Chris Briand

Use the ‘Exclude from Cut List’ option to manage SOLIDWORKS Modeled Welds

One of the most common practices we run across while discussing weldment functionality with clients is the use of ‘Modeled Welds’ which are additional Solid Bodies that exist in the weldment file to represent the physical mass where a weld would exist — generally in…

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Five reasons to avoid ‘Redirected Folders’ if you use SOLIDWORKS

Redirected Folders seemed like a good idea at the time? If you are an IT administrator that is tasked with providing support to SOLIDWORKS users, one can often get caught up in the various conflicts that arise between SOLIDWORKS and it’s need for accessibility to…

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Practical Values for approximating “Zero Radius” bends in SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS Zero Radius Not Complex - Complex Bend

I am as sure as the words posted here that every sheet metal designer has been asked to fudge some values to represent a “SOLIDWORKS Zero Radius” bend or a “SOLIDWORKS Sharp Corner” at some point along the way. As it turns out there is…

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Why is the SOLIDWORKS Automatic Solve Order option greyed out for my Equations?

SOLIDWORKS Automatic Solve order is Greyed out? If you have encountered any instances where the “Automatic Solve Order” for equations is disabled, it may be due to to a setting titled “Display potential circular references in equations:”   The options that govern the possibilities for…

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SOLIDWORKS Feature Freeze Bar Enhanced in SOLIDWORKS 2018

In previous releases of SOLIDWORKS, the “Feature Freeze” bar would experience issues if it encountered a folder where the features were in chronological order. This limitation has been addressed with SOLIDWORKS 2018 so that the Feature Freeze bar can force a temporary “unabsorb” of a…

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Preparing for a Multi-Release Upgrade Between SOLIDWORKS Versions

SOLIDWORKS Multiple Version Upgrade

Is it the Correct Time for Me to Upgrade? Customers upgrade their SOLIDWORKS licenses for any number of reasons. Those reasons may be identical to the reasoning that another company or organization chooses not to upgrade. As the old adage goes “If it ain’t broke…

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Apply a Bounding Box to any Model using SOLIDWORKS 2018

SOLIDWORKS Bounding Block

Let’s take a look at a common scenario that crops up after a design is complete – the design of packaging! While some designers may be savvy and experienced enough to embark on their own packaging design, others will need to speak to someone with…

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New Progress Indicator for Opening Assemblies in SOLIDWORKS 2018

SOLIDWORKS Assembly Open progress indicator

The new SOLIDWORKS Assembly Open progress indicator will resonate with anyone who has sat staring at their monitor wondering at exactly what stage, and exactly how long their assembly will take to open at any point. It is the tip of the iceberg for some…

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Expanded use of the Perpendicular Mate in SOLIDWORKS 2018

SOLIDWORKS Perpendicular Mate

Like many enhancements that come along during any SOLIDWORKS release cycle, it seems like the ability to add a SOLIDWORKS perpendicular mate between a complex (Non-analytic) surface and a linear entity, may get overlooked rather easily. UNLESS this is the exact feature you have been…

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