the term “design intent” and wonder what it means, or how it pertains to design? In SOLIDWORKS, we refer to design intent as your plan as to how the model should behave when it is changed. This really begs for a demonstration,…
Save assembly construction time with SOLIDWORKS SmartMates!
By John Lee, CSWE on July 5, 2019
Assembling components in SOLIDWORKS? There are multiple ways to mate components together. Some methods are faster, while other methods are slower but more intelligent (such as the Mate manager). SOLIDWORKS SmartMates are one of the faster methods, where you can avoid the repetitive mouse travel…
How to speed up your 2D mirror in SOLIDWORKS sketches!
By John Lee, CSWE on July 2, 2019
If you’ve mirrored sketch entities in SOLIDWORKS, you are probably familiar with the Mirror command. In that operation, you specify a centerline of symmetry, and which entities get mirrored. That’s a fair bit of mousing back and forth between the graphics area and the Mirror…
Are you using the same function so often in SOLIDWORKS that you wish you could make it happen faster and more easily? Well, you can! SOLIDWORKS Keyboard shortcuts (also known as hotkeys) are just one of several productivity tips available to you, and can be…
Degraded SOLIDWORKS assembly performance? Locate and remove unnecessary fastener detail!
By John Lee, CSWE on June 27, 2019
Sometimes, after the assembly has undergone considerable development, its performance is not so great anymore. For example zooming, rotating, and panning can become maddeningly sluggish. File size may become excessive. Long rebuild times may cause loss of productivity. Fortunately, there are ways to diagnose and…
Put an end to shooting wrist pain while mousing at your computer
By John Lee, CSWE on June 25, 2019
Repetitive strain injury seems to happen to some of us, notably CAD users who just want to go faster and faster to get more done in less time. There’s so much mousing…somehow our mousing hand and arm seem to suffer from trying to work too…
Source supplier parts or get your SOLIDWORKS design manufactured with 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace!
By John Lee, CSWE on June 19, 2019
Wondering where to get supplier models for your SOLIDWORKS design, or how to find a company to manufacture your design? You can do both, right from within your SOLIDWORKS session! First a bit of background. For many years, a vast source for parts has been…
How to change the SOLIDWORKS Drawing background appearance
By John Lee, CSWE on June 10, 2019
While model-based definition (MBD) is gaining momentum in industry, many companies currently rely on drawings, which brings us to this article. Are you staring at SOLIDWORKS drawings a lot? Ever wanted to spruce up those drawings for a bit of realism in the sheet’s appearance…
Problems with imported model? Import Diagnostics to the rescue!
By John Lee, CSWE on February 12, 2019
So you imported some model and it’s giving you grief. Perhaps inexplicable behavior that cannot be resolved simply by restarting SOLIDWORKS. We feel your pain! At the earliest opportunity, you want to run Import Diagnostics. It’s a powerful tool that harness the miracle of computer-based…
Free Introductory SOLIDWORKS Self-Paced Tutorials
By John Lee, CSWE on February 4, 2019
New to CAD (Computer-Aided Design)? Enrolled in the SOLIDWORKS Essentials class? Or, looking to take advantage of advanced functionality of SOLIDWORKS? Either way, here is a great way to prepare for using SOLIDWORKS, and optimize your learning experience if you’re taking the Essentials class. If…