Using Zebra Stripes in SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS zebra stripes are a powerful tool that allow you to visualize and analyze the curvature of your models. They are especially useful for identifying areas of your model that may have uneven surfaces or irregularities that could impact the performance of your design. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use zebra stripes in SOLIDWORKS and how they can help improve the quality of your designs.

Step 1: Enable Zebra Stripes

Once you have the part file open that you want to analyze, it is very easy to activate your zebra stripes.

To enable zebra stripes, you’ll need to go to the “View” tab and select “Display.” From there, you can select “Zebra Stripes” from the drop-down menu. You’ll then be able to see the zebra stripes on your model. You can also activate them by selecting Zebra Stripes from the “Evaluate” tab within the Command Manager.

Enable Zebra stripes in SOLIDWORKS

Step 2: Adjust the stripe width and density

After toggling on your zebra stripes, the zebra stripe settings will populate within the property manager. From there, you can adjust the spacing and density to your desired values and even adjust the orientation of the stripes from vertical to horizontal.

Step 3: Analyze your model

Once you’ve enabled zebra stripes and adjusted the settings, you can analyze your model. You can easily identify the type of curvature in your model by analyzing the stripes visually. If the stripes are making contact but have a sharp change in direction, that means that it is a tangent curve. If the stripes make contact and continue smoothly this means that the curvature is continuous throughout the part. This helps identify areas of your model where the surface is not smooth or where there may be irregularities. You can use this information to make changes to your model and improve its performance.

Step 4: Disable SOLIDWORKS zebra stripes

Similar to other visual analysis tools, once complete you have to deactivate the zebra stripes. Once you’ve analyzed your model, you can disable the zebra stripes by going back to the “View” tab and selecting “Display.” From there, you can uncheck the “Zebra Stripes” option.

Zebra stripes are a powerful tool in SOLIDWORKS that can help you visualize and analyze the curvature of your models. You can use zebra stripes to identify areas of your model that may need improvement. Incorporating zebra stripes into your design process can help you create higher-quality designs that perform better and meet your design requirements.